Van entered the now familiar room. Hitomi had only been there overnight but Van had come to visit her a couple times. Okay, four... Fine, it was seven. She was going to be released in a couple hours and he had come early to just be with her until he took her home. They hadn't had the opportunity to be alone since Hitomi had been admitted to the hospital.

When he walked into the room Hitomi was laying on her bed, eyes closed. For a moment he thought she was sleeping until she heard him and opened her eyes. Van stopped all movement for a moment. After being best friends for so many years, he thought he'd be used to the colour of her eyes. Yet, every time he looked at them again, it took his breath away. Swallowing, he ambled over to her bed and sat down beside her.

"Hey," she whispered to him and smiled.

"How are you?" Van asked and leant down, kissing her softly.

"Mmm..." she murmured when he kissed her. "Better now."

With a smile, he took Hitomi's hand and stroked the back of it lightly with his thumb. "Hitomi?" he asked. "What are you going to do about your mom? Will you stay with one of us? We all know now so you won't have to hide anything anymore."

Hitomi sighed. "I don't know what I'll do. I have no idea how to tell my dad. I know he'll freak out when he realizes this isn't a one-time thing. Maybe I'll just run away for a while," she said, half joking.

"I'll come with you."

"Mmm... I don't know what to do. Maybe I should just go home and tough it out. It can only get better, right?"

Van lay down on the bed beside her and she tipped her head so it was on his shoulder. "Why don't you stay with me?" he asked. "Could be fun." If Hitomi didn't know Van so well, this would have sounded like an innocent remark. But she caught the underlying meaning and smacked him lightly. Van laughed at her innocently. "What?" he questioned.

Both of them fell silent after a while. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence. It was peaceful and it filled them both. Hitomi ran her fingers up and down Van's arm while he stroked her hair gently. The moment was spoiled as Merle, Allen and Millerna came barging in.

"We brought you your homework Hitomi!" Merle shrieked loudly, not realizing what she interrupted.

Hitomi smiled wryly as Van sat up. Their fingers still lay interlocked on the bed and Merle's gaze went straight to them. She turned and looked back at Allen and Millerna. Van noticed they were standing closely. It was weird to see Millerna and Dryden separated, but to see her with Allen with Dryden not there made him see, really see, the affection Allen had for her.

Van stood and let go of Hitomi's hand. She looked at him, eyes almost shocked at the loss of his touch. Merle smiled and opened her mouth to say something when a nurse came in. She had platinum blonde hair and chewed gum loudly.

"Hitomi Kanzaki?" she asked and Hitomi nodded. "Okay, like, you can go now. Can you, like, have your stuff together and be, like, out of her in, like, an hour?" Hitomi mumbled her assent.

Van and Hitomi both visibly cringed. The nurse talked like Yukari and it brought Van memoirs about their times together. It brought Hitomi recollections about Van being with a different girl. Neither of these were pleasant memories.

"Okay," Allen said. "We ready to go?" Another nod from Hitomi. "I'm gonna head down to the car and get it warmed up. Meet me there?"

"Can I go with you Allen?" To say he looked surprised when Millerna asked that would be an understatement of the grossest kind.

He gulped and said, "Yeah." Merle stifled a giggle as they left the room.

"What's going on with them Merle?" questioned Van.

"Well, Dryden called up Millerna last night and told her how sorry he was and asked her to take him back. Of course, we all thought she'd say yes. But she didn't. Now her and Dryden are officially broken up! Oooooh, it's all so exciting!" She clapped her hands, eyes shining like a little girl's.

"So that's why Dryden didn't come?" Hitomi asked.

"Yup," Merle confirmed. "Dilly couldn't come because he's working but he said to send his love."

Hitomi felt Van's hand on her shoulder and she reached up and grabbed it gently. There was something about it that seemed almost possessive to her. Merle laughed.

"Jealous, are we Van?" She seemed to be recovering extremely well since finding out one of her best friends was dating the boy she had liked for as long as she could remember.

Van stuck his tongue out at her and slipped his hand into his girlfriend's. Hitomi smiled gently at him and threw her other arm around Merle's shoulder. Her friend threw her arms around Hitomi and hugged her tightly.

"I'm glad you're okay," she said before skipping off down the hallway, pink hair bouncing. Van shared and amused look with Hitomi before kissing her temple. She smiled and they continued their walk down the hall.

* * *

Hitomi had wanted to go alone. She said that she would be all right. But Van wouldn't allow it. So both him and Hitomi were creeping up the stairs in her house, going to get clothes and overnight things. All lights were off and Hitomi didn't know whether to feel relieved or angry that her mother wasn't there.

Quickly, Hitomi grabbed her things and they left. She made a silent resolve to never go back to her house unless it was completely necessary. Van opened the door to his house. His mother smiled sweetly at her son and his newest girlfriend. With a small wave, they both went up the stairs and entered Van's room.

* * *

"Ah, I hate this cast!" Hitomi said in irritation. They were lying on Van's bed. He was on his back studying the roof while Hitomi had her head on his stomach.

"It's fine. Besides," a playful tone came into Van's voice, "casts are hot. It's not like you're permanently gibbled or deformed."

"Would you still love me if I was deformed?" she asked him, rolling onto her stomach.

"'Course 'Tomi. Even if you had one leg and four arms."

Her light laughter filled the room for a second. "What if I had a tail? Or webbed feet? Would you still love me then?"

"The answer hasn't changed," Van said. "Wouldn't you love me if I had wings or something?"

Hitomi sat up and looked at him seriously. "If you had wings you'd be like an angel Van. You'd be my angel." For a moment they just sat there staring at each other. "You already are," Hitomi whispered and Van's eyes softened. She looked down at her hands, embarrassed.

Van sat too and put one finger under her chin. He gently forced her face up until he could look into her eyes.

"I honestly don't know what I'd do without you Van. What if something happened to you? I would die." Hitomi sounded like she was going to cry. Van gathered her frail body into his arms and kissed her shoulder.

"Don't talk like that 'Tomi," he said.

"It's true. Would I even be in one piece if it wasn't for you?" She pulled away and looked at him seriously.

Van kissed her gently and then just held her. She put her head on his shoulder and traced random patterns on it. And even though she said it quietly, Van heard it: "I love you, my angel."

(A/N: I love the conversation between Van and Hitomi about the wings. I thought it was so cute and I kept trying to think of some way to put something about Van's wings into the fic. Someone commented on me calling people 'baby' a lot in the last chapter. I meant it in two different ways. When Hitomi calls her brother 'baby' it's like you would say to a younger cousin or sibling. When Van calls Hitomi 'baby' it's supposed to be in the boyfriend/girlfriend way. Just thought I'd explain that for you guys! And just in case someone comments on this, Mamoru didn't actually SEE his sister get pushed down the stairs, remember? Keep up the Reviewing, it makes my day!)

The Rose
Bette Midler

Some say love, it is a river
That drowns the tender reed
Some say love, it is a razor
That leaves your soul to bleed
Some say love, it is a hunger,
An endless aching need
I say love, it is a flower,
And you its only seed

It's the heart, afraid of breaking,
That never learns to dance
It's the dream, afraid of waking,
That never takes a chance
It's the one who won't be taken,
Who cannot seem to give
And the soul, afraid of dying,
That never learns to live

When the night has been too lonely,
And the road has been too long
And you think that love is only
For the lucky and the strong
Just remember in the winter
Far beneath the bitter snows
Lies the seed, that with the sun's love,
In the spring becomes the rose