AN: New fic coming up, this is the last chapter, I don't think I can take this anymore O_O I suck at writing *wails* I've lost my touch *sobs* Sorry everyone, I will work my butt off for my next fic.... ;__;

Ash Night: Gah I've lost my touch! *hates self* Thanks for the compliment though ^_^
Sailor Centauri: Haha! So would I! *waves I love Van banner*
MaboroshiTsuki: *eye twitches. stabs anne with a bread knife* AHHH! *calms down* big head ache. sorry ^^;;
SabineballZ: Haha, okay so I didn't make it Valentines Day ^^;; I really want to work on my next fic O_O
LOVE WITCH: Yay! You update the gods story! Haha Jacob moves schools ^_^
SabrinaYutsuki: Haha thanko! I love V/H!
Sakura: Thanks! ^___^
Magicman/Smokegirl: Hahaha *grins* Jacob's gone!
Dariel: Okay, I HATE THIS CHAPTER. Seriously. I'm damaging my fan fic career by this chapter *weeps* Thanks for the review! ^_^
Divine Discontent: Hehe, go Dilly!
Paige Moonsword: Haha, thanks! Everyone seems to love Dilly @_@ Wooh... I do too XD But I love Van!
Vampira Roja: haha thanks! I'm scared though, I think I'm losing my touch ;_;
Tommi Gurrl: haha i have to end this fic, it's driving me mad @_@ i loved it so much though ;_;
me: Haha it's not valentines day XD I changed my mind ^^;;
Ink: Haha Jacob just got a prank played on him XP
Inuyashachic515: Haha thanks
Supers4: Yeah, I'm not very good at action though ^^;;
Dahee Fanel: CONTINUE YOUR STORY NOW! XD Haha the song was "Come What May" from Moulin Rouge XP I'm not proud of this story anymore, i ruined it with this chapter ;_;

A fast song started soon later, and Hitomi and Van looked at each other. Clearing his throat, Van was about to speak when they heard Dilandau and Yukari cackling.

"Everyone come outside!" they chorused, eyes twinkling. Glad for a distraction from the awkward silence, the two turned towards the two mischief makers.

With out much more coaxing from Yukari and Dilandau, the party went outside to see what had happened to Mr. Uchida. Laughter erupted from everybody's mouths as they saw him. Two cone party hats had been taped onto Jacob's chest to resemble the bra Madonna wore in the 80's, and they had taped his right hand so it looked like he was feeling his right "boob" up. Thick black eye lashes that seemed to stretch on until forever were glued to his eye lids. A neon purple wig had been shoved onto his brown locks, and they had cut his jeans into short shorts. Red high heels were tried on his feet, but alas, they did not fit and ended up resting on his toes. And the pictures. The millions and millions of pictures Yukari and Dilandau took of him using Millerna's Polaroid camera were scattered around him. Everyone had collapsed to the ground in hysterics, some of them grabbing some pictures for black mail purposes, as Jacob sat there unconscious, from Dilandau's hit and his state of drunkenness.

"Nice work little brother" grinned Van, slapping Dilandau on the back, "But you'll never match my skill!" he added devilishly. Dilandau grinned and ran into Van's torso, knocking him over.

"I'll show you skill" Dilandau laughed, about to hit Van with his fist. About 75% of the crowd gasped, afraid that something bad would happen. Sadly, very few seemed to understand that Dilandau and Van were best friends. Van rolled over before Dilandau could punch him and while Dilandau was still retaliating he kicked Dilandau jokingly in the ribs.

"Ooh, skill" Van grinned, waving his fingers spookily.

"Shut up" Dilandau huffily remarked, a smile spreading on his face as Van helped him up with his hand.

"Just a tussle" winked Van at the crowd, and the group released a breath of relief and headed back into the house.

"See you, I'm going to go take a walk with Yukari in the gardens" Dilandau called, his hand draped over her shoulder as the red haired girl leaned her head against his shoulder. Van smiled, and the only people left were Hitomi and himself. Feeling slightly more confident and cocky then before, Van nudged Hitomi gently in the side.

"Want to have a tussle?" he grinned, and she laughed, smacking him on the head.

"Thanks, but I have to work on my 'skill'" she grinned, shaking her head ruefully.

"Well, if you don't want to have a good old brawl, would you like to go over to the beach?" he suggested, motioning towards the gentle water decorated by the reflection of stars. Hitomi nodded vigorously, and the two made their way to the grainy sand, removing their shoes allowing the texture to tickle their feet. Hitomi sat down near the shore, and occasionally a small tide would wash over her toes. Van made his way beside her, and resisted the urge to wrap his arm around her shoulder.

