AN: Gah! I'm back! Sorry, I've been sooo busy lately! Anywho, to the review replies! I'm not very happy about this chapter, but I'm just blegh-y right now..... ;_; Btw, I do not own the songs I use in here nor am I making profit from the songs...
James Holtrop: Haha, thanks for the correction ^^;; Problem is that I tend to write stories really late at night...So I'm not really thinking straight @_@ I'll fix it next tomorrow morning! XD
SailorCentauri: Haha, I love hockey! And Van and Hitomi will be together....Soon....But not too soon ^_~
Rina: Haha, sorry to stop it there, but I was tired ^^;; Please don't hurt me! Aiee!
LOVE WITCH: Haha, Mira looks like that mermaid that Dryden let go in the series XD
Dariel: Muahah I want to see Van's back too.... @_@ Ugh, I'm not ecstatic about this chapter, because I'm just blegh right now. *wails*
MaboroshiTsuki: Muahaha, but with the injury of Van we had the sweet scene! *grins*
DemonAvalon: Yeah! Jacob's gone! And I have other plans for Van ^_~
SailorHope: Hehe ^__^ I have that ring! I love Van and Hitomi! Woohoo!
Magicman/Smokegirl: Yay! Jacob is gone! *slightly scared from all the Muahaha-ing* XD
Shi no Miko: He's being beat up NOW! Yay! ^______________^
KittyKat146: LOL, thanks ^^;; And Hitomi WILL get her ring back! Hehehehhe......
me: Haha, they won't be together yet XD There will be more before they go out!
Moonbeam020290: Merci beacoup, mais je ne parle pas beaucoup de francais ^^;; Oui, j'adore Van et Hitomi aussi.... And I don't go to school in Connecticut ^^;;
Sephkid: *blushes* Thanko! And I made Dilandau beat up Jacob for mysterious reasons which will be unveiled soon XD I sent you an e-mail for the update, so there ya go!
SabrinaYutsuki: Hehe, so can I @_@ Thanks a lot! ^___^
Princess Cool: You update your story too! I love your story!!!! And thanks for the review.
DaheeFanel: *blushes* Yeah, I think I made her over react a bit... But I'm still a beginner at fan fic so.... ^^;;; Hehe, thanks for the review!
Ash Night: Hehe, same! That's why I wrote this fic! XD
Jen: Thanks for the review! *blushes*
Toritsuku-Shippitsu: Haha, sorry, I made Dilandau kick Jacob's arse.... For reasons which will be revealed later XD
Divine Discontent: Haha, I wish I could make him combust too, but alas... Thanks for the review!
KickingKirk: Thanks for the review! And here ya go!
Jacob's jaw clenched slightly, and he had the urge to strike her. But instead, he looked at her in a calm, yet subliminally dangerous manner. He took a deep breath, and made her look into his blue eyes.
"Can we talk outside?" he asked simply, and Hitomi's mouth opened slightly in surprise. No anger? Reluctantly, she agreed, and Jacob led her out from the party, which was in full swing, to the quiet outdoors. Hitomi sat down on one of the grand marble steps, and Jacob stood about 2 feet away, eyeing her. She wasn't look at him, she was looking out towards the still lake, as the stars shone brightly in the blue black sky.
"Hitomi, why did you date me in the first place?" inquired Jacob, his eyes pressing. Hitomi's head quickly jerked up from her reverie, and she looked at him for a moment.
"...Because... Well, to be honest, you seemed to be a nice, smart, and attractive guy." she confessed slowly, afraid of where he was going.
"And have any of those qualities changed?" he continued, his at first innocent tone turning more interrogative.
"...No" Hitomi finally came up with, trying her best to avoid his gaze.
"So then why break up with me?" he yelled, more frustrated then angry.
"I think you know," Hitomi said quietly, toying with the straps of her orange satin sandals. Jacob sat down beside Hitomi on the cold stairs, and ran his hand through his brown hair. Gently, he turned her head towards his with his hand.
