Wah, I'm replying to reviews with my limited memory! To Me: No hitting the elbows!!! I'm posting more and writing more; don't worry! And YES!! Van is a total uke!!! To JC Maxwell-Yuy: More to come, I PROMISE!! I'm not going to leave them apart for long (they are too yummy together to do that!). To Ninetails: Wah, I'm not one for liking Fiona either. It's like she expects people to love her coz she's a Zoidian (ooh, i'm special! Pay attention to me!! *giggles*). To Naomi Hunter: *squeals* Yay! I'm converting mur people to V+I pairings!! I love it good... To everyone else whom I can't 'member: Raven will get his ass moving; no I am not a heartless bitch who loves seeing Van suffer (bah, I lie...); and yeah, this story will have an ending! Promise!! *phew*
Oh, oh! And I made a wallpaper with some cruddy mouse art on it from a scene in this chapter! I'm gonna put it up sometime soon if I ever get a new site up and running.
Disclaimer: *snigger* Uke... I mean, uh, I don't own Zoids! Not now, not ever, not even in a pinch! Though I'd really love to own Van... *snigger* Uke...
Warnings: YES!! Van angst is back with a vengeance!! *laughs like a madman* And my, doesn't he like swearing a lot in this chapter!! (hey, leave the angsty boy alone... *snigger* uke...)
Broken ~ Part nine
Aftermaths
Van's eyes shot wide open and his whole body froze as they stood there, tightly embraced. His mind was screaming at him to move but shock had rooted his muscles in place, refusing to budge. He clenched his eyes tight and tried to gently push her back. She pulled back and stared up at him, a light blush tinting her cheeks.
"I'm sorry Van… I guess that was a little fast…" she whispered. Van's mind was caught between screaming and running; instead he just forced a smile. "Um, well…" he stammered. "Let's…just leave the night on a good note huh?" Fiona nodded up at him and walked to the counter, holding his hand tightly.
Van forced himself not to scream; forced himself not to just up and run away as she paid for their meals. He was dying on the inside; Fiona had just kissed him; he was numb from the horrible shock of it. Van swallowed hard as they left the restaurant, not looking at her as they walked silently back to the Gustav. He felt like crying; it was so stupid! Vans façade of being with Fiona when Irvine wasn't around had worked all too well and now…now all he could think of was how Irvine would react.
*God…what would he say? I can't believe she just did that!* he forced another smile as they sat down in the Gustav and turned away from her again. *Everything was okay until… Oh God…why is it so hard to be in love with one person and pretend to be with another? It was been fine up until she kissed me! Shit, now it's really going to break her heart when I tell her…*
The rest of the trip was spent with Van barely holding back his tears; Fiona completely oblivious to the fact as she smiled to herself in her own little world. The Gustav pulled into the base and Van leapt out of the cockpit unsteadily and turned to Fiona who was still smiling.
"Uh, hey… Tonight was really great," he lied smoothly. "I uh, have to get up early for training tomorrow so I'll see you around." Fiona nodded and hugged him again. Van closed his eyes and swallowed against the hard lump in his throat. "Thanks again for such a wonderful night, Van. I'll see you tomorrow."
She let him go and he opened his eyes to stare back at her. "Sure thing…" he whispered. She giggled and ran off to find Moonbei. Van watched her go as he stood completely alone in the open area of the base. His bottom lip trembled as he turned to stare at the sky, tears filling his eyes as he failed to hold them back. The young pilot released a choked sob as he turned and pressed his hands to the cold metal of the Gustav, resting his head against it as tears fell from his eyes.
"What the hell is Irvine going to say…?" he breathed through his sobs, clenching his eyes tight. "God dammit…" he opened his eyes and turned around, pressing his back to the Zoid's armour as he raised an unsteady hand to cover his eyes. "Shit, why didn't I say no when she asked me? God I'm an idiot…" he shook his head and sniffed loudly, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I'm such a bloody idiot…"
"Come again Van?" The black haired youth snapped his head up to see Thomas approaching him. *Great, of all people…* He turned away and took a deep breath. "Its nothing Thomas. Just leave me alone…" he waved him off as he stared hard at the ground. "Oh come off it Van!" Thomas laughed. "Since when do you, Mr. Hero Of The Day, want to be alone? You always want your fans around!" he said jokingly.
