AN: Muahaha, okay, okay, so this fic isn't AS long as I thought it would be. As you see, I have no patience, so XD But Jacob's still around! *woo* I'm trying to think of a way for Hitomi to dump Jacob without him cheating on her... Any ideas? I want it to be something that makes Jacob a bastard... Not just because he's controlling or mean, something like cheating on her... But not @_@ Anyways, I'll try to sort that out...... Please Review! ^_^ *suddenly has ideas for fluffy V/H scenes...* This fic will be longer then my last one (8 chapters) but it won't be very long, like 20 chapters @_@ I also edited Chapter 3 because of MaboroshiTsuki's comments! ^-^

SailorHope: *waves Van and Hitomi banner in the air* Yay! ^___^ I wish I could get Dilly to beat up Jacob ;_; *suddenly has idea* But I THINK (it's a POSSIBILITY) that Van beats up Jacob XD XD
PrincessCool: I am proud! I feel so special ^_^ Your story's in my favorite stories list XD UPDATE! Vite! (That means quickly in French XD)
MaboroshiTsuki: I edited Chapter 3 to try to make it less "rushed" XD Van is less hung over her now! LOL Hehe, thanks! The idea for Dilandau's scar just popped in my head! ^^;;
LOVE WITCH: Hehe, yeah, Dilly's much different in this fic then the series @_@ But later I'm going to flare a bit of his violent side up XD (to Jacob of course ^_~)
Dariel: Haha, I didn't kill Jacob off this chapter ;_; But I plan to next chapter! *cheers* ^_______^ Hehe, I like this Dilly too =p
Magicman/Smokegirl: Hehe, I couldn't kill him off this chapter! Or the fic would end REALLY soon! So *holds out pinky* I pinky swear next chapter he'll be gone! XD Hehe, I haven't seen a Y/D pairing before @_@ ^^;;
=): I like the idea too! XD Yup, fluffy love at first sight is a reoccuring theme of mine! I can't bear to see Van and Hitomi not being together for long periods of time! ^^;;
Newbie GK: Haha, thanks! Hehe, yup! Yukari and Dilandau are definitely together! XD Van and Hitomi all the way! Haha, I know, making him cheat on her was too simple @_@
Me: Hehe, I LOVE HOCKEY! Not a big fan of football ^^;; I don't like Jacob either. He will be gone next chapter! XD
DivineDiscontent: Hehe, thanks! I didn't know I had the capabilities of keeping people interested ^^;; Yup, I tried to not make them together right away =)

Hitomi smiled at Van who's brow was furrowed at the French text book. She had asked him to explain what the paragraph had meant, and so far he had half the paragraph deciphered. His gaze was concentrated on the page, and he was biting the nail of his thumb. Hitomi studied his profile, and she longed to brush the hair out of his face. Suddenly his gaze brightened.

"I get it!" Van beamed triumphantly, slamming the book shut. "It's about how and why the Eiffel Tower was built, and the people's reactions to it."

"Good job" Hitomi grinned.

"Do I get a gold star?" asked Van playfully.

"Maybe later" she laughed. "Now, let's go over the vocabulary list. We have a test tomorrow on it, remember?" Van nodded, and Hitomi was about to begin when they heard the arena doors open. They directed their gaze over to the entrance, and there was Jacob, with his back pack.

"Hitomi!" he called out. Van groaned to himself.

"Jacob" said Hitomi, surprised.

"I thought I'd walk you to school, I have a surprise for you" he called, smiling up at her.

"Um, okay, can you wait 15 minutes till our tutoring session is over?" asked Hitomi, glancing over at Van.

"Oh, 15 minutes doesn't matter! You don't mind do you, Van?" Jacob sneered. "It's not like you can learn anything anyways" Van clenched his fist.

"Jacob..." warned Hitomi quietly.

"What? I was just kidding, Van knows that, don't you Van?" laughed Jacob, shooting Van an evil glance.

"It's okay, I can study with Millerna, Yukari and Dilandau at lunch." said Van. Allen and Dryden both took Spanish.

"Are you sure?" asked Hitomi, as if she wanted him to stay.

Since when did they start having lunch with Yukari?
Well you wouldn't know since you've been ignoring your friends lately and having lunch with Jacob.

"Yeah, you go with your boyfriend" Van replied indifferently.

Is it just me or did he say 'boyfriend' oddly? thought Hitomi. Stop trying to twist everything around, Hitomi she chided herself. Van slipped on his headphones, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and left the arena. Her green gaze never left his back until she heard the arena doors slam shut. Jacob made his way up the stands to where Hitomi stood. He looked disdainfully at the rink.

