LEADER OF THE BAND

by Unmei Hime

Summary: Van- vocalist of the newest rock band Escaflowne met and fell in love with Hitomi- the scholar and no-nonsense type of girl who loathes his kind of personality. Will he be able to win her heart when Hitomi was already smitten with her "Mr. Perfect" co-athlete Amano?

Chapter 1: Chance Meeting

"Come on, Hitomi! For once rid yourself of those thick, worn-out books you're studying. Goodness, you just turned nineteen but you look like a forty year old spinster with dry skin and wrinkles around your eyes because of not having even the slightest bit of fun in your entire life." Yukari squealed beside her study table, the redhead that Hitomi had the misfortune of having as her roommate since her freshman year in the university.

"You're exaggerating again, Ms. Uchida. Please stop pestering me about this concert of --what's the name of that band again?" Hitomi asked, taking her eyes off the book she was reading at the moment and glancing up at her friend.

Yukari sighed, "Escaflowne."

"What a weird name for a band, huh?" Hitomi remarked, wondering what the meaning behind the name was, and then shrugged it off and went back to reading. When she noticed her friend was still standing beside her, she said, "I won't go, Yukari. I have a lot of studying to do. Midterms are only two weeks away, may I remind you." Hitomi said in her "mother-like" tone.

"Today is Friday, Hitomi. And Friday nights should be spent having fun with your friends. You can still study tomorrow and on Sunday. Please, Tomi, come with me." Yukari gave Hitomi her famous puppy dog-eyed look that earned her the ability to convince people to do anything.

And she wouldn't give up on Hitomi that easily. She was determined to make her feel like a real normal teenage girl. In her opinion, her friend's way of thinking was too mature for her age, which only made her life dull and boring. Hitomi was always concerned with her studies and her sports. 'I can bet my life Hitomi hasn't had a single boyfriend in all her nineteen years in this world.'

At nineteen, Hitomi Iris Kanzaki was a paragon. She was undoubtedly a straight-A student ever since she had started school. When she entered the university two years ago, she top notched the entrance exams, giving her an offer for a full-time scholarship until she finished her degree in Medicine. Not only that, she was also one of the star athletes in track and field. She was always serious, never made a dumb joke, and never looked like a fool. Guys who knew her were intimidated, if not scared, of her achievements and her kind of personality even though her face could be considered a real charmer. Her emerald green eyes were accentuated with russet eyelashes, her cheekbones were high, her complexion was flawless, and her figure was so slim it was almost perfect. At least, Yukari thought so. Hitomi, on the other hand, hardly worried about any of that.

"Okay. I'll go." Hitomi finally agreed. She was getting tired of Yukari always inviting her out on Friday nights like this. Maybe if she gave in just once, Yukari would leave her alone and never bother her again with all these ridiculous Friday nights out.

"But only on one condition, Yukari. We should be back in the dorm before midnight," she demanded.

"Alright!" Yukari instantly agreed, afraid that Hitomi would change her mind any minute if she refused her demand. "We'll leave before eight. The concert will be at the University Grand Theatre. I promise you this will be a lot of fun!" Yukari started enumerating the things they needed to do in preparation for the event. "A lot of prospective boyfriends would be there for sure. We have enough time to get dressed up. Especially you, Tomi. We need to fix your outfit and your hair...why in the world did you cut your hair that short anyway?" Yukari asked, examining Hitomi's unladylike cropped hair.

But Hitomi was not listening. She abruptly stood up as if something important had popped in her mind. "Meet me at the lobby. I forgot I still have to go to the Fine Arts Building. I need to write a reaction paper for my Humanities subject due next week about the art exhibit there." She hurriedly walked past Yukari to her closet. She grabbed a pair of faded jeans and a simple white tank top and changed immediately. After a minute, she sped out to the door into the corridors.

Yukari was left dumbfounded. It was already six o'clock.

Hitomi found herself lost in the middle of the hallway inside the Fine Arts Building. She couldn't determine whether she should turn right or left in what she thought was more of a maze of corridors rather than a school. Finally, she breathed a sigh of relief as she caught sight of a room at one corner.

After reaching the room, she knocked three times on the widely opened door. Peeking inside, she saw a guy dressed in overalls sitting in front of a canvas, his back to her. "Excuse me, could you tell me where the art exhibit is going on? "She asked.

The guy turned in surprise. Hitomi could faintly determine his true looks, for his face was stained with paint and his unruly raven hair was shadowing his eyes. At first she thought he was mute, but after a few minutes of just staring at her, he finally answered, "The exhibit is at the Bailey's Hall. Turn right to your left, walk straight ahead, and you'll find a two-door room at the far-end side."

"Thank you," Hitomi muttered hastily and was about to walk off when she heard his voice again.

"Can you tell me your name?" he asked unabashedly.

Looking over her shoulder, she saw the guy stand up and start walking toward her. "It's Iris," she replied, wondering to herself why she had given him her second name, which she rarely used. 'It's no big deal. I won't see him again anyway,' she thought.

He was now standing in front of her and Hitomi had the unintended opportunity to study his face. Well, he was handsome--- utterly handsome to put it correctly. He had expressive mahogany eyes, a sculpted nose, and a little indent on the center of his chin. He was also tall, tanned, and wide-shouldered, that gave him that earthy look. But the minute she noticed the piercing on his right ear with a single loop earring hanging on it, she instantly decided he was not her type. She despised guys who had an implicit brooding air of recklessness and pretty boy image, and this guy in front of her was definitely one of them. "Nice to meet you, Iris. I'm Van." He smiled and offered his hand for a handshake, which Hitomi accepted with growing hostility.

