Title: Intruder Alert 3: Transition

Author: Frostmourne

Disclaimer: I don't own Vision of Escaflowne so don't sue me…

Chapter Dedication: SabrinaYutsuki , the original esca chick, fallen-dark-angel, Blue Demon, dilly-sammas luver, one_mean_rabbit, Kat-Tastrophe, My Silver Flame, DillyChic16, MysticalDreamer32, T T, Colerachel, Fuzzie, blue ice 2, windsoffortune, Wendera Jade, Izzy, mel_88, naria4, Magicman/Smokegirl, Night of the Raven, Catelina, who cares4, AFCAMistress, CrAyOnS tAstE LIkE pUrple, Princess Neptune, dreamingofflyingaway, Mad Meg Askevron

Summary: Hitomi Kanzaki and Dilandau Albatou were forced on a roller coaster ride of bad impressions, an unwanted engagement, and a weird friendship others do not take too kindly on. When they stepped out of the ride and went back to how they originally wanted everything – having nothing to do with each other – they're up for another roller coaster ride. This time, it's a ride they both need to decide the right way to pursue.

Chapter 6: Figuring things out

Hitomi tapped her foot impatiently. "Where is that old man?"

Allen looked at his girlfriend steadily. He wasn't sure of what he was going to think of.

They were outside the mall, waiting for the silver-haired friend of Hitomi. It had been a little more than a week since he first met Dilandau through Hitomi, since Dilandau spent a night at Hitomi's house. He had asked Millerna about it but all she said was that Dilandau and Hitomi just talked about some stuff. It was like Millerna was trying to sort something out for herself. And it was giving him a warning signal.

"Just voicing out," Yukari said suddenly. "But do we really have to wait up for him? I mean, shouldn't it be just us? It's been so long since you've moved out of America."

"Yukari is right," Gades backed up. "WE should be bonding alone."

"Yes but Dilandau knows the place like he does his room," Hitomi argued back. "He'd be the tour guide. I could get us lost. We aren't only going to the mall you know."

Amano looked at Millerna who looked slightly apprehensive. "Are you alright?"

Millerna nodded. "Yeah. I'm just thinking of something." 'Yeah like if you guys would also see what I've been seeing and if Allen and Hitomi would fight it off because of Dilandau.'

"A penny for you thoughts?" Sarah asked with a smile.

"No time," the blonde girl said as she tilted her head towards the approaching motorcycle where a certain red-eyed heartthrob was.

Dilandau approached them. "Early, aren't we?" He asked Hitomi with laughter in his voice.

Hitomi rolled her eyes. "What was keeping you?"

"Hey, I'm on time," he said defensively. "Besides, I think you've just been a bad influence on my sister. She was bugging me the whole time to give her a ride to the other side of town. You sure taught her how to boss me around."

"Stop talking. Show us around now."

"Bossy ogre," he said almost unintelligibly.

Hitomi glared. "Yeah, yeah. Now do your job."

"Hey, it's not like you're paying me, your majesty," he said sarcastically.

Allen raised a brow. Why was it that even when the two were having a verbal war it seemed so natural and so good-humored? He didn't even notice the reaction of the others which were almost like his own except for Millerna who looked even more uncertain.

"It looks weird on you," Dilandau commented flatly as Hitomi held up a pair of big flower-like earrings.

Hitomi sighed and put the pair away. But then she smiled and then looked at Dilandau. "Hey…"

He stepped away almost nervously. "No."

"I didn't say anything yet."

"I said no."

"No?"

"Yeah, no."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Fine," said Hitomi as she reached up to him.

"I said no."

"Yeah. That's why I'm trying it out on you."

"WHAT?!"

She grinned smugly. "My question was if you'd like me to not give it to you. You said no so it means like no I'd like you to give it to me. So I'm trying it out on you if it would really suit you."

He glared and pulled the earrings from her. He handed the pair back to the saleslady before dragging her away towards her nearby friends.

"Hey, I was being nice."

He scoffed. "Yeah. Damn nice."

She rolled her eyes and looked at her friends. "Swim wear?"

