Disclaimer: don't own squat, except my lovely new laptop. Don't own Escaflowne, or any hot Korean Boybands. I want Van!!!! (cries whilst holding plushie Van). Sigh, let's get on with this hoe-down shall we?
A/N: "talk" – normal. "talk" – in Fanelian.
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Date: Tuesday, September 4. 2006
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I hate this.
In my last year of school, ready to turn 18, spread my wings and head off to university; but no. My parents decide to spring on me a wonderful surprise. Father came home yesterday and exerted his fatherly authority on me by telling me that he had some good news.
I knew automatically that he hadn't bought me a Vespa, which I've wanted since I was little as my cousins in Fanelia have them. Naturally, I worried as the last good news / surprise he had for me was a trip to Freid for my 16th birthday – which most people would say is amazing! The capital city is beautiful, and I've always wanted to go, but with my father it ended up being a trip where we visited all his stuck-up friends, their stuck-up kids and I was paraded as his 'amazing' daughter.
I wasn't allowed to do anything touristy and all the kids my age were complete tossers.
My surprise? They've found me a husband. Yes you have read correctly. I didn't misspell Honda car, though I'd prefer a Vespa moped. And no, not one of those mail-order things from a far away country where they don't speak any Gaean. After father gave me this good news, I casually asked him who it was, trying not to reach across the table and kill him or say I was pregnant or something that would shock the hell out of him.
He replied two fatal words – "Allen Schezar." I've never met him, but everyone in Palas knows who he is, his family own and run Scherezade Hotels, father obviously is looking out for his wallet and business empire, rather than his daughter's heart. I think that's the only reason my parents were happy they had a daughter, that way they could marry her off to someone equally rich and merge companies. My father's family own and run Mystic Moon Communications.
If I wanted to, I could have gone to Palas' All Girls' Academy – I don't have a death wish, all the girls there are complete and utter snobs. I go to Gaea High, it's a private school, but no one there is snotty aside from the popular people – what do you expect. Schezar is a well-known playboy, but not the kind of usual sleazeball, he's still highly respected in 'society' as father would put it because he's apparently an amazing businessman and no woman can resist his charms.
Well, he won't find me slack-jawed over him; been there, done that and it's not going to happen again. I calmly ate lunch listening to father warmly tell me about this wonderful young man. I showed no resistance, I'm far more subtle – I'll just terrorise this git, whether he's nice or not; he agreed to woo me, a girl he's never met and he's clearly thinking of the monetary reward, and probably getting in my underwear, which will never happen. I haven't told anyone about what's happened and it's a good thing as even though I love Merle and Yukari like sisters they have the biggest mouths in Gaea.
This is my last year of high school, which I'm grateful for as it means goodbye to relying on father, but I'm also terrified of going to uni as it'll be so different, and the whole making new friends, etc. I'm not your average 17 year old, I like the quiet life – most of the time, I don't see the point in getting smashed every weekend as I value my liver, nor sleeping with every guy that rubs up against you.
I'm not a prude by any means, I've been exposed to plenty of things because of my sick minded friends and a pervert for a brother. But I haven't actually had a proper boyfriend, or been on a date, or even been kissed.
After everything my parents have put me through, I should be grateful it's not something more heinous, such as a wedding on my birthday, actually I didn't pay much attention after mummy dearest said that they had found me my future husband. Anyhou, it's the last day of the holidays and I'm here at a Café within a Fanelian shrine. Yeah, I get what you're thinking, why would there be a café in a shrine?
Well my mother has two sisters, one a miko taking care of a shrine to Escaflowne. Her younger sister didn't want to leave her elder sister alone, so she turned one of the outbuildings into a Café. Strangely I call my miko aunt by her first name and my café aunt Zia, which is Fanelian for aunt. Not surprising really seeing as she named her Café, Café Fanelia. So Zia runs it and I waitress most days after school, and often on weekends as I'm not really a party girl. My friends normally come and visit, when they want free sundaes, and a good gossip. And there's all the regular customers, the various families whose kids I play with and get comments about how tall I am or how much I look like my mother.
