Chapter 6
"We must be getting popular," Yukari commented from Amano's lap.
It was finally lunch. Incidentally, Van had joined Hitomi at her usually lunch spot. And amazingly, he sat down next to her and had no intention of leaving. Yukari had stared. For years it had only been Yukari and Hitomi eating lunch together. Then Amano came along and joined their merry little group. A newcomer of Van's popularity was a new sight.
"Wah?" asked Hitomi.
"Isn't that my brother walking toward us?" Amano guessed, squinting.
As one, Hitomi and Yukari snapped around to look. It was, indeed, Allen walking with a purposeful step toward their little lunch group. Allen casually sauntered up and sat down next to Hitomi, making Van narrow his eyes.
"Mind if I barge in?" Allen asked with a dazzling smile directed mainly at Hitomi.
Amano rolled his eyes. "You're just being polite because there's ladies around," he retorted to his twin.
"Can I help it if I am a gentleman?" Allen shot back.
Here, both Amano and Van laughed and snorted, respectively.
"Keep telling yourself that, Allen," Van said, slipping an arm around Hitomi when Allen kept on smiling at her.
"What's so funny?" Hitomi asked. She shifted nervously at Van's arm at her waist but found that she didn't mind it at all and relaxed.
"Well, Hitomi, these guys here are just jealous of my chivalrous ways," Allen explained gallantly to her. He aimed his charm toward Hitomi and shot out his smile at double power when he noticed Van's arm.
Amano started to cough but for some reason the word "fake" slipped out of his lips.
Hitomi smiled amusedly as Amano and Allen began to bicker. This was certainly a very strange day. But it was strange in a good way of course. For one thing there were more people than ever here at their lunch place. That had to be a good change right?
"Ah, brotherly love," she commented as Amano stuck up his middle finger at his twin.
Van chuckled as Allen in turn told Amano to stick it up in a highly inappropriate place near his buttocks while Yukari in the meantime rolled her eyes.
"Oh yeah, you can see it in their eyes. It's just amazing," he replied good-naturedly.
"What was that Fanel?" Allen snarled.
Hitomi blinked at the strange fierceness in Allen's voice. The change in the atmosphere around Allen was surprising. She'd seen them hanging out together at times, which meant they were friends right? So why was Allen glaring daggers at Van? It was as if Allen was challenging Van.
Van notched up an eyebrow at this challenge. He wasn't exactly sure what he had done to Allen this time, but then again Allen pissed him off most of the time. It wasn't as if Van talked to the blonde hotshot because he enjoyed his company. Plus Van didn't like the looks that Allen was directing to Hitomi.
They guy never learns, he thought. Didn't he see the kiss Hitomi had given him, note that, him, this morning?
"Nothing," Van replied to Allen's challenge, eyebrow rising higher. "I was just commenting on the amount of politeness you show to your brother."
It wasn't really an insulting comment, but for some reason Allen seemed annoyed. He narrowed his eyes and put on a look that said since-I'm-better-than-you-anything-you-say-doesn't-matter.
Hitomi frowned at this look. Noticing the frown, Allen immediately switched gears and smiled at her. Incidentally, Van sighed and sneakily tightened his arm around Hitomi, which coincidentally moved her closer to him. Hitomi gave a small start but then relaxed, leaning against Van.
Van looked up at Allen to see his reaction. As he had hoped, a small grimace flashed briefly across his handsome face but he covered it up quickly.
"If you excuse me ladies," he said, standing up. Allen bowed to Yukari and Hitomi, winking as they giggled, and left the group.
"Wonder what's wrong with him?" Amano thought out loud.
"What do you mean by that?" Yukari asked.
Amano shrugged. "Allen just seemed a bit. . . how do I put it. . .troubled about something," he replied.
"Oh I'm sure it's nothing," Van remarked. "He probably just remembered that Millerna has cheerleading practice at lunch today and he went to meet her before the other guys show off."
"Oh yeah."
Allen bristled as he stalked around the school. He was furious and he walked quicker to burn off the energy. Damn that Van! For the umpteenth time this day, Allen sincerely hoped that Van would go to hell or someplace just as bad. He detested the way Van arrogantly held Hitomi in his arms and the way Hitomi never protested. That was part of it as well: Hitomi simply didn't notice his charms but had all eyes for Van's inferiority.
Allen felt so angry that he never noticed a certain silver haired guy heading right toward him. As a result, there was a brief collision and both guys smacked and stumbled back.