The girls nodded and watched as Hitomi dragged both Allen and Dilandau towards the swim wear section. Soon they followed.

"Do not even suggest, Dilandau," Hitomi said promptly. "I am not considering a bikini EVER unless you wear one first."

Dilandau grinned challengingly. "So, if I wear one---"

"Definitely, I'd reconsider."

"You never liked bikinis," Allen interrupted.

"Yeah. But if Dilandau wears one, then I might wear one."

Allen frowned and threw Dilandau a look of suspicion which the latter didn't notice as he was busy grinning back at Hitomi's smiling face. He wasn't really the jealous type but for the last hours they spent together, he wanted nothing more than just drag Hitomi away from Dilandau.

"Hey!" Hitomi suddenly said. "Let's just check out some video games."

The blonde looked at his girlfriend with a puzzled expression. "Video games? For Hiko?"

Hitomi laughed. "No, Allen. For us. You really should try playing some video games. It's fun. And I can't imagine how I never liked it before. When you start up with it especially the really good ones, you'd love it! Dilandau's good and he's a pro but I can beat him so it means I'm better."

Dilandau rolled his eyes. "You enjoy gloating, ogre."

She stuck out her tongue at Dilandau. "So what? I deserve to gloat anyway. Allen, you've got to play with Dilandau and me sometime---"

"You two play video games?"

"Yeah. He's the one who taught me." Hitomi smiled at Dilandau briefly before looking at Allen. "Let's check them out? Please?"

"Well," Allen answered. "If it's what you want."

"Great! Let's go then!" Hitomi then walked ahead, Dilandau walking near her. "What do you think, Dilandau? Is the latest video game there already? How much do you think it would cost?"

"Hey, I'm not a price list," Dilandau answered.

"You should start being one so I wouldn't have to always wonder. Hey! Do you think we could also get a couple of pop rock and R & B CDs?"

Dilandau smiled. "Why get one? I could sing."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes. And I'd probably have my eyes rolled on the floor with every song you sing."

"Why do you always roll your eyes when I sing anyway? I can sing the songs very well you know."

"Oh come on. You sing off-key!"

"I do NOT!"

"Yes, you do. You imitate the song so horribly."

"I do NOT!"

Hitomi frowned and pushed Dilandau forward. "Yeah, whatever. It's still the same, Dilandau. I'm not going to allow you to sing unless you take voice lessons!"

"Why don't we just stick with the games and maybe some movies then?"

She smiled. "Oh yeah! A good, dramatic one---"

"Yes, and you'd start bawling your eyes out as usual." Dilandau rolled his eyes. "Why do you even cry for some dumb, sappy movies anyway? It's not like you haven't seen them more than a million times or something."

"Well, they touch my heart even when I've seen them many times. Unlike someone I know. Then again, you don't have a heart." She looked back at her friends. "Are you all coming or what?"

By the end of the day, the rest was getting uneasy. It doesn't take a genius to know and identify the thing between Hitomi and Dilandau, no matter how oblivious the two were about it. Hitomi was always talking about Dilandau when discussing with her friends and Dilandau was practically at Hitomi's beck and call even if he looked like he was being forced.

"Yeah, right," Hitomi muttered sarcastically as she threw her bag towards Dilandau's stomach.

"Hey!" Dilandau exclaimed with irritation.

The two were having another verbal war again that seemed so right in a way that it was almost normal for the two of them.

"I think we should get going," Allen interrupted as he pulled Hitomi away. "Thanks for showing us around, Dilandau."

Without waiting for Dilandau's reply, he ushered Hitomi inside his car and the others followed quickly, squeezing themselves inside.

Hitomi looked at Millerna beside her and then at Allen, who was driving the car in a hurried manner. "Are you in a hurry or what?"

He didn't answer. His eyes were fixed on the road and his jaws were locked tightly.

"Okay," Hitomi said slowly, suddenly feeling awkward in the middle of her friends' presence.

The rest of the ride was quiet and full of tension.

"Will you please sit down?" Sarah asked tiredly as she watched Allen pace back and forth.