Van snapped his head up to glare as best as he could at Thomas, even as more tears flooded his eyes. Thomas was taken aback when he saw the tears glistening in the teen's eyes. Van's whole body heated up with rage; he'd had enough tonight. "Since now Thomas!!" he exploded, stepping over to him and jabbing him in the chest with his finger. "I don't need any of your smart-ass remarks right now! I just want to be left alone! Is that so hard to understand!?" Thomas took a step back but otherwise held his ground. "Geez Van! What the hell's gotten into you? It was just a-"
"I don't care!!" Van screamed at him, tears rolling down his face. "Just leave me the fuck alone!!" With that, the young pilot turned and ran inside the base, leaving a shell-shocked Thomas behind. He blinked hard at the black haired boy's disappearing form. "What's up with him?" he mumbled. "Shit, you try and talk to someone these days…" he turned and continued walking off.
***
Reese giggled to herself as she jogged back to her and Raven's hideout with Specular; didn't she have some interesting news to tell him! The Zoidian waved to the black Organoid as she ran through the entrance, slowing to a walk as she approached Raven's back silently.
She smirked and clasped her hands behind her back, slipping silently behind his crouched form. "Guess what Raven!" she yelled. The wild maverick released a cry and spun around, gun levelled at her head. He growled and threw the weapon violently away.
"Reese, you bitch! Don't do that for fuck's sake!" he screamed at her as he shot up in front of her. He sighed in exasperation at her still-happy expression. "What is it? I hate guessing games; you know that!"
She giggled sweetly at him as she waved him off. "Oh you! I have a very interesting tale to tell, which I'm sure is going to interest you …" He glared at her and waited for her to continue. "You'll never guess who I saw in Keron Colony, and who they were with!"
He growled at her and narrowed his eyes. "Get on with it!" he snapped. Reese simply smiled at him as she walked behind him, her hands reaching up to grasp his shoulders softly as she leaned in close to his ear. He growled at the close contact.
"Van Fleihight," she whispered. Raven stopped, turning his head to glare at her as best as he could sideways. "Van? So what…that's your big secret?" She shook her head. "It is if you count the fact he was with Fiona…" His eyebrows shot up as far as they could go and he turned fully to stare at her. "What? But I saw-" she raised a hand to silence him, a wicked smile slowly appearing on her face. "He still is… Why else would that bounty hunter run off like that after seeing them together?"
Raven frowned at her before it clicked into place and he raised an eyebrow in interest. "So Irvine saw the two of them together?" A nod. "You're sure of it?" Reese winked playfully at him. "Ancient Zoidian's honour, Raven!" The grey haired boy turned away from her as a hard frown stole over his face.
"This is going to change everything…" he breathed, walking over to the table. "Shit!" He slammed his fist down hard, the lamp jumping and flickering slightly under the impact. Reese shook her head and sighed. "Raven…it's not the end of the world…" she said softly. "Besides, aren't you the one who knows more about sadistic little schemes than I do? Surely you could work something out."
Raven growled and stormed outside. "I'm going for a walk!" he barked out as Reese ran after him, stopping at the cave mouth. "Raven! Where are you going!?" Raven ignored her. "Come on Shadow! I need to maul something until I figure something out." The black Organoid turned to glare at Reese before running after his master.
Reese frowned and pressed her lips into a thin line. "He's right, this will change everything…" She sighed in exasperation. "Specular, we have a little mission, my love," she chuckled softly and smiled wickedly. "Time to pay a visit to Keron Base…"
***
Van stopped in front of his door, pressing his forehead to the cold metal as he breathed hard; tears welling in his eyes again as he closed them. He clenched his eyes tightly and cried out, punching the door with his good hand and leaving it to rest there.
He swallowed and sniffled loudly his shoulders heaving as his sobs just wouldn't stop. Van shook his head against the door as a high whine slipped past his lips; choking on it as he failed to stop it from escaping. He coughed for a long moment and raised his bandaged hand to cover his mouth. Van sniffled loudly and froze as someone tapped his shoulder.
He shook his head. "Go away…" he mumbled through his fingers. A hand now rested on his shoulder and Van glowered through closed eyes. He spun around as he spoke; ready to mouth off at someone. "Listen, just leave me-!" His eyes shot wide open and he lost his voice for an instant.
"Ir…vine…" he breathed softly. Immense relief flooded through him as he took a step towards the bounty hunter. "Irvine! I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you! I thought you were Thomas again!" Irvine just stared down at him and Van froze, suddenly going cold. "Irvine? What's the matter?"
