"What do you mean you're a father?!?" Merelu screamed. Her heart had been broken right in front of her eyes. Van was still smiling. Smug little bastard. "Where is she? Huh? Where's Hitomi, that little rat, I'll murder her! How could she go that long without telling you?!" Merelu screamed some more. She lunged for the door, but Van intercepted her.
"It's no her fault, Merelu. She's gone through a lot. She was kicked out of her house by her own mother! And besides, I won't let you hurt my fiancée," Van proclaimed. Merelu's face dropped for a second time. She pushed Van aside and ran out the door. "Oh, Merelu, I'm sorry," Van whispered. He slowly walked over to his room to wake up Hitomi, but he stopped at the door, and walked over to Shiro's room. He knocked on the door first. "Shiro?" No answer. Van entered the room silently. Shiro was still asleep. Van stood over his bed for a second or two. "How beautiful he is!" Van thought. He sat down on the boy's bed. "Shiro? Shiro? Wake up." Shiro slowly opened his eyes to see a large figure before him, backlit, with long, beautiful white wings.
"Oto-san?" Shiro said in a sleepy daze. Van nodded. They both smiled.
Megumi smiled. "Welcome back, Hitomi-san! It's so nice to see you again! The palace was so boring right after you left for the longest time." Hitomi bowed to Megumi.
"Domo arigatu, Megumi-san. Don't worry. This time I won't be leaving."
Megumi was overjoyed. They were standing in the king's bedroom. It was so beautiful. "Hitomi-san? Would you like me to get you some clean clothes? A pretty dress, perhaps?"
Hitomi nodded. If she was going to be jo-o, she had to at least dress like she was from the planet. The young prince, too. "Megumi-san? Would you mind getting some clean garments for my son, Shiro, too?"
Megumi gasped. "Hitomi-san," she bowed. "You have a son? Is he…?" Megumi couldn't say it out loud.
Hitomi replied, "Hai."
Megumi did not want to be impolite, so she simply smiled, bowed, and left the room.
"Oh dear," she thought.
"Hitomi-san, this creates many problems for us. What about informing other nations, informing the people of Fanelia? We can't just say, 'Fanelia has a new 5-rotation-old prince.'"
Hitomi hadn't thought about that. The fact that Van was O-sama did complicate matters.
"Well, I suggest that we should announce the engagement first. After the wedding, we should just tell the truth," said Van.
"You have a point there. By the time anyone knows, you'll already be jo-o," said Hiroki. Hiroki had been appointed as one of the king's advisors. Merelu had run to him that morning, but he conforted her and she was sleeping in his room now. "I don't know, though, if you should even tell the elders," Hiroki continued. "They might overreact and spill the beans."
Van was surprised that Hiroki was so understanding. The two of them had not gotten along since that morning when Hitomi was last there. "Domo arigatu, Hiroki-san," Van said politely.
"Don't tell anyone else, though," Hiroki snapped. "Or at least, if you do, make sure they can be trusted. This could cause another war if the information leaks out the wrong way." Van and Hitomi nodded. Hitomi then bowed, and Hiroki gasped, "Hitomi-san, you need not bow to me! You are to be jo-o! You must act like one!" Hiroki bowed very formally and Hitomi nodded back. Van and Hitomi left the room.
"Megumi, did you tell anyone that I have a son?" Hitomi asked feverently.
"Why, of course not, Hitomi-san. I would never without your permission! Why? Is something the matter?" Hitomi shook her head no. "Hitomi-san, if you don't mind me asking, are you going to marry Van-sama?" Hitomi nodded with a big smile. Megumi jumped for joy. Then she bowed and said "Hitomi Jo-o."
Hitomi giggled. She wasn't used to being treated so formally. She wasn't even used to the fact that she was going to be jo-o. She felt embarrassed. "Megumi-san?"
"Hai?"
Hitomi hesitated. "Will you do me a favor?"
"Hai."
"Will you…I mean would you…mind not telling anyone about Shiro? Or about the engagement?"
"Hai. Anything for you Hitomi Jo-o." Megumi bowed again. Hitomi just smiled.
"Citizens of Fanelia," said Hiroki in a booming voice. "We have an announcement to make! Come to the Palace Square at five o'clock to hear the news. Thank you." Hiroki stepped down from the podium. He had to go to seven more podium spots in Fanelia before three o'clock. "Shit," he thought. "I'm running late. And I was hoping to see Merelu before the announcement." He got into the coach and frowned down at the map. If he hurried, he might make it back to the palace by four thirty. Over the past six years he had fallen deeply in love with Merelu. It was painful to know that her heart belonged to Van. What made it worse was that Van didn't love Merelu. He was marrying Hitomi! Although, when he thought about it, Hitomi was really sweet, not to mention that figure! Wowza! Van was a lucky man. His true love returned his affections. He had read so many books about Hitomi and Van's relationship during the Great War. He knew from those twisted stories that there was hope for him and Merelu.
"Ladies and gentleman, may I present Van-sama and Kanzaki Hitomi!" As the two emerged from the wings, the crowd cheered "just like at a track meet," Hitomi thought. It was so exciting. All these people here to see her and Van. How wondrous!