"So it's the new year" he said softly, looking down at the light brown sand.

"Yeah" agreed Hitomi, taking in the beautiful scenery.

"Any resolutions?" he asked, turning his head slightly towards her.

"Mm..." she mused aloud. "Well, I suppose I'd like to keep up my grades" she supposed.

"Is that all?" asked Van, cocking his head slightly.

"Well..." Hitomi trailed off slightly, a light blush appearing on her cheeks. Normally, Hitomi would be experiencing the hot rush of heat she normally felt with Van. But now it was sort of lukewarm.

Why? I'm still attracted to him....

Hitomi turned her head to Van, and studied his calm profile.

"I'd also like to understand a bit more about myself and.... Find love" she reluctantly confessed, looking down.

"Really?" whispered Van softly. She nodded, blushing furiously.

'I'll teach you, bitch'
'Let go of me, Jacob!'
'I'd like to get a hold on you....'
'You're drunk!'
"...never let you go...."

Hitomi felt fear run through her. That's why you feel lukewarm, Hitomi. She felt like punching Jacob across the face. She felt dirty. She felt like crying. The way he had touched her was horrible, and had it not been Dilandau she had no idea how far he would have gone. Van noticed Hitomi's sudden quietness, and looked at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Y-yeah, I just....Yeah" Hitomi finally came up with, forcing a smile.

"Well...If you're sure..." he continued, searching her face for signs of what she was feeling.

"I'm fine" she confirmed, nodding her head. Van didn't think so, but he merely nodded, and looked back at the water. "So...What are your resolutions?" inquired Hitomi after a while.

"Oh me? Well... Spend less time on the ice and get my head into a book sometime.... And yeah, the love thing...I guess I agree on that too" he said quietly. They sat in silence, not noticing how close they had moved together from their starting positions.

***

"You're hopeless!" exclaimed Millerna, flopping down on Van's bed. "You kissed her twice! She obviously likes you! You danced with her! There are no obstacles! AND ALL YOU DID LAST NIGHT WAS TALK!??! Why didn't you ask her out you nut job??" she complained, hugging Van's pillow.

"She seemed sad" muttered Van, listening to Millerna interrogate him.

"Well" softened Millerna "Then you could have comforted her" she sighed. "I know you like to do things at your own pace Van, but I'm telling you, if you wait too long you'll lose her again. Get together with her! I miss cocky Van" she pouted, and Van let a wry smile slip on his face.

"I miss him too" he said quietly, and Millerna's heart fell slightly, as he ran his fingers along the rough blade of his hockey stick. Every time Millerna had caught Van glancing over at Hitomi and Jacob when they were still together, it pained her to see the expression in his brown eyes. His face would be emotionless, but his eyes. They broke her heart. And when Hitomi had finally broken up with Jacob... Millerna thought all would be fixed. But it was like Van was afraid. To him, it was like someone was offering him something, but if he would reach for it they'd snatch it away and laugh at him. He had been hurt many times in the past, and he had developed a slightly cocky personality to protect himself.

...Sadness is beautiful
Loneliness is tragic
Oh, so help me I can't win this war...

"Don't" Millerna said quietly.

"Don't what?" murmured Van, eyes concentrating on his hockey stick.

"Don't give her up"

***

"Dude, just ask her out!" yelled Dilandau exasperatedly, deflecting one of Van's shots at the net.

"I can't" muttered Van, slapping another ball into the top left hand corner of the net. Dilandau flung his stick to the ground.

"Van, she won't wait for you forever. Two guys asked her out last week, she said yes to one" started Dilandau. Van froze considerably in his spot. "...But she cancelled last minute." Letting a sigh of relief, Van slumped onto the pavement. He dug out the clavagh ring from his pocket. The sun reflected off the silver of the ring, and he inspected it carefully. It had taken him a full day to find that ring in Dryden's humongous house, and after much frustration, he had found it. He had meant to give it back to Hitomi... But he wanted to give it to her when he asked her. Out, that is.

"The attraction's there" stated Dilandau, his eyes not matching his simple tone of voice. His auburn eyes softened slightly at his best friend on the floor. Van didn't say anything, didn't look up. "Your butt's going to get wet" teased Dilandau, motioning at the sparse gray white snow Van was sitting on. Letting out a small dry laugh, Van stood up.

"I'll try."

***

"Hitomi!" called Van, jogging after her exiting figure. Turning around, Hitomi's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Oh yeah Van" she greeted, smiling. He stood there, catching his breath, cheeks cold from the February chill. Shoving his hands into his pocket, he took something out.

