Daphne:
I would just like to thank all the readers who reviewed the last chapter. You see, my beloved dog, Blitzen, whom I have had since I was four, died Wednesday morning (she was very sick), and it has been a really hard time for me. Reading all the reviews to this story made me feel a lot better, and some even made me laugh, which is something I have not felt like doing for a while.
So thank you, for bringing that little ray of sunshine back into my life! I really appreciate it, and I hope that you will keep reviewing! It makes me feel a whole lot more happy!
All right, enough with the sentimental stuff. On to the fic!!!
~*~*~*~
JUST BREATHE
by: Daphne Li
Chapter 7.
~*~*~*~
"Hilde!"
Hilde, who had just gotten off her plane, looked around in horror. For there, in the airport waiting-area, stood Tomoyo Hiiragizawa, smiling mildly at her daughter.
"Mom...how did you know?" She managed to gasp, as her mother slid her arm around her waist and began to lead her out of the airport. Tomoyo laughed.
"Hill, I'm your mother. I know these things. You're just lucky your father was too busy to notice the change in his daughter!" She stated. Hilde winced.
"And I suppose everyone knows?" She asked timidly. Tomoyo smiled as they climbed into the limo.
"Only Milly, Yuki, Akane, and myself. Oh, and Philipe knows...but only because he caught Heidi eating during one of her 'bad-acting' moments, and realized that you would never stuff your face like that!" Tomoyo laughed. Hilde smiled.
"I'm never doing this again." She murmured, her smile turning bitter. Tomoyo looked at her in surprise.
"Darling, what happened?" She asked tenderly, pulling her daughter into a hug. Hilde rested her head on her mother's shoulder.
"I got my first kiss." Hilde said listlessly. Tomoyo looked at her daughter in the utmost astonishment. Sure, she expected that sort of phrase out of Heidi one of these days...but not the quiet, anti-social Hilde.
"Oh?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Hilde giggled bitterly, tears filling her eyes.
"From...Kojii Li." She finally admitted. Now, Tomoyo nearly fell over in shock.
"Hilde...oh, honey! What will Heidi say?" She gasped. She had known that Hilde had gotten close to Meilei (Sakura had told her), but Kojii?
"I don't know. But mama...it hurts so bad. I tried not to hurt anyone...especially him, but I ended up getting hurt, instead." Hilde's voice was full of sorrow, but her words came out sounding like bitter laughter.
"And now, he hates me." She whimpered. Tomoyo pulled her closer and stroked her daughter's long hair.
"I thought that you didn't like Kojii. Why are you so upset, then?"
"Mum, he kissed me."
"And then?"
"I..." Hilde sighed and began to tell her the whole story, from the start of the switch to the end, her confrontation with Kojii.
"So you like him...as more than a friend." Tomoyo murmured. Hilde nodded, her lips still tingling from the memory of that not-so-long-ago kiss.
"He likes you, too. He never would have kissed you if he didn't."
"I don't think so. He probably did it as a last ditch attempt to keep me from dropping his sister. No matter what he says, Kojii loves Meilei a lot." Hilde murmured.
"But Meilei knows the truth. And you asked her to tell him, right?"
"I asked her to tell him when *she* thought it was the right time. Unfortunately, I don't know when that will be." Hilde stated, watching as they pulled into the drive leading to their home. Tomoyo smiled.
"Well, enough about this for now. Right now, you have some settling in to do!" Tomoyo exclaimed, pointing to where Philipe and Yuki stood, waiting by the front doors. Hilde smiled as her brother opened the car-door himself, and stuck his head into the car.
"You owe me a lot, missy! Leaving me with that zit-head! And I had to be nice to her so dad wouldn't suspect! You owe me big!" He stated, as he helped her out of the car. Hilde smiled and hugged her brother tearfully.
"I missed you so much." She whispered to him. Yuki smiled bashfully and hugged her tightly in return.
"Me too. It's good to have you home, Hill." He murmured, sliding his arm around her waist while her mother did the same on her other side. Together, the three walked into the house, chatting happily.
'I'm home.' Hilde thought, as the door shut behind them.
~*~*~*~
"So...did you tell Heidi about...you know...him kissing you?" Akane asked a week later, after Heidi herself had left to return to Japan. Hilde sighed and shook her head.
