6.) New Worlds

"Are you sure it was her? Maybe it wasn't her."

"There was no mistake about it. It was Hitomi. I could recognize her anywhere."

Merle bit her lip doubtfully, turning to spot him lazily inspecting that little black device from the coffee table. She was amazed at how interested Van was with this world. Why did he pay so much attention to it? There he lay now in that relaxing sofa which he had refused to ever get off of since they arrived.

"Lord Van, its been near six years now. How could you possibly be sure it was her? There are millions of people here to choose from you know."

Van furrowed his eyebrows as he began carefully pressing each and every button on the device he had newly discovered. "She took the pendant. She recognized it. Who else would have one of those but her?"

"You gave that woman the pendant!?!" Merle spun around angrily on the computer chair she had also been amused with. "Lord Van! You do know that anyone could have claimed that necklace as theirs!! They could have just robbed you of the last item you had left of her! Without that necklace this whole voyage could be meaningless!"

"Merle," Van implied strictly, getting rather stressed out by both Merle and the useless device he held in his hand. "It was her. She said her name was Hitomi Kanzaki! Look, don't believe me if you don't want to. I never insisted on dragging you along."

The young cat woman shut up quickly, holding back her anger towards him. But still…. How could Van be so blind? He couldn't just expect any person that he met to instantly be Hitomi Kanzaki. This planet was four times as vast and with almost 60 times the population of Gaea. It was full of weird things, different technology, all sorts of odd cultures and creatures, and he expected to know which one of them was Hitomi right off the bat?

"…… in the fire. Officials say that the blaze started near 2 pm at the Orkins residence. Since then the fire department has managed to locate some faulty wirings that could have set off…"

Merle was hit with a rivet of surprise and turned in question at the giant black box that sat within the wall unit. It was alive! Or something like that. Images flashed on it showing a disastrous fire with flames licking away at a burning home; a voice kept penetrating from it talking about what the pictures were showing. She instantly peeled her eyes away and spotted Van, who was looking back at the television in triumph, proudly clinging onto the remote device which he still held on to in his hand.

"Would you come and look at that Merle, can you believe the amounts of technology they have here?!? It makes you wonder what their guymelefs are like…"

Merle stood unsurely eyeing the television. Never had she seen anything like it. It was like a show or play put on, and it was all controlled. She watched curiously as Van continued to play with the buttons on the device which entirely affected the results displayed on the box. Her tail began to swoosh in all directions as it did when things began to get interesting.

"I saw something like this like before Lord Van," she plopped herself down on the seat next to him. "It's a black device as well over in the eating area. But it only emits sound, but the sound changes when you play with the 'tuning'."

"Oh the radio," Van nodded. "I saw it too. The music here is quite different don't you think?"

Merle smiled. "Different? Tell me, what in those whole place is the same? And don't you think the clothes are funny? Especially what you're wearing!"

Van looked curiously at his business like outfit, dusting it off from a spec of Merle's fur. "And what is wrong with what I'm wearing??"

"Well," Merle laughed. "For starters, what is with those shoes?? They're so shiny I can see myself in them."

"Oh yeah…" Van bent over inspecting his polished loafers laughing as he spot his eye looking straight back at him. "I never even noticed."

Merle leaped off the couch pressing her face up against the television screen. "This thing is amazing!! I never knew the mystic moon was so different!! Look at it!!" She bounded across the living room quickly brushing back the drapes as the sunlight filtered through and began wrestling with the screen door.

"Look Lord Van, have you ever seen so much snow??"

Her eyes glowed with wonder as like a young kitten, adoring the view from the hotel balcony. They sure didn't have that much snow over in Gaea. The last time she had seen the white fluff was back when she was around ten or eleven. She also stared in amazement at all the humongous freestanding structures that surrounded her. They were encased in glass and seemed to stretch up higher than her eye could ever see!! Lord Van called them 'skyscrapers', and she thought it was a fitting name. Maybe if she climbed to the top of one she'd be able to touch the clouds…

Down below she saw a fury of automobiles winding through the paved streets. She had been highly interested in those since they got here. She could see no horses or oxen in sight! Just those metallic carriages that wheeled around on their own. They didn't fly using floating rocks like up on Gaea, they seemed to get their energy source from elsewhere and remained on the ground. She also noticed that people were everywhere! They walked the streets, through the buildings, in the carriages and everywhere she looked. It was always busy and there was always noise. Even in their own large city of Fanelia she never did see such an array of citizens.