Of course I can't forget the old people, who love it when Zia gets the record player out and we all waltz round on a Sunday afternoon, round the house and mind the dresser as Zia says. My friends and school kids who try to piss me off – popular idiots, or the younger kids who know I'm the Fanelian girl and try to order in Fanelian which is pretty cute if you think about it.
Lastly there's the medical students from the university building two streets away who flirt for free food or just to flirt, with a plain jane like me – I don't see the point. Most of our customers are Fanelian if you hadn't already guessed. I suppose it's a small taste of home for most of them, to go and have a quick pray in the shrine and then into the café for a cup of coffee and a slice of cake or ice cream.
Yes, if you hadn't guessed by now I am Fanelian, my mother's family is; but with her snobbish ideals and in-laws, she renounced it in favour of Asturian nationality as she now views Fanelia as an Asturian backwater and Fanelians as gypsies. I'm very proud of my nationality, I'm fluent in Fanelian, the second language back home as I call it, even though we've never lived there – the first language being Gaean. I have posters in my room of the fabulous Fanelian football star – Cristiano Iaquinta, who I will marry! And I'm really really not kidding.
Most of my friends find my pride amusing, especially when they like poking fun at Fanelian things and trying to rile me up. They all say I'll either marry a Fanelian football star as I follow it obsessively, or a wealthy Fanelian businessman. Why the second option I have no idea, but that's life.
My best friend Yukari is eternally in debt to the café as it led her to find her boyfriend Amano, who is our school's track team captain and star runner. Being a jock he didn't pay much attention to anyone else in the school at first aside from his group of friends, but Yukari served him once when I was sick and it led from there. He now is part of our group, along with Yukari, and me. Yukari and I met in the first year of secondary school, as she moved from a city in the north.
We clicked the second she saw me flipping through a magazine with DBSK – my favourite band on the cover and our shared love of the gorgeous quintet started our blossoming friendship, not that we're perfect. The fact that I haven't yet had a steady boyfriend worries her, it also worries her that I'd rather play Tomb Raider or Final Fantasy, or watch anime than go out to a party, get trashed and get felt up by the closest guy to me.
But that's not all, there's also Chid, the computer genius as we call him; however he's not your usual geek. He's as tall as Amano, he might even be taller after this summer; short blonde hair and Asturian sea blue eyes. Even though Amano's a sports freak and Chid a textbook geek they get on really well and were friends before Yukari and Amano dated, they've only just got closer (as guy friends can) as we all now are a group.
Most of the girls in the school, even the popular ones have given him the eyeball, but he pays no attention. I have a sneaking suspicion that he has a girlfriend or likes someone outside of school as he rarely pays attention to any girl in school. And last but not least is the fireball of the group as we call her – Merle. Merle is a cheerleader, but only because we don't have a gymnastics club. She hates the popular kids in our school, probably more than me.
And it's obvious why. Our older brothers were good friends and in the popular crowd when they came here, Merle's brother more than mine – so she got a lot of attention as 'his sister.' Even still she does, but from girls asking about him and whether he's single, in town, etc. Merle's brother deserves an entry by itself – not like that, but I have a lot to say about Van Fanel.
Hopefully, this year will give me a lot of my firsts – first kiss = I know, I'm 17 and never been kissed. I think that it's something special that should only be given at the right time, not to just any random guy. Also having Mamoru, my older brother, Van, and Dilandau always hovering over me and Merle it's no surprise any prospective admirers were scared away, as if there actually were any.
First boyfriend, I've been praying for this and I know exactly what he looks like, based on Cristiano Iaquinta. I have ages to find my Principe Azzurro – prince charming in Fanelian as Zia calls it! She often catches me daydreaming about my future, obviously it won't be perfect but after all the manga and anime and fanfics that are bursting with fluff, I can't help but expect a knight with white steed and shining armour to come and sweep me off my feet.