"Thank you for that warm welcome for myself, and Fanelia's most esteemed guest. As you know, you have all been called here to hear an important announcement." The crowd bustled. "Well, Fanelia will soon have a new jo-o!" he proclaimed. The crowd went wild. "I am to wed Hitomi-san a fortnight from tomorrow. I hope that you will all attend the wedding. Everyone is welcome!" Van smiled. His people were all so happy. "Hitomi-san now has something to say." Van stepped down and, very gentlemanly, helped Hitomi up to the podium for her speech. He stood back and smiled, "What a wonderful woman!" he thought. "She will make a wonderful jo-o."
"Thank you. This is truly a joyous occasion! After seven years, I am back among the people I love! Words cannot express the happiness I felt at the thought of being your jo-o! I could not ask for anything more!" The crowd was ecstatic. Van helped Hitomi back down. Hiroki got back up to the podium. He started his closing remarks as Van and Hitomi waved goodbye and disappeared into the wings.
Hitomi stopped Van. She turned to face him, and said, "I love you. I have always loved you, and I will always love you. Thank you." She could only smile at this point. So Van did something. He kissed her long and heavy. Hitomi gasped because she hadn't expected this. He pulled back and smiled at her.
"You were perfect!" he said.
"Will you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to honor and to cherish, for as long as you both shall live?"
Hitomi looked into Van's beautiful eyes. "Yes, I will." She smiled.
"Will you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, to honor and to cherish, for as long as you both shall live?"
Van was staring into Hitomi's baby blues. "Yes, I will." He had never been so happy.
"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Van kissed Hitomi like he'd never kissed her before. The crowd was cheering for them. It was one of the most beautiful royal weddings in Gaea's history. As the couple gracefully walked down the aisle, hand-in-hand, the joyous people of Fanelia cheered and threw rice at them. It was the happiest moment of Hitomi's life. It was, also for Van.
"I'm going to get to spend the rest of my life with this woman!" he thought happily as they entered the main palace structure.
"So, when do you think we should introduce Shiro?" Hitomi asked. She was jo-o now, and she didn't like keeping secrets from her people.
"Well, it should be about one more week. I would say, 'do it now,' but I think that it would be wise if you inform the leaders of other nations first," Hiroki replied. He was happy to see that Hitomi was settling into royalty so easily.
Hitomi nodded. Van spoke up now, "This is a very sensitive matter. We should have a prepared statement. We might goof it up if we don't." Hitomi was happy. She was happy that she was married to Van. She was happy that she was jo-o of Fanelia. She was happy that Van was so thoughtful.
Hiroki nodded. It was settled. Asturia, Quentag, Ispano, and all the other kingdoms and dukedoms in about a week.
Asturia. It looked just as perfect as ever. The sea salt air played with Hitomi's nose. It whispered softly "Welcome back" to her. She had asked Van about the royal family of Asturia before she left. Apparently, the king had died just after Hitomi returned to the Mystic Moon, five years ago. Hitomi's coach stopped outside the palace. Her door opened and Hiroki helped her step down. As she started down the long corridor, she thought, "Poor Millerna-san. Her whole family died, she became jo-o, but Dryden didn't come back for another year. And then they had trouble having a baby. What else could happen to her?" She came to an intersection in the hall. One of the guards directed her to go left. As she turned the corner, she saw Millerna. It was all she could do to not drop the front of her skirt and run over to Millerna, screaming, "Millerna-san!"
She walked gracefully over to where Millerna stood and curtseyed very politely. Millerna did the same. When they stood up and looked each other in the eye, they both giggled intensely and hugged each other. Hitomi stood back and looked at Millerna. "You look very…Um…"
"Pregnant?" Millerna finished for her. So Millerna finally got pregnant. Good for her. "And you, you're so tall! You look great!"
Hitomi giggled. She had gotten so many complements, the last month and a half. "So, now you're jo-o, Millerna-san?"
Millerna nodded. "So are you, Hitomi. So are you."
"Oh my!" Millerna said when she heard the news. Dryden just nodded. "And you say he's how old?"
"He's five rotations old." Hitomi was getting used to the new way of saying "year." She smiled a little.
Dryden stood up. He bowed to Hitomi. "We welcome you, Hitomi Jo-o, and your son, Shiro Miya, to our kingdom, Asturia, anytime. It is an honor to acknowledge you and miya-sama." Millerna and Hitomi both smiled.
Millerna waved goodbye happily. "Sayonara!" Hitomi was gone.
Hitomi was back on Gaea! Millerna could barely believe it when she found out by messenger from Fanelia. And she had a son? "Hitomi must be so lucky. She was able to get pregnant!" Then Millerna thought some more about it. "Hitomi must have had Shiro on the Mystic Moon! And she wasn't even married!" Millerna was not sure what to think. It was wrong of Hitomi and Van to go that far without being married, but then again, she felt bad for Hitomi. It would be hard for Hitomi to leave her life at home for Gaea. Especially at such a young age. Now it was different, though. There was a child involved. Hitomi would probably do anything for her son, and Millerna knew that Hitomi would do anything for Van. Millerna had never seen as much love as was between those two. Millerna was so happy for them that she couldn't be jealous.
Dryden was standing behind her. He put his hand gently on her shoulder. Millerna jumped. She hadn't realized that her husband was there. She looked back at Dryden. He smiled knowingly. As if he understood what she was thinking. She did- love him. She realized that when he left. Those four years that he was gone really changed Millerna's life. She found out at the very beginning that she had never loved Allen, and he had never loved her. She was only infatuated with him, and he only saw her sister in her. Eries was right: after everything, she realized that she had been stupid. But, if she had it all to do over again, she wouldn't have done anything differently.