"Not to be rude or anything, but I really have to go now," Hitomi said after a quick brushing of their hands.

"Okay. You sure you'll be alright? I can accompany you to the exhibit..." He offered.

But Hitomi instantly shook her head, "I'm perfectly fine. Thanks anyway." She ended their conversation and quickly walked off, never glancing back.

If she did, she would have seen the odd dreamy look on Van's face.

For him, it was love at first sight.

A hard slap on his back and Van was freed from the spell that had made him vaguely unaware of time and where he was. Shaking his head, he found himself standing in the middle of the hallway as if he had become a statue of some sort. In his mind's eye, he could still see the beauty that, without warning, had suddenly stepped into his life.

"Van! What the heck happened to you?"

Turning around, his eyes met the fiery-red ones of a certain albino that was responsible for almost breaking his spinal cord with his heavy hand. "What was that for, Dilandau?" he asked, a little annoyed.

"Well, you seemed to have gone nuts standing here alone and staring ahead of you as if you'd seen something paranormal," the albino answered, his brows twitching in a knot. 'Creepy', he thought.

"Did you see her?" Van asked.

"Who?" Dilandau queried back, puzzled. 'He's really getting crazy. I've seen no one else but him around here.'

"Iris," Van simply answered.

"Iris who?"

"The girl of my dreams."

Dilandau stared straight in Van's eyes for a long time and a few seconds later, he gave a sharp bark of laughter that reverberated throughout the entire corridor.

The University Grand Theatre was a huge two-story building shaped and designed like a dome sprawling in between the College of Music and the College of Fine Arts. This was where most concerts, plays, and university gatherings were held and which was said to accommodate at least a thousand people.

And tonight was not an exception.

The theatre was practically filled inside and out with frantic students trying to get a look at the newest sensation in the music industry---the rock band, Escaflowne, whose members were also students attending the university.

Hitomi and Yukari were relieved to get past the entrance and to find seats near the stage. Hitomi was complaining to Yukari that she had better not decided to go with her with all these people jam-packed in the theatre. She couldn't even begin to decipher what was so interesting and eye-catching about a concert of what she thought was just another of those regular aspiring boy bands she'd seen on TV.

"Look, Hitomi! The concert is going to start!" Yukari pointed at the stage. It was dimly lit at the moment, but they could make out silhouettes of people standing beside some instruments.

"'Bout time," Hitomi murmured, pursing her lips irritably. She glanced down at her watch and saw it was already eight thirty. They'd been waiting for thirty minutes already! The concert was supposed to start at eight. And one of the things she hated the most was being forced to wait for anyone or anything.

After a few seconds, the stage was bathed in different colors of stage lights, which then revealed five good-looking men holding their own instruments. The crowd started screaming and applauding wildly.

"One, two, three, four!" the vocalist shouted as the drummer hit his drums, beating the rhythm of the music, and then the vocalist started singing.

I feel my wings have broken in your hands...

I feel the words unspoken inside

"Yeah!!!" Yukari shouted at the top of her lungs, while Hitomi was staring hard at the vocalist above. He was holding a black electric guitar and wearing a sleeveless red shirt with tan breeches, making him look all the more handsome and sexy.

When they pull you under...

And I would give anything you want...

You were all I wanted

Yukari noticed her, of course Hitomi wasn't the one to know the latest craze to sweep almost the entire female population of the university. She offered an unsolicited explanation, "The name of the vocalist and lead guitarist is Van. Isn't he cute? The one holding the blue electric guitar is Allen, he's the bass guitarist." She pointed at a guy with long blonde hair tied into a ponytail. Yukari continued on, "The keyboardist is Folken." She then gestured to the guy with spiky hair and with a seemingly lone tear drop tattoo just below his left eye. "That one over there, holding a red guitar with long brown hair, is Dryden, another bass guitarist. And the one I like the most is the drummer, Dilandau! He's amazing!" she pointed at the guy with silver hair wearing a gray sleeveless shirt and tight leather pants. He was hitting his drums skillfully and banging his head to the beat.

All my dreams are fallin' down...

Crawlin round and round and round

Hitomi was thinking, 'So this is the band, Escaflowne...and that Van I met a while ago is the lead singer, huh. Thought I'd never see him again...'

Somebody save me...

Let your warm hands break right through me...

Somebody save me...

I don't care how you do it...

Just save me, save...

Come on...

I've been waiting for you...

Indeed, how wrong she was. For in the next occurrences of her life, Van would play a major part in them.

A/n: Yup, I've started another Esca story. I know my characters are a bit OC but then again, this is an AU fic so I guess that would be acceptable. This would be made up of five chapters at the least 'coz I've written this only out of a whim. I don't know if anyone would read this stuff. But anyways, to those who read this please leave your thoughts about it. And one more thing, if in any way this story or part of the story was similar to other stories out there, sorry, but please don't think that I've copied anything from them. This story is created solely based on my own imagination. Thanks!!!

Btw, if you have the time guys, check out this song, it's really cool! Love bands! Totally in-love with them, guess because one of my frustrations in life was to be a band member. I can play a guitar but I'm not really good and I sing off-key! What could even be more frustrating?!

Song: Save Me by Remy Zero

Disclaimer: I've gone tired doing this again and again...I don't own Escaflowne alright! But heck how I wish I did!