"Hitomi, remember to come after school!" one of the crowd members said, and Van looked up from the ground. Hitomi's eyes were filled with a Tinkerbell green, her golden brown hair braided with fat emerald green ribbon. She had on a leafy colored sweat shirt on, the neck cut off so it rested off her slender shoulders. The group laughed in unison, the array of denim jeans and sweaters rustling as they commented and bustled in the aftermath of the joke. Van remembered when she got that sweater, it was their first concert together.

Still falling
Breathless and on again...

She looked up, her head raising from the crowd of ducked heads, and her smile faded as she recognized Van's face.

I could possibly be fading,
Or have something more to gain

Her eyes lost their happy confidence, and absentmindedly she hugged her school books to her chest. She swept her gaze to the floor, and waved offhandedly to her friends. She could feel his eyes following her, it was so uncomfortable.

"Bye Hitomi," they all said randomly, and as Van kept his gaze on her, she walked close to the lockers on the opposite side of the hallway. His lips were parted slightly, and his head was tilted back slightly as the emotion of his face was a mixture of hurt, disbelief and being torn. Hooking a strand of loose hair behind her ear, she then mustered the courage to look up. The knot in her throat tightened. He caught her gaze, and her shoulders gathered slightly.

I could feel myself growing colder,
I could feel myself under your fate,
Under your fate...

Frozen in the middle of the hallway, their hearts were in cages. Shielded, but visible so that they could see the raw emotion. The moment grew longer, and Van felt connected enough to say something.

It was you breathless and tall,
I could feel my eyes turning into dust...

Perhaps Hitomi realized Van's thoughts, or maybe she just read it from his raising arm and his intake of breath. The small flex in the muscle of his jaw.

Half a syllable left his mouth before Hitomi suddenly picked up her speed and push through the double doors leading outside. The door swung a couple of times before staying shut, and as Van reverted his eyes to Hitomi's crowd, they were gone too. He stood alone, and slowly he dropped his raised hand, the gesture he had hoped meant that he was trying to sort things out.

....And two strangers turning into dust
Turning into dust.

* * *

The street lights glowed an odd orange, highlighting the forest green leaves of the few trees an eerie color. It was quiet. And Van was alone.

His throat was stinging, dry, like he hadn't drunk anything in days. His gaze was serious, stern even, his jaw set. An empty plate sat on the floor beside his bed, remnants of his dinner littering the edges of it. Moonlight streamed through his window, and he leaned his head against the cool glass.

He and Hitomi would make up, they couldn't be friends this long and just suddenly be broken apart.

Van felt the doubt enter his system. Exhaling sharply, he looked at the basketball in his hands and ran his fingertips over the orange rubber bumps, along the black curved grooves. The shrieking sound of the phone ringing blazed through the house, disrupting the silence, and Van could hear the sound of Merle picking up the phone from downstairs.

"Hold on," he heard vaguely, then the urgent sound of his little sister running up the stairs. "Van, phone!"

"Got it," he grunted, picking up his phone deftly, "Hello?"

"Van," came a teary voice, and for a moment his heart froze. Hitomi? "I'm really sorry to call you, but everyone's busy and--" the voice stopped, and a series of strained hiccups and sobs ensued.

"Are you okay?" Van asked, and there was a sniff, then another heart wrenching sob.

"No," the speaker wept, "It's Maddie, by the way. I'm so sorry for calling you like this," she apologized profusely, and Van straightened up from his slouched position, frowning.

"What's wrong?" Van asked, his stern expression shifting to a worried one, and he strained to hear Maddie's reply as it was a blur of distressed syllables and torn wails.

"I'm sort of drunk right now, I'm so sorry Van, I'm really sorry," Maddie said, her tone almost as if she was pleading, "I don't know what to do, I don't know what to do," she trailed off, her sobbing growing more frequent.

"Okay, forget about what happened," Van instructed, "Breathe."

"I feel like going to sleep, but I can't," Maddie cried, sitting alone inside a bathroom on a toilet with the seat down, the white tile and lighting harsh and not warm and comforting. "I'm in the bathroom, so I could be alone," she croaked, "I don't know what to do Van, tell me what to do!" she begged.

"Where are you?" Van asked. Maddie didn't reply, rather she just kept crying to herself. "Maddie, where are you?" Van pressed, when he jerked up slightly from Maddie's sudden volume.

"I'm at my boyfriend's house," she sobbed loudly, "And right now he's with some girl under a blanket," she wailed, her voice growing thick and watery.

"I'm so sorry," Van trailed off, unsure of what to say, and a fresh bout of sniffles and whimpers came from Maddie's end.

"I liked him so much," she hiccupped, "And I trust so many people and they always let me down."

"They say to give your love, Maddie," Van said quietly, "But trust is something sacred."

"I know, I'm stupid," Maddie replied, leaning against the counter, poking the pale pink bar of soap on the dish. "Nothing ever stays good for me, I always screw it up," she sobbed, and Van rubbed his head.

"This isn't your fault," Van assured her, "You're a bit tipsy, things are a lot more extreme then they seem. I really think you should leave his house," Van stressed, "And you should go home."

"My mom's going to kill me," Maddie choked, "I can't even figure out where the subway station is." She dug her nails into the soap bar in anguish and dragged lines down the round pink glycerin. Van chewed on his bottom lip, thinking. He could hear Maddie breathing loudly, the noises coming from her echo like because of the bathroom.

"Okay, the important thing is that you leave there," Van said finally, "You can't stay there, Maddie."

"But I drive, or anything," she wailed, "And won't it work!" Van paused for a moment, trying to decipher what she said.

"Take a taxi," Van suggested, and there was a silence on the other end. "Maddie?"