"This is where you come every morning?" he asked, cocking his head at the ice.

"Yeah" said Hitomi. Jacob wrapped his arms around Hitomi, snuggling his face into the crook of her neck.

"If it were me I'd shoot myself" he laughed, and Hitomi felt slightly uncomfortable. Maybe it's from the excessive amount of cologne he's wearing she giggled to herself.

Or maybe it was something else.

"It's not bad at all" she reassured him.

"Whatever" he commented. "Come on, I have something to give you" he winked. Hitomi smiled, and gathered her stuff. Opening the arena doors open for her, Jacob reached around in his pocket for something.

"Aha, here we go." He pulled out a charm bracelet, with several little ornaments on it. The detail was beautiful, and it made a slight jingling noise if you shook it. The charms consisted of Victorian hearts, some bears, and angels.

Really not my kind of thing Hitomi thought. Though it was beautiful, she preferred simple things, with meaning. She had seen several of those charm bracelets at the local jewelry store, Atlantis.

"It's beautiful" she smiled. "But we've only been dating for 2 weeks" she added, surprised.

"I know, but there's this connection I feel with you. Like I've met you in a past lifetime" he said warmly. He gently unclasped it, and closed it on her wrist. "When you look at it, you'll know I'm thinking of you" he smiled. He looked down into her green eyes, and gently shut his own blue ones.

What's he doing? thought Hitomi, slightly alarmed. He's not going to kiss me, is he? Oh god, I think he is.... Slowly, he leaned in, and she remained frozen, eyes open in shock.

There was a faint smile on his lips, and she couldn't move, couldn't say anything. Slowly, his face got closer and closer, and half of Hitomi screamed for her to move. But she couldn't.

He pressed his warm lips to hers, and pulled her in closer to him.

"Hitomi" he murmured into her soft lips.

"Um....yeah?" she asked, eyes still open.

"You look beautiful today" he whispered. Hitomi blushed nervously. Hesitantly, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and as soon as he felt her smooth hands on his neck he deepened the kiss. Hitomi felt a sensation go through her body. Kind of like my body's being filled up with lukewarm gel. Is it supposed to feel this way? Not the last time I remember..... Still, she had to admit Jacob was a good kisser, and eventually she got into the kiss.

***

"Where's Hitomi?" asked Millerna.

"I don't know, I didn't see her at her locker this morning" frowned Merle. "Ask Van, he should know" Millerna nodded. It's not like Hitomi to miss class. She sounded fine last night when I talked to her.... I don't think she's sick...

***

"Van!" cried out Millerna in the hallway. Van turned around, looking for the source of the voice.

"Oh, hey 'llerna" he smiled.

"Have you seen Hitomi?"

"Well, she was there this morning to tutor me. Why?" he asked, shifting the weight of his back pack onto his other shoulder.

"She wasn't in homeroom"

"Oh, that's weird. I saw her this morning. Well, Jacob wanted to talk to her about something" he added, trying to look casual.

"I don't like him" said Millerna, her violet eyes darkening slightly.

"You don't have to say that" said Van softly. "I'm over her" he lied.

"It's not just that" protested Millerna earnestly. "He just seems so... Slippery"

"But he seems like a good boyfriend" remarked Van, a hint of bitterness seeping through his neutral tone.

"My ass" scoffed Millerna. Van grinned as he saw several guys in the hallway drop their gaze to Millerna's ass as she loudly spoke those words.

"I'll see you at lunch. You have a French test tomorrow too, right?"

"Yeah"

"Can you help me study? I didn't get to this morning because of Jacob, and I have hockey practice after school"

"Bastard, he had no right to interrupt your tutoring session" scowled Millerna. Van had never seen Millerna hold such a grudge against someone before.

"I think we're going to have to accept the fact he's not some evil minion" he said quietly. Millerna wished she could have shook some sense into Van.

"I still think he's a twit. Anyways, I'll see you at lunch" she called, and she made her way into her classroom.

"Hitomi" she said, mouth open in shock. Hitomi was sitting at her desk waiting for class to begin, but her usual smooth hair was mussed up, and her cheeks were bright red. "Where were you?" she asked, setting down her books, and sitting down.

"Well, Jacob met me this morning at the arena and he convinced me to cut class so we could see the autumn leaves before they disappeared completely" she blushed.

"Was it really necessary to skip class to see a bunch of leaves that will come back every single year?" asked Millerna disapprovingly.

"It was romantic" Hitomi insisted, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Mr. Horoshima walked into the room, and Hitomi was glad for a distraction.

"Everyone sit down please" he said loudly, and once he was satisfied that everyone was paying attention he began to write on the chalk board. Hitomi kept her eyes on the board, not wanting to meet Millerna's intense gaze.