Allen didn't seem to hear her as he continued pacing in a furious pace. His handsome features were twisted in a frown and his friends sat around the living room with apprehension as they watched him. Finally after a long time of pacing, he stopped.

"They like each other," he said in a low voice.

"You're just thinking too much," Yukari reasoned.

He whirled around and looked at her intently. "Am I? Yukari, it doesn't take a genius to know they're attracted to each other! Tomi may act rough around him but I know her well enough to know that she's falling for that guy!"

Amano shook his head. "But there's no assurance that the guy likes her back anyway."

"What do you mean there's no assurance?!" Allen practically yelled as he glared at Amano who was sitting beside Yukari. "I may not be like Dilandau, but I know when a guy is seriously into a girl!"

"How?" Gades challenged, hoping to quiet Allen down.

The blonde guy just sighed in exasperation as he sat beside Millerna. "He looks at her the way I do," he said despairingly. "He looks at her in a way that says she's everything even when she's really not."

"So, you'll just give her up then?" Sarah asked as she looked at Allen's dejected expression. "You're her boyfriend for crying out loud! He's just her friend. Right, Millerna?"

Millerna bit her lower lip. She couldn't lie to her friends but she seriously doubted that saying her true opinion would lighten everything up. She could feel every attention on her and she was getting nervous.

"You agree with me, don't you?" Allen asked softly, already knowing what her answer would be.

She nodded reluctantly. "But Allen, we could all be wrong. Maybe they're just close. Maybe we're just seeing things. Maybe those two are just acting up. Maybe---"

"There aren't any maybes here!" Allen interrupted, again in a not so subdued mood. "Dilandau's not the type who gives up what he wants! I just know it. And I'm sure about what I see whenever he's around Tomi. He likes her!"

"It's just like, Allen," Gades soothed. "No big deal."

"What do you mean no big deal?!" The blonde asked as he stood up and started pacing again. "Most things start with like. Besides, I know that he's into her! The way he acts, the way he speaks, the way he looks at her! Everything says so much!"

"He acts arrogant," Yukari reasoned. "He speaks tactlessly, and he glares at her. Yes it speaks much."

"I agree with Yukari," Sarah and Amano immediately said at the same time.

"He's just denying his feelings!"

"Why are you so sure?" Sarah asked challengingly.

"Because I was exactly like him although in a different way! I act nonchalant around Tomi before I admitted that I actually got myself tied down to the idea of wanting a permanent girlfriend. I couldn't take it that my playboy years were gone so I denied everything until I finally cracked and courted her. Dilandau's almost like that. I just know it. He just doesn't realize what he feels yet and I'm sure he's beginning to realize but he's denying everything. But when he figures it all out---"

"Then don't wait for him to figure everything out!" Millerna suddenly shouted.

Everyone turned to her. She looked frustrated beyond any time they had seen her.

"Let's quit lying," the blonde girl murmured. "We all know that he's attracted to her. It's plainly seen. But Allen, it doesn't mean you just have to admit defeat. Hitomi is your girlfriend and she loves you. Fight for her."

"How can I fight for her when she is obviously attracted to Dilandau?!" Allen countered. "It's a different attraction, I just know it! I can feel it! We can all feel it!"

"But they don't," Amano pointed out. "So you still have a choice. Either you just let her walk away without a fight, or you try one more time to win her back."

Allen's blue eyes shone more than usual with restrained pain. "What if I can't win her back?"

No one answered. They merely looked away as the heavy atmosphere became even heavier. Allen clenched his jaw as he strode out of the living room, heart tightening at the thought of losing the only girl he truly loved.

She paced her room and kept on thinking about what had gone wrong that day. She couldn't understand why her friends had suddenly tensed up by the end of that day. And she found it rude that they immediately left Dilandau.

"Now he'd really agree with Hiko that my friends are stuck-up," she mumbled as she finally plopped down on her bed. "Unless…"

Reaching out for her phone, she dialed Dilandau's number and waited for him to answer. After a couple of rings, he finally answered with an irritated, "What?!"

"Did I disturb you?" She asked.