"Um.... I found your.... Ring" he eventually said. Hitomi's jaw dropped. Taking her silence as a bad thing, he quickly added "Um... If you don't want to wear it, you don't have to--"

"THANK YOU!" she screamed, jumping on to him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He blushed slightly, and set her down gently. "I love this ring" she confessed quietly, as she slipped it on, heart facing out. Van ruffled his black hair slightly, unsure of how to phrase his words.

"Hitomi.... Um...." he began, then stopped.

"Mmhmm?" she pressed, looking innocent and beautiful. A slight wind brushed past them, and she shivered, pulling her coat tighter around her.

"Do.... Erm.... Would you like to go.... Um.... Out with me sometime?" he managed, and suddenly his breathing was shorter, there was a slight buzzing in his ears, and he was afraid of her response.

"Van I'd love to.... But.... I can't--" began Hitomi, before Van silenced her with his hand.

"It's okay" he said quietly, putting on a confident smile. "I'll see you around" he said cheerfully. As he rounded the corner quickly, Van put on a masked expression. He left the school as quickly as he could, cursing himself for being so stupid.

***

Van didn't' know who to talk to. He didn't feel like telling Millerna or Dilandau, in fact he planned to keep this to himself, as if nothing happened. For now, all he'd do was ache the pain in his heart and get over the girl who had captivated him for the longest time.

***

The crowd in the hallway was extremely dense, and it was hard to navigate past all the chattering students. Van spotted Hitomi coming down the hall, and he lowered his head, blaring his walk man. She looked at him, trying to catch his eye, but he kept his eyes on the floor in front of him. Hitomi bit her lip slightly, and walked, turning her head slightly as his figure walked further and further away. She eventually fixed her gaze back ahead of her, sighing painfully, and Van turned his head to see if she was looking at him. Her head was straight in front of her, and Van cursed silently. Of course she wouldn't be looking at you. She doesn't.... Doesn't..... Van couldn't bring himself to think the words. Instead, he just steeled his brown eyes and kept walking resolutely down the hall. Hitomi turned her head one more time, just as Van rounded the corner out of sight. She tried to steady her breath, a numb feeling overcoming her limbs.

***

"Dilandau, can I talk to you?" asked Hitomi quietly, watching the silver haired boy slam his locker shut with a bang.

"Sure, no problem" he said in a friendly manner, and he heaved his back pack over his shoulder. The two headed out into the open air, as slush dirtied their shoes.

"The thing is... Van....He asked me out a week ago" she began.

"He did?!?" Dilandau exclaimed, shocked. "He didn't tell me!" That bastard laughed Dilandau to himself with a grin.

"Well.... I kind of said no to him" she mumbled. So that's why Van was acting so funny this week. I thought it was something he ate. I remember the time he tried out a pickle milkshake and-- Then it hit him. She said no to him. Dilandau had an expression on his face, something between a cross of understanding and wanting to smack Hitomi silly.

"And?" he continued, his voice choked slightly. Crazy fool! Why did you say no to him!??!

"I do like him... A lot" she confessed, not meeting the boy's intense gaze. "It's just.... I haven't told anyone about what Jacob did" she said quietly.

"Neither have Yukari and I" admitted Dilandau. "Never saw a reason to" he added with a shrug.

"Well... I was sort of... Still recovering. And I needed time to just... Mend. He didn't give me time to explain and--" she continued. Dilandau nodded. Van was hurt easily, though he didn't show it, and he probably was too heartbroken to stick around. Dilandau didn't blame him.

"You need to talk to him" said Dilandau simply.

"He won't even look at me in the hall" she whispered, a slight bitterness seeping into her voice.

"Just grab him by the shirt neck and demand to talk" grinned Dilandau. Hitomi let a sigh. She nodded, the two kept walking away from the building of Fanelia High.

***

"Great game" Andrew smiled at Van, and the captain of the Black Hawks smiled slightly.

"Yeah, we're in the play offs" he grinned, but suddenly his smile fell. Hitomi stood in the lobby of the Palas Arena, biting her lip, looking at Van with frightened green eyes.

"Uh, I'll go now" said Andrew hurriedly, leaving the scene before Van could protest. He didn't want to face her. Not at all.

"Van" said Hitomi quietly, taking a step towards him. He plastered on a smile.

"Oh, hey Hitomi!" he said a little too loudly, clutching his hockey stick till his knuckles were white.

"Relax" she whispered, placing her delicate hand on his arm. He didn't relax though, he couldn't.

"So what's up?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.

"Can we talk?" she asked, forcing him to gaze into her brilliant jade eyes.

