Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
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Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?
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Chapter 101
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Hitomi Kanzaki went through each article of clothing, carefully folding each piece and placing it in her bag. Holding up the tattered remains of her riding jacket, she sighed deeply and set it on the side of the bed. "So much for that thing. It was so expensive too." She did the same with the rest of the outfit then went about picking up her toiletries from the dresser and placed them in the bag as well.
"Hitomi!" Merle came prancing into the room but slowly stood upright as she looked from the bed to the dresser and back again. "Why are you packing?"
The girl from the Mystic Moon gave a weak smile. "I'm going home Merle." She went back to picking up more items from the dresser.
"Why?" The catgirl cried out. "Lord Van isn't even back yet. You can't leave!"
"It's better this way Merle. I have things I have to do back in my world, and if I wait for Van to return, I might not be able to go." She quickly wiped away a stray tear while she continued packing.
"But you'll be back, right? You're not leaving us for good, are you?" The younger teen jumped in front of her friend and stared up at her with pleading eyes.
Hitomi stared into her friend's sad eyes for a long while before smiling and giving Merle a soft pat on the head. "Of course I'll be back." She placed the items in her hand in the bag. "Just not so soon, that's all."
"Not so soon?" Merle looked away. "You mean you won't be back till you finish with school. That's what you're really saying, isn't it?"
Hitomi stopped what she was doing and slowly turned to face her friend. "Merle… I have responsibilities, serious responsibilities. I have to see them through to the end. Can't you understand that?"
"NO! No I can't understand that! What about your responsibilities to the man you love? What about that? What about Lord Van?" Merle fumed.
Hitomi turned away and walked to the window. Staring out over the city she gathered her resolve and whispered. "Stop being such a child Merle."
The catgirl gasped.
"What do you thing, all you need is love in your life and everything will be fine? Well, it doesn't work that way. It just doesn't. Yes, I love Van. I love him with all my heart, but I have responsibilities… and so does he. He has a kingdom to rule and he can't keep taking time out just to spend with me." The emerald-eyed girl blinked rapidly in a desparate effort to hold back her tears.
"What do you think he's going to do when you are queen?" Merle countered.
"That's different. When… if… I come back, it will be for good. Sure, we'll still do some of the things we've done before but not as much, not all the time. Things are never like that after two people get married. I'm not kidding myself into believing it will be all one big romantic adventure." Hitomi sighed.
"You're wrong Hitomi. If you do this, you're going to regret it for the rest of your life; you know this." Merle pleaded with her.
Hitomi turned and offered her friend a weak smile. "Everything will work itself out, you'll see; and if it doesn't." She turned back towards the window. "Then I guess it just wasn't meant to be."
"Don't give me that destiny crap!" The catgirl stomped her foot angrily and slammed her fists down on the matress. "That's just an excuse people use when they aren't willing to work at making their dreams come true! If you don't love Van enough to make your relationship with him work then just say so, don't blame it on destiny! Destiny isn't what's going to make him stop loving you. A wounded heart is a vulnerable heart. Someone might come along and take what he's already given to you."
"What are you saying Merle?" Hitomi walked up to her friend and rested her hands on her hips.
"I'm saying that the priests have been pushing Van to start courting the daughters of the nobles of Fanelia. If you trust in destiny then you might as well just go and never come back." The feline warned.
"Why don't you tell me what you really want to say?" Hitomi countered calmly.
"What do you mean?" Merle gave her friend a puzzled look.
"You still love Van, I know you do." The girl from the Mystic Moon leaned in a bit closer. "What you're saying is if I stay away too long, you'll take him from me, isn't it?"
Merle gasped in shock. "No… No!" She shook her head violently. "I wouldn't do that!"
"No? Than why were you just calling him Van? You always call him Lord Van, not just Van. Why the sudden change?" Hitomi asked calmly.
"I… I was just…" Merle shook her head violently. "Don't make this about me. This is about you. If you're going to be stupid and expect LORD VAN to wait two years for you, that's you're problem." Then she turned and ran out the room.
"Oh Merle." Hitomi sighed. Walking over to the dresser again, she started picking up somemore items then suddenly stopped and set them back down. Going to her bag, she pulled out a notepad and a pen then went and sat at her vanity table. Flipping open to a blank page, she began to write.
My Dearest Van,
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(To be Continued)
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AN: Sorry for taking so long to update this story. I meant to update much sooner but I've had so little time to write and I'm so far behind on so many other stories, that I just kept putting it off. I hope to have the next chapter up shortly but only time will tell.
Thanks for your patience.
A. Amishi