"I couldn't. Can you imagine how angry she would be with me?" Hilde gasped, collapsing onto her bed. Akane smiled and sat next to her. Akane was over for a sleep-over, and the two girls were spending some quality time bonding after Hilde's long absence.
"Yeah. Can you imagine her face if he was to..."
*RING!*
"I'm popular lately." Hilde sighed, reaching for her cell-phone.
"Hello?"
"Hilde! I'm so glad I managed to get you!" Came Meilei's voice. Hilde frowned as she noted how anxious her friend's voice was.
"What is the matter, Mei?" She asked, as Akane leaned over to listen to the conversation.
"It's Kojii. He's gone completely crazy!"
"What? What on earth do you mean?" Hilde gasped. Meilei sighed.
"The past few days he's been acting completely peevish, and just last night, I woke up to something crashing. I didn't get up to see what it was, but this morning, when I went into his room to use his computer...oh, it was awful!"
"What?"
"I swear he's stabbed every pillow he owns with that sword of his, and every poster in his room is torn to pieces! And I found one of his lamps, the one that used to sit on his desk, smashed to bits and thrown into his waste-basket! I think that's the crashing sound I heard last night."
"You mean he broke it deliberately?" Akane gasped, turning so her words could be heard.
"Considering the pieces look clean-cut and not bumpy as most would if the lamp had simply fallen...yes, he probably took his sword to that too. And instead of practicing his sword in his room, he's taken to going out into the gardens at night, and practicing there. We hardly ever see him anymore!" Meilei exclaimed. Hilde turned pale as she listened to this tale, and her stomach twisted.
"And Heidi?"
"She bad-mouthed him in the hall yesterday, and Kojii just walked away. But when I talked to Isaac this morning, he told me that Kojii went behind the school right after that, and went ballistic, growling and hitting the side of the school for no reason." Meilei continued. Hilde's stomach churned and she dropped the phone, quickly rushing for the bathroom. Akane stared after her in shock, and Meilei could be heard, yelling for someone to answer.
"Sorry, Mei. I think she just got sick." Akane stated in a shaky voice, as she took up the phone. Meilei gasped.
"Akane, what's wrong?"
"Kojii kissed her the day before she left."
"WHAT?!?! YOU'RE KIDDING!" Meilei shrieked. Akane sadly shook her head.
"No. That's the problem. She had to blow him off completely, to keep him from trying to talk to Heidi when she returned. Hilde won't tell me everything, but from what I can tell, some pretty harsh words were exchanged."
"Oh, Akane. This has turned into a total...hell." Meilei moaned. Akane sighed.
"I know."
"And to top it off, Hiro was flirting with Heidi yesterday. Kojii must have seen because now he's mad a Hiro. But...Hiro's always liked Heidi, even before the truce." Meilei admitted. Akane sighed as Hilde walked back into the room, looking quite pale and even a bit green.
"This is bad. But Hilde's back now, and I'll let her talk to you." Akane murmured. Hilde shot her a thankful look and then took the phone.
"Feeling better?"
"Not really."
"Hiro and Heidi are flirting. I think that...they will be getting together, soon." Meilei stated hesitantly. Hilde knew what she was hinting about, and her stomach churned again.
"Please...let's talk about something else!" She begged. Meilei quickly obliged. The girl's talked for several more minutes, before they finally had to get off because Tomoyo kept yelling up to them that she had dinner on the table.
"Hilde, will you be all right?" Akane asked hesitantly, as she got ready to go to bed later that night. Hilde nodded.
"I'm fine, 'Kane. Don't worry."
"But I do." Akane whispered as Hilde turned out the lights.
Hilde climbed into bed, and waited until she was sure that Akane had fallen to sleep, before breaking into silent sobs that racked her whole delicate body. Her tear-filled amethyst eyes found her huge, open windows and gazed out, staring at the moon.
'I wonder if Kojii has seen the moon tonight.' She thought sadly, unable to hide her feelings for him anymore...at least from herself.
Across the continent, a young man with dark chestnut locks and cold amber eyes stared at the moon, thinking relatively the same thing as Hilde.
That night, two people slept, content with the attraction that was quickly growing between them.
Two people fell asleep full of worry for their friend.
And two people went to bed that night with broken hearts that would take years to heal.