"Duke Chid," Hitomi bowed. How he had grown! He was about fifteen now, Hitomi guessed. He was so handsome. There was no doubting that Chid was Allen's son. His hair, although shorter than Allen's, was golden yellow, and his eyes were baby blue. The frame of his face was just like Allen's, too. He kind of reminded Hitomi of Amano when he was fifteen. "Hmm." Hitomi shrugged.
"Hitomi Jo-o." Chid bowed back. "To what do I owe this great honor?" Chid inquired.
Hitomi bowed again. "I have a message from myself and the king, Chid."
Chid was frowning. He couldn't believe that his oldest friends had deceived him. How could they go this long lying about something this important? Even if Van hadn't known about his son for five years, there was about a month and a half that he knew that he didn't tell anyone! The poor child! He was caught in the middle of all this!
"What is your son's name, Hitomi Jo-o?" Chid asked. Chid could not believe that Hitomi would have a love child! How could she get into that position?
"His name is Shiro. I named him after my grandfather." Chid nodded. The rage grew inside of him.
"Hitomi, how could you do that to your own child?! You have not only put him in the middle of controversy, but he is a bastard! People will always regard him as a bastard! Even when he's king, he'll have no respect! You are a bad mother!"
Normally, Hitomi would never get mad at Chid, or EVER say this to him, but Chid insulted her very being! He didn't even do it to hurt her, he was scolding her! He had gone too far!
"Well, Chid, you should know what it's like to grow up a bastard son! You seem to be okay! People respect you anyway!" Hitomi stopped. She wondered if anyone had ever told Chid. She realized by the look on his face that she had done something horribly wrong. Chid didn't know!
"What are you talking about, Hitomi-san? My parents were married when I was born! You have no right to talk to me like that! I…I…I'm the Duke of Freid! I…I…" Chid stopped. His greatest fears. He had heard somebody whisper something about his mother's love affair once, when he was very young. His father came, though, and took him out of the room. Was the duke that he had known as his father all his life really his father? Yes, of course he was! Hitomi didn't know anything about this. Or did she know something that even he didn't know? "Hitomi-san, why did you say that? What are you trying to say?"
Hitomi suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "Um…I don't know what I was talking about, Chid. I shouldn't have said anything! I…I…have to go." Hitomi started to stand up, but Chid grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back down into her seat.
"Hitomi, tell me now, or you don't leave." Chid looked very grim. He could tell from Hitomi's voice that something was wrong. "Tell me."
Hitomi looked up at Chid. "How can I tell him?" she thought. "How can I tell him without causing a war? Why did I have to be so hot headed?" She was so worried about Fanelia. Her people had just finished rebuilding from the last war. How could she come here and start another war?
"Chid, I…" Chid looked down at her with sympathetic eyes. It made Hitomi feel calmer. "Chid, you, you, you are Allen Schezar's son!" Hitomi finally blurted out.
Chid froze. The fear flooded back over him. But with that fear became anger and hatred. He looked down at Hitomi and was angry. She brought the lies! It couldn't be true! She had done this just to invoke a war! If it was a war she wanted, it would be a war she got!
"Duke Chid! Please, reconsider! I only told you that because it was the truth! I did not mean any disrespect! I apologize! I didn't realize!" Chid stormed towards the door.
"Please, don't lie to me any more. I can't stand the fact that you were lying to me before, but to continue? Are you insane? You've already invoked a war! What else do you want? You probably don't even have a child! I can't…I can't…" Chid regathered his poise. "I recommend that you make arrangements to leave now, Hitomi-san. You should warn your country before we attack." And with that, Chid left the room and slammed the door.
"What have I done?" Hitomi hung her head in shame.
"Oh, no. You didn't!" Hiroki screamed. "How…how could you?! I can't…I can't believe…! You…oh no! And Van isn't even in the country! We have no way to contact him! Even if we did, he wouldn't make it back for three days! The whole of Fanelia could be destroyed in three days! Plus, Van is the only one who can pilot Escaflowne! What will we do? Let me think." Hiroki was now pacing the room fairly quickly.
Hitomi felt so horribly. After she said those few words, there was nothing she could do to stop this war from coming. She thought about taking Shiro to Freid, but that was too dangerous. She never wanted to put her son in any kind of danger. Then she thought about finding Allen, but that might infuriate Chid more! Besides, that would take too long. All they could do was wait for the attack, and prepare. They could stock up on ammunitions…wait! They didn't have ammunitions. They didn't have any guns. Guns had never been developed on Gaea. They could prepare all the guymelefs. They could give the foot soldiers orders and posts. Other than that, there was not much they could do but wait.
And they did wait. They waited two long days. Two days of waiting to die is a very long time. Knowing the attack could come any minute for two days! Tensions were very high. Chid knew this. He planned it that way. He studied tactics for three years. He knew a few things from the Great War, too.
Hitomi knew that the whole thing was her fault. She insisted, despite Hiroki's and the elders' strong disapproval, to pilot one of the guymelefs. She knew how to pilot one, from her time on Gaea seven years ago. She also had taught Van the technique that he used with Escaflowne where he used his mind to pilot the guymelef better. She had never been inside a guymelef before, or even done any sword fighting, but she got Fanelia into this mess! Why should people who had nothing to do with it risk their lives while the one responsible sat at her table, having tea? She considered it her duty.
