A/N Wow, I haven't updated this story for so long. I'm so sorry to people who've been waiting! I've probably lost all my former readers…I'll just hope people start reading this. School is just such a (beep). High school sucks, but oh well. Okay, so here's the next chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne. Do not sue me.
Chapter 8
The sun blazed down, beating mercilessly on the world below. A sweet wind countered the sun and gleefully whistled around the souls on the ground. The souls standing on the ground that is.
"Whooooooooooo!"
Folken glanced up from his afternoon stroll. Well, not exactly a stroll but more like a very brisk walk. A walk that just happened to be going in the opposite direction of the main building of the Escaflowne Motorcycles Company headquarters, which just happened to be where Folken's uncle, Balgus, was currently sitting in his office, fuming from their recent shouting match.
Folken stopped, smoothed back some wind-ruffled hair and turned his head. In front of him was one of the many motorcycle tracks of Escaflowne Motorcycles, used for test-driving vehicles. This particular one was rarely used due to the fact that it was reserved for the Fanel family and guests' private use.
He stepped up to the railing of the track and observed.
There was a rapidly moving black streak of color zipping around the circular track. Atop this black streak of color were two smears of blue jeans and two sweat-streaked shirts of green and white. Over the white and green were two manes of unruly black and sandy blonde hair secured under two black helmets.
Folken heard a brief shriek as the motorcycle passed by that was hurriedly cut off as it zoomed away. Smiling pleasantly to himself, Folken crossed his arms and leaned against the railing. He instinctively identified the motorcycle as the Black Escaflowne, which meant that the driver was his little brother Van. He couldn't identify the rider sitting behind Van, but he could guess. It was most probably Hitomi Kanzaki, that girl his brother had been dreaming about in a daze for the past week.
Waving amicably at a few passing employees, Folken leaped the railing and walked out onto the middle of the track.
Hitomi gasped at the rush of adrenaline to her head as she clutched Van's waist. She leaned her head back, loving every moment as the motorcycle tugged at the laws of gravity, accelerating round and round…
"Faster, faster!" she screamed over the motor.
Van responded with a vroom of the handle and obliged.
Hitomi laughed delightfully as the bike pulled them through the air. Here, right here at this moment, Hitomi felt lighter than the air. She felt unstoppable, unbeatable. She could feel the danger and speed right in the marrow of her bones, passing through her body and into her blood. This was where she reveled, here riding the motorcycle, sitting behind Van; this was right where she belonged.
Sighing, Van kept himself from swooning at Hitomi's arms him and told himself that he'd crash if he wasn't careful. He had obliged to Hitomi's gleeful requests and they were now riding at a neck-breaking speed. The danger of this speed didn't worry him in the least. In fact, he thought they weren't going fast enough. But out of respect for Balgus and his cautionary lectures on motorcycle safety, Van didn't accelerate more and kept at this moderate speed.
Van was one happy camper. He had offered Hitomi a visit to the Escaflowne headquarters. He smiled in memory of the happiness that burst into her eyes as she accepted eagerly. It had been fun showing her around the company. Van had decided not to give Hitomi the customary tour and brought her into the restricted areas of the company. It didn't matter that he would have gotten severe consequence had he been caught. The sight of Hitomi's admiring smiles was worth any risk. The real treat for Hitomi was the rows and columns of Escaflowne motorcycles, all neatly lined up and ready to be shipped for sale. Van had taken some of the more impressive ones out to the private track and they proceeded to test driving them. Of course, none of them measured up to the Black Escaflowne of which they rode in the end.
Out of the corner of his eye, Van caught sight of Folken, standing in the little island in the middle of the track. He would have raised a hand to him but that would have sent him and Hitomi crashing into the wall. Instead, he nodded his head to his brother and slowed down.
Folken raised an eyebrow in amusement at Hitomi's protests as Van pulled over to the side. He watched Van point at his direction and Hitomi glance over and freeze as her vivacious expression melted into meekness. Folken chuckled softly to himself. So this was the famous Hitomi Kanzaki. Quiet as a mouse one moment and loud as a tiger the next. And apparently she liked motorcycles. Folken silently approved of Van's new girlfriend. His previous girls had all been the giggly types; Van had dropped them almost immediately, going through a whole string of short relationships. Hopefully this one would last longer.
Van slipped off Hitomi's helmet before taking off his own and slipped a hand around her own. He led her toward Folken, squeezing her hand reassuringly, as Hitomi was still extremely shy around strangers.
Hitomi looked up at Folken's brother, took in his dyed sapphire hair and bright eyes, and smiled nervously.
Folken grinned gently back. "You're Hitomi, I presume?" he asked in a deep baritone voice.
"Uh, yeah," Hitomi said shyly. She held out a hand. "Nice to meet you," she said politely.
Folken took her hand and shook it briefly. "I'm Folken, Van's brother if you haven't guessed already. So, have you shown her the company, Van?" he asked, turning to his brother.
"The uncensored version," Van answered, grinning.
"And I see you've raided the storage rooms again," Folken noted, looking at the motorcycles.
"I had to show Hitomi the best of the crop," Van said, shrugging.
Hitomi elbowed Van playfully. "I still think the Black Escaflowne was the best," she said, smiling.
