A/N Hi all,
Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. Been really busy with school but, I finally got the time for posting. On to the thank yous!
charizard-ex: Thanks for the long review! I'm glad you're hooked on my fic! I wasn't offended by your comments at all, infact I loved them! I promis, no more deaths in this story. The only person who died was Hitomi's father. The title is in reference to Hitomi's spirit dying that's all. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you'll keep reading!
SabineballZ: hahahaha! I loved your review! I promis, thing will get better lol well maybe… anyway, hope you'll read more and thanks for the nice review!
Anri: Thanks for the complement! I tried to do that with the communication. I know what you mean by really fetched lol. I'm glad you're enjoying this!
chibi usagi2: Thanks for the review! I'm so glad you're enjoying this!
Spirit0: Damn girl! I love your reviews they're highly amusing. I love dancing around my room when alone and I see updates to. This one's for you!
Avelyn Lauren: Thanks for the review! We'll just have to see what happens next , but your review kinda inspired me to write something in here lol. You'll just have to wait and see. Thanks again!
Trace: Thanks for the review.
Michelle: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing this chapter. I'm so glad you're still enjoying it!
Night Of The Ravin: Glad you're enjoying. Thanks bunches for the nice review!
Now on with the chapter. I hope you enjoy this and that you're all compelled to hit the happy button and review. Your reviews modivate me to write.
Chapter 12
It was 5 AM. and Allen was boarding the plane that would take him to New York. Hitomi and Van were still fast asleep but not for long. They had to be at the airport by 8, and Hitomi was the type who liked to be up early. Her alarm rang out at 5:30. She hit the snooze button twice before finally giving in to the ear splitting demands of the alarm clock. She had wished that she had told Allen to schedule a later flight. She got up and showered. As she was doing her hair and adding a small amount of make-up, she remembered how Van had been nice enough to stay with her until she fell in to a slumber. She finished getting ready and in the process decided to do something nice for Van to thank him. She wandered down to the kitchen in the mansion and had a talk with the cooks.
After her plan was put in to action, she went to wake the sleeping Van. Hitomi was holding something that would surely make him a very happy man. She knocked lightly on his door to receive a very sleepy sounding "come in". She walked in and sat the tray of food down beside Van's night table. He looked at her in surprise.
"What's that for?"
"Well, if you ever decide to get up it's for you. Now sit up straight and eat your breakfast!"
Hitomi liked watching his facial expressions while lying there. He looked irritated by her waking him up to astonished by the feast before him to shocked by her yelling at him. Surprising Van was quite fun. He got up and patted the bed for Hitomi to sit with him. He had learned not to sleep topless anymore considering it was morning tradition for Hitomi to come and wake him in some way shape or form. He had the sheer embarrassment of her already seeing him in his boxers. He didn't want that to happen again. Hitomi walked over and sat with Van. He told her to help herself to the food. Her secret was still safe. Van had figured that the food was from the kitchen; not that Hitomi had made it herself. They continued eating and talking until the tray of food was empty. After Van had finished his large glass of orange juice she told him about her secret.
"Van, did you enjoy that?"
He wiped his face with a napkin and said, "Yes".
"Good because you know who made that? I did. I wanted to thank you for last night. Sorry for being so upset."
He set the used napkin down on the tray and leaned over to give Hitomi a hug. They embraced, holding each other for a few seconds. In the process Van had leaned in toward Hitomi; looking straight in her eyes. The magnetic force was pulling her closer to him. Their lips were centimeters apart before the two realized what was about to happen and parted quickly. Hitomi felt a mixture of shock and surprise fill her body.
"What was that all about?"
Van new very well what it was about but he just gave her a smile and said that he didn't know. Hitomi turned and looked at her watch to see that it was 7:20. She told Van that it was time to go and, he nodded.
The two got in to a small convertible. They both felt that the limo was just too much. Van decided that today, he would drive. He didn't want to feel like a star while he was resting. They drove to the airport in silence; both confused to why they had almost kissed.
They reached the airport and Hitomi told Van to wait for her outside. She had gotten so use to this airport that she felt as if she had known it forever. She went inside and waited for Allen to come off the plane. After about five minutes of waiting he finally arrived. He walked over to Hitomi and scooped her up in a big hug. She hugged him in return and told him to follow her outside. They reached the car and both got in to the back. Hitomi instantly noticed Van's attitude changing. He had gone from happy to quiet and distant. Was he mad at her because of Allen's visit?
They reached the mansion and went inside. Allen had commented on how beautiful it looked. Hitomi asked Van to show Allen to his room. He did so in silence. Van was angry and jealous and he knew it was wrong. He couldn't help himself. He loved her now and there was no turning back. When the two young men reached Allen's room Van left abruptly. He went to find Hitomi. He found her sitting alone on the balcony outside of her room. He had noticed how sad she looked sitting there all alone. He sat down beside her and decided to try his best to make conversation.
