Hitomi walked out under the pouring rain, only a miniature umbrella to keep her from getting her clothes wet. She hadn't exactly chosen a fancy or frilly outfit to go see Allen, but it still was expensive and hard to get dry.

People rushed by her, mostly couples wrapped in each other's arms, and she felt a pang hit her heart. Allen never held her like that anymore. He used to, in the beginning when they first started dating and the love was fresh and pure, but now he just hugged her half-heartedly and sent her on her way. She shook her head, grateful that it was raining so it was hard to notice her tears.

Her car, a nice black Jeep Cherokee, was in the repair shop and she had to take a cab in order to get to the club, Midnight Moon, and she wasn't exactly happy about it. Cabs were filthy and most of the time the cab drivers didn't speak understandable English. Plus, she always over tipped and she ran out of money fast whenever she took a cab.

After several tries, she finally hailed one, and gave the old man the name of her destination. The man picked up a radio of his and muttered something into it. A little staticky voice spoke back to him and the man sighed.

He turned back to Hitomi and said, "Sorry, lady, but because of the cab shortages, you're gonna have to share one."

Hitomi sighed and nodded her head. Peachy. She was late enough as is. "Well, could you please pick up someone? I'm late for a meeting."

The driver nodded and pulled over. "Here's the next fare."

Hitomi turned to look at the person getting in the cab and found she was staring into a pair of blood red garnet eyes, peaking through layered raven feathers. "S-Sorry, miss. I thought this cab was unoccupied."

"Hey, get in bucko, you'll get the seats wet." The driver growled and the new man slid in, forcing Hitomi to scoot over as well. "Sorry, lover boy, but we've gotta share cabs nowadays. If you want privacy, get a limo or your own car." He said and turned away from the curb. "Where ya headed?"

"Midnight Moon. It's on the corner of 8th and 3rd." Hitomi looked over at the man, who's head was staring out the fogged window at the rain.

"You're going to Midnight Moon?" Hitomi asked him. The man looked at her and Hitomi blushed as she realized how stunning he was. The man nodded and turned back to the window.

"Where are you headed, miss?"

"Midnight Moon." The man looked back at her, and studied her face with those garnet eyes and quickly looked at her attire, never lingering anywhere except her face.

"Date or business?" He asked.

Hitomi was silent for a moment. She had to remember Allen or else she probably would've gotten swept up in those eyes. They were all too hypnotizing. "Date." She whispered. She cleared her throat and asked, "and you, sir? Date or business?"

"Business." He said simply, turning back to the window.

"May I ask what kind of business?"

She saw his reflection grin. "Only if I can ask what kind of date."

Hitomi caught herself smiling, but it slowly dissolved into a frown. She wanted to say a night to remember, but that wasn't the case. She was going to go have a couple drinks with Allen, and she'd probably be home by 10. That's how it always was. "Probably a boring night." She whispered. "And you? What kind of business meeting takes place at Midnight Moon, a rave of sorts?"

He grinned. "My client wanted to meet me there, and since I always believed in the customer first, I agreed."

Hitomi turned in her seat to look at him directly. "And what is it that you do, mister…"

The man turned towards her, their knees but a twitch apart, and Hitomi knew she was probably the only one that noticed. "Van. Van Fanel. I work in Fanelia Industries. It's basically a law firm that has been in my family for generations." His smile wilted a bit, but with a shake of his head it was back. Momentary flash backs aren't exactly the best things in the world. "And you, miss…?"

"Hitomi. Hitomi Kanzaki. I'm still in high school but I work at a gypsy store that sells tarot cards, crystals, good luck charms and such." She smiled remembering her first day at the store. She was so caught up with the stuff being sold, she hardly sold anything that day. "All of it is authentic, and all of it is mystifying." She blinked a couple times and awoke from her flashback. Her hand went to her neck and she fingered the little pendant she had received as payment from Madame Louise. She pulled it out from under her shirt and held it out as far as the black chain would allow so Van could see. "I was given this from my boss as a good luck charm. I hardly ever take it off and it does bring me good luck."