Irvine 'hmm-ed' at him and dropped his hand from his shoulder. "Nothing much. How was your night?" Van forced a weak laugh and turned away, pressing his back to his door as he rubbed his eyes dry. "Awful…why do you ask?"
"Because it looked pretty good for you, the way I saw it," Irvine said with a cynical smirk as he cocked his head to the side. Van stared back at him, incredulous. "Wha-at?" his voice rose at the end, enhancing his confusion as he raised an eyebrow. Irvine glared at him as he whispered, "I thought the whole concept of 'us' meant something to you Van… I guess I was wrong; goodnight." With that, the bounty hunter turned and started to walk off, leaving Van alone in the corridor.
Irvine was nearly knocked off his feet as Van slammed into him, wrapping his arms around him in an awkward hug. "Wait Irvine, please! Wha…what are you talking about?" Irvine spun around to glare at the youth, pushing him back. "I'm talking about you and Fiona, Van! You don't think I know how you snuck off for a little fling with her tonight!? Shit Van; the whole fucking street could see you!!" Irvine exploded.
Van's jaw hung open as he stared at Irvine in total shock. He shook his head slowly, fresh tears welling in his eyes as he felt his heart clench. "No… That's not what happened Irvine! Fiona, she- She was the one who kissed- How did you know?" He felt like he couldn't breathe… God, Irvine knew…
"I was there Van… I had to go into town to get some stuff for Moonbei…" Irvine whispered; his teeth clenched. Van closed his eyes and turned away. "Shit…" he breathed, voice strained with emotion. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…Oh God…I should have said no…" he breathed all at once as tears rolled down his cheeks.
Irvine narrowed his eyes at him. "What are you talking about? You mean you said she could do that to you?" Van shook his head vehemently, his tears scattering into the air around him. "No! That's not it Irvine! I… Shit, please Irvine!" he stared up at him with pleading eyes, balling his fists in desperation. "You have to believe me when I say it wasn't me that kissed her! Please!!" He sobbed loudly and turned his back on him, clutching his sides tightly; it hurt just to breathe, let alone get the air he needed to voice his pleas.
Irvine stared coldly at him. "Then who was it Van? Because the Van Fleihight I know and love would never have been in that situation in the first place," he breathed. "He would have pushed her off or done something to stop it from happening. Not let her stand there and do that to you while I stood there and watched…" his voice dripped with venom as Van's tears rolled down his face; listening to the horrible edge in that voice. Van shook his head as he sobbed softly.
"The Irvine I know and love wouldn't stand there and accuse me of something that wasn't my fault…" Van whispered as evenly as he could. He turned to lock hurt eyes with him. "Just please…believe me Irvine… It wasn't my fault…" he took in a gasping breath, staring at him with a look that conveyed the pain in his heart. "It wasn't…" He could barely breathe; his heart was breaking; his entire body ached with the pain of desperation; he looked a mess but just didn't care… All he wanted was for Irvine to believe him.
The bounty hunter stared at Van for a long moment; watching his every ragged breath; his every shake that his clenched hands made. A whisper in his mind told him that it was wrong to disbelieve him; wrong to just leave him. The whisper, however, was grossly overshadowed by that one image of Van and Fiona; and he couldn't just let that go, no matter how hard he tried. He took in a deep breath and pressed his lips in a thin line, turning his eyes away from Van's; did he have to look at him like that?
"I know what I saw Van…" he whispered, turning and walking away with his hands in his pockets.
Van's whole world stopped. All he could see was Irvine walking away; not the walls or the lights or anything else… Just Irvine…walking away. Walking away from him. His breathing suddenly came back to him; shallow and ragged. His throat burned and he took in a deep, shaky breath; turning his eyes away and clenching them tight. His good hand fisted in his shirt tightly as his other one clenched painfully. He didn't care; the pain in his heart was far worse. Tears, burning hot and stinging his eyes, ran down his cheeks and fell to the floor. He bit back a sob as he turned to glare at Irvine's disappearing form, anger and pain behind his eyes.
"How can you be so cold!?" he screamed as loudly as he could before turning and running to his quarters, not noticing the blood that fell to the ground as it ran down his fingers.
Irvine stopped at the corner of the corridor, tears running down his face as he gripped the wall unsteadily. "I know Van…" he whispered to himself. "But how can you be so cruel…?"