"Hitomi, are you alright?"
She nodded with out looking at him.
"Well, u don't look alright."
She looked up at him and tried to put on the best smile she could. Truthfully, she felt horrible for bringing Allen here. She had come to visit Van; not to take her friends here to see her. She could have waited to see Allen on her own time at home.
"Van, I'm sorry I brought him here. I know you don't like it. I could tell by the way you were acting on the way home."
"Hitomi, it's fine. I don't mind if your friends come to visit you here. I'm just glad you're still here."
Before he could say anything one of the members of Van's staff came to tell Hitomi that Allen was all unpacked and ready to see her. She excused herself from Van and went to find him. When she reached Allen she noticed that he looked really dressed up.
"What's with the preppy dress Allen?"
"Well miss Hitomi Kanzaki, I have a surprise for you tonight."
"Hitomi wasn't sure how to feel. Why was he doing this? Why was he trying to impress her again? She looked at him and asked what it was. He took her hand in his and walked her to the door.
"Put your shoes on, we're going out for a night on the town."
Hitomi tried to tell Allen that she wanted to make sure it was alright with Van but he cut her off immediately. He told her that there was nothing to worry about. They walked outside and waited for their taxi to arrive. When the taxi arrived Allen quickly opened Hitomi's door for her and helped her in to the car. They drove off in silence. Hitomi felt a nervousness rushing through her body. She didn't want to be alone with him, not just yet.
The cabby dropped them off at Café Italia. It was a very fancy restaurant that looked very beautiful. Allen took Hitomi's hand once again and they went inside. He pulled out her chair and told her to sit. A young woman walked over and gave Allen and Hitomi menus. She looked at Allen and smiled at him.
"I see you've found a nice way to impress your girlfriend."
Hitomi went to say that she and Allen were not together, but before she could say anything Allen charmed in before her.
"Yes actually, I think she deserves the best. Obviously you guys have the best restaurant around and I only want the best for my sweet sweet love."
He gave Hitomi a smile that would drive any girl wild but, Hitomi just continued to look down at her plate. The young woman walked away; leaving the two to talk about what had just happened. Hitomi looked at Allen with dagger filled eyes.
"What the hell did you do that for?" "Well, it doesn't look too good if you come to this place with out a date. I wanted to just pretend that you were mine Hitomi. You don't seem to understand. I still love you very much and that's never going to go away."
Hitomi didn't know what to say. How could Allen still care about her after her specifically telling him to back off and leave her alone? Allen knew that Hitomi was going through rough times in her life and he promised he wasn't going to do this again.
"Look Allen, you know better than this. I don't want to be with you."
Allen could see the adjitation in her face and hear it in her voice. He still won't give up. For now, he would let her be, but he would have her as his girlfriend before he left New York. That was the promise that he made to himself. He couldn't see her with a super star like Van Fannel. HE would never be able to give Hitomi what she wanted. He smiled at her and apologized.
"Look Hitomi, I'm sorry. There's something you must understand though. I will never stop loving you. I have for a long time."
Hitomi just nodded; not caring what he had to say. She began to think that bringing Allen here was a bad idea.
After they had ordered their food; they sat and ate in silence. Neither of them knew what to say to one another. While they were eating in silence, Allen was coming up with a plan in his mind to make Hitomi care for him. When they had finished Allen paid the bill and the two walked outside. They stood at the bottom of the steps of the café talking.
"Hitomi, do you want to go for a walk to look around? I know how much you like nightly walks and stuff."
Allen was right. She did love long night walks when everything was warm and mild. The night tonight was perfect for one and even though she was upset with him she couldn't resist the walk. She knew that he knew he did wrong and now he was trying to fix it. She respected him for that much. She took him up on the offer and they began walking down the street away from the café.
For the first few minutes of the walk it was silent. Both were not sure to what to say to one an other. Allen decided to be brave and break the silence that was causing tension between them. He hated tension.
"It's a beautiful night isn't it?"
For the first time since they met at the airport; she gave him a smile.
"It sure is. I love nights like these. New York is such an interesting city. It's fun to just walk around the different areas and take in the sights and sounds."
"mmm I agree. Does the big city make you miss home at all?"
"No, not really. I don't really want to go back there. It helps me to be away from things while I'm getting over things. I think this was what I needed in the first place."
"I see. Well at least you're happy now right?"
"Exactly."
Allen walked a bit closer to her side while they were talking. He had heard the roomers from the press about she and Van dating. He wanted to know the truth and he was about to take the chance to ask her when all of a sudden, an other camera flashed in front of Hitomi. She stopped abruptly and began to look angry.
"Shit! Allen we have to follow that truck. I have to make sure they don't print that picture."
"Why not. I mean all you were doing was walking with me. It's not like they'll go and make up some bogus story about you cheating on Van. I mean you guys aren't even dating are you?"
