I LIVE!!!!! He he he ^_^". I know I haven't updated for a while (silence). What? It's not like I have an excuse. Yes, I do, HOMEWOK. The teachers really want to break my soul, but they shall not succeed! (dramatic music) I will endure and prevail. No one shall stand in my way, but fear and I WILL OVERCOME. He he… Too much chocolate :P
Thank you for all your wonderful reviews, and oh yeah, I got a new e mail! ^_^ It's midana_hollow@hotmail.com, so feel free to e mail me, NICE E MAILS!
Thank you to all my reviewers, you are one of my few reasons for living :P
XxOo Majangel oOxX: Thanks for the tips, I'll try to make my chapters long, promise!
Niffer: You made me smile, even with a stuffy nose :D
Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne or any of the character from Escaflowne. They are the respected property of Bandai. However, the plot belongs to me and so does the content of this fan fiction.
Van"I am the idiot, I am the idiot, I am the idiot." Van mumbled this non-stop mantra as he laid his head on the mahogany table. The cool smooth feeling on his forehead did nothing for him as the guilt and frustration washed over him. Two days ago, he yelled at Hitomi. Two days ago, he got one birthday cake from an almost stranger. And two days ago, he declared himself the idiot of idiots, not including Shezar. He probably could have caught Hitomi at the door of the gym if he ran, but no, he just stood there staring at a cake. There was also that unbelievably strange argument he had with himself. One part of him said apologize and the other said forget it. Now, he couldn't apologize if he wanted to. By the time he ran outside, she was long gone.
"How am I supposed to find her?" muttered Van. She could be anywhere. There were thousands of people in Fanelia, how was he supposed to find one? It was like a needle in a haystack, an unbroken shell on the beach, a jewel in the rocks. In other words, it was close to impossible. "Come on Fanel, you can do this. You can find a beautiful girl and then apologized for being a jackass." Another muffled groan could be heard from Van.
He sat up and rubbed his face with a pair of callused hands. What could he start with? "Okay, she's a girl and… Aw, crap. Let's see, she's still quite young, so she could be collage or high school. Uh, what else did she tell me!?" Again, Van's head slammed down against the table. "Ow..." Think Van, WHAT DID SHE TELL YOU ON THE BUS? Van went through fragmented conversations in his head until he stumbled onto something. The Mystic Choir!
"YES! FINALLY!" Van jumped up from his chair and punched a fist in the air. That's where he would find her, he would just go downtown and into their practice room. Finally he could say sorry for- Suddenly, he felt the cold water of reality splash on him. "SHE QUIT! DAMN IT!" Head was back of the table before the count of three. "Arrrggg… Why is the world against me?" Sighing, he turned his head to the side and looked at the clock, it was 1 AM and he felt like a zombie that had been hit by a truck. Releasing another sigh, he pulled his body up and trudged to the washroom the wash his face and brush his teeth. As the mint taste of the toothpaste entered his mouth and started to foam, a new thought hit him.
"THEY STILL HAVE HER INFORMATION!" Of course, they did! Why didn't he think of it before? He probably could get her phone number or something from the personal files they kept there. Then he could call her (if she didn't hate his guts) and ask her out and say sorry. IT WAS GENIUS! "I AM A GENIUS!" Van shouted. When the rush of victory left him, he was surprised by a splatter of white foam on the bathroom mirror. "Whoops."
The Next Day
Van left his apartment, pumped up with enthusiasm, and got into his car. Hopefully, he could beat the infamous Fanelia downtown traffic and get to the Mystic Choir before it closed. He slipped the key into the ignition and turned. Only a sputtering noise came and the car was still immobile. "Oh this is not happening." Van turned the key again and got the same result. His car had broke down…again. Though he said that he would get it fixed and fixed soon, they had always remained words and never turned into actions. It had been left that way since last month. "I should have got it fixed." Van got out of the car and locked the door. "Why do I bother, it's useless." He wasn't going to try to fix it because last time he tried, the car somehow started leaking oil and he nearly started a massive car fire. Thank God for the old lady tenant who had a fire extinguisher on hand. He remembered he words clearly, "Son, get your car fixed by a professional, 'cause next time I won't be there to put out your car or you."
"Well, at least my car isn't on fire.' He muttered. Pulling the zipper of his jacket to the collar, he walked down the street to try to get a taxi. "Taxi, HEY I WAS TALKING TO YOU! TAXI!" Van tried this for about 10 minutes before giving up and choosing the bus again. If he had a nickel for every time a taxi ignored him, he would probably be retired by now. As Van walked down the busy street to the bus stop, a thought crossed his mind. I might see her there! Because of that, Van jogged the rest of the way just to find no one there.
Another 5 minutes passed and the bus came. At least the bus is on time. The bus doors opened revealing the same driver as the last time he had taken the bus. Van put his money in the machine and sat down a few seat from the driver. The bus was nearly empty, only an old lady on one side and a chatting couple at the back.
"Hey, long time no see my friend," said the driver with a bit of a laugh.