***
Reese stood atop a high cliff as she stared down at the silent base, a hand casually resting on her hip. She smiled as she closed her eyes, leaping straight off the cliff, and freefalling for a long moment before Specular caught her easily. The blue Organoid landed softly and turned to snarl at her. Reese giggled as she slid off the Zoid's back.
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare you," she smiled and softly stroked the blue Organoid's muzzle. "But you must know how fun that is for me." Specular growled softly, almost a purr and turned to stare at the base; Reese nodded. "You're right; we should start now…" she chuckled softly and turned to gaze at the base, closing her eyes. "Where are you, Van Fleihight…" she mumbled as she searched for his mind amongst all the others. She smirked and opened her aqua eyes. "Got you now…" She laughed loudly as her eyes shone brightly for a brief moment.
She could sense him in his room; he was sleeping uneasily. Reese raised an eyebrow as she closed her eyes and placed her fingers to her temples; this was going to take some doing. The Zoidian girl had always been able to influence people when they were near her and awake. Van, however, was within the base, asleep, with all those other minds around him; somewhat of a challenge for her. Reese smirked; she liked challenges.
*Van… Van, where are you…?* she whispered to his mind. He remained deep in sleep as his fingers twitched. *Van, what have you done…?* He flinched in his sleep. "…nuth…in…" he mumbled. *You're lying… You were the one who drove him away…* Van rolled over in his sleep, curling up. "…no…not me…" Reese sighed in exasperation, gasping suddenly when a snowy meadow filled her mind; apparently Van was dreaming.
"I didn't count on him dreaming so quickly into my hypnotic slumber…" she mumbled, nodding to herself. "Very well…" She took in a deep breath and clenched her eyes tight. When she opened them again, she shivered and wrapped her arms around herself; she was standing in the snowy meadow. She had entered Van Fleihight's dream. Reese frowned lightly and began to walk forward, gazing around her. One thing was for sure; Van was a very descriptive dreamer. Every detail, right down to the texture of the snow and the bite in the breeze, was perfect; even she couldn't fault it. "Incredible…" she breathed.
She stopped as she saw him standing with his back to her some ten metres away. Reese took a step forward and was about to say something when she saw what he held as he turned around to face her. It was Irvine's red bandanna. He had a horribly tired expression on his face and it was completely blank.
"Who…are you?" he asked softly. Reese blinked at him; he had to be kidding. "You don't know who I am?" He paused for before shaking his head ever so slightly. "No… But then again…I don't know who…I am…either…" he shook his head, as if trying to remember. "I can see…someone smiling…he looks so familiar…" he trailed off as he stared down at Irvine's bandanna.
Reese smiled sadly at him. "Van…" he stared up at her. "You name is Van Fleihight and that belongs to a very good friend of yours…" she pointed at the bandanna. "His name is Irvine; he saw you do something that angered him and he ran away," she paused to take a breath. "You loved each other…"
Van frowned at her in confusion. "Irvine?" he breathed. "I…loved him?" Reese nodded and sighed; her breath fogging in front of her. "Very much so…" Van held the red cloth up high, staring at it as a wisp of a smile touched his lips. "Irvine…" Reese smirked to herself; she could sense his heart was beginning to heal.
Suddenly the snow disappeared and they were standing in a sunnier one; the snow was completely gone and in its place was foot-high grass. Reese gazed around her; a perfect replica of a summer meadow. The sun was warm; the butterflies were real; and Van was smiling. He stared up at her.
"I remember…" he whispered happily, his eyes lighting up. "I remember!" Van laughed and smiled warmly at Reese. "Thank you…" he breathed. She couldn't help but smile back at him somehow, watching as he bent down and picked a single yellow daffodil. The young pilot smiled softly as he handed it to her. She blinked and slowly took it from him, staring up at him for an answer. He shrugged shyly. "For helping me remember…"
The smile came back to Reese's face and she gasped. "Your finger; you're bleeding!" Van blinked at her and followed her gaze, staring down at his left hand. He shook his head as he saw the neat slice across his fingertip. "I'm fine; I'm just happy that I remembered…" Van froze, shock coming to his face. "But…I did something terrible…" Reese watched as he lowered his arm again, the bandanna slipping form his hand. "Cold…I called him…cold…" The scene shifted again as Reese felt herself dropped from a great height. She cried out and shut her eyes tightly, waiting for an impact.