Poor Schezar, he's got a lot to cope with. Anyhou, I think I'll go to bed now. Writing an online blog is really tiring. Let's hope I can keep this up, normally when I get empty pretty books to write in, I start and then stop after a week or a day – I forget or get bored. Yukari says that's an indication of being afraid of commitment, but I think she's reading a bit too much into the problem of not writing in a diary.
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Date: Thursday, September 6. 2006
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Well, school started today and was strangely different. So we were all thrust back into the swing of lessons – or bunking, assemblies – or sneaking off to Starbucks, and homework – or excuses of why you haven't done it. I expected at least some normality to the first day of my last year at high school, but no. I wasn't even allowed that, from the second I got in I had responsibilities loaded onto me.
The first was as I walked in the door, I made sure to be early to meet up with everyone and have a good natter, even though they're rarely in early.
But I didn't get that, instead I saw the Student Council President – Hiro Takaya run up to me looking supremely stressed and practically tackling me, thank god for kendo practice or we would have ended up in a very compromising position. He stared at me, panting and was almost on his knees demanding, "Hitomi, can you speak Fanelian?" Despite the utter strange nature of being accosted by the anal idiot, I rolled my eyes and nodded, before realising that he had his eyes closed and was rocking back and forth violently. Weird but I can't remember Van ever being so stressed when he was president, but then he's never stressed. He usually moves from apathy to sarcasm and back.
Back to the slightly crazed Student President, I replied in the affirmative and was rewarded with something that almost sounded like an order, "You have to help me with the new girl! She's in your class and I only discovered this morning that she can't speak Gaean." I looked at him and the vein pulsating at his temple, realising that it wouldn't help his blood pressure if I walked away like the majority of the uncaring population of this school. I agreed and watched him run off, screaming his thanks and instructions to go to the front office, which I did without complaint.
When I reached the office I found a pretty, innocent looking blonde; she didn't seem the type to scare the crap out of Takaya who practically has an iron bar stuck up his backside. I asked her in polite Fanelian, "Are you the new girl? I'm called Hitomi, I'll guide you round. What's your name?" at which point she gave me a very confuddled look and she smiled politely, "I'm sorry, I don't speak Fanelian," in perfect Gaean.
Naturally I was baffled so I replied in the slowest possible speed I could manage, "Are you the new girl, the student president said they couldn't speak Gaean?" she smiled cheekily, a smile I've seen on most of my friends' faces when they're up to something.
"Did you say your name was Hitomi?" I nodded, this girl really wasn't responding to my questions but asking her own, so I nodded and she grinned – back into angelic mode and I got another shock of my life, "I'm Celena, Celena Schezar." It appears this arrangement isn't as sudden as I first thought, hopefully she didn't notice my gaping jaw as she grinned at me; "So are you going to show me around?" I nodded and gestured for her to follow me, still in shock and I had the feeling of a fish or a small animal that had a net tightening around them.
She murmured, "I pretended I was Fanelian as a joke and the guy who was here started to freak out and ran off, I didn't mean…" she obviously interpreted my silence as annoyance, so I turned round and smiled, "Don't worry, you just got one up on the student president – you'll be seen as a hero on your first day, he's a crazy stickler for rules, most people love to wind him up. So what school did you transfer from?"
I already guessed from her name it was Pallas, but kept my mouth shut and it was a conversation starter. She rolled her eyes, "I went to Pallas, but I'm nothing like those snobs." I grinned back, "Good to know," she smiled back, then heard the loud noise coming from our form room and seemed to blanch as I opened the door, "Welcome to hell – you'll love it." She looked at me and stepped through the door, ready to face our peers.
We had different lessons but I saw her at lunch looking lost so I waved her over and she seemed rather grateful for it. She sat down and exhaled rather loudly, so I asked; "Is everything okay?" she looked up and nodded, "Yeah, it's just bit overwhelming. Everyone's so, so…"
"Relaxed?" I grinned, as she nodded, slightly perplexed, "I think they feel that we deserve respect rather than having a leash and being told what to do 24/7." She nodded, still looking slightly baffled,
"But doesn't everyone take liberties with it and not do any work?" I smiled, "You can if you want, but it's your life you're screwing with. I take it Pallas is really strict?" she nodded, taking a bite of her sandwich whilst I tucked into my pasta – even though it is school food, it's quite good.