Van's eyes looked the stone over carefully. "My father had a similar stone in his office. It's in a glass case in a cabinet among his things. It's really pretty. It's one of my favorite things that he had left in my possession." He explained.

Hitomi tucked the pendant back into her shirt and folded her hands in her lap. She opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it and stared at her hands.

"So, who are you meeting? Boyfriend? Girlfriend? Both?"

She looked back up at Van and sighed. "Boyfriend." She noticed his smile died at the edges, and it made Hitomi smile a bit. "I think I'm going to break up with him, though." She whispered and that brought the smile back.

"Why?"

She shrugged and turned her head away from him. She felt stupid admitting this kind of stuff to a stranger, but she wanted to tell someone. "Because things aren't the way they were before. He doesn't hold me, and when he hugs me, it's for but a moment and then he sends me on my way. He stares at other girls when he's around me and I've already caught him kissing other girls twice."

"Why didn't you dump him earlier?"

She sighed and felt tears watering up in her eyes. "Because, as much as I hate to admit it, I love him. That little lingering emotion keeps me with him and keeps telling my mind that he'll stop being a jerk." She whipped the tear away and whispered. "I'm tired of being treated like old trash. I want something that he can't give me anymore." She laughed cruelly and she almost choked on it. "As preschool as it sounds, I want to find love. A new love that won't die like ours has."

Van reached out and touched her chin, lifting her face gently with his fingers. He pulled a hanky from out of his pocket and whipped the tears away from under her eyes. "Come now, you'll ruin your makeup if you cry like that." He brushed his thumb against her jaw and tucked a strand of honey blonde hair behind her ear. "If he makes you so unhappy, then do what you think is right." He smiled at her warmly and she couldn't help but smile back.

"Thanks. I needed that." She sniffled gently and shook her head softly; her gelled and layered hair twirling around her. "We're here." She said and nodded her head towards the building that their cab stopped in front of.

She reached for her wallet to pay the driver, but Van touched her hand gently. "I'll pay for it. You don't want to keep your date waiting." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek gently.

"Thank you, Mr. Fanel."

He handed the money to the cab driver and slowly looked at her, grinning. "Well, no pretty girl deserves to be treated like dirt." He slid out of the cab and offered her his hand. She accepted it and allowed him to pull her out of the car and pulled her trench coat over her head so to keep her hair dry from the rain. She ran to the door of the club and showed her ID to the bouncer at the door. Van followed behind and did the same. The bouncer nodded his head and opened the door for them. Hitomi walked in, Van trailing behind, and saw Allen sitting at a table by himself whispering to some girl.

"See your date?" Van's voice came from behind her making her jump in surprise.

"Yeah." She said, her voice near to a growl. "I see him." She turned to Van and smiled at him. "Thanks again. I hope I can see you around." She said and bowed her head lightly to him before heading down towards Allen.

Allen Schezar was modeled to perfection. His blonde hair was gelled elegantly and his blue eyes were the loveliest Hitomi had ever seen. He was always dressed tastefully and always had a smile on his face. He always knew exactly what to say to make you quiver under your skirt. And when he turned those baby blues on Hitomi, she had to look at the floor to keep from melting.

Allen stood and smiled when he saw Hitomi, offering his arms open for a hug, which she ignored and sat down, draping her coat over the back of her chair. Allen's smile turned into a frown of confusion and Hitomi smiled at it.

"Hitomi, my love, what's the matter?"

"Allen, can we make this quick? I have things to do."

He sat back on his stool like chair and leaned into it. "What sort of things?"

"Allen, I'm tired of your games. I'm tired of how you never look at me the same way you do other girls. I'm tired of how you keep me locked up in your bird cage and ignore me physically." She stared him straight in the eyes, tears welding up again. "Aren't I good enough anymore?"

Allen looked shocked and Hitomi was happy he was. "Hitomi, of course you're good enough. It's just that…"

He was cut off by someone kissing Hitomi's cheek. Hitomi jumped lightly and turned towards the kisser. It was Van. Her heart seemed to skip a beat and she stared at him, confused.

"Follow along." He whispered and Hitomi, still a little confused, nodded her head.