"Hitomi...I don't want to lose you." He softened his blue eyes, and put on the most seductive smile he could muster. Hitomi's eyes resembled those of a deer's caught in headlights.
"..J-Jacob..." she started, but he was looking at her lips, not her. "Jacob, I think it'd be better if we went inside." she said quickly. Jacob pulled away slightly, and sighed deeply.
"What did I do wrong?" he asked, his question hanging in the air. Hitomi wished she could go back inside and not face the situation.
"It wasn't you..." she started.
"Oh, don't pull the whole 'It's not you, it's me' bull shit" interrupted Jacob, looking into his lap bitterly.
"But it wasn't you. It was something else." she said quietly. They sat in silence, and Hitomi slowly stood up.
"It's almost midnight," she announced, "we should head back inside". She shivered slightly, and Jacob quickly stood up.
"Are you cold?" he asked, frowning in a concerned manner.
"Sort of" she said hesitantly, and before she could protest, he wrapped her arms around her. His arms were strong, from all his years as a football star, and she tried to worm out of his grip. "Jacob, let me go" she said, through clenched teeth.
"But you're cold" he replied, his voice slightly slurred. Shit, he's drunk cursed Hitomi silently.
"Jacob, let go! You're drunk" she yelled. He pressed his dry lips to hers, and she tried to scream.
"Hitomi... Just one last kiss" he murmured, delving his tongue into her mouth. Hitomi felt sick, and she placed her hands square on his chest. Deepening the kiss, Jacob pulled her body in closer, her breasts crushing into his chest.
"Jacob, get a hold of yourself" Hitomi yelled angrily, but her strength was feeble compared to his.
"I'd like to get a hold on you" he smirked, exploring her mouth lazily. He began to toy with the strings of her shirt, and she felt fear run through her.
"Jacob, you're not like this. Don't regret this later--" she began against his lips.
"I could never regret doing anything with you except letting you go" he drawled, trying to loosen the knots of her shirt with his clumsy fingers.
"Jacob! Get the hell off of me! I don't like you!" she screamed, wishing she had the strength to punch him in the eye.
"Not like me?" he repeated dangerously, and he tore his lips off of her for a moment, searching her stormy green eyes. "I'll teach you bitch" he growled. He slammed his mouth onto hers, and shoved his tongue through her lips.
"Let her go, Uchida!" a voice yelled. Jacob looked up. It was Dilandau, with Yukari.
"Dilandau..." he stuttered. "Hey, sis, get your boyfriend away and make out with him or something" ordered Jacob to a slightly startled Yukari, who was looking at her brother disbelievingly. He turned back to Hitomi, his eyes glazed, his breath heavy with the stench of alcohol.
"My ass we'll go away" Dilandau snapped. "Go back inside" he said tenderly to Yukari, who nodded slightly.
"Yeah, you go inside Hitomi, we'll finish this later" Jacob slurred, releasing his grip on Hitomi and rolling up his sleeves. Hitomi immediately ran into the house, and Dilandau eyed Jacob carefully.
"Sexually harassing girls is a bad thing to do, Jacob" Dilandau articulated dangerously, his auburn eyes flickering.
"Yeah? Well I was just having a nice kiss with my girl friend" retorted Jacob.
"You forget this school is full of gossip leeches" smirked Dilandau. "Marlene Aston over heard your conversation, and soon the news spread. Over half the party knows she dumped you when you supposedly 'lost' her ring" he said, his tone harsh.
"Frag off" Jacob yelled, stumbling over to Dilandau, his fist in the air. Dilandau rolled his eyes.
"Do you honestly think you can beat me up? With you in your state as well?" he asked casually, holding Jacob's two fists firmly. Jacob let out a cry of rage and tried to kick Dilandau.
"Your choice" Dilandau muttered, and he knocked the lights out of Jacob with a hard hit on the head. Dilandau dragged Jacob's limp body over to the bottom of the stairs, as Jacob's head bumped pleasantly against each marble step as he was led down. Brushing his hands off on his hands triumphantly, Dilandau made his way back to the party, grinning like a maniac.
