A/N Hello again everyone! Thanks so so so so so so much for ur support.

This chapter goes out to Paige. I have to give her a lot of credit. She's helping me lots with this story! Ur great girl! Everyone should check out her stuff if u already haven't! It's really good!

Sabineballz Thanks for your review! I'm glad you like it and here's your update!

Chibi Usagi Yeah, Van's deffinitly a hotty lol! Here's the update you wanted!

Aya_chan blushes Glad you love it!

Night Of The Raven Thanks for reading and loven it! Here's another chappy for ya!

Paige Moonsword Glad my writing makes you so excited! Really didn't think I was that good but if u say so, lol blushes

Well, I think that's everyone. IF I forgot anyone, I'm really sorry! Enjoy and plz r/r!

Chapter 3

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It was late that Friday night and Van was glad that he finally got a chance to

write Hitomi

back. He sat down and began to type how he felt

Hello Hitomi,

I read your letter and no, it's not like every girl's letter.

I'm really sorry to hear about your father. There was no way that it was your

Fault, you should know that. There was nothing you could have done to stop it.

He wanted to drive you to your activity. He probably figured that it was

important to you... I

can totally understand why dreams may seem stupid but, they're really not. IF it

makes

you feel any better, I sometimes feel the same way. But, I have a proposition

for

you. I want to fly you out to New York City to see me. Your name really seems

familiar though I don't know why. I want to know what it is about you that I'm

noticing. I

think that we should meet. Maybe that way, I can look at some of your work and

we can talk a little more. I really want to get to know you as a person. I'm

sure you're a wonderful person and there's really no reason for you to be cold.

I would like if you could write me back and then we could arrange this flight. I

want you to come alone though. If you take your friends, it will not give us

time to actually talk. I'm trying to dig up things on my past  to see if you

were in it once before. Mom said that

she knew Kanzaki's and that your picture looked very familiar. She told me to

get in touch with my dad though, she said that he would no more about  you

though. I hope this letter doesn't scare you away. I know, you have just about

no reason to trust me, and I don't know how to convince you to come. But, if it

helps, I swear no harm will come to you while you are with me. I just know that

you belonged in my life somehow and I want us to do that search together. Please

think about it and reply.

Sincerely, Van Fanel

            He closed his inbox with a click and sat still for a moment, enjoying the sweet

silence.

He sighed deeply and closed his eyes, unusually long eyelashes grazing his

cheek. With thoughts of Hitomi drifting in his mind, he went to bed. As he

drifted into sleep, he hoped that she would answer his letter.

It was early Saturday morning. Golden brown hair lay glistening on the white of

the pillows as a teenaged girl's soft breaths were heard in the room as she

slept.

WHACK!

A pillow hit her on the head and wrinkling her nose she instantly woke. Her

leafy green eyes sprang open only to see a figure hiding between a dresser and a

desk. She picked up the pillow

and aimed it in the direction of the hiding figure.

            "Yukari! It's only early. It's only 10 A.M. Why are you waking me up so early?"

            "Because, Amano called. He wants us to hang out with him today! Don't you want

to come to?"

            "Well, I guess so, where are we going?"

            "He won't say, he says it's a surprise for me. He is bringing Allen along to."

            "Oh, cool. Goodness knows what they're up to."

            That's when Hitomi instantly realized something. She totally forgotten but

today, was Yukari's 17th birthday. She tried her best to look like she had

forgotten but it was alright. Yukari had seemed to have forgotten to. Hitomi

knew that it was normal for her. Yukari's memory wasn't that good. She would

forget her head if it wasn't attached to her shoulders. Hitomi got up and got

dressed quickly. There as something she had to do before she left to go out. It

would either make her day good or bad. She came out of the washroom after

brushing her teeth and met Yukari before she went in. She decided to ask her

then.

            "Yukari, can I use your computer just for a sec?"

            "Yeah sure! Why do you always ask me? Why don't you just go ahead and use it?"

            "Because, that's impolite," she replied with a cheeky grin.