***

"It's Christmas, and we, the student council have something extra special planned for all of you" came Yukari's voice on the announcements. "Throughout the school, we have planted sprigs of mistletoe! But not just any mistletoe! We've attached a single Christmas light on each sprig, which will randomly change colors every 15 minutes. The colors are green, white, and red. If you happen to be under a green sprig, you have to hug that person. If you're under a white sprig, you have to kiss the person on the cheek. If you're under a red sprig, it's the lips!" You could almost hear Yukari's gleeful smile.

"I don't need mistletoe to kiss you" grinned Jacob, wrapping his arms around Hitomi. Hitomi smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm going to have lunch with some of my friends today" she said softly.

"Oh...." said Jacob oddly, a shadow flickering across his face.

"I'll see you later" she started, but Jacob grabbed her arm.

"I have a Christmas gift for you" he smiled.

"You really didn't have to--" she protested, but he silenced her with his finger. He produced a small carrier bag, and Hitomi gingerly opened it. Inside was a bag of almond Hershey Kisses and a Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal, Christmas style.

"You remembered I love Hershey Kisses and Pooh bear" smiled Hitomi, kissing him on the cheek.

"Of course" he smiled. "I'll see you later, or I'll be late for class" he grinned, and left.

Too bad he didn't remember I hate almonds and that I like Classic Pooh, not the new Pooh.

***

"Nadine kissed me on the cheek because of your stupid mistletoe!" Van half yelled half grinned at Yukari. She smiled devilishly, and Van crushed Yukari with his strong arms, nearly knocking his lunch tray over.

"The horror!" he fake sobbed, burying his face into her shirt. "That sloppy kiss she planted on my cheek will scar me forever" he exclaimed dramatically.

"Um, do you guys mind if I eat lunch with you?" came a hesitant voice. Everyone at the table looked up at Hitomi, who was holding her tray nervously. Hitomi hadn't eaten lunch with them once since she and Jacob had started going out, which was over 2 months ago. They had felt hurt, and slightly insulted.

"Uh....No, sit down" said Van after a while, arms still around Yukari. He saw Hitomi give him a rather peculiar look, and he let go of Yukari. The table fell silent.

"So" tried Dryden, playing with the straw of his drink.

"How have you guys been?" asked Hitomi nervously.

"Um....Well, Allen and I have started dating" Millerna supplied, giving an affectionate look at Allen, who grinned back.

"Really?" Hitomi asked, surprised. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Well, the topic never really came up. We're not public yet... We plan to let the school know in the New Year" Millerna explained, looking down with interest at her lunch suddenly.

"Oh" said Hitomi, taking a small bite of her sandwich. The rest of the lunch was extremely awkward, and several stabs at conversation were made. They all left the cafeteria together to hang out in the hallway, when Van spotted Dilandau. He rubbed his hands together, and grinned knowingly.

"Oh Yukari..." Van said innocently.

"Hmm?" she replied, focused on zipping up her sweater, which was stuck.

"Watch where you're going" he smirked, keeping the rest of the group behind with his hand.

"I know where I'm going" she retorted, eyes still on her zipper, only to bump into Dilandau. She stared into his crimson eyes, and turned bright red.

"Di-dilandau..." she stuttered out. She felt heat engulf her body, and she noticed he was slightly red as well, but he still had a confident look on his face.

"What are you...." she began. He moved his finger to her mouth to silence her, and smiled at her. He tilted his head to look up, and Yukari followed his gaze. Several sprigs of mistletoe had been moved neatly into a row on the ceiling, and Dilandau had rigged them all to turn red permanently. An excited smile appeared on Yukari's face.

"I can't believe it" she exclaimed, bringing her arms around his torso happily, and he leaned in to kiss her. She wrapped her hands around the back of his head, and his hands fell on the small of her back. After 2 months of endless hardcore flirting and blushing, they had finally gotten together. Van and Millerna whooped, as Dryden, Allen, Merle, and Gaddes clapped, smiles on their faces.

So Yukari and Van aren't together thought Hitomi. They were just friends all along.
But why would you care? You're dating Jacob.
Yeah, but...
But what?

Yukari parted for a moment, and gave Dilandau a mock scowl.

"Destroying all the hard work the student council did?" she frowned at him, laughter erupting from her mouth.

"Want me to undo it?" he whispered. She shook her head, and he grinned, leaning in for another kiss.

The rest of them decided to leave the two alone, and headed over to the main corridor. They were all chatting rather comfortably for the first time since Hitomi had joined them, when Millerna suddenly stopped talking, a big smile on her face.