His harsh tone changed immediately. "No. Of course not."

"Yeah right. And you weren't sounding irritated when you answered."

"I wasn't," he said defensively. "I was just…"

"Just?"

"Fine, so I was irritated."

She kept quiet and he quickly assured her before she could start yelling at him.

"But it doesn't have to do with you calling."

"Does it have something to do with my friends?"

"Not really."

She frowned. "You're lying."

On the other line, Dilandau shook his head and slumped on his chair. If he told Hitomi, she'd kill him.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you. Just tell me honestly." She sighed then. "Actually, that's the reason I've called up. I can't even understand why they acted weird by the end of the day."

"They want me out."

"No. Of course not."

"Hitomi, I'm not blind. Allen is wary of me and I'm sure the entire ride home for you had been quite awkward."

"Now that you mentioned it, well it was tensed… it was awkward. But why would Allen be wary of you? It's not like he knows about the engagement right?"

He shrugged even when he knew she couldn't see it. "He's… well… he's your boyfriend."

"So? It's not the first time I've been around other guys aside from Gades and Amano. Besides, it's not like I'm kissing you or anything."

For a moment, Dilandau smirked. "I wonder what he'd do if he catches us kissing."

"Dilandau!" Hitomi exclaimed, obviously outraged. "We're trying to figure them out and here you are joking around like some moron!"

"Hey, just trying to lighten up the mood," he said, somehow wondering why he sounded like he didn't believe his own words.

"Whatever. Well you're a guy, what do you think is the reason why Allen is wary of you? He can't be jealous. He's not the jealous type. Besides, how come the rest of my friends were acting strange, too?"

"Why are you even asking me? You know them better than I do."

"Well yeah. But at least you can see what I don't. Besides, I'm discussing this with you so when I got it all figured out, you won't have to ask anymore questions because you know the answers."

"Point taken." He ran his hand through his hair as he contemplated for a moment. "Do you think they're suspecting something about an engagement? Millerna does know that both our parents thought we were fooling around with each other."

"She would've asked me first before telling them."

"Then what do you think is up with your pals?"

"I don't know. You seemed to get along well with them before… well until the time when we parted ways this afternoon."

Suddenly, something clicked in Dilandau's mind. Allen was indeed jealous of him! He just knew it even without proof. And the rest of Hitomi's friends were of course siding Allen so they acted the way they did earlier that afternoon. But he couldn't figure out what there was to be jealous about except the engagement. So if it wasn't that, then the rest must be seeing something else and telling Hitomi that wouldn't help a bit. She'd think that Hiko and he are conspiring against her friends.

"You're quiet all of a sudden. Why? Did I say something?"

He was quickly snapped out of his own thoughts. "Uh, Hitomi, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah. Sure."

He hesitated for a moment. "If your friends… well… if they dislike me for some reason… would you follow their lead?"

"Why would they dislike you?"

"Just answer the question."

"Well, even if they have a very good reason, I wouldn't."

"Why?"

"Because whatever it is that's between you and them have nothing to do with me. Even if they're my friends, I also have the freedom to choose the people I can like and dislike regardless of what they think. I mean just look at me. My brother doesn't like them but I'm with them, aren't I? And I love them dearly, too."

"I see. What if they want you to stay away from me?"

"Why would they want that?"

He rolled his eyes. "Just answer it."

"Fine. Well if they give me a very good reason I would."

He kept quiet and Hitomi wondered if she said the wrong answer and if she had offended him.

"Do you get hurt when Hiko says bad things about them even when it's all true?"

She thought about the first few months she had hung around with her friends. "Yeah. It hurts but I got the hang of it after many years. But every now and then, I could still feel the hurt and I wonder if it's possible that both my loved ones would stop hating each other. Sometimes, I feel torn on the decisions I have to make knowing that with whatever I would choose, I'll be disappointing someone. You know, especially with Hiko and Allen disliking each other all the time." She sighed. "I'm sorry for how they acted a while ago. I hope you're not thinking negatively of them and I hope you're not with Hiko on this because I would be even more lost in this issue."