When the attack came, it came quickly. The speed flight mechanism that Freid had developed for its guymelefs was really paying off.
Three hours of fighting, and Hitomi was still doing well. She hadn't killed anyone. She tried best she could to only aim for energists. So far, she had done a pretty good job. Yet, Hitomi didn't know how much longer she could hold up. Both her mind and body were being strained. Fighting was such tough work. Hitomi was so tired. And then the real battle came.
Hitomi was overwhelmed by the fighting. There were too many guymelefs to count. She wanted to give up, but she couldn't give up. Van would never give up. Hitomi kept fighting. Sometimes there were two or three guymelefs attacking her at once, but Hitomi tried her absolute best to keep up. Finally, she was fighting someone, who was just about as good as she was. She was worried about what was about to happen to her, when she had a vision. She hadn't had a vision in about seven years, but she still knew what it was.
In her vision, Shiro was sitting in his room, when a soldier came in with a sword and killed him. She watched as Shiro's blood reddened the white sheets on his bed. She couldn't let that happen.
She turned to the guymelef she had been trying not to kill, and chopped it half, right down the center. She then got out of her guymelef and ran back to the palace. She had to stop that soldier. While running, she took off two layers of clothing because they were slowing her down, even though it was about -10 °C outside. She was a very fast runner. During her five years with Shiro, she ran two hours every morning, and another hour in the evening. She still had it.
She ran up the grand staircase to Shiro's room. As she neared, she saw that Shiro's door was open. She feared that she was too late, but she couldn't slow down. As she entered the room, the soldier was walking towards Shiro. Hitomi ran around the soldier to grab and protect Shiro, just as he was lunging.
Hitomi felt the blow in her back. She knew that she was probably going to die.
"Guards!" Hitomi screamed in pain.
The soldier, realizing that he had missed the prince and hit the queen, turned to make a quick exit. The guards stopped him at the stairs.
When the two guards got to Shiro's room, they saw Shiro holding his mother's head up as he was crying. Hitomi was quite obviously bleeding. A lot. One of them ran to get the doctor, while the other ran to get Merelu and Hiroki.
Merelu came flying into the room. "Hitomi!" she cried. "Hitomi, you can't die! You can't! Van needs you! Shiro needs you! I need you! You're my best friend! I won't let you die! Wake up! Talk to me! Hitomi!" Merelu was sobbing.
During this little speech, Hiroki had been standing in the door. He was amazed at Merelu. Just hours ago, she had been calling Hitomi names and saying how she couldn't stand her. Now, Merelu was trying to keep Hitomi alive and calling her her best friend. Hiroki almost started crying. He had become friends with Hitomi. He just wished, for her sake that Van would be about two hours early. It was five now, and he wasn't due to arrive until seven. "Oh Van, please hurry!"
Hitomi looked up at Merelu. She stroked Merelu's hair and said, "Merelu, please don't cry for me. I'll be okay. Don't worry." Then Hitomi saw Shiro. She tried to turn, but it was too painful. "Shiro, Shiro, are you all right?" Hitomi was so worried for her child.
Shiro replied while still crying, "Oka-san, I'm okay. You can't die, Oka-san!"
Van was in his royal coach, returning as quickly as possible to Fanelia, when he felt something. A sharp pain in his back. He knew something was wrong. Hitomi was in pain! Hitomi was dying! Van couldn't get there in time! She was going to die, and he would never get to see her again alive! Unless…
"Stop the coach and let me out!" Van ordered. When it stopped, he hopped out of the coach and took his shirt off. He very quickly spread his wings and flew away as fast as could, to the surprise of the driver. "I can get there in fifteen minutes if I hurry! Hitomi, please, hold on!"
Hitomi looked at all the people around her and thought about how much she loved them all. There was Hiroki, who was so kind, Megumi, who had such a kind heart, and Merelu, who had been one of her best friends for so long. Then there was Shiro. She loved him so much! But there was someone missing.
"Where's Van?" she asked. She couldn't think straight, and all the faces were getting kind of blurry. She blinked hard, which fixed the bluriness, but it didn't stop the sharp pain in her back.
Merelu looked concerningly at Hiroki. He replied, "Hitomi, honey, we don't know. He should be here soon."
Hitomi, even in her state, could hear the worry in his voice. It didn't look good. She knew that she was probably going to die, very soon. She didn't want Shiro to watch his mother die, so she asked Megumi to take Shiro to Van's room. Megumi nodded and led Shiro, who was sobbing, out of the room. Hitomi was crying now, too.
"Why? Why are you crying, Hitomi?" Merelu screamed through her own tears. She wiped Hitomi's tears away with the back of her hand.
"He's not going to make it, is he?" Hitomi finally got out. Merelu frowned.
"Oh, Hitomi, don't say that, you have to believe in him, remember? He loves you! He loves you more than anyone has ever loved anything! He'll find a way, I know!" Merelu's tears were drenching Hitomi now. One of them dripped slowly down her cheek and fell off of her face onto Hitomi's pendant.
With that, the pendant started to glow, a warm glow. It felt so safe to Hitomi. The pain was residing a little. She expected, as did everyone in the room, a column of pink light to appear and whisk Hitomi far away. But it didn't. Instead, that warm pink glow filled the room, blinding everyone in it, and poured out the windows and doors.
Outside the windows, Chid, in his guymelef, saw this light. He knew that Hitomi was hurting. It was all his fault! What had he done?