"Lord Van…. How is it like??" She continued to stare stunned, as she had been doing for almost hours straight. She hadn't bothered to play around much with the appliances in the hotel room as Van had, her interest, as an animal, was the outdoors.

"How's what like Merle?" Van gave her a smiling glance as he continued to prod at the remote control in curiosity on how to switch off the blaring television.

"The Mystic Moon!! All those people?? Did they say anything to you? Did you get to ride in one of the metal carriages?" Her eyes glowed with anticipation.

"Well," Van huddled underneath his coat as he joined her to on the balcony giving up on the T.V. "First of all they call them cars, or sometimes buses or trucks. It depends on the automobile. No I haven't ridden one yet but I can't see how they could be much different from a carriage."

"Really? I think they'll go lots faster and ride lots smoother! Look at all the lights they have here Lord Van! Especially in the nighttime!! I wish I could see that park you were talking about. I would love to see even more lights." A tint of a sigh seemed to be coming from Merle, even though she couldn't look more enthusiastic.

"Its wonderful isn't it Lord Van… isn't it."

He gazed out at the busy scenery below, looking at Merle as the soft breeze ruffled her slick red hair and tickled at her long pink ears. She looked happy to be here.. but not here. He could tell she wanted to go beyond hotel doors.

"You could say so…" he gave her that warm smile that only Van had, lost adrift in his own thoughts. Poor Merle; he knew she hated being confined to these walls. He could easily sense the longing to explore that Merle always had.

"I wish I could see it." That sad voice came from her, as she leaned against the balcony rail watching some bluebirds on the balcony to the left. Why did she have to look so different? If only she could walk the streets and not be gawked at. She could over in Gaea…. But then again, this wasn't Gaea now was it.

"If it was Hitomi, did she ever recognize you?" She lifted her head just a bit as she tried to think of other things, gazing at the deep blue up above.

"Oh, well, I never really told her my name, she told me hers though." Van caught on to her wish to change the topic moving closer to his little friend.

Merle turned smiling in his direction. "But she did kind of remember you right? If you found her familiar she must've remembered your face as well."

Van glanced out to the sun-filled streets down below. "Merle, I don't think she did." He sighed sullenly dusting the light coat of snow off the railing.

"Well why wouldn't she?" Merle inspected his look carefully. "She couldn't have forgotten!"

Van was silent now, his hair black as night flowing with the soft wind. He glanced down at his clenched fingers tucking them into his sleeves to be shielded from the cold. "It has been near six years like you said."

Merle turned abruptly to Van's surprise. "You MUST be kidding me! If it was her she would've remembered you!!!"

"Merle calm down. Hitomi's been through a lot since we've last met her. You can't expect her to know who I am the first time I see her."

"No," Merle shook her head furiously grasping open the screen door. What was wrong with Van? First he thinks this girl is Hitomi, then he runs off from her, and now he expects Merle to accept the fact that this Hitomi has just forgotten??

"She forgot. That's right Lord Van. She did!! She lied to us, she said she'd always remember!"

Van watched in dismay as his fed up companion ran indoors and almost bolted directly to the door leading to the hallway. "Merle, why on earth are you overreacting about it??"

"Because," she stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "Because then we wasted our time coming here Lord Van!! What would be the point if she doesn't even care anymore?" Upset, the cat girl quickly grabbed a coat much too thin for the weather from the closet.

"Goodbye, I'm finding her myself."

Van's eyes glowed impatience as he looked sternly at her as she wrestled with the front door. "Merle, you are not going anywhere."

"Watch me!"

"MERLE… you can't leave!" He ran up to catch up with her as she finally got the door opened and scrambled down the dim hallway.

"WHY???" She stopped quickly again surprising him, turning and viciously staring back, demanding an answer. "WHY?? Because I'm a cat?? Because I look different?????"

"Its not safe," he replied, trying to tone down his voice, trying to get her to simmer down as well. He looked on anxiously, studying her, hoping to God she wouldn't dare leave. "Merle, you don't know this place."

"And neither do you!! I don't care what you say anymore! I'm making my own decisions! I don't need you!!" Angrily, in fit of rage at she wasn't even sure who, she made her way to the elevator, ignoring it she quickly stomped her way down a flight of stairs. Van looked on helpless as he stood in the empty hotel hallway, leaning himself on the wall feeling drained of everything. He could never catch up with her if he tried. The way Merle got around it would be pointless. All he could do now was pray that she safely returned in this strange world they both didn't know.