She carefully opened one eye and found herself standing…in a corridor? Certainly not where she had been just a few seconds before! She whirled around as she heard a weak laugh; that sounded like Van! Reese jogged down the corridor and peered around the corner to spy Van leaning up against a door with Irvine standing next to him.
"Awful…why do you ask?" Reese blinked in realization; she'd slipped into Van's subconscious! "Because it looked pretty good for you, the way I saw it," Irvine snipped. The Zoidian girl frowned; they must have had a fight after Van returned to the base, she realized. Reese watched as Irvine made one more remark before turning and walking away. Van cried out and ran over to him, holding him tight as he pleaded with him.
Reese stared in complete amazement as Van's subconscious showed her the entire scene. She suddenly realised that she was standing out in full view, but she brushed it aside, knowing that this was a memory and could not be altered by her presence. The Zoidian girl stared down at her hands, surprised that they were not only clenched by her sides, but shaking as well. Did this scene really lay so heavy on her heart?
"I know what I saw Van…" Irvine whispered, walking towards her. She gasped as he walked straight through her; staring at Van for a reaction to the harsh remark. His hand was bleeding as it clenched by his side and he wore a look of pure torture on his face as he turned to stare at Irvine's disappearing form.
"How can you be so cold!?" He screamed and ran off. Reese gasped in shock as the scene faded to black and she was left standing in darkness. She slowly raised a hand to her face; a finger trailing her cheeks. She was…crying? From Van Fleihight, her greatest enemy? She shook her head and glared skywards. "I've seen enough! I'm leaving!" She cried as inky blackness swirled sickeningly around her.
Reese snapped her eyes open with a gasp of shock, stumbling backwards as she re-entered the real world. She felt a hard tug at the back of her dress and she twisted around to see that Specular had caught her. "Specular!" she cried happily and hugged the blue Organoid around the neck. "I did my best; he was lost within his dream and I could only guide him out of it," she sighed. "I saw his subconscious… He and Irvine had a fight and that's only going to make matters worse, my love…"
Reese frowned. "This is only going to anger Raven more…" she mumbled. "It's best that we don't tell him of this Specular; I wouldn't want him after my neck as well as Van Fleihight's…" she chuckled softly as she climbed onto the Organoid's back. "To our temporary home, my love!" Specular growled loudly before taking off into the night; Reese laughing loudly in the night air.
In his room, Van Fleihight awoke with a startled cry; sitting bolt up as his heart hammered in his chest. He sat there for a long moment, breathing hard as he wiped the cold sweat from his brow. He drew his knees up to his chest and waited for his pulse to return to something resembling normal. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, resting his forehead on his knees. Van frowned suddenly.
"Why did I dream of Reese?" he whispered into the darkness. "And why did she say that I loved Irvine?" He gasped suddenly and stuck his finger in his mouth; it was stinging horribly. Van's eyes went wide as he pulled it out. Blood. He had tasted blood. He shook his head and sighed. "Weird… I must be losing it; probably just cut it in my sleep…" He frowned and stared outside his window at the moon, pain tugging at his heart. *What's going to happen…Irvine…?* he closed his eyes and sighed again, laying back down and slipping into a dreamless sleep.
***
Van sighed as he leant back against the wall, taking a sip from his cup as he stared aimlessly outside at the landing strip for the many flying Zoids Keron Base had. He closed his eyes and briefly wondered if he'd ever pilot a flying Zoid again; the experience had been great.
He snorted and shook his head, taking another sip of wake-up juice; five in the morning was not a good thing for him. He raised an eyebrow as a wisp of a smile played on his lips; he'd been getting up at five o'clock for nearly the past week.
*Five days since that night…shit, eh?* he smiled sadly and shot down the rest of his coffee, wincing briefly as it burned his throat. He coughed loudly to clear his throat and swallowed hard. *Another injury, great…* he slowly rubbed the back of his right hand; it still hadn't healed fully and was susceptible to bleeding every now and again. Which was the case right now. *I should re-bandage it again; I still have time before my drill…* He paused briefly to shake his head.