Another person, very close to Hitomi, saw the light, though. Van was flying over the fighting, over the war, and saw this light. He knew Hitomi was going to die soon, and he started to cry. But as the light swept over him, he wasn't crying tears, he cried blood. He was almost there, and the pain in his back was making it hard for him to fly. He had had a blood pact with Escaflowne, but that was nothing compared to his bond with Hitomi - a bond of love. Nothing was stronger than that. He HAD to see Hitomi before she died! With that thought, he broke through the main window of Shiro's room, and crashed onto the bed, next to Hitomi.
"Van? Van? Is that you? Talk to me, I need to hear your voice! Van?" Hitomi asked in terror. She was so afraid of losing Van.
"Hitomi! Hitomi, I love you! Don't go! You can't! I won't be able to live! What will I do? I'll kill myself!" Van's blood was mixing with Hitomi's, as he retracted his wings.
"Van, please, no! You have to do something for me! Take care of Shiro! I love you both so much! I don't want either of you to hurt! Ever!" Hitomi, who had been squeezing Van's hand, was now going limp. "I love you," she whispered as her hand fell from Van to the bed.
Van screamed in excruciating pain, "HITOMI!!!"
It hadn't moved in seven and a half years. The great sleeping guymelef, Escaflowne, moved. It fell. What once stood tall, now fell slowly and agonizingly to the ground. It lay there black, hidden by the shade of the trees.
Hitomi was dead for a month now. That meant that part of Van was dead, too.
"What do you mean? That can't be! Only Folken…"
Van only shook his head in response. Merelu and Hiroki looked at each other. Merelu's eyes started to tear up and Hiroki pulled her close.
"Doesn't that mean, though…?" Hiroki whispered. Van nodded gently, then shook his head violently 'no.'
"When Hitomi died, part of me died. That doesn't mean that I'm dying, too. It doesn't mean that at all. It's just that part of me is dead."
Merelu looked up. She was only sniffling now. "Really? Is that true?" she let go of Hiroki and walked over to Van slowly. "Please, Master Van, let me see them. Please."
Van nodded. He took his shirt off and spread his wings. Merelu looked up at them and fainted. They were. They were black.
Shiro woke up in a cold sweat. He had had that dream again. He was standing in Fanelia, but it was burning. Everything was on fire. All the people left. Then the fire died. It was all black. Everything. Then he saw Hiroki-san and his father building things. Everyone was happy. Suddenly, there were black clouds. They covered everything and the people ran screaming as guymelefs descended from the sky. Then he saw the battle. The horrible battle between Escaflowne and a blue guymelef. It was horrible. He saw his father get hurt and bleed, but he cut the leg off of the blue guymelef and the battle was over. Finally. Then the clouds left and he expected everyone to be happy again. But no one was. Everything was black again. Everyone. Then the bloody cry as two black wings spread over his beloved country.
It all seemed so familiar to Shiro, although he didn't know why. He did remember the wounds his father got after his mother died, but nothing more. Maybe it meant something? Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.
Ten years. Tomorrow. He worried about how his mother was doing. She had to be okay, because he would know if she wasn't. Maybe she had been reincarnated? Shiro was a rather religious Buddhist. She was probably a cow somewhere. He had to pick out what he was going to where to the ceremony tomorrow. Something plain and black. He had been praying for her. She would be okay.
"Why did she die?" he thought. "She was saving me." That was the first memory he had. "The blood…dripping…" He shuddered. He would think about that later.
Tomorrow. Everybody was going to be there. Millerna, Dryden, Chu-ni, and Suko! He hadn't seen them in ages. Suko was such a cute baby. Chu-ni looked just like her when he was a baby, too. Oh! And he would finally get to meet Allen-san and Serena-san. Shiro didn't know much about them. Just that Allen had been good friends with his mother during the Great War and that he was a Knight Caeli. All he knew about Serena-san was that she was Allen's sister. It was great that Allen, Serena, Chu-ni, and Suko would be able to stay until next month, until Merelu's wedding. They wouldn't just be there to mourn, they could have a happy celebration, too! Shiro couldn't wait!
"Welcome to Fanelia, Millerna Jo-o, Dryden-sama." Hiroki bowed. He loved greeting guests. It was just unfortunate, the circumstances of their visit.
"Thank you, Hiroki. You look well. How are you?" Dryden nodded in acknowledgment. He smiled. Fanelia was such a beautiful country protected by dragons.
"I am good, thank you for asking, O-sama." Hiroki lead the couple to their room and took Suko to the nursery, he turned to tell Chu-ni that they were going to his room next, but he wasn't there. "Oh, no! Not again!" he mumbled under his breath.
"Oh boy!" Chu-ni thought as he entered the woods. "I hope it's still there!" As he ran through the trees and off the path, he couldn't help but remember the last four times he had been to Fanelia. Shiro had been so nice to him. Maybe they could have fun together again. "Ahh, there it is!" He laughed giddily. "Escaflowne!" He climbed up to the top of Escaflowne and sat on its massive shoulder. He felt so big from up there. As though he had a purpose.
"Chu-ni?" he heard Hiroki calling his name. He hopped down, checked which way Hiroki was coming from, and ran in the opposite direction.
"Welcome, Allen-san, to Fanelia. It is an honor to meet you." Shiro bowed. He turned to Serena, "And welcome to Fanelia, Serena-san." She offered her hand and Shiro shook it gentlemanly. Serena curtseyed. "May I show you to your rooms?" Shiro inquired most politely.