"Yeah," Van mumbled back. He didn't really know what to say.
"Where's your pretty girlfriend? You know, that girl with the great eyes…and legs."
"She's not my girlfriend," he snapped back. He didn't know why his attitude changed so suddenly towards the bus driver. Maybe it was because he was checking out Hitomi's long slender… my God, she does have great legs.
"Bummer," sighed the driver, "she looked like a keeper."
"Yeah," replied Van with his own sigh. "Why'd you think she was my girlfriend?"
"I don't know. I guess you looked sorta like that couple at the back, you know chatting and staring into each other's eyes. I just assumed that."
"Oh." The rest of the bus trip was spent in silence. Van glanced from time to time out to window checking to see if he was nearing downtown. Boredom began to kick in and he began to tire of staring out the window. It was all the same, building, building, person, dog, fire hydrant, building… So, he decided to start think of a way to say sorry that Hitomi could not refuse.
Hitomi, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I was having problems… oh God no. Last thing he wanted her to know was that he had "problems".
Hitomi, I'm sorry for yelling at you. You see, I didn't know it was you… that didn't work either. He didn't want her to think that he had girls lining up to talk to him at the gym (not that never happened before ^-^).
Hitomi, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I was frustrated and stressed out then and I took it out on the first person I saw, who happened to be you. I really didn't mean to get you mad or anything like that. I hope you'll accept this apology… Hmmm, that worked.
Turning around to look out the window, he saw the sign Mystic Choir pass by in a blur. He missed the stop. "Crap! Stop the bus!" His loud outburst earned him a disapproving stare from the old lady and a giggle from the couple in the back.
"Dude, just wait. Next stop is about a block, so just sit down and don't panic."
Van grumbled softly and sunk back down into his seat. Geez he was tense.
HitomiAs Hitomi strolled down the corridors of the Mystic Choir, her low-heeled boots could be heard clicking on the clean tiles. They were clear short clicks that stayed in rhythm perfectly without fault. Her honey brown hair swished back and forth and glinted under that bright lighting. A small sigh escaped her softly as she remembered why she had come back here. She accidentally had left her pink pendant in the practice room. She had to work up all her courage to come back to this place that she have vowed to never come back to. It was embarrassing. But, the pendant had been in her family for years, and she was not going to let some stupid pride get in her way of getting it back. Unlike that jerk, Van, who had too much pride to apologize!
UGH! I hate his guts! Stupid baka! He could have at least tried to apologize to me when I left. I mean, I stayed there an extra 3 minutes to see if he would run out to-- Hitomi's boots stopped short. Why did she stay an extra 3 minutes, why? If she was really mad at him, she would have just stormed off, not wait and see if she could give him a second chance! What did that mean? "Ah! Forget it, it's not like I'm going to see him again. Concentrate Hitomi, you have to get that pendant back. Hopefully, they haven't thrown it away. Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could you have forgotten something so important?"
She could her soft vocalizing coming form room 106, as she drew nearer and nearer. Her hands started to get clammy and she couldn't stop biting her lower lip. Breathe, just breathe. The door was a foot away from her and she took a deep breath. "I can do this." And without another word, she turned the bronze knob and timidly looked in. In front of her were 35 staring faces all surprised and with their mouths open. "Uh, hi."
"Hitomi, so nice to see you again." Ms. Mizu's voice filled the room. It was soft, but always seemed to resonate wherever it could be heard. Now, it was laced with confusion and cautious hope.
"I, uh… I mean I-" Hitomi bit her lower lip and looked down. She was bombing. She could feel their eyes on her, a few more minutes and they would be burning holes into her skin. Come on, Hitomi! "I left my pendant here, and I, um, would like to have it back."
"Oh." The deaf could have heard the disappointment in Ms. Mizu's voice. She had hoped that Hitomi would have come to her senses and ask to be a part of the choir again. Unfortunately, she was wrong. "I haven't seen a pendant."
"Uh, it's a clear pink. It almost looks like a pink tear on a black string." Embarrassment kicked in as a few snickers could be heard and Hitomi's face turned an interesting shade of red.
"I haven't seen it, maybe you should check the lost and found. Uh, let's see," Mizu's eyes scanned the crowd of choir students in front of her before stopping on one. "Millerna will take you, but make it quick please."
"Thank you." Hitomi watched Millerna gracefully stepped down from the second riser and walked over to the door. Violet eyes met emerald and Hitomi timidly looked down. Millerna raised a slim brow in confusion.
The pair walked down the corridor in total silence. Sighing, Millerna decided to break the ice.
"So, Ms. Mizu told us you quit."
"Yeah…" Hitomi mumbled. Of all things to talk about, why this?
"Any reason why? I mean, we don't talk a lot, but I remember that you told me you wanted me to be a singer. Besides, you have a great voice." Millerna offered a friendly smile to the shy girl.
"Uh, it was a hard decision." This came out as another mumble. Trying to be brave, Hitomi cleared her throat and said, "but I think I made the right choice."
"Oh." And the silence came back.