"I'm looking for money," she mumbled, her head bowed down as she hunted through her purse. Her movements were frantic, yet slow. "I don't have money," she cried, dropping her wallet into her purse, her head pounding. Van exhaled through his teeth, tossing the basketball between his hands.

"Okay, Maddie, where is your boyfriend's house?"

"It's near Arzas Station," she hiccupped, and Van swung his legs out of bed, sitting up.

"Okay, I want you to call a taxi, and take it to my house, alright?" Van instructed slowly, "Maddie, are you listening?"

"I don't have money!" Maddie shouted, and Van sighed.

"I know, but I do, okay? I'll pay for your taxi," he replied patiently, and Maddie held her head in her hands.

"But I told my mom I'd be home by midnight, I lied.... I said that I was working on a project, " she whispered, "But I can't go home, not like this.... My head hurts so much, where the hell is my aspirin," she suddenly demanded, and Van's ears pricked.

"Don't take any medicine, Maddie," Van warned, "Not until the morning, alright? I'll call your mom, and say that you were working with me and that you're taking longer then expected. Just come before you do something you'll regret."

There was a silence again, and before Van could ask if Maddie was there, she spoke. "Thank you Van," she said softly.

"No problem," he smiled tiredly, and hanging up the phone he then scratched his head before beginning to change the sheets on his bed.

* * *

Van padded quietly up the stairs with a glass of water, and knocked gently on the door to his bedroom before entering. Maddie was tucked under Van's blanket, a fresh blue coverlet around it instead of Van's typical black one that was covered in crumbs of food. Her closed eyes were rimmed with black, results of her mascara smudging from her tears, and her face was pale but peaceful. Setting down the glass gently on his desk, Van looked at the picture of Hitomi on the table and set it face down.

Van looked at the money in his hands, then at the taxi driver.

"Fifteen dollars?" Van repeated, ant the driver nodded. "Hold on for a second then," Van said, and jogging into the house he sprinted to his room. He only had ten. Opening his desk drawer, he saw a bunch of bills scattered around. Hitomi's birthday money. For a minute, his hand was suspended above a bill, when his fingers suddenly curled into a fist, his other hand shutting the drawer firmly. Jogging over to his bomber jacket, he reached in and pulled out five dollars, he'd just have to have smaller lunches for the next week.

More like a cracker if he was lucky.

Van picked up the picture again, then sighed as he left his room soundlessly. Their friendship would be alright. He hoped so, a lot.

* * *

"Hitomi, don't you think you should forgive Van?" Allen tried hesitantly, and Hitomi stopped fingering the pale blue skirt in front of her. It was the only thing in the store that didn't have red or black in it, the red the exact hue of Van's eyes when he was in the sun.

"No," Hitomi replied steadily, "I've always let him get off the hook when he beats people up, but I'm so sick of it!"

"But he has reason," Allen said lowly, and placing his hands on Hitomi's shoulders he met her gaze, "Some of my friends were going at Merle, and I didn't stop them," he said quietly, "I don't even know why I didn't intervene... I feel terrible." For a moment, Hitomi just blinked her green eyes at Allen, then softened.

"Still, he shouldn't always result to fighting," Hitomi insisted, but she felt slightly guilty.

"If someone did that my sister, I'd do the same Hitomi," Allen said, and Hitomi looked at him in surprise.

"You have a sister?"

"Yeah," Allen nodded, "She doesn't live with my family though..."

"Why?" Hitomi asked, then suddenly stopped, "I mean, you don't have to tell me," she added hurriedly, distracting herself by looking at the price tag of the skirt.

"Maybe later," Allen smiled weakly, "You like that skirt?"

* * *

Maddie and Merle were battling away on Van's game system, blisters growing prominent on their thumbs, their wrists going sore. The fast techno soundtrack was blaring, and Van sat contentedly on the couch as he tugged at pieces of licorice with his teeth. The doorbell rang, and Van groaned as he willed himself to get off his lazy ass. Stumbling over to the door he opened it and nearly choked on a piece of licorice.

"Hey," Hitomi smiled unsurely, and Van swallowed.

"Hey." Both stood awkwardly, shuffling, until Van cleared his throat. "Uh, did you want to come in?"

"That was the idea," Hitomi half laughed, and Van grinned.

"Wow, you actually got an idea for once?" he smirked, and Hitomi pretended to be shocked as she smacked him in the stomach. "Maddie's here..." Van added when they entered the living room, and Hitomi frowned.

"Oh," she said, noticing Maddie wearing Van's shirt and shorts, before smiling, "Hey."

"Hey," Maddie smiled, pausing the game. Hitomi was tempted to ask why Maddie was there, but decided against it. She didn't know that Maddie and Van were such good friends...

"Me and Allen are going to The Crusade tonight," Hitomi said, "I was wondering if you wanted to come.... Maddie can come too," she added.

"Thanks for the invitation," Merle mock huffed, and Hitomi flushed red.

"I'd invite you Merle, but you're underage," Hitomi began, embarrassed, but Merle just cracked into laughter.

"I know stupid," she smiled, "I was being sarcastic. You know, the thing that you and Van are constantly?"

"Isn't The Crusade that new club?" Maddie asked, interrupting Hitomi before she could think of a reply. Van nodded.

"Yeah, sounds great Princess," Van smiled, and Hitomi grinned.

Things were alright again.

AN: Yeah... Been bad with the updating... Any commitments I have online I've been REALLY bad with... _ No fluff or lighthearted stuff this chapter... Sowee *bows head* Thanks to Aeka-himme for beta reading... But.. *Smacks her on the head* She said it was fine and that nothing needed to be changed! *cries* LOL, well, hope you enjoy this chapter, review, because I actually have inspiration!!! *_* Thanks to all those who reviewed last chapter, it meant a lot to me!!! *suffocates the few readers she has with a big hug*