"What the fuck was that for?" the silver haired guy snarled.
"It was your fault! You should have watched where you're going!" Allen hissed. He shook his blonde hair out of his face to meet the sparking red eyes of Dilandau. "Oh, it's you," he sneered.
Dilandau narrowed his eyes. Nobody knew but Dilandau and Allen had a most peculiar past together. It all started when Dilandau and his twin sister Celena were orphaned and separated. Allen's family had then adopted Celena but a year later they were told that she had a brother who had just recently been adopted. Allen could remember the day Celena and Dilandau had met for the first time since their adoption. Dilandau had glared at his sister's family, as if he couldn't believe such a family as them would dare claim Celena as one of them. But the Schezars greeted him with welcome arms. From then on, Dilandau was considered part of the family, although they didn't adopt him, he was more of a cousin. Amano had accepted Dilandau as an indirect member of their family but Allen still had trouble believing that his sweet natured little sister was related to that maniac. Neither had ever been on good terms with each other from then on.
Dilandau picked himself off the ground and brushed himself off grumpily. "Don't make me pissed, Schezar. That Kanzaki girl already makes me want to burn something," he snarled dangerously.
Allen frowned, standing up. "Hitomi Kanzaki?" he asked.
"As a matter a fact, yes. Don't see why you should care anyway." Dilandau looked to the side for any approaching teachers, found none, then flicked out a lighter and made flames, on and off. "Burn, burn," he murmured to himself, starting to walk off.
Allen stopped himself from shuddering and followed him. This was something Allen usually tried to avoid but on the subject of Hitomi he'd even talk to Dilandau nicely.
"What did Hitomi do to you?" he asked catching up with him.
Dilandau swiveled his eyes to the side, glowering. The lighter flames kept coming. "What's it to you, blondie?" he asked. Allen then promptly listed all the reasons why Hitomi was the most innocent creature on the earth and her beauty and her…
"Shut up," Dilandau hissed.
Allen did so, eyeing his lighter cautiously. In his many clashes with Dilandau, one thing Allen had learned was that Dilandau was not someone to take lightly, especially if he was in possession of a lighter.
By now, it was apparent that Allen was not going to let him off. Dilandau growled at the thought of spending more time in this idiot's company and relented slightly.
"You were there that night, weren't you?" he asked. With a flick of his wrist, the flame grew higher. With another flick, he put it out, and flicked the fire out again. "I was just poking fun at her. I couldn't resist. It's a rare thing to get a girl like Kanzaki out in the open like that. I was just playing when I took the knife out on her. But then she took it and then…well, you know what happened afterward. She cut that shitty hair of hers and scared us off."
Allen raised his eyebrow. They were now leaning on the wall next to a row of lockers. People passing by started to smile at the sight of Allen but then noticed Dilandau and hurried away for fear of their lives.
There was a sudden loud clang as Dilandau slammed his fist into the locker beside him, creating a large dent on the metal. "That bitch took away my reputation! After that night I couldn't face up to any of my gang! They all laughed at me, sayin' even a little girl like Kanzaki could beat me. Nobody respects me anymore. And with Kanzaki and that haircut strutting around next to that Fanel bastard…" The locker next him was starting to collapse. "I hate that bitch, I hate her guts," Dilandau muttered darkly.
Allen concentrated on the lighter in Dilandau's hand. Up went the flame, and then down. "If you ask me, it's Fanel that's the bitch, not Hitomi," he said carefully.
Dilandau swiveled his eyes over to him suspiciously. "So?" He flicked out cigarette and lit it. He sucked in on the cancer stick and blew out the smoke, which coincidentally puffed into Allen's face. Dilandau looked at Allen and dared him to protest.
Allen sighed. "Look at us here," he said.
" 'Us?'" Dilandau challenged. "Do me a favor and exclude me from your company."
"We're both miserable," Allen continued. "And the misery all spawned from the same night. And we both hate someone who was there that night."
"Don't compare me to you, asshole," Dilandau snarled, blowing at smoke in angry puffs.
Allen patiently waved away the fumes.
"I have an idea," he told Dilandau.
A/N Just to let you know, I don't know when the next update will be as I'm busy with summer homework that I've been putting off. Plus I start school next Tuesday so when that happens I really don't know when I can update. I think I'll start updating weekly, like during the weekend or something, but don't hold me to that. If you're lucky I'll suddenly come up with inspiration and write another chapter. It helps if you review, then I'll feel guilty about letting you down and quickly write another chapter or something ^_^;