"Uh, sure." he finally stuttered out. "I can drive you home, we can talk in the car" he suggested, and she nodded.

The car ride was quite unsuccessful, as neither of them uttered a word. Finally, they came to Hitomi's house. They sat in silence.

"Van" Hitomi finally said, gathering courage. "The reason I said no--"

"You don't have to explain" he said gently, looking down. He didn't need her pity. He couldn't handle it. To his surprise, she brought her soft hand up to his cheek and turned his face towards her.

"Is because I wasn't ready. The thing is... Only Dilandau, Yukari and I know.... At New Years, Jacob was drunk and... He tried to.... He.... He sexually harassed me" She took a deep breath. Van's mouth dropped slightly. He though Jacob had changed schools because of the prank, not because.... Of that.

"I needed time to mend, and when you asked me... I was so happy, but Van, I just wasn't ready" she said, her voice almost pleading. Van felt like a jerk. He had been to worked up over his own feelings to consider anything else. He felt like banging his head against the steering wheel.

"I understand if you don't feel the same way anymore, I just wanted to tell you..." she said softly, stepping out of the car. Van sat there alone, dumbfounded. Hitomi opened the door to her house, and shut it gently behind her. Still Van didn't move. In shock, he slowly drove back home, as Hitomi sat alone in her bedroom, hugging her pillow to her chest. You can't expect him to feel that way forever, Hitomi.

***

"Ugh!" Millerna wailed, banging her head against her locker.

"I know" nodded Dilandau, wishing her could pop somebody's head off.

"They're so ANNOYING!" she complained, referring to Van and Hitomi.

"She does have a reason though" he said quietly.

"Why do they have to make everything so COMPLICATED!" she cursed, her violet eyes storming with different emotions.

"I suppose we could just sit them both down and force them to kiss?" suggested Dilandau, smirking. Millerna thwacked Dilandau on the head, and rubbed her temples from the headache she was getting.

***

"Hitomi?" came a painfully familiar voice.

"Hey Van" said Hitomi quietly, toying with the edge of her shirt.

"I just wanted to let you know that I will never be like Jacob. And that I really do care about you. That night... I was just sort of, shocked, you know?" Hitomi looked up at Van, unsure of where he was going. Her romantic side was being stifled down by her cynical side. He probably just wants to be friends.

"And I was wondering.... If you're ready.... Well, when you're ready...." Van trailed off, not needing to complete his sentence. He began to walk away after she remained mute, but she suddenly called out his name.

"Van!" she ran after him, closing the distance between them. "I.... I..... I'd love to go out with you tonight if you're free" she said, laying out her heart to him. She winced internally, as if he was going to step on it. He gently smiled, and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her softly on the mouth, and a single tear trailed down her face from happiness. All those 5 months of confusion, hurt, longing were finally over. She felt safe and happy, his strong arms wrapped protectively around her, and the cold, drumming in her head was gone. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he deepened the kiss, and Van felt the heavy dizzy feeling in his head disappear with a light, giddy feeling. They parted, and looked into each other's eyes, smiling.

"That's it! Okay! You two are going to get together NOW whether you like it or not!" came Millerna's voice, Dilandau desperately trying to drag her away.

"Millerna--" started Van with a grin.

"Uh uh! I'm not going to hear it, Fanel! You too, Kanzaki! Now tonight--"

"Millerna! Let them do things by themselves!" Dilandau tugged on the girl's sleeve, slight irritation shadowing his features. Although he understood that Millerna was very frustrated, he occasionally wanted to smack Millerna when she got into super hyper over match maker mode.

"They're giving me a headache!"

"Will you give them privacy??"

"Just let me smack some sense into them"

"Both of you, shut up!" laughed Hitomi, wrapping her arms around Van's neck, and kissing him lightly on the nose. Dilandau and Millerna stopped bickering, both of their eyes widening.

"We've sorted it out by ourselves, thank you very much" smirked Van, and Millerna and Dilandau stared, dumbfounded. Shaking their heads vigorously, Dilandau and Millerna stalked away.

"No appreciation for what we've done" they muttered, slightly disappointed they weren't the ones to finally bring the two love birds together.

"They'll get over it" smiled Hitomi, a devilish twinkle in her eye.

"Or else we'll have to make them" Van laughed, kissing her lightly on the mouth. Rays of sunshine poured, causing the surrounding snow banks to sparkle, as the couple smiled, their new years resolution complete. Love.

AN: AHHH! I HATED THAT STORY! Okay, I used to love it when it was the whole cocky bit, but then I just lost the touch! *cries* I look forward to my next fic, I'm sorry, I've failed you all! *wails*