Allen looked up. Shiro was slightly shorter than he, but in one or two years, Shiro would tower over him. "Thank you, Miya -sama. Thank you, but I would like to share a room with my sister."
Shiro thought that very odd. He was about to say that they had plenty of extra rooms, but he stopped himself. He did not want to sound disrespectful, so he simply nodded and lead the way.
"Kerenai, thank you for coming to Fanelia. I only wish that it was under better circumstances that your first visit would fall." Van bowed. Kerenai was the last of the royal guests to arrive. She was the first female Knight Caeli, which was quite an honor in itself. But the amazing thing was her age. She was only fifteen years old! The most amazing fighter in the land, they said. This trip was her first out of Asturia since her entrance ceremony three months ago. Van was wondering if she would spar with him during her visit. Maybe Shiro? She could definitely teach him a few things. Luckily, she was also staying until the wedding. Maybe she would make a few friends.
"May I show you to your room, Kerenai?" Van asked.
"Actually," she said in a soothing voice. "I was wondering if I could look around Fanelia for a while, if you don't mind, O-sama."
Van smiled. She reminded him of Hitomi. "Why, certainly. Would you like me to take you on a tour? I don't want you getting lost."
Kerenai replied, "Hai, arogatu gozamusu." She was happy that everyone was being so nice to her. She couldn't wait until she got outside the palace gates to the woods to practice her sparring. She had heard legends about Escaflowne and how Van-sama had mastered a technique that enabled him to defeat even Allen! Maybe he would spar with her during her visit. She hoped so. She knew that no matter if she had a partner or not, she had to continue her training. It might have to wait until after the ceremony, though. In her mind, she still had a long way to improve.
"And may she receive all the joy in the world in her new life." All the people bowed their heads in silence. The ceremony was over, but no one was leaving. They all were thinking of Hitomi. None of them could leave her behind them. It was too difficult. Some were only townspeople, but Hitomi had saved their lives. Some were starting to think that they were going to stand there forever if nobody moved. But then someone turned around. Tears flowing down his face. He wiped his eyes and walked away from the grave. He walked through the crowd of all the people in silence. Everyone stared. After Van disappeared from view, everyone else, all 3,614 people turned around and walked away. All except three people; Shiro, Serena, and Allen. Serena didn't really want to stay near all this sadness any longer, but Allen didn't want to leave, so she stayed. She ended up staying there until the next morning when she, Allen and Shiro went back to the palace to sleep.
"So, Serena, what exactly do you do for a living?" It was lunch. Shiro was trying to make conversation. He didn't like eating in silence. It was awkward.
"Ano, watashi…" Serena seemed very shy about something.
"She doesn't have a job, Miya-sama. I support her." Allen interrupted. He seemed to be hiding something.
Shiro shrugged it off. He knew when to stop asking questions. He turned to Allen. "Are you really a Knight Caeli, Allen-san? I've never met one before!" Allen nodded with a smirk on his face. "And I heard about your coronation to become one of the protector samurai of Gaea. Is that true, too?"
Allen did not nod this time. "Miya-sama, I was offered the position, but I turned it down. I have too many responsibilities already."
Shiro was a little confused. The Knights Caeli usually had small tasks to do, and only needed to fulfill them when Dryden-sama called them. He hadn't heard of Dryden-sama calling any of them since Ryokosu's funeral and then when they had to find his replacement. He wondered exactly what Allen meant. Of course, in extreme situations, the Knights Caeli would sometimes be called on secret assignments, sometimes, only Dryden-sama and one Knight Caeli would know about it, but why would that be necessary now? Asturia was not in any danger. There weren't even any dragons in Asturia! Oh, well. Allen probably was taking care of his sister or something.
Kerenai was looking for a good, hidden space where she could do some sparring. She hadn't done any for a week, and she could tell that her body needed it. "Ah, this spot seems secluded enough. I doubt anyone will find me here." She set her bag down. She was wearing a dress! She couldn't believe that the male Knights Caeli got to wear those pants. But her uniform had been changed to a dress! It was ridiculous! How did they expect her to fight dressed like that? She took the dress off, kicked off her shoes, and pulled down her panty hose. She reached into her blue shoulder bag and pulled out her shorts and shirt. She slipped them on and sighed. She felt better instantly. She looked inside her bag again, and a look of panic swept over her face. "Where are my boots?" she screamed. She hit her palm to her forehead and remembered that she left them in Asturia! How stupid! She would have to change and go back to the palace to see if she could borrow a pair from someone. Fanelia had a prince just about her age…maybe he'd be nice and lend her his. She just hoped that he wouldn't come on to her, though. Guys never seemed to understand that she was more interested in fighting than boys!
Shiro went back to his room to get his sword before sparring. It would be pretty hard to spar without a sword, wouldn't it? Oh, well. He probably wouldn't be able to get his full two hours before dark, though, at this rate! He was already fifteen minutes behind schedule, and that was pretty bad, especially considering that he hadn't sparred in four days! "My time would be so much more constructive if I had a partner," he thought with his hand on his mother's pendant that was around his neck. Just then, there was a knock on his door.
Merelu had been bugging him all day - asking him if he knew where her nail file was. "Nani?" he said in an irritated voice.
A girl stuck her head in the door innocently and said, "If this is a bad time, Miya-sama, I can come back later. It's not important."