            Hitomi rushed away from her friend to prevent more questions and, went in to

the living room where the computer was kept. She plopped down in the chair and

went in to her email. There it was, his name shone bright on the computer screen

as she took the cursor and clicked on it. She letter opened and she read his

words. Feelings of surprise, disbelief, and happiness collided together. She

couldn't believe what she was

reading. When she had finished, she screeched in happiness and shock. Yukari

came running out of the washroom, tooth brush in hand.

            "What are you screaming about? What's wrong? You're lucky Mom isn't here."

            Hitomi grabbed on to Yukari's hands and jumped out of the chair. She started

jumping up and down talking to her in the process.

            "Yuki, he wants me to go to see him in New York! He really wants to see me so

we can research our past! Isn't that great?"

            "Hitomi, just calm down! Who wants to see you?"

            "Oh right, I didn't tell you did I?"

            "No, you didn't." Yukari replied, distaste lining her tone.

            "Okay well, there's this musician guy named Van. He was on the site I always

check out. I saw his name and his picture and for some reason basically talked

to him about my problems."

            "You talked to him but Allen and I are your best friends and you hardly ever

talk to us about how your feelings. Girl, you're weird."

            "No no, I'm not finished! Listen for a sec before you start getting all upset.

He

looked very familiar to me and his name was too. We think we new each other

somehow and he wants me to go to New  York and stay with him so that we can

research his past. We want to see how we fit together."

            "That's great Hitomi. I don't know what to say. I'm… happy for you, I guess."

            "No you're not, what's wrong?" Hitomi looked at her friend with a frown.

            "Nothing, I'm just worried. I don't want you to go to New York all alone and

get hurt by this guy. You never know, he could turn out to be a freak who likes

hurting girls!"

            "Look Yuki, he's not like that. I mean, why would he pay for a ticket if all he

wants to do is hurt me! If he wanted a girl so bad, he can get one easily."

Hitomi sighed exasperatedly.  "Here, read this for yourself. That way, you might

feel better about the whole idea."

            Yukari took over the computer chair and read the letter. She looked from the

computer screen to Hitomi back to the computer screen again. An uncertain

expression crosses over her friend's face. It looked like she was not quite sure

what to say.

            Yukari smiled slightly and spoke more firmly than she looked. "Maybe he's like

a long lost friend of yours. Go see him then if that's what

you want but you better keep in touch with me! You should know that I'd always

be there for you."

            "I will, I just need to find a way to explain all of this to my teachers."

            "I got it! Tell them your going on vacation for a while because, you and your

mom need some togetherness time. I will explain to my mom what's going on and

hope to the heavens that she won't tell your mom."

            "Yuki, my mom doesn't care what happens to me, she hates me." Hitomi stated

flatly with no emotion in her voice.

            Yukari gave her friend a friendly, warm, hug.

            "She does care 'Tomi, she does. Just give her some time; she'll get over what

happened."

            "I hope so, I really do. I'm not worried about time though; she'll have lots of

that." She laughed a little bitterly.

            Feeling awkward, Yukari left Hitomi to write Van back while she

finished getting ready. Hitomi wrote him telling him that she had agreed to the

idea of going to see him. She told him that he could fly her out after Monday

because, she had to talk to her teachers first. She told him to write her back

right away with the rest of the information on the trip.

            Yukari walked in to the living room once again. Hitomi commented on how nice

she looked. The two girls gathered some things and walked outside. Amano, a

tall, handsome, brown-haired man, and Allen, an extremely charismatic blond came

up the road to meet them. Yukari hugged Amano and Allen

just stared at Hitomi quietly. Amano was the first to speak.

            "Lets go. There's a surprise waiting for you my sweetie."

            The group of four walked down the street, chatting about the usual things. They

had reached the  small café where Yukari and Amano had went for their first

date. They all walked down and sat at a table. Before they knew it, a nice

dinner was placed in front of them all. Yukari looked at her boyfriend  with

that happy glow in her honey colored eyes and smiled brightly.

