Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Falling ❯ On the Balcony ( Chapter 3 )

Recap:
"What the--" Hitomi began, something on Merle's bed catching her eye. "How did this get here?"

"Hmm?" said Merle, looking up from her spot at the window, "How did What get here?"
"My bag..." whispered Hitomi, pointing to the green and purple duffel bag that lay comfortably on the cat girl's bed. "I clearly remember leaving it in Asturia..."
Merle chuckled a little. "I brought it back on my return to Fanelia. I thought that it..." she stopped.
"Thought that it what, Merle?"
"Nevermind." replied the catgirl hastily. "Well, it will be useful for you now that you're here, huh?"
Hitomi nodded and began to rummage through her things, seeing that everything was there. Among the many items was many pieces of used paper. Gingerly, the short-haired girl pulled them out.
Memories... Hitomi almost whispered aloud. And that was excatly what these pages were. Sheets and sheets of paper, filled with what Hitomi had written during her stay on Gaia. She wanted to remember everything she could about the events that had taken place.
I don't know where I am. The scenery is very much like Earth's, in a very primitive way, but it is not Earth. I have been informed by the boy who caused me to be here in the first place that this is another world entirely, called Gaia. The Earth and moon hang in the sky, and looking at them makes me homesick. I miss you, Amano, Yukari, mom, dad... even you, Mamoru. I'm currently residing in a castle in a country called "Fanelia". The ruler of this land is none other than the boy I saved from the dragon (though he denied it). He is currently a Prince, but is to ascend to King late this afternoon. His name is Van.
A young girl visited me at my window this morning. She's an eerie mix... part human, part cat. I think her name is "Merle", but I could be wrong. Anyway, she appeared at my window, warning me not to get to close to Van (now what could she mean by that? Certainly she can't mean 'don't fall in love with him'! That's ridiculous. Van is so cold-hearted and arrogant, I could never love him) and then Merle began... Hitomi stopped reading for a moment, reflecting. How ironic, that the one person she didn't like at all in the beginning was the one she was in love with now.
Is it love? she wondered. Or is it just another 'phase', like Amano and Allen? What, is it that I've gone through the brunette and blond phase, and now I'm moving onto raven-haired men? it was not the first time during her stay on Gaia that she began to doubt her emotions. She put the papers carefully back into her bag.
"You look tired." Merle commented, watching her the same way that a cat would, when it's hungry and knows that you are the sole keeper of its food. "Maybe you should get some rest."
"Oh, I couldn't do that, Merle." Hitomi said modestly. "It would be rude to kick you out of your own room."
"It's okay," the cat assured. "I should get out there and help some more, anyway."
Hitomi smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Merle." she said, before getting under the covers of the bed, asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

The first thing that Hitomi saw when she woke up was a cat's face, staring into her own.
"AH!" shrieked the sandy-haired girl, jumping. "What's the big idea, scaring me out of my wits like that??"
Merle crossed her arms defensively. "Well, I'm not the one who slept nearly a full day! Lord Van was beginning to worry about you."
"I slept a full day?"
"Mm-Hmm. It's a good thing that you woke up when you did. Lunch is almost ready." she tugged on Hitomi's arm. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go eat!"
Despite her many protests of wanting to wear something else from her duffel bag, Merle immediately dragged her out of bed, down the long corridor, and turned to a set of doors that led to the balcony.
"Here we are." announced Merle cheerily, opening the doors. Van sat on the fat railing of the balcony, one knee drawn up to his body as he watched the people down below. Hearing the creak of the doors, he looked up.
"Hitomi!" he said with a smile. "I see you're finally up. How was your sleep?"
"Fine, thank you." Hitomi said, her eyes straying from the young king to the food set out on a blanket on the floor. There really wasn't much; just a few fruits and vegetables.
"I wish there was more I could offer you," Van said sadly. "But the kitchen was destroyed and the cooks have not yet return. There is no available food other than what grows in Fanelia."
"That's okay, Van." Hitomi said with a smile. Graciously, she sat down to eat. Merle sat down beside her and began to gnaw on something she had caught in the forest that morning. It looked like some sort of insect, and Merle's expressions as she ate proved that she thought it was a nummy treat.
The girl from the Mystic Moon bit into a star-shaped fruit and found that it tasted very much like a peach. Until this point, she hadn't realized how hungry she was. "Aren't you eating anything, Van?" she asked in between munches.
"I'm not very hungry, actually."
"Goodday, Merle! Master Van! And the woman who I cannot identify!" a young catguy waved from below. Curious, the catgirl poked her head over the balcony to see who it was who said it. The catguy smiled up at her, his dark brown eyes sparkling.
"Kayulo..." she whispered, blush creeping to her cheeks. She watched as he smiled at her, and returned to helping with the work on a neighbour's house.
"Who's Kayulo?" Hitomi said slyly, nudging the cat.
"Err, no one!" Merle said, hastily shoving another "cat treat" onto her mouth. "Hey, he looks like he could use some help..." Merle said dreamily, thinking of the catguy. She said her goodbyes to Hitomi and Van, before running off to aid Kayulo.
Hitomi giggled.
"Merle's new love." Van said, equally chuckling.
"Whatever happened to you?" Hitomi joked.
"She gave up on me a long time ago..." Van said, looking up at the sky, deep in thought.
Silence fell between them.
Van shifted uncomfortably. "Hitomi..." he began softly. "I haven't found a way to get you back to the Mystic Moon." That's a lie you liar you haven't even looked you don't want her to go why can't you just tell her that instead and then maybe she would stay and then again maybe that's a selfish thing to ask and besides she probably doesn't love you
"Van, it's only been one day." Hitomi said seriously. And I hope it can be longer I want to stay in Fanelia with you Van for just a little while longer you know I never really got to know you as well as I would like and now I've just come to realize how much you mean to me and I can't let you go not now not just yet
For a moment, nothing more was said, the pair just sat, looking into each other's eyes, as if the solution to Hitomi's predicament was hidden within them. Van suddenly felt his cheeks go hot and abruptly turned away. "I'll speak with my advisors today." he said carefully, waiting for his cheeks to cool. "Perhaps they will figure out something that we haven't."

A/N: Okay, so this chapter is short. No romance yet, but there will be. Prolly by chapter... um..... 5 or 6? *lol* That is, if I should continue. :-/ As I said, this is a fanfic that can be continued or discontinued depending on what you guys think. I will feel no pain in deleting it, it's only an extra fanfic that I work on when I'm stuck in a rut with my other Fanfic, Sailor Mystic Moon.
05.09.01