"I'm just giving the other motorcycles a fair shot. I can't help it that the Black Escaflowne is in a completely higher league," Van boasted. Hitomi giggled.
A light grin touched Folken's face.
"By the way, Van, that custom-made model you requested has just arrived," Folken said.
Van's eyes lit up. "Really? When?" he asked eagerly.
"Just now actually. You owe me a favor by the way. I gave directions to deliver it here myself," Folken told him.
He nodded toward the railing. There, a sleek, silver motorcycle stood propped up against the fence.
Van grinned eagerly at Hitomi in anticipation, squeezing her hand. He dashed up to the silver motorcycle, circling and observing it with a critical eye. Hitomi followed him.
"What's this?" she asked.
"You'll see," Van murmured, swinging himself onto the seat.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hitomi questioned suspiciously.
Van only winked at her before slipping on his helmet. "I'm going to test this for a few laps. Stand back," he warned. Hitomi stepped back hurriedly as Van revved up the engine and sped off around the track.
Hitomi walked back to the center of the track and watched with Folken as Van swerved on a curve. She turned her head slightly and shyly observed Folken beside her. His eyes were half closed, face raised up to the wind. He looked calm and at peace, so different from the active Van.
Sensing her stare, Folken sharply turned his head to her. Hitomi blushed in embarrassment at being caught and decided to break the silence.
"So why is Van so excited about that motorcycle?" she asked both politely and curiously.
Folken turned his head back to the track, the corners of his mouth raising slightly. "It's not my place to say," he said sheepishly. "Van will tell you later."
There was another brief awkward silence. Once again, Hitomi decided to break it.
"So, Van tells me you're going to inherit Escaflowne Motorcycles," she said.
Folken didn't reply. He seemed to pause, body tightening, fist clenching.
Hitomi raised an eyebrow in bewilderment at this response. Wondering if she'd touched on a dangerous subject, she shrugged and went on.
"It must be a tough job your uncle has, managing the whole company. He must really trust you if he wants you to continue in his foot steps," she remarked.
Folken gave a dry laugh at this. "How much has Van told you about my inheritance? Has he mentioned my feelings about it at all?" he asked bitterly.
Then Hitomi remembered. "Balgus says that Folken is like our father: he only works with motorcycles for the job, not for the sheer love of it," Van had said.
"Oops," she murmured, mentally slapping herself.
"Well?" asked Folken. "How much has he told you?"
Hitomi bit her lip at Folken's stoic expression. She sighed. The Fanel brothers were so different.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Van says that you don't want to inherit the company. I forgot that just now. I shouldn't have brought it up."
Folken seemed to accept her apology. He smiled bitterly.
"You and Van seem very close," he commented as Van rounded a bend.
Hitomi ran a hand through her hair uncomfortably. "Um, yeah I guess," she murmured. She was awkward on this subject. She and Van were very close and Hitomi had never had this kind of relationship with anyone.
"You speak with uncertainty," Folken said.
"I do?" Hitomi asked in surprise. "I guess I am a little uncertain." She then eyed Folken suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"
"I merely wanted to know why Van has been acting so happy for the past few weeks," Folken answered, eyebrow raised. "I suppose it's all thanks to you, Hitomi." His face turned into a look of concern. "What's the matter? Why are you trembling?"
Hitomi blinked and discovered that her bottom lip was indeed trembling. She held her lip still and laughed nervously. "I'm sorry, Folken. It's nothing personal. I'm…I'm extremely shy and I get nervous around people I've just met."
"Understandable. You didn't look very shy with Van just now," Folken remarked.
Hitomi moved her eyes to Van's circling form and smiled sheepishly. "You're right. Van's different."
"I see."
Van hit the breaks to a stop a few yards away, cutting their strange conversation short. He flipped off his helmet, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
"How is it?" Folken called.
"It's perfect!" Van shouted gleefully.
He dashed over to Hitomi and dragged her back to the silver motorcycle, laughing delightfully.
"What do you think of this motorcycle?" he asked her eagerly.
"Um," Hitomi murmured looking it over.
"Do you like it?" Van asked.
Hitomi observed the motorcycle's sleek, agile features. She swung a leg over the seat and settled herself in.
"It's really comfortable," she remarked in surprise.
"That's because it's custom made," said Van. "Well?"
"I love it!" said Hitomi.
"Then it's yours."
Hitomi swung around, mouth gaping open. "What?" she repeated.
"As of today, this motorcycle belongs to you, Hitomi Kanzaki," Van announced.
"Really?" Hitomi asked in wonder, grinning like crazy.
"Do I ever lie to you?" Van asked. "I ordered it custom made for you, so you better enjoy- mmph!"
Folken watched with fond amusement as Hitomi smothered Van in hugs and kisses. He chuckled to himself briefly and walked away.
"Wait, I've never driven a motorcycle before. What if I crash it?" Hitomi was saying behind him.
"That's what I'm here for silly," Van replied.
Folken's chuckled turned into a laugh.
A/N Jeez, this chapter was pointless. I'm sorry this chapter was so crappy. I was kinda desperate to make an update. I have a confession to make. I'm starting to run out of ideas with this story. It would be really helpful if you guys gave so ideas when you review. I might use them, I might now, but I really need some inspiration now. Oh yeah, and I'm starting a mailing list to notify people when I update. Email me if you want to join. Ja ne!