"V-Van? How do you know Hitomi?" Allen's voice seemed cracked.

"She's my girlfriend." Van said simply and Hitomi felt herself blushing up.

"G-Girlfriend? But she's my girlfriend."

Van poked Hitomi in the back and she nodded. "Van can give me what you can't Allen. He can give me a love that you never bothered to show me. He actually cares." She whispered and leaned into Van's chest, wrapping his arms around her. He gave her a tight squeeze and laid his cheek against hers.

"My lawyer is fucking my girlfriend?" Allen asked himself. He seemed on the brink of hysterics.

"Did you ever find it a coincidence that we both agreed to meet you here, Allen? Wasn't it kind of odd?" and as Van said those words, she realized it was kind of odd that the three of them had met on the same night at the same place for the same person. Destiny, maybe. Naw.

"But, I arranged it." Allen pleaded.

"After you talked to Hitomi, she talked to me. That's the only reason I would ever meet you here." Van looked around at the pulsating bodies on the dance floor and the bar with liquor bottles all over the counter. "You know I hate liquor and clubs. Don't you think it was strange that I agreed to meet you at a bar?"

"I-I guess." The blond man stammered.

Hitomi got up from her seat and put her jacket back on. "Allen, I'm leaving you. I'm sorry you had to find out this way, but truth be told, it's for the best. You get to flirt all you want and I get worthwhile hugs." She said, not bothering to look at his wide eyes.

Van came up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Hitomi was about to whisper, "watch it" but she became enveloped in his embrace. She felt herself falling into it, and snuggling into his chest. Was she acting, or could Van really give her what Allen never could? No. Van was probably taken or married. But she didn't mind making the show last a little longer.

"H-Hitomi?"

Her voice came out kind of shakey, but strong, enough to get her message across to Allen, and her voice let Van know what he was doing to her. "Goodbye Allen." Van instantly loosened his bind on her and Hitomi could breath clearly without his scent interfearing.

"Hitomi?"

Hitomi drew out of Van's embrace and lead him by the hand towards the bar exit. She heard Allen call out her name in a shout almost, but it was a whisper over the blaring speakers.

Once they were outside, Hitomi pushed away from Van like he was contagious. "Why the hell did you do that?" She snapped.

Van looked hurt and because he had had so much effect on her back in the club, she wanted to kiss his pain away. "I thought I was doing you a favor. You said that you wanted to break it off with Allen. I thought I'd help you so you wouldn't have to go through that alone." He winced and took in a sharp breath. "Sorry if I didn't want to see you cry again."

Hitomi groaned and took a step closer to him. "Look, I'm sorry bout my temper. It's just, you don't know how much that hug effected me. I haven't been held that way in a long time, and to suddenly be swept up in a man's arms." She suddenly felt very cold. "It hurt. It hurt because I can't have what you promised." She sighed and winced at what her mother had told her all her life. "My mom made sure I knew that fairy tales never came true."

She heard Van sigh and could feel the warmth radiating off of him despite the thickening rain that was pouring between them. "Hitomi, you're drenched. Why don't you come back to my place? It's a little walk from here and it sure is easier than getting another cab and going home drenched."

Hitomi didn't know what to do. He had a point. If she showed up at home, soaking wet, since she had just so happen to leave her umbrella in the cab, after being out for less than twenty minutes, she would get hell. But if she did go with Van, who knew what could happen. And her mind liked the thought of what indeed could happen if it was just her and an amazingly cute boy alone in an house. She looked up into his pleading eyes, so kind and comforting. If she didn't know boys so well, she could've sworn there wasn't a guy thought rolling through his head. Merely chivalry.

"Ok, Van. But only for a little bit. I do have things to do and school is tomorrow."

Van's face lit up and it looked like he almost jumped. He turned towards the direction they were supposed to be walking and Hitomi caught up to him. He draped his arm around her shoulders and she found herself curling into his chest, again drunk with his smell and exhilarated from his warmth. She smiled to herself and allowed her to lead the way.

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A/N: It's not gonna get heavy for a while so don't get your hopes up. The next chapter can go one of two ways. It depends on how i decide to take it and if anyone reviews for this chapter.