"It wouldn't matter, Hitomi. I'm just your friend. Well, if you even consider me one," he said almost bitterly, making him surprised at his own tone.

She laughed. "You're crazy, Dilandau. Before I would never expect myself to say this but… you're more than just a friend, Dilandau. You're as dear to me as Allen and the rest of my family and friends are. So what you think about my friends would matter because you're important to me. Better believe that. I'm not kidding."

He laughed slightly. "You're softening up on the old man, ogre."

Her giggles made him smile. "Well, I think it's just fair. You've gone soft on me since a long time ago. And I… well I… I'm happy because of that. I never really said it before but… thanks for being there for me even when I've pushed you away most of the time."

A fond smile unknowingly brightened his handsome face. "Do I pass as a chivalrous knight in your standards now?"

She laughed once more, her laughter sending a warm feeling through him for some reason he didn't know. "Allen's already that knight."

"Oh," he said, his voice containing the disappointment he didn't want to show.

"But you can be the handsome, evil prince who turned delightful and endearing."

"Isn't that a bit too much?"

"No. It's just the way you truly are. It's almost hard to believe that I hated you before. But then, you were such an annoying, arrogant a**. Not that you aren't still like that but---"

"Gee, thanks," he interrupted sarcastically.

"I'm not through yet! I was going to say that even when you're still like that I think you're a nice person as a whole. That even when you're like that I like you just the way you are."

He smiled. "What can I say? Thanks?"

"You don't have to say anything. Anyway, I apologize for the way my friends acted."

"That's alright."

"You even turned forgiving!" She giggled. "You've really softened up."

He snorted. "Just don't take advantage of that one, ogre."

"Whatever. So, will you still be around to---"

"I don't think it's a nice option, Hitomi."

"Why?"

"Your friends and I don't really match up."

"You got along with them."

"Until recently. If you don't want to give me a reason to side Hiko on this, maybe you should just let this drop. It's not that I don't like them and I wouldn't say it's them that don't like me coz I know it'd make you feel worse about this. So let's just say, I'm just going to be an interruption."

She thought about his answer and reflected on what had happened. She sighed. "You know, if I'm not crazy, I think my friends think we are more than friends. And I'm sorry because they may be thinking you're an enemy for Allen's sake. Maybe you're right. So I suppose let's just keep out of each other when they're around. I wouldn't want them especially Allen to do or say something against you."

'And I wouldn't want you to agonize over who to side,' he thought.

"Well, it seems to me that the result isn't exactly good." She sighed. "Well, they'd be back in America soon anyway. And they don't know about the engagement so there wouldn't be any mess to make them dislike you. There wouldn't be anything to argue about."

"Yeah." He hesitated but asked anyway. "Do you really like Allen?"

"More than that. I love Allen. We've been together for a long time and even when he's a playboy, I know that he loves me back. When I graduate college and he proposes, I'm not going to think twice. It's hard to find someone you truly love with all that you are. But I found that someone." She then giggled. "Sorry for blabbing. Well anyway, I'm going to let you sleep now. Let's just hope everything goes on smoothly. I wouldn't want any fight at all."

"Me, too."

"Really? You seemed to enjoy fights."

"Not when it hurts you."

She was surprised by his answer but he was even more surprised than she could ever be. He concluded that he had really lost his mind.

"Goodnight, Hitomi," he just said and didn't even wait for her to answer as he ended the call then and went into his bathroom to take a shower and clear his mind.

Hitomi on the other hand recovered from her shock but then smiled. Somehow, she liked the idea of Dilandau softening up on her enough not to like the things he used to enjoy when it would hurt her.

"Hitomi~"

The honey-brown haired girl groaned slightly at the repeatedly calling voice of Hiko. She had stayed up late the previous night just talking to Dilandau.

"Hitomi~"

"What?!" She snapped as she forced her eyes to open.

"Dad asked me to tell you to start preparing now."

She sat up with a frown. "Now? Why?"

"Your friends are coming, aren't they? Besides, Dilandau and his family are coming over."

"What for?"