"Well, yeah. The teachers practically breathed down your necks all the time, even if you sneeze wrong." I laughed, and she smiled at me, "How were your first classes?" she nodded enthusiastically, "Really good…" but before she could continue, my favourite computer genius appeared and sat down with his tray whilst taking a forkful of my pasta and between chewing, asked, "Have you persuaded someone to join your Iaquinta fan club/cult?"
I laughed and Celena gave him a weird look, so I responded, "Chid, this is Celena, she's new and in our year. Celena, this is Chid – our resident computer genius and general maker of merriment." She laughed at my phrasing and he smiled at her, "The lady Hitomi is correct in her speech, welcome to Gaea Hell as we call it," she smiled as he scanned the lunch hall, "You'll probably be picked up by the popular people any second now."
She looked baffled, "Why do you say that?" he smiled and ate half of his sandwich in one gulp, you wonder why we call him the human waste disposal unit.
"Cause you're pretty and blonde, you'll fit right in." She raised an eyebrow, as she seemed to be offended by this comment, so I rectified Chid's mistake – he's very straight talking, so if you're talking crap he'll tell you or if the food you're eating 'should' be eaten or at least shared with him.
"He means that you seem to have an air of being a popular person, he's not calling you a snob or anything. Are you Chid?" as I kicked him under the table, he looked up from his culinary day dream with a look and: "Wha?" with a mouth full of food. I rolled my eyes, "He may be a genius, but he can put his entire leg up to the knee in his mouth," causing Celena to laugh, "Nah, I hate popular people," she murmured, "My brother's one of them." I laughed, hoping she wasn't going to bring up anything – or even better had no idea about our families' agreement.
Chid smirked, and swung his arm round her shoulders, "You'll fit right in." she looked rather shocked at how he could change so quickly and then the rest of our group decided to join us. After introductions, Merle and Celena seemed to quickly get engrossed in a conversation about some holiday resort in the south of Fanelia, whilst Yukari, Amano, Chid and I discussed our holidays and everything in between.
"We coming by after school?" Amano asked with a grin, referring to the café that he's also quite fond of as it led him to Yukari and neither have looked back since.
"Ahh, Zia's chocolate cake!" Chid grinned, "You just ate!" Yukari murmured, exasperated and I laughed, nodding, "Naturally!" Merle and Celena decided to rejoin our main conversation, and I explained the café to her and how we end up going there most days after school, she smiled politely, "I'd love to, but my brother's picking me up after my first day. How about tomorrow?" I nodded, feeling slightly worried that Allen Schezar would be at the school gates at 3.30, but hopefully I hid it well.
Having not spoken yet, Merle piped up, "It looks like I'll have a fellow non-whore trying out this year for cheerleading." We all laughed, as cheerleaders, even in our school are seen as the lowest of the low, some are okay but as a group of people, I don't particularly want to interact with them.
Celena seemed to be having a good time with us, which I was thankful for, as my friends can be very welcoming when they want to, but I was worried that after summer they might ignore her completely and focus on discussing holidays, etc. without acknowledging the new girl. But before lunch was over, Celena was introduced to the rough side of the school. Every school has their bad-asses, ours are just rich ones, which can be worse.
But we know them quite well – or I do as they were Dilandau's skivvies when he was here and they ask us about him, kind of hero worship, but not in a geeky way. The leader Dallet and I have history – not that kind of history! We used to hate each other as I was a geeky girl and he was a gangster—like frigging hell!—thus his natural behaviour regarding myself was to treat me like shit, so he did.
Man, was he surprised when I talked back, and its been like that for the past few years, I don't hate him passionately, but if he makes a comment, it often riles me up and I lash out at him. I've come close to physically responding (now you're just being sick!) but it's often in front of Dilandau and Van so Van often holds me back. I think Dallet does it to piss Van off as those two don't get on either.