***
It was 11:51, and everyone was yelling excitedly, waiting for the clock to strike 12. Hitomi was sitting with Millerna and Merle on a suede couch, trying her best to calm down.
"Are you okay?" asked Millerna softly, wishing she could kill Jacob.
"Yeah" nodded Hitomi, shuddering slightly. "He's normally not like that..." she started, but Millerna shook her head firmly.
"Don't defend him, Hitomi. What he did was wrong." she said, her violet eyes catching Hitomi's. Merle nodded in agreement.
"I never did really like him" Merle admitted, and Millerna bit her lip.
"No one really liked him, Hitomi" she finally confessed. "He's had a really bad history with girls..."
"Then why didn't you tell me?" asked Hitomi, slightly hurt.
"Because with other girls he'd be like that straight off. With you he seemed to be a lot better. Surprisingly. We though he had changed over the summer. So we didn't say anything. Turns out we were wrong" Millerna answered slowly.
"Maybe he did change. I think it was the alcohol. He really was nice to me" Hitomi said softly, "It's just... That spark...It wasn't there... Like if you look at you, and Allen, or you and Gaddes, I can tell you're really happy" Hitomi continued on, and Millerna and Merle nodded. "But with Jacob... I just didn't...Feel comfortable. He didn't do anything" she added quickly, "Just..."
"We understand" interrupted Merle, and Hitomi smiled.
"I'm sorry for neglecting you guys before" she whispered, and Millerna and Merle shrugged.
"It's alright" Millerna lied, and there was a small moment of silence.
"Well let's get dancing, it's almost midnight!" cried Merle, and the girls grinned. Millerna got up off the couch, and suddenly noticed Van talking with Allen, Dryden, and Gaddes on the other side of the room. A twinkle appeared in Millerna's eyes.
"Hitomi! We have to get someone for you to kiss at midnight!" smiled Millerna.
"Um..." stuttered Hitomi. Merle nodded knowingly at Millerna.
"How about..." Merle casually thought aloud. "Well, Dryden has Mira, that exchange student" she said. The girls directed their gaze over to a girl with pale skin, dark blue wavy hair, large turquoise eyes, and an exotic smile who was standing with Dryden. "And Allen has Millerna, and Gaddes has me..." she continued.
"Well, who then?" laughed Millerna devilishly. "Oh wait, Van doesn't have anyone..." she added innocently. Hitomi blushed like mad.
"No, it's okay, I don't need anyone to kiss--" she started, but Millerna was already off. Hitomi wanted the ground to swallow her up. She saw Millerna talking to Van, and he looked over at her with his intense brown eyes. She quickly averted her gaze to the floor, then erupted in nonsense small talk with Merle, trying her best to seem preoccupied. Slowly, Millerna, Van, Dryden, Mira, Allen, and Gaddes made their way over to Hitomi and Merle.
"I wonder where Dilandau and Yukari are" thought Merle aloud.
"Right (pant) here" came Yukari's voice, and the group found Dilandau's arm wrapped around Yukari's shoulder as she held onto him, laughing and panting at the same time, both of their cheeks flushing. "You should have seen what we did to Jacob" she giggled, and Dilandau put his finger to her lips, grinning.
"We'll show them later" he laughed, and suddenly, the entire party focused their gaze on the movie sized TV screen on the west wall. The ball was about to drop, and everyone began to count down. Everyone ran to their partners, and held hands. Van nervously approached Hitomi, and she looked up at him, not noticing his faint blush.
"Er..." he began. "If you want, we don't have to--" he continued, heat rushing to his cheeks.
"It's okay" interrupted Hitomi, and she felt like dying suddenly.
What if he said that because he doesn't want to kiss me? Oh god, what am I doing?
Maybe he's afraid you don't want to kiss him, Hitomi.
No, who WOULDN'T want to kiss him?
Who wouldn't want to kiss you?