~*~*~*~
I would just like to thank all the readers who reviewed the last chapter. You see, my beloved dog, Blitzen, whom I have had since I was four, died Wednesday morning (she was very sick), and it has been a really hard time for me. Reading all the reviews to this story made me feel a lot better, and some even made me laugh, which is something I have not felt like doing for a while.
So thank you, for bringing that little ray of sunshine back into my life! I really appreciate it, and I hope that you will keep reviewing! It makes me feel a whole lot more happy!
All right, enough with the sentimental stuff. On to the fic!!!
~*~*~*~
JUST BREATHE
by: Daphne Li
Chapter 7.
~*~*~*~
"Hilde!"
Hilde, who had just gotten off her plane, looked around in horror. For there, in the airport waiting-area, stood Tomoyo Hiiragizawa, smiling mildly at her daughter.
"Mom...how did you know?" She managed to gasp, as her mother slid her arm around her waist and began to lead her out of the airport. Tomoyo laughed.
"Hill, I'm your mother. I know these things. You're just lucky your father was too busy to notice the change in his daughter!" She stated. Hilde winced.
"And I suppose everyone knows?" She asked timidly. Tomoyo smiled as they climbed into the limo.
"Only Milly, Yuki, Akane, and myself. Oh, and Philipe knows...but only because he caught Heidi eating during one of her 'bad-acting' moments, and realized that you would never stuff your face like that!" Tomoyo laughed. Hilde smiled.
"I'm never doing this again." She murmured, her smile turning bitter. Tomoyo looked at her in surprise.
"Darling, what happened?" She asked tenderly, pulling her daughter into a hug. Hilde rested her head on her mother's shoulder.
"I got my first kiss." Hilde said listlessly. Tomoyo looked at her daughter in the utmost astonishment. Sure, she expected that sort of phrase out of Heidi one of these days...but not the quiet, anti-social Hilde.
"Oh?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Hilde giggled bitterly, tears filling her eyes.
"From...Kojii Li." She finally admitted. Now, Tomoyo nearly fell over in shock.
"Hilde...oh, honey! What will Heidi say?" She gasped. She had known that Hilde had gotten close to Meilei (Sakura had told her), but Kojii?
"I don't know. But mama...it hurts so bad. I tried not to hurt anyone...especially him, but I ended up getting hurt, instead." Hilde's voice was full of sorrow, but her words came out sounding like bitter laughter.
"And now, he hates me." She whimpered. Tomoyo pulled her closer and stroked her daughter's long hair.
"I thought that you didn't like Kojii. Why are you so upset, then?"
"Mum, he kissed me."
"And then?"
"I..." Hilde sighed and began to tell her the whole story, from the start of the switch to the end, her confrontation with Kojii.
"So you like him...as more than a friend." Tomoyo murmured. Hilde nodded, her lips still tingling from the memory of that not-so-long-ago kiss.
"He likes you, too. He never would have kissed you if he didn't."
"I don't think so. He probably did it as a last ditch attempt to keep me from dropping his sister. No matter what he says, Kojii loves Meilei a lot." Hilde murmured.
"But Meilei knows the truth. And you asked her to tell him, right?"
"I asked her to tell him when *she* thought it was the right time. Unfortunately, I don't know when that will be." Hilde stated, watching as they pulled into the drive leading to their home. Tomoyo smiled.
"Well, enough about this for now. Right now, you have some settling in to do!" Tomoyo exclaimed, pointing to where Philipe and Yuki stood, waiting by the front doors. Hilde smiled as her brother opened the car-door himself, and stuck his head into the car.
"You owe me a lot, missy! Leaving me with that zit-head! And I had to be nice to her so dad wouldn't suspect! You owe me big!" He stated, as he helped her out of the car. Hilde smiled and hugged her brother tearfully.
"I missed you so much." She whispered to him. Yuki smiled bashfully and hugged her tightly in return.
"Me too. It's good to have you home, Hill." He murmured, sliding his arm around her waist while her mother did the same on her other side. Together, the three walked into the house, chatting happily.
'I'm home.' Hilde thought, as the door shut behind them.
~*~*~*~
"So...did you tell Heidi about...you know...him kissing you?" Akane asked a week later, after Heidi herself had left to return to Japan. Hilde sighed and shook her head.