"Fuck it; I'll deal with the pain," he muttered and stood up so fast his chair scraped back audibly. Van sighed and rubbed his tired eyes; sleep had not been at the top of his list lately. *Yeah, not since Irvine decided I was a liar; I still can't believe that!* he scowled at nothing as he made his way to the main hanger. *I pour my heart out to him and he jilts me off like I was nothing to him! And then he avoids me for the next five days!* He frowned in thought as he walked, stuffing his hands in his pockets. *And then I had that dream about Reese… That was just weird…*
He punched in his access code with a shrug and strolled up to the Blade Liger, smiling widely. "Hey Liger! Up for a little fun?" He laughed and climbed the nearby ladder that led to the Liger's cockpit. Van vaulted into the pilot's seat and strapped himself in. "Alright, let's see how you're doing…" he ran a quick check on the Zoid's systems and they all turned up green. Van grinned and walked the Liger out of the hanger, booting up a com window.
"This is Lieutenant Van Fleihight, ready to commence testing drills in the Blade Liger," he said to the communications officer. "Roger that Lieutenant, access granted to enter testing grounds." Van nodded and was about to cut of the transmission when he locked his gaze onto something in the background. The image died as the officer cut the connection.
"That…was Irvine…" he breathed. Van's expression shifted to one of pure venom. "Fine. If he wants to watch, then let him; he seems to like watching and then running off…" Van sprinted the Liger out of the base and slammed it to a halt in the centre of the testing grounds. It was a large strip of desert where one half was straight plains and the other was all rocky outcroppings; perfect for all types of desert battle training.
"Bring them on! I'm ready!" he growled to no one. He tensed in anticipation; his body automatically knowing this ritual of fighting. Van grinned; this was his love; his place to escape to. The first sim Zoids came at him fast and he whirled the Liger around; two Zaber Fangs.
*Who would have thought it possible…* his mind began to replay his train of thought on that first night. The night when he first found Irvine. *I grew up in a village not knowing the horrors of war and end up fighting in it to destroy the pain it's caused.* He sliced through the Fangs with a cry, turning to blast two Teros' out of the sky. *It's logical though really…* he chuckled as they fell before an explosion rocked the Liger. *Humans will always have the urge to fight.* Van snarled and charged at three Command Wolves, knocking them down and crushing them with his claws. *Pacifism is a joke; it's just a fancy word made up by some dead democrat.* Van locked onto a few more Zaber Fangs, narrowing his eyes. *As long as mankind exists there will always be fighting…* He pulled the trigger and watched as they were engulfed in an explosion.
"Maybe I should quit while I'm ahead…" he breathed with a sigh, leaning back in his seat. He pulled up a com window. "Lieutenant Fleihight here. All done; the Blade Liger is working perfectly!" The officer on the other end nodded. "Roger that sir. Return to base." Van nodded and cut the connection. He started the Liger towards the base before he winced suddenly, right hand clenching around the controls, causing the Liger to veer strongly.
He stopped the Zoid hard and clutched his wrist tightly, eyes clenching tight against the pain. "Son of a…! Ah shit!!" he cried out in pain as he clenched his teeth tightly. A com window booted up and the communications officer came on screen. "Lieutenant Fleihight, return to- Lieutenant!" he cried. Van opened one eye to stare at the officer. "I'm fine…" he gritted out. "Just…might take me a…little longer, is all…" he cried out behind clenched teeth before the pain finally began to subside. "Lieutenant Fleihight? Are you alright?" the officer pressed. Van took a few breaths as he returned his hands to the controls. "I'm fine… Just tell the infirmary that I'll be in to see them shortly…"
The officer frowned at him. "Roger that sir…" he said before he cut the connection. Van swallowed hard and bit his bottom lip. *Dammit! You're not fine and you know it!* his mind screamed at him. *I'm going to see the doctor aren't I?* He sighed and started the Liger forward again.
"Forget Raven…" he whispered as the Zoid ran back to base. "I'm going to be the one to kill myself…" he chuckled to himself.
TBC
Chan: *snigger* Uke...
Van: Will you get over it!? I am NOT uke!!
Chan: Sure you aren't...
Van: I'M NOT!!!
Chan: Su~ure...
*Irvine enters the scene*
Irvine: *waving happily* Hi Chan! How are you this fine day?
Chan: *waves back* I'm great! How are you?
Irvine: I'm wonderful! *hugs Van tightly* And how's my widdle uuuuke!?
Van: *screaming from death grip* I AM NOT UKE!!!
Chan: *snigger* Uke...
Van: *crying* WAAAAH!!! Someone end my pain!! PLE~EASE!!!