Him.
Oh god, get some self confidence.
But...
Just go.
Go where?
...You're very dense, you know that?
To Hitomi's surprise, he smiled warmly. She gently took a step towards him, so her breath tickled his face.
"6....5.....4....3....2....1.... HAPPY NEW YEARS!" everybody screamed, and Van gently bent down his head and locked his warm lips with Hitomi's.
The complex and beautiful fireworks on the screen were nothing compared to the fireworks that seemed to explode when Hitomi's lips met Van's. His hand landed on the small of her back, and her hand entwined itself within his raven black hair. Hitomi felt like she was floating, and Van felt like he was in heaven. Her lips were sweet from the strawberries she had been snacking on previously, and he held her closer as her tongue timidly entered his mouth. Hitomi took a deep breath, memorizing his summery, masculine scent. They both decided to deepen the kiss at the same time, and Van gently sucked on Hitomi's lower lip. Everyone else had long ended their kisses, and Millerna was laughing with joy when she saw Van and Hitomi.
"What are you so happy for?" smiled Allen down at her.
"Look at those two" she beamed, motioning towards Hitomi and Van.
"Another success with your matchmaking skills?" he teased, and she grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Do I get a reward?" she laughed, and he nodded, kissing her softly on the lips.
Hitomi heard music start, and people started to head to the dance floor. She gently pulled away from Van's addictive lips, and he looked at her, while she stared back.
"......So."
"Uh huh..."
"That was...."
"....Nice"
"Very......." stuttered Van, his hands almost shaking. "I should....Go...Over there" he added nervously, and she nodded like her life depended on it.
"Sure!" she exclaimed oddly, and they both turned red.
"Er...Yeah." Van finally came up with, and shuffled away. Hitomi made her way over to the couches, and flopped down. Shutting her green eyes, she lost herself in the slow tune of the music, trying to steady her breathing.
***
"Go ask her to dance!" ordered Millerna, smacking Van on the head. He wanted to... Badly. But he was afraid.
"I don't think she likes me" he whined.
"Van! Moron! You two looked like if you stopped kissing the world would end!" teased Millerna, and Van blushed, muttering 'shut up'.
"But I--" he started.
"Go!" she interrupted, stamping her foot, grinning.
"But what if--"
"Go."
"But she--"
"Go."
"What if she says--"
"Go."
"But--"
"Go."
"But--"
"Go."
"B--"
"GO!" yelled Millerna, exasperatedly, shoving Van towards the area where Hitomi was. Raising his hands in surrender, Van made his way over to Hitomi, who was swaying softly to the music. He glanced one more time at Millerna, and she glowered at him. He gulped, and kept walking, after shooting Millerna a look along the lines of ^_^;;.
"Er...Would you like to dance with me?" he asked hurriedly. Hitomi's eyes flew open.
"P-pardon?" she stuttered, realizing it was Van. His hair was hanging lightly in his face, and he looked adorable, hands in his pockets, eyes on the floor, a faint blush on his cheeks.
"Do...You.....Want to dance?" he asked, looking as though he were afraid she might him with a hockey stick. A smile slid on her face.
"Yeah" she nodded, and Van let go a breath he didn't realize he was holding. She slowly got up, and the two made their way to the dance floor. A new song had just started, and Van rested his hands on her hips as she gently placed her arms around his neck.
...Never knew I could feel like this
Like I've never seen the sky before
I want to vanish inside your kiss...
Hitomi rested her head on Van's shoulder, and ever so slightly, Van tightened his hold on her.
Everyday I'd love you more than this.
AN: Okay, okay, I'm not proud of that chapter *wails* I'm still a little rusty. Exams and all.... But I did warn all of you! Anywho, I got Dilandau to beat up Jacob! And what DID Yukari and Dilandau do to Jacob? Wait and see... Heehee, and NO! Hitomi and Van will NOT go out! Muahaha... But I think I'll make them go out on Valentines day, thus ending the story ^_^ Hehe, please review!