Shiro gasped. He had been so rude to this girl that he didn't even know! "Cobenesai, I thought…never mind. Come in! How can I help you?" he bowed.
The strange girl bowed too. She wore an outfit like Allen's, but it was a flowing dress with a big bow on the back and ribbons all over it. Plus, it was pink. It was sinfully ugly, but it looked good on her. She had long, straight, red hair. He had never met anyone with red hair before, unless you count Merelu, but her hair was pink. Her eyes were green, just like his mother's. She was beautiful. "Miya-sama, my name is Kerenai Ritoka. I am a guest of your father's from Asturia. Watashi…"
Shiro interrupted her, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm so rude. Please, call me Shiro, Ritoka-san."
Kerenai giggled. She didn't normally giggle, but this prince was very cute. "Kerenai, please. Thank you, Shiro-san. It's nice to meet you."
She offered her hand, and Shiro took it. He lifted it to his mouth and said, "The pleasure's all mine," as he kissed her hand gently.
"Ano, I was wondering, Shiro-san, if I could ask you a favor." Shiro nodded in response. "Ano, my I please, um…" she hesitated. This WAS embarrassing! "May I borrow a pair of boots?" she asked.
Shiro was amazed. He never would have expected her to ask that! "Boots, you said, Kerenai-san? Why do you need boots? I mean, yes, you may, but why do you need them?" Shiro turned to his closet to get out his extra pair of boots.
Kerenai blushed. This was extremely embarrassing! He didn't know who she was! "Ano, I was about to start sparring practice for…" Kerenai stopped. Maybe I shouldn't tell him just yet, she thought. "When I realized that I forgot my shoes in…That's a very beautiful pendant, Shiro-san!"
Shiro looked down at his pendant as he emerged from the closet with the boots. "Oh, this?" He handed Kerenai the boots. "My mother…" he stopped. Oka-san…"You said that you were about to start sparring? I was on my way, too." He held up his sword. "You had better hurry, though. There's only another two hours of light left, and it takes fifteen minutes each way…" Shiro indicated towards the door. "Perhaps, you will partner with me? It's more constructive if you spar with a partner, you know."
Kerenai smiled. It was obvious that he had no clue who she was. This was going to be fun! He had no idea what he was getting himself into. "Alright, Shiro-san. You're on! Let's see how good you really are!"
"Okay. So we've set a date. We've invited all the guests. We've made almost all the arrangements. But, you need to pick out a cake, and I need to get a wedding dress. Oh! And we need…"
As Merelu continued about the wedding, Van nodded as though he was listening. But the truth was that he had tuned out somewhere about the wedding dress. He was happy and excited about the wedding, he was just worried that she was marrying the wrong man.
Although Van wasn't paying much attention, Hiroki was listening contentedly to what his fiancée was saying. He had just been so happy that she had actually said 'yes.' It probably surprised him more than anybody. After seventeen years of loving Merelu, she finally showed some recognition to the fact that they had a relationship! He couldn't be happier.
Wait! Wedding dress. Hitomi had the most beautiful dress at their wedding! Maybe Merelu could wear that one! "Something old," that would be taken care of by the dress. Merelu could get a new veil, because Hitomi had framed her veil and her headdress made of red roses. "Something new," check. She could borrow those earrings of Millerna's that she was wearing so much, it was almost like she owned them. "Something borrowed," Oh! And she could wear a blue handkerchief around her thigh! "Something blue." That's it! Van was so proud of himself that he interrupted Merelu
"Do you have to go, Oka-san?" Chu-ni was giving Millerna the guiltiest look to try to get her and Dryden to stay longer. It didn't seem to be working. Oh well. You can't blame a kid for trying.
"Honey, we have to go. We have to run the country. But we'll be back for Merelu's wedding! That's only six weeks! Don't worry! You'll have plenty of fun with Shiro and your friend Kerenai is here, too! Don't fret. Okay? We're taking Suko with us, though, so you don't have to worry about her! She's teething and it wouldn't be right to make someone else deal with a teething baby." Millerna bent over and kissed Chu-ni sweetly on his head and got into the coach. Chu-ni waved as the coach disappeared below the hill.
"Um, Shiro-san, will you please turn around? I have to change. I can't fight you very well in this dress, now can I?" Shiro nodded and turned around. "Yes, you were right. This is a much better place to spar then the one I found before. The ground even seems to be softer in case you fall."
"What do you mean, 'If I fall'?" Shiro asked only half-seriously.
Kerenai laughed. "You know what I mean. Do you come here a lot to practice?"
"Yes, I come here twice a day, but since the guests first arrived, I wasn't able to, so I haven't been in four days. Do you spar a lot, Kerenai-san?"
"Yes, I probably don't as much as I should, but I do spar at least once a day. But the last week I've been traveling, so I haven't. Okay, you can turn around now." Kerenai smiled at Shiro as she finished slipping on her second sock. She was wearing white shorts and a red shirt that looked just like the one Shiro's father had worn customarily during the Great War. Shiro was surprised at the shirt. It looked exactly like his father's.
"Should we start?" Kerenai asked as she tied her left boot. She stood up and drew her sword. It was beautiful, but it needed polishing.
"Yes, let's." Shiro replied as he pulled out his own sword, that also could use a good polishing.