            "You did this for me?" She asked in a manner that gave Hitomi a funny feeling

that her friend was about to burst with emotion.

            "Yes, happy birthday, Yuki." Amano said with a jaunty grin.

            He leaned in and left a tiny kiss on her lips. Yukari blushed profusely.

Everyone dug in and ejoyed the lavish meal. After finishing eating, an

announcement came over the speaker in

the small Café. The announcer asked everyone to sing happy birthday to Yukari.

During the song, a large double layered chocolate cake was brought out with

seventeen candles.

Yukari kept smiling and when the song was over, blew out all of her candles in

one big breath. Everyone sat eating the beautiful cake and talking happily.

Using her spoon, she gently tapped her wine glass that held coke and called for

attention.

            "There's something I'd like to say. This day is also a life-changing day for

Hitomi."

            Allen and Amano looked from one another. Neither understood why Yukari said

this.

            "Hitomi is going to be leaving us for a while. She's going to meet a musician,

Van Fanel,

in New York to find out if they had known each other or not when they were

little."

            Allen's body tensed up going rigid at the mention of another guy and even

worse, that

Hitomi was leaving town to meet him. His face looked like a boiling kettle; it

looked like he was going to burst out, and not surprisingly he did.

            "Why" he gasped in extreme jealousy and anger, "are you doing this? Have you

gone crazy! Do you want to get yourself killed? Hitomi, does

your mom know about this? By gods, you're crazy!" Perhaps, if he weren't so

angry he would have noticed how Hitomi's face fell and withered like a flower.

Her eyes started to take an odd shine and her face looked pale. He however, did

not notice, too consumed in his rage, while his friends stared at him with

shock. "You don't need to go off finding people

you're not even sure you know of. It's stupid!"

            Before he could go any further, she broke in firmly."Allen, I'm sorry but, this

is my decision. I want to meet him. You're not my parents or brother, so stop

acting like one! I need to get

away from here for a while." She continued softly, quieting down. "You have to

try to understand, Allen, please."

            Allen began to stand up and then decided against it and sat again. Hitomi

breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to lose his friendship. But to her

surprise, Allen Schezar continued.

            "Oh, so you're going to ditch your friends here for some guy? Nice of you

Hitomi, very nice of you. I knew you had turned cold, but, I didn't think it was

this cold. If you want to get raped or something all the way in New York, go

ahead. Just don't come looking for my help."

            With that, Allen got out of his chair and slammed it back in to the table. He

shot Hitomi one more dirty look and left the Café, slamming the door behind him.

Hitomi just sat in silence, eyes cast down to the table. Yukari tried to break

the tension.

            "Hitomi…?" she said timidly.

            "No. Look Yuki, I'm just going to go back to your house, alright? I want you

and

Amano to have fun. I know that right now, I'm not in the mood for that. I also

have to see if Van has written back yet. Have a good time."

            But Hitomi…"

            Before Yukari could finish her sentence, Hitomi was already on her way away

from the table. Amano looked in his girlfriend's eyes drew her close and

murmured in her ear.

            "Yuki honey, let her be. She'll be there when  you get home. She just needs

some time."

            Hitomi ran all the way back to Yukari's house and went inside. She went

directly to the computer and looked to see if he had written her back. To her

surprise, he managed to quite quickly. They had arranged that the flight would

leave Monday night at 11 pm. He said that it was all paid for and that he would

meet her on the other end of the flight. He told her not to worry and she

couldn't help but heed his advice and listen. In her heart, Hitomi knew this was

deeper than seeking her old friend that may have been. This was more of an

escape from her pain. This was something

that she had to do. Right now, there was no time to deal with Allen and his

crazy behavior. As sad as it made her to listen to him ramble and shred apart

their friendship, she knew this was the right thing to do. In her heart, she

knew he'd get over it. He always did. Now it was time to pack and get things

together. This would definitely be the trip of her life, a trip that would

change her life.