"I couldn't. Can you imagine how angry she would be with me?" Hilde gasped, collapsing onto her bed. Akane smiled and sat next to her. Akane was over for a sleep-over, and the two girls were spending some quality time bonding after Hilde's long absence.
"Yeah. Can you imagine her face if he was to..."
*RING!*
"I'm popular lately." Hilde sighed, reaching for her cell-phone.
"Hello?"
"Hilde! I'm so glad I managed to get you!" Came Meilei's voice. Hilde frowned as she noted how anxious her friend's voice was.
"What is the matter, Mei?" She asked, as Akane leaned over to listen to the conversation.
"It's Kojii. He's gone completely crazy!"
"What? What on earth do you mean?" Hilde gasped. Meilei sighed.
"The past few days he's been acting completely peevish, and just last night, I woke up to something crashing. I didn't get up to see what it was, but this morning, when I went into his room to use his computer...oh, it was awful!"
"What?"
"I swear he's stabbed every pillow he owns with that sword of his, and every poster in his room is torn to pieces! And I found one of his lamps, the one that used to sit on his desk, smashed to bits and thrown into his waste-basket! I think that's the crashing sound I heard last night."
"You mean he broke it deliberately?" Akane gasped, turning so her words could be heard.
"Considering the pieces look clean-cut and not bumpy as most would if the lamp had simply fallen...yes, he probably took his sword to that too. And instead of practicing his sword in his room, he's taken to going out into the gardens at night, and practicing there. We hardly ever see him anymore!" Meilei exclaimed. Hilde turned pale as she listened to this tale, and her stomach twisted.
"And Heidi?"
"She bad-mouthed him in the hall yesterday, and Kojii just walked away. But when I talked to Isaac this morning, he told me that Kojii went behind the school right after that, and went ballistic, growling and hitting the side of the school for no reason." Meilei continued. Hilde's stomach churned and she dropped the phone, quickly rushing for the bathroom. Akane stared after her in shock, and Meilei could be heard, yelling for someone to answer.
"Sorry, Mei. I think she just got sick." Akane stated in a shaky voice, as she took up the phone. Meilei gasped.
"Akane, what's wrong?"
"Kojii kissed her the day before she left."
"WHAT?!?! YOU'RE KIDDING!" Meilei shrieked. Akane sadly shook her head.
"No. That's the problem. She had to blow him off completely, to keep him from trying to talk to Heidi when she returned. Hilde won't tell me everything, but from what I can tell, some pretty harsh words were exchanged."
"Oh, Akane. This has turned into a total...hell." Meilei moaned. Akane sighed.
"I know."
"And to top it off, Hiro was flirting with Heidi yesterday. Kojii must have seen because now he's mad a Hiro. But...Hiro's always liked Heidi, even before the truce." Meilei admitted. Akane sighed as Hilde walked back into the room, looking quite pale and even a bit green.
"This is bad. But Hilde's back now, and I'll let her talk to you." Akane murmured. Hilde shot her a thankful look and then took the phone.
"Feeling better?"
"Not really."
"Hiro and Heidi are flirting. I think that...they will be getting together, soon." Meilei stated hesitantly. Hilde knew what she was hinting about, and her stomach churned again.
"Please...let's talk about something else!" She begged. Meilei quickly obliged. The girl's talked for several more minutes, before they finally had to get off because Tomoyo kept yelling up to them that she had dinner on the table.
"Hilde, will you be all right?" Akane asked hesitantly, as she got ready to go to bed later that night. Hilde nodded.
"I'm fine, 'Kane. Don't worry."
"But I do." Akane whispered as Hilde turned out the lights.
Hilde climbed into bed, and waited until she was sure that Akane had fallen to sleep, before breaking into silent sobs that racked her whole delicate body. Her tear-filled amethyst eyes found her huge, open windows and gazed out, staring at the moon.
'I wonder if Kojii has seen the moon tonight.' She thought sadly, unable to hide her feelings for him anymore...at least from herself.
Across the continent, a young man with dark chestnut locks and cold amber eyes stared at the moon, thinking relatively the same thing as Hilde.
That night, two people slept, content with the attraction that was quickly growing between them.
Two people fell asleep full of worry for their friend.
And two people went to bed that night with broken hearts that would take years to heal.
~*~*~*~