They dueled back and forth for almost half an hour. One could tell from watching them that they were both very good and evenly matched. Just when it seemed that Shiro had Kerenai cornered by a tree, she brought her leg behind his knees and collapsed them, so that he was off balanced. She then leaned in so that she ended up kneeling over him with her sword to his throat.
"You almost had me there." She said, letting him up.
Shiro nodded. "That was a very cunning attack." He replied, panting. "I wasn't expecting that. You are very good. Have you ever done any sparring in tournaments?" he inquired.
Kerenai guessed that it was time to tell him who she was. "Shiro, I…" Shiro smiled. She had dropped the -san. They were friends now. They were close. "Shiro, I haven't been completely honest with you. You see, I know that I'm very good. I had better be. You see…"
"What are you getting at, Kerenai?"
"You know how about a month ago, a new member of the Knights Caeli was initiated?" Shiro nodded. "Well, that was me. I'm a Heavenly Knight of Asturia."
Shiro looked a little perplexed then shrugged. He stepped closer to Kerenai. She looked a little confused, herself. Then Shiro leaned in and kissed her.
Kerenai was surprised to say the least. She was caught so off guard that her grip on her sword loosened until it fell to the ground. Her eyes were frozen open for about ten seconds, then her eyelids relaxed. Her eyes closed, and she lost herself in Shiro's kiss.
"What am I doing?!" she thought suddenly. She had finally come to her senses and pushed Shiro away.
He looked a little confused. "What? Why? What's wrong?" he thought.
Kerenai wiped her mouth with the back of her left hand slowly. Then she slapped Shiro as hard as she could with her right. She bent over and picked up her sword, then walked over to her bag.
Shiro stood there for about a minute in amazement. Then he felt something warm on his lips. He wiped the blood that was trickling down his chin with his sleeve. He felt guilty for kissing her like that, but that was some kiss. "Ano, Cobenesai. I don't know what came over me," he said, hanging his head. "Ano, should we continue sparring?" Maybe he was a little too optimistic.
"No. I think it's getting dark already. You go ahead, I still have to change. I'll see you back at the palace, okay?" she said, not turning around.
Shiro thought that she didn't turn around because she was angry at him, so he turned and said, "Okay, be careful. I'll see you later! Matane," and started towards the palace. He didn't want to stand there any longer to wait for her. It was too awkward.
The truth was that Kerenai didn't turn around because she was blushing. She felt terrible for being so rude to Shiro. She had never felt guilty for rejecting anybody before. So why now? She started getting undressed. Just as she took off her shirt, it started to rain. "Oh shit. What else?" she wondered. She put on her dress. It was pouring now. The sky had just opened up. She folded her now wet clothes and put them in her bag. She stood up, holding her bag in one hand and her sword in the other. Everything in the forest was glowing with the mist that the rain made when it hit it. The woods looked different from before. Kerenai looked around. Nothing seemed familiar. "Which way was the palace?" she thought. She reached into her bag and pulled out a compass. "If I just walk south, I'll get out of the woods eventually," she said aloud. And so, she went south.
-60-
"Serena, its time for your medicine. Come here." Allen stood up and got down a glass from the cabinet and poured water into it from the pitcher. He reached into his left pocket and pulled out three green pills. With his right hand, he took one of the pills and put it into the water. It fizzed until the water was green and bubbly. Serena took the glass from him and drank it. She handed him back the glass and went back to reading her book on King Aston. She liked that book. It had pictures.
Allen shook his head. He washed out the glass in the bathroom and replaced it in the cabinet near the bedroom closet. He sat down and continued watching Serena until she fell asleep. Then he jumped up, took off his belt and strapped her arms to the chair she was sitting in, which was bolted to the floor. He took a scarf out from his bag and gagged her. Then he sat down and watched as innocent Serena turned back into that monster, Dilandau, again.
"I wonder what's taking her so long. Maybe she's lost." Kerenai had been out there for an hour and a half since Shiro got back. It was really dark now, and raining really hard. "I'm going to go look for her. She can take care of herself, I know, but she can get pretty lost if she goes south. Directly south of that place is the inner city. What if her sword got stolen? She'd be in trouble. I'll look there first." Shiro picked up his sword and left the palace as quickly as he could.
"Where am I, anyway?" Kerenai was lost. No doubt about it. She was in a country she had never been to before, she was dripping wet, and it was raining so hard that it hurt when you got hit with a raindrop. She had to find somewhere to stay until it stopped raining, or at least until it let up a little.
She was finally out of the woods. Only problem was that she couldn't even see the palace. She was lost in inner city Fanelia. That wasn't necessarily a good thing. Even though Fanelia was a peaceful nation, not everyone in it was peaceful. She turned down another street, looking for at least an overhang. Instead, she found about ten very large men that did not exactly look as though they had had a bath in about twenty years.
"Well, well. Lookie what we got here," one of them said, rubbing his hands together. He was staring at Kerenai's chest. A white and pink dress was not a good idea in the rain. He pulled out a set of brass knuckles. The others pulled out various and assorted other weapons, including a dagger, a long staff, and a switchblade. "C'mon, lil lady, we won't hurt you. That is, if you cooperate." The one who had been talking chuckled, as though he knew that resistance was futile.
Kerenai looked each man up and down slowly. They looked strong, but not too bright. One of them looked like he'd be trouble, though. Even if they were smarter than they looked, which wouldn't be too hard, she could take them. She placed her hand on the handle of her sword and said, "Bring it on."