Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

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

Chapter 41

The King's private dinning room in the palace of Fanelia

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Van sat slumped back in his chair. On the table next to him were a bottle of wine, which was almost empty, a half filled glass and a large orange colored fruit that he was carelessly stabbing with a small dagger. He rested his cheek against his fist, his elbow resting on the armrest of the chair. As he stared pensively at the fruit, his mind was actually a world away.

"Lord Van?" Merle approached from down the hall, poking her head into each room as she passed and calling out for her king. "Lord Van?"

"Lord Van?" Hearing the calls of his longtime companion the king sighed as his countenance turned hard.

"Lord Van? Oh, there you are." She walked in slowly and kneeled down at his feet. "Oh Lord Van, don't be sad. Hitomi will be back. She said she would, didn't she?" The catgirl smiled, hoping to brighten her king's spirits.

The king remained silent.

Looking over at the table, Merle saw the bottle of wine and the glass. "Lord Van, you haven't been drinking have you? You never have more than half a glass, ever. Drinking won't make you feel any better. Come on; let's go for a walk around the city. That'll brighten your spirits." She grinned.

He picked up his glass and drink down the last of the wine in it. "You told her didn't you?" He accused her, not bothering to look at her as he squeezed the metal goblet in his hand until it could no longer take the pressure and collapsed in upon itself.

Merle shrank back a little bit. "What do you mean Lord Van?" Her fear was plainly evident on her face.

"You told Hitomi I was going to ask her to marry me. That's why she left is such a hurry. Isn't it?" He turned and stared at her with eyes as cold as ice.

Merle suddenly began panting rapidly. "I…I…I only did it for your own good Lord Van."

"Having the woman I love rush off like a thief in the night was for my own good?" He asked sarcastically.

"No… I mean…" The catgirl struggled for the words to explain her actions as her breathing became more labored and tears blurred her vision.

"You know what I think. I think our talk the other day fell on deaf ears." Van stared as Merle gasped in shock.

"I think you couldn't stand having Hitomi around anymore so you poisoned her mind with thoughts of how hard life would be for her here on Gaea as compared to her world." He continued.

"No! That's not true! I didn't do that! I love you Lord Van! I would never do anything to hurt you! I was trying to spare you from being rejected by her! That's what I was trying to do! I swear!" She cried out with tears streaming down her face.

"Liar!" Van spring to his feet, throwing the crushed goblet across the room while clutching the dagger angrily in his hand.

Merle jumped back. "It's the truth Lord Van. I just want you to be happy. I swear. I swear." She buried her face into her hands.

"Yeah, happy as long as it is with you and not Hitomi." He glared at her.

"No!" She cried. "No… Hitomi's my friend. I love her. I wouldn't do that to her. I wouldn't…" Merle wept uncontrollable.

Slowly she raised her head, tears still streaming down her face, as she looked at her childhood friend and saw something she never saw in his eyes directed totally at her. "You hate me. You hate me Lord Van. I'm sorry." She jumped to her feet and ran. "I'm sorry!" She screamed as she ran down the hall. "I'm sorry! … I'm sorry! … I'm sorry! …"

Van stood frozen, his rage having gotten the best of him. Slowly, tears began to fill his eyes as he slumped down to the floor. "You fool. You damned fool. You scare away the woman you love and now you chase away the woman who's loved you all your life. You're such a fool." Slowly he rose to his feet. Wiping his eyes dry with the back of his hand he turned to leave the room when he realized he still had the dagger in his hand. Staring at it as if it were his most hated enemy he slammed in down into the table driving the blade halfway through. Then he turned and walked out to the room.

Merle sat on the roof of the castle, her arms holding her knees in close and her face buried under her arms as she continued to cry. "I'm sorry Lord Van. I never meant to hurt you or Hitomi. I just … I just …" She broke down and wept uncontrollably.

Suddenly, her ears picked up the sound of soft footsteps approaching. Quickly she turned her head to see who it was. "Stay way from me." She buried her face once again.

"I can't do that."

"You hate me. You think I hate Hitomi. You were going to hurt me." She cried.

The last thing she said caused him to stop cold but only for a moment. He continued to walk till he was next to her then he sat down and tried to put his arm around her but she pulled away.

"No! Don't touch me. I don't deserve to be touched by you."

Frowning, he repeated his action. "Let me be the judge of that," as he pulled her close to him.

After they sat there in silence for a long while, the only sound being the soft whimpers from the catgirl, Van finally spoke softly. "Merle, I don't hate you. I'm not angry with you. In fact, I came up here to ask you if you could possibly forgive me after the terrible way I treated you. I'm sorry Merle. I'm sorry for not trusting your judgment. You were right. Hitomi wasn't ready to leave her world and family behind. I'm sorry for taking out my anger on you. And most of all I'm sorry for scaring you and making you believe I would actually consider harming you in any way. I would never hurt you Merle. Never. You're my best friend. You have been my whole life. I don't know what I'd do without you. Please say you can forgive me. I don't know what I'd do if you ever stopped being my friend."

With tears still in her eyes, she looked up at him and smiled sadly. "Oh Lord Van." She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face into his chest.

Rubbing his cheek on the top of her head, the young king said. "Love is a funny thing. It can bring us so much joy that we think we're on top of the world. But then it can bring us so much sadness and pain that we strike out against those who care for us most. I'm sorry Merle. I'll never doubt you again."

She tightened her grip around him and wept all the more. "Thank you Lord Van. Thank you."

The two did something they hadn't done since they were both small children that night. They slept under the stars in each other's arms.

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AN: I have to say I just love catgirls. ^_^ If catgirls really existed in our world, I'm sure I would have married one in a heartbeat. And that is not meant as an indictment against my wife, rather my affection for the female feline. ^_^ That said, I can't help but write for Merle. She's so cute and loveable despite herself. And while she's not my favorite catgirl (that position is reserved for Aisha Clan Clan) she is among my favorites.

Sorry for all the heartache but from personal experience, separation, especially with newfound love, is a very painful thing. Also sorry for no Hitomi here but don't worry; next chapter will be all Hitomi. When will she be going back? That is a very good question. As soon as I, like her, figure out this whole space/time thing. That may take a little while. But it won't be too long, I promise.

In response to a reviewers comments about young lovers kissing a lot. Yes, I remember how that is. ^___^

But these aren't your ordinary teens. Van is a king. That's not to say he feels he needs to put on airs just to look kingly. No, rather, his parents raised him, later Vargas raised him to believe in things like honor and duty. So Van is kinda rough around the edges when it comes to relationships, though Hitomi is working on that. ^_^ Also, there is Hitomi's own modesty. Being a king, Van is rarely alone during the day. Nighttime will be their time, mostly but even then propriety and duty knows no hour of the day or night. But fear not, lovers always find ways to show their love, even fossils like me. ^___^ Okay, I'm not that old but still.

I must say, my cup runneth over, your comments are far too generous. I am both humbled and overjoyed that you think so much of my writing. ^_^ Not to worry, I won't let it go to my head. How can I when the reviewers of my other stories keep slapping me around. :P Still, I really do appreciate so many of you take the time to comment after almost every chapter, for some, even every chapter. It lets me know I'm on the right track and that people are actually reading and enjoying my work. That warms my heart.

Have a great week everyone and may your wishes of love come true. ^_^

A. Amishi