Hiko shrugged. "No clue. But maybe it's friendship stuff? You know how dad is close to Mr. Albatou and they barely have time to stop for a breather. So maybe this is some sort of lunch between two close friends or something."

She nodded after a while and then stared at the alarm clock on her bedside table. She nearly fell off the bed as she realized that it was already a couple of minutes before twelve noon meaning her friends would be in soon.

"Why didn't you wake me earlier?!" She screamed as she scrambled out of bed and ran to her closet.

"Hey," Hiko said defensively as he walked towards the door. "I was yelling at you to wake up for the past hour ever since dad told me to tell you."

She ignored him then as she rushed towards the bathroom, clothes and bathrobe in tow.

"She's still in bed," Mrs. Kanzaki explained as she welcomed the teens inside the house. "Hiko's been trying for the past hour to wake her up."

"That's alright, auntie," Yukari said with a smile. "We're a bit early anyway."

They sat down on the couch as Mrs. Kanzaki excused herself. It was a bit later when, Hiko strode in the living room and sat down on the free chair, holding a cordless phone on his ear.

"Uh-huh," he mumbled, never even sparing his sister's friends a glance. "I know. And I just hope no one would mention about the uh, thing." He continued nodding absently as he listened to whoever was on the other line. "Wait, I'm coming with mom to meet you guys up." Without further ado, Hiko ended the call and walked out of the living room.

"Yup, he really hates us," Sarah commented.

Gades sighed. "That kid sure is weird. I don't even get why he hates us too much."

"That's simple," Millerna said. "To him we're a bunch of stuck-up popular people who cares about nothing else but ourselves."

Yukari frowned. "Hiko is taking this too far."

Amano nodded. Allen just sighed and leaned back, hoping that everything would turn out alright. He was having a bad feeling about everything.

Celena leaned on the car seat as she placed her cellphone back in her small bag. She sighed and looked at her twin beside her who was frowning at having to be dragged to Hitomi's place.

"You really don't want to go, do you?"

Dilandau grunted. "No. I was dying to go," he mumbled sarcastically.

"I thought you and Hitomi made up. You were with her yesterday, weren't you? Or where you just making up that alibi so I wouldn't bug you to take me to my appointment?"

Mr. Albatou looked at his children briefly on the rearview mirror before sending his wife a look which she returned with a graceful shrug.

"Even if it was made up, it didn't work," he shot irately. "I hate bossy people."

Celena giggled. "But you don't hate Hitomi."

Red eyes glared at her but she giggled more, completely unfazed knowing that her brother would never strangle her with their parents around.

"Why?" She asked. "Did you two fight it off again? Honestly, you two should just get married."

"Celena, just go suck a doorknob!" Dilandau said angrily.

"Why don't you want to go anyway?"

"Her friends might be there!" He snapped. "And there are more chances of messing things up with her and her friends if I'm around!"

"What do you mean mess things up?"

"Celena, one more word…" He left the threat hanging.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'm shutting up."

From the driver's seat, Donkirk frowned. He was sure he was missing something in the picture. Dilandau supposedly hated Ryu's daughter but the way Celena was teasing her twin, it was obvious that hate isn't the only thing in the emotional plane but something more. Besides, Dilandau spending time with Hitomi?

Donkirk shook his head in resignation as he pulled up the car in front of the Kanzaki residence.

At the dining room, they all sat for lunch after the necessary introductions were made.

"Yeah, I took up ballet," Celena muttered at Millerna's question.

Hitomi smiled. So far, everything was alright. There was none of the tension from yesterday and her friends seemed to like the fact that Celena was her friend here. Even Hiko wasn't saying anything to her friends. And their parents were even partaking in their conversation every once in a while.

"So, how's school?" Yukari asked suddenly.

Celena looked at her food uncomfortably for a while before answering. "It was alright."

Yukari nodded, not even noticing that the topic was a sensitive one to Hitomi and Celena. "You're really strong. Even when the whole school was unpleasant to Tomi, you're still her friend. I hope they didn't become too hard on you."

Hitomi forced a smile. She had not told her friends the details on how school was. That being Celena's friend had been one of the reasons why she was hated even more. And it seemed to her, Celena was feeling guilty about it which Hitomi did not want at all.