"Van....Hitomi" she began slowly.

"What?" they said in unison, confused.

"Look up" cackled Millerna devilishly. They both looked up and a single sprig of mistletoe was taped to the ceiling. The light was red.

"Woohoo!" yelled Gaddes, grinning at the two. Merle winked at Van, and Van didn't even want to see the expression on Millerna's face. Hitomi blushed deep red, and Van gave her a questioning look. Everyone's eyes were on the two, and they were looking at each other rather nervously.

"Why not?" surrendered Hitomi, and he smiled. He wrapped one strong hand around her back, and Hitomi felt shocks run through her as he brought her in. His warm breath tickled her face, and she shut her green eyes. Her hand made it's way up into his hair, and after what seemed like an eternity, their lips met.

It wasn't like the lukewarm gel feeling she had with Jacob. It was like her senses were on fire, and she was in fear of collapsing to the ground. Her knees were weak, and she noticed he had a natural smell, not like Jacob's excessive cologne, but like a bright, fresh, field on a cool summer's day.

I could do this forever mused Hitomi, smiling into his lips. Van imprinted the feeling of her body pressed against his, her hand entwining itself into his hair, and her lips softly caressing his forever into his mind. Van sighed mentally.

But she's not yours.

He deepened the kiss ever so slightly before pulling away. Everyone clapped, and the two turned beet red.

Why did it feel so much different with Van?
...So much better?
Maybe because you're meant to be with-- her mind began to tell her, but she cut herself off.

"We should be heading back to class, it's almost time" announced Millerna. She shot Van a look, a look that said "We're going to talk later" and slowly everyone began to go their separate ways.

"Hitomi, wait!" called Van. Hitomi turned around, a tiny, TINY part of her wishing he'd do something...

Like what? Kiss you? Ask you out? A--

Hitomi mentally slapped herself.

"I got you a Christmas gift, to thank you for all the tutoring you've done so far. You're a great teacher" he said sincerely. She blushed deep red. He delved deep into the pocket of his pants, and came out with a small black velvet box. He gently opened it, and she gasped. It was beautiful, and simple, just the way she liked it. It was a silver ring, with a heart with a crown on top adorned by two hands.

"It's a clavagh ring" he said quietly. "The crown means loyalty and fidelity.... The hands mean friendship... And the heart, well... You know what it means. You wear the heart facing out when you're not taken, and the heart facing towards you when you are. It's also a friendship ring." She felt tears rush up to her eyes, and before she knew what she was doing she jumped up and gave Van a fierce hug.

"Thank you, you really shouldn't have" she whispered into his neck.

"Hey, it's nothing" he said softly, and eventually she slowly unwrapped her arms from his neck.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Well, I'll be going" Van said after a period of silence, and he turned to leave.

"Van, wait" Hitomi called out to his back. He turned around. "Um...Uh....When's your next hockey game?" she asked, concentrating on the ground, feeling her cheeks burn.

"Tonight" he replied.

"I'd....I'd like to come watch you" she said, blushing madly. His eyes lit up, and so did his entire face.

"Really?" Hitomi nodded. "That's great!" he exclaimed.

"So, uh, the game starts at 7 right?" Van nodded. "Uh, I guess I'll see you then" she said, playing with the edge of her shirt nervously.

"Sounds great" he smiled, and they slowly parted ways

Hitomi had only took a few steps when she saw Jacob.

"Hey Hitomi" he smiled. "How was lunch?"

"Great" she replied honestly, her eyes twinkling.

"Well whatever you ate you should eat more of, I've never seen you so twinkly and happy before" he grinned. Hitomi forced a smile on when she realized something. It wasn't the food, Jacob. It was the people.

"Hey, what's that?" he asked, pointing to her ring.

"Oh, a Christmas gift" she smiled happily.

"It's a bit bland, isn't it?" Jacob asked. Hitomi was about to blurt out how it was perfect, but she stopped herself.

"I like it" she said casually. He looked at her oddly, but thought nothing of it.

"Well, I'll see you later." he kissed her on the cheek.

"Yeah. I'll see you later" she said softly once he was gone.

AN: Hahaha, NOPE! Van and Hitomi are NOT going to be together next chapter! XD Sorry! There WILL be fluff, but sadly, they will not be together ;_; However, Jacob will be gone! *cheers* So yay to that! I plan to hook up Dryden with a sexy exchange student, hahaha.... Can't leave poor Dryden all alone, now can we ^_~ Then Van can notice he's the only one not paired up..... And with Jacob gone.... MUAHAHA! But no, they will not be together like that! *snaps fingers* ^_________________^