"No Allen, we're not but I can't let them print something like that. They have been trying to catch Van and I doing something "Scandalous", but they haven't been able to. They're trying to give me a bad name. Well some of them are anyway."
"Yeah but why would they want to do that?"
"Well, I don't know. All I know right now is we have to make sure that Van never sees that picture or anyone else for that matter."
Hitomi was much more worried about Van seeing the picture though. She could tell he was having feelings for her and for some reason; she didn't want to break his heart. Van had been nothing but a good friend to Hitomi, and she wanted to keep that friendship alive. She took off ahead of Allen; sprinting after the truck. She finally caught up with them after they had stopped for a coffee at a small coffee shop. She went over to see that the photographer was a woman. She found this much easier. Women seemed to understand things much better than men did when it came to what should and shouldn't be shown in magazines and on TV. She stopped the woman on her way inside and asked to talk to her for a few minutes. The woman agreed and they went inside the shop. Hitomi gave herself a good name by buying the woman a coffee. They sat down and Hitomi's pleading began.
"Look miss, I know what you saw and what you took a picture of. That man out there is my friend. We are not dating and I would really appreciate it if you didn't print that picture. It's in Van's best interest you don't."
Instantly Hitomi realized that she made a mistake. She knew that now there was no way of turning back. Luckily Allen had snuck inside of the shop after the two women and was waiting to see if Hitomi became distressed. He noticed her facial expressions changing and walked up to the table. He greeted the photographer by giving her one of his usually irristable smiles.
"Hello there miss, I see you've been trying to take pictures of me?"
The young woman was dumb founded. She now was the one looking distressed.
"Well I guess you could say that."
"Well, instead of just taking pictures, how about we go and have some fun tonight. I could maybe take you out for dinner and a quick movie if you would like. I understand that being a photographer is a strenuous job and it can get tiring. I think you need a little relaxation time. I will even pay for everything that you want."
Hitomi was beginning to think that Allen was brilliant. The girl smiled up at him.
"How old are you sir?"
Allen tried to guess her age by looking at her and said he was 21. When he asked the young woman how old she was she said 24. After a few minutes of conversation, the girl gave Hitomi the picture in exchange for a date with the handsome Allen chizar. Hitomi instantly felt relieved. Allen told the young woman to wait at the shop until he came back from taking Hitomi home. He had made up a lie telling her that he had to drive Hitomi home because Van wouldn't like her staying out too late in a city she hardly knew. Allen and Hitomi walked down the road a bit and called for a cab. They took the cab back to Van's mansion and sat outside to talk for a few minutes. Allen stood beside Hitomi; waiting to see what she would say.
"Allen, thank you so much for taking her attention off of that picture. IT helped Van and I out a lot. You see, there's been so much press about us that it's getting hard to be friends. That's the last thing that Van and I want."
"I understand Hitomi. I did this because I care so deeply for you. I know tonight I won't enjoy myself at all. I just wanted to make things easier for you. Hitomi, you deserve that much. I know you've been having a rough time with things lately, but I think I can help you more than Van can. I wish u would just come home with me when I leave and we could be together."
Before Hitomi knew what was happening, Allen leaned in and placed a tiny kiss on her lips. She couldn't believe what happened. Before she could think or move he told her the words she didn't want to hear.
"Hitomi, I love you."
Once she had regained her composure she turned from him. Instantly she turned back around and looked him straight in the eyes.
"The only reason you're doing this is to get with me. Allen, I know how you work! You're a player and you always will be. I shouldn't have let you come here. I want you to go home!"
"Hitomi, I came here to be with you. I am only going on this date to make things easier for you and Van."
"Well, we don't need your help. I'm sick of your little games. I should have known that this is what you were going to go and do. She raised her hand and slapped him in the face. The slap echoed through out the street. Allen was taken back by what she had just done. She looked at him once again and noticed a broose forming on his face. She said the words that she had been longing to say for a long time.
"Allen stop stocking me and go home where you belong. I don't love you, I don't need you. I tried to be your friend but it's impossible to do so when all you want to do is get with me. You have no respect for my feelings and if you did; you would have left me alone when I asked you to. If you loved me in the first place; you wouldn't have even came here and tried all of these stunts. There's something wrong with you Allen. Go find yourself someone else to stock. Maybe the lady from the press will be better for you. Please, just leave me alone!"
With that she walked away from him in a fit of rage. She wanted to go find Van, but little did she know that now was too late. Van had seen Allen kiss her from on the balcony on the top floor. HE had been up there thinking about her and what he should do about her when he saw her and Allen arrive back early. He had hoped that their day had gone bad and then to his surprise; he saw Allen kiss her. Sure it was only a tiny kiss, but it was still a kiss. Before he could watch anything else; he stormed off the balcony and in to his room. He felt as if she lied about everything and now he was angry with her. So angry that he was beginning to rethink everything. He had fallen in love with a lyer?