"School's out so it's totally outdated," Sarah said, sensing the discomfort of Celena and Hitomi. "You like shopping Celena?"

Celena nodded. "Yeah. It's fun. I shop with Hitomi from time to time."

"Just time to time?" Amano asked with a smile. "Back in America, we go to the mall almost everyday."

Gades laughed. "Yeah. Even when we just buy some things like pencils."

Hitomi's friends laughed at their mall syndrome.

Hiko snorted. "Yeah, how pathetic."

The honey-brown haired Hitomi sent her brother a glare but Hiko merely rolled his eyes and snickered at her irritation.

"Well, it's only from time to time since we don't spend all the time together."

"Why not?" Yukari prodded.

"Hitomi spends most of her time with my brother."

"Yeah," Hiko agreed.

Allen, who had not said much for the past time, looked up from his food and directly at Hiko's grinning face.

The rest smiled uncomfortably and Hitomi had to change the topic quickly. "Dilandau's nice enough to keep me company."

Dilandau looked like he had no plan of saying anything at all for the rest of the time for he just shrugged.

"Dilandau's been nice?" Mr. Albatou asked. "Hitomi, you're a very sweet young lady. You don't have to really say things to boost up Dilandau. If I remember correctly, you two don't get along."

Hitomi shook her head. "We get along well. Dilandau showed me and my friends around yesterday."

"Then Hiko's telling the truth about you two not hating each other?" Mr. Kanzaki asked.

"Yeah, dad. Dilandau's just irritating at times but he's nice. He had hung out with my friends and me before yesterday. You know, when Chesta was here."

Mr. Albatou and Mr. Kanzaki both exchanged a puzzled look before Donkirk let his curiosity go, not really knowing that he was making a mistake.

"Then why were you two looking like you hated each other when we broke up the engagement?"

The table became quiet suddenly and everyone was looking at Hitomi and Dilandau alternately as if waiting for an explanation. Finally, Hitomi met Allen's eyes that contained so much hurt.

The parents noticed the sudden tension. Hitomi looked at her father before asking to be excused. The rest of her friends soon followed.

"They didn't know," Hiko said after Hitomi and her friends had left. "Like how Celena and I didn't know at first." Ryu looked at his son but before he could ask a question, Hiko answered. "Celena and I have our ways but the engagement was already over by then."

"I'm going," Dilandau interrupted and left before anyone could say anything.

Celena sighed and continued eating. Now she knew what Dilandau was saying about more chances of messing things up by being around.

~tbc~

Author's Note: I didn't really proofread this or something so there's bound to be plenty of erroneous stuff here and all. It's not just the lack in time. I also have some serious predicaments I really need to worry about. But I just had to update so here it is. Thank you for leaving me reviews. I may have said this so plenty of times by now, but reviewers keep me going. Every update is because of them. Thank you once again.

      To the original esca chick, Hiko's sixteen, a year younger than Tomi and two years younger than Dilandau and most of the characters.

      To one_mean_rabbit, the profession thing is a bit too much, not that I'm complaining that you're saying that. ^^, The one shot? Well, that's probably the last one. There's much more reviews here. Lol. But I am very grateful to those who reviewed the one shots.

      To My Silver Flame, the others are probably in the chapters beyond chapter 10 because as it is, everything's complicated. But they'll all be in the picture eventually.

      To Colerachel, yeah, Hiko is pro Dilandau. Sorry I couldn't update sooner so you can read. *major dilemma present* And I should be worrying about it right now.

      To windsoffortune, at least you noticed it now ^^,

      To Izzy, thanks for the luck.

      To Smokegirl, side romance would be after chapter 10. So wait up.

      To AFCAMistress, welcome back. Sorry if I wasn't able to send the last chap to you. I was really hurrying and it was a couple of days after I remembered. I decided to just send it to you when I update this but well, you're back with me. ^^,

      To CrAyOnS tAstE LIkE pUrple, glad you decided to leave me a review now. By the way, the name is cute, almost like what a child would say.