Dallet's crew is known as the Dragon-Slayers, which most people now don't understand, but Merle and I do; Dragon was Van's nickname because he has the temper of one and like Dilandau, had a penchant for fire as a kid – except Dilandau didn't grow out of it.
Anyhou, Dallet and his lot walked past and Dallet said something that would have thrown me off my chair if I hadn't been leaning on the table, "It's good to see those legs again Kanzaki, you must've ran a lot over summer." I turned in complete shock at his comment as did my friends, whilst his were sniggering loudly, but before I could respond with words or violence, he turned his attention on Celena.
"Well, you must be the new girl. I'm Dallet," he uncharacteristically held out his hand to her, and she shocked us by putting on her snobbiest voice, "You have an awfully unusual name," then looked at me,
"Shall we go to our form room?" I grinned and nodded, all of us got up and walked away.
After turning the corner, Amano grinned, "Nice comment." She grinned, "I just imitated my brother's ex-girlfriend." We all uselessly stifled laughter and I stated, "She also had Takaya running ragged this morning by pretending she couldn't speak Gaean." They all laughed and I think, even after one day – Celena found her place in our little group.
Of course the day didn't end there, we had afternoon classes, and now Celena knew a few more faces, she seemed more at ease. We all had maths together, which I hate but the teacher Professor Fassa is a complete pushover and let us talk for most of the lesson, so we did playing the clean version of 20 questions with Celena, whilst filling her in on the layout of the school, our year, who to avoid, etc.
We didn't expect the teacher to come up to us and have Celena grin at him cheekily, "Dryden, you actually have a job!" causing us to stare, Fassa may be a pushover, but he doesn't take comments like that which left us completely shocked when he replied, "I felt I had to help out the masses, you know like that preacher dude in Freid."
We all laughed and he looked at us, and smiled, "Good to see you're taking care of Celena for me," then addressed Celena, "Don't expect any leniency from me because you know the teacher," he said to her, winked and then walked back to his desk where he was texting on his phone.
We all turned to Celena for an explanation and she responded, "He's a family friend. I forgot he taught here." She seemed to have finished with that topic, so we carried on with our previous discussion and when the lesson was over, she headed off with Amano and Merle to Chemistry, whilst Kari, Chid and I had English. The lesson was the same old thing, 'new year, new start.'
And so the school day came to an end and we all met by our tree, where we normally have lunch but didn't as it was the first day back and wanted to meet indoors, plus it was a bit chilly. I walked over to Celena and asked how her first day was, she grinned, "Nothing like I expected, in a good way and you lot are nuts, no offence!" we all laughed.
"We try, we try." Amano murmured dryly, setting us off again and we reached the gate, me forgetting completely that Celena's brother – Allen Schezar a.k.a. my betrothed was waiting for her.
I tell you now, nothing prepares you for the sight that is Allen Schezar. No wonder why he's popular with the ladies, tall, with long blond hair – I know you'd think it'd be weird but he actually looks quite masculine – and amazing grey eyes. Definitely a good looking guy, who obviously knows it.
Of course the gods weren't looking down on me favourably as Celena grabbed my arm and said, "Come, I want you to meet my brother," I didn't have time to respond as she ran quite fast and we reached him in seconds, the others closely behind as Celena calmly stepped into her brother's arms and
I swear to Atlantis that half the females leaving school stopped to listen to him speak.
"Did you have a good day?" he asked her, his gaze turning onto me as she pulled back, nodding and grabbed my arm again, "This is Hitomi, she's in my class and has practically welcomed me with open arms." I nodded politely, avoiding eye contact as much as possible, he put out his hand and I had to shake it, "Pleasure," I murmured, and looked up as he smiled at me warmly, "Thank you for welcoming my sister, I'm Allen."
I smiled, trying my best to hide my panic, "No problem."
At that point I felt my world collapsing in on me.
Yours,
Hitomi (or Hito-chan as my evil friends decided to call me)
A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews are treasured more than money and cake ^^
Sina xx