Both girls neared the front desk and Millerna spoke the middle-aged secretary there. Hitomi felt like a third wheel. Millerna and the secretary were chatting good-naturedly and she was standing behind shifting from foot to foot. She didn't belong in public places. Why didn't the ground just swallow her up? It seemed like such a merciful thing to do. The conversation was still going and Hitomi still stood. Sneaking a glance at Millerna, Hitomi's eyes gazed in wonder. She was so confident, so beautiful and NICE. She wasn't stupid, she wanted to be a doctor and help people. She was talented but didn't gloat about it. She was everything Hitomi wasn't. Every imperfect feature on Hitomi was faultless on Millerna. A little sigh escaped Hitomi and violet eyes shifted to the direction of the sound.
"Oh! Hitomi I'm so sorry! I really didn't mean to keep you waiting!"
"It's alright," Hitomi said with a soft smile.
"Miss Hikari said that we could take a look at the lost and found box, it's on one of the side shelves. Here, I'll show you."
"Thanks."
"No problem." The pair walked to the side of the front desk and went down a narrow hall. About a few paces later, they arrived to a small storage area made of 5 rows of black wooden shelves. Unlike the lighting the previous hall, he the lighting was dim and cold seemed to radiate from the cement walls. Pulling out a small footstool, Millerna stepped up and reached for a brown box from the very top self. Her slender hands gripped the top of the box and dragged it to the edge of the shelf before lowering it. In faded letters on the side, Hitomi could make out "LOST AND FOUND".
"Hope it's here," whispered Hitomi. Millerna held the box for her as she searched through the items. Some of the weirdest things were in there. Why would baseball cards be in a choir centre? More so, why would plastic replica of a bird be there? "There's some weird stuff in here," she mumbled.
"Yeah," giggled Millerna. "Did you find it yet?"
"Nope." Hitomi's eyed narrowed as she tried to make out the pendant in the dim yellowish light. Pushing many of the larger items to one side, she saw all the stuff that had been trapped into the bottom. Hoop earrings, money, a broach. Where was the pendant? Shoving away a huge plastic ring, her fingertips touch a smooth shape. Gasping, she quickly pulled it out. "My pendant!"
"You found it?" Millerna's curious eyes surveyed the pendant. "I can't see it well, here, we'll take it outside." She stepped back on the footstool and pushed the box back in place. As they reached the bright lighting both of the immediately yelled, "AHH! MY EYES!" This earned a raised eyebrow from the secretary a few snickers and giggles from others. Hitomi blushed a deep shade of red and Millerna sported a sheepish grin. Turning to Hitomi's hand, Millerna looked at the pink gem. "Wow, it's so pretty…" she murmured.
"Yeah," said Hitomi, "it belonged to my grandmother, it means a lot to me…"
"Better not lose it again then, right," laughed Millerna.
"Right," smiled Hitomi.
"I've got the get back to practice room before Ms. Mizu yells at me, so I'll see you around then. Okay?"
"Sure."
Millerna strolled down the hall that they have taken before and soon was out of sight. Sighing, Hitomi walked over to one of the seats left and sat done. It wasn't taken because it was partially hidden behind a leafy green plant. Pushing away some leaves in annoyance, she brought the pendant up and looked at the clear gem. It sparkled in the light and for a second Hitomi could she herself and her grandmother laughing in it. "I'm glad I got it back grandma…"
Suddenly, cold air rushed into the warm waiting room. She heard heavy footsteps make their way to the front desk and a familiar male voice speak. "Hello, I would like to know if I could get some information on one of the choir members?"
"The choir members? You mean the Mystic Choirs?"
"Yes, exactly."
"Oh and why?" Miss Hikari's eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion as she stared at the tall man. He was tall and with a lean body and the face that could make almost any woman swoon. But not her.
"Well, I need the information to contact her."
"And who might she be?"
"Hitomi." A gasp escaped Hitomi's lips and she leaned her head out from the plant to get a better view. VAN? VAN? OH MY GOD IT'S VAN! She pulled her head back as quick as it leaned out. BREATHE, BREATHE, BREATHE. Wait a second… Why does Van want my contact info? And why should I even care. Stupid baka! Hitomi's green eyes narrowed and she pouted slightly. Making a plan in her head, she prepared to leave WITHOUT Van noticing her.
"Hitomi who?"
"Hitomi uh… I have no idea."
"I see, well Mr.?"
"Fanel."
"Fanel, we don't give out contact information here. At the Mystic Choir we protect of members and respect their privacy."
"Look, I just need a phone number or e-mail or whatever."
"I'm sorry but there's nothing I can do."
It was then that Hitomi stood up from the plant and shove the pendant in her pocket. She walked out in moderate strides trying not to draw any attention. As she neared the doors, her pace got quicker. Almost there!
"Hitomi!" Busted…
I was gonna write more, but too tired. My drawing skills (if I had any to begin with -_-") are slowly diminishing. Please please please read and review. I'll be your bestest friend! And spelling mistakes? I don't care anymore… too tired :P