Shut Your Mouth
By Toby-Chan
A/N: Yay! After forever of talking about it and battling my writer's block and schedule, I've finally done it! Here's chapter two! This was intended as a one-shot, but I had some ideas for continuation, and your reviews inspired me. Keep up the good work! (Heh, I guess that's what you'd be telling me, now, ne?) Well, here's Shut Your Mouth, chapter 2.
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"So where do these guys live, again?" Hitomi asked, drumming her fingers against the car window.
"Um, they just bought a house around twenty minutes outside of the city." Van replied, keeping his eyes on the road.
"The shelter is nearby. It's almost done with construction... just down the block."
"You finally got Allen to cave?"
"Not really, but I did it anyway."
"Ha! I can imagine the look on his face when he realized he lost control."
"You're probably imagining right, then. He looked like he'd been hit by a truck!"
The both chuckled and returned to tense silence, each gazing out their own window, while Van focused on driving. In the mean time, Hitomi was nervously scoping out every detail of the car and her driver, from the floor that needed vacuuming to the stickers on the window and right back to of course, Van's perfectly calm face.
'I never really thought about what Van's car would be like. Come to think of it, I've never really seen his car, or his house, or anything else for that matter. I guess I should... though we're not exactly 'together'... It smells kind of funny in here,'
"Oh, look. There it is!" Hitomi pointed out the window, to the building mostly covered in tarp and wooden beams. On the front hung a banner reading, 'Kanzaki Shelter for Runaway Youth".
"Wow. Impressive."
"I'm just glad it's finally happening. I thought I'd never get it off the ground."
The car slowed a little, passing it, and continued.
"Are you hungry?" Van asked, while they were passing a few small shops and cafes.
"Just a little," She replied, studying her shoes.
"Let's stop here then," He pulled over the car into a free parking space, and checked his watch.
"We have- a half an hour. We can just get something and make it over in time."
Hitomi's stomach growled incriminatingly.
"I'd say that you're more than just a little hungry," Van laughed, pulling out his keys.
"Probably."
'I wonder... does this classify as a date? I don't think we've ever been on a real date yet.'
"I'll just have a small sushi plate and some mineral water." Hitomi said as they reached the counter. "You sure that's all?" Van's question was replied with a nod. He went on to order his sandwich and soda, and they brought their meals back out to the car again, only to be stopped halfway through the sidewalk.
"Hitomi? Hitomi! Oh my God! Is that you?" Hitomi almost dropped her food, when she was tackled by the red-head.
"Yukari!" She suddenly realized, as she made an attempt to hug her friend back. "Fancy meeting you here."
"Where are you headed?"
"To a band practice with Van." Hitomi said, remembering to introduce Van.
"Hi there." Van said, extending a hand, which Yukari shook firmly.
"Hitomi, you never told me you had a boyfriend." She said smugly.
"He's not- my boyfriend, really... I mean-"
"I was the replacement drummer in her bad for a while. I just joined a band of my own recently, and she's coming to meet them today," He said smoothly.
"Ooh," Yukari's eyes widened, "He's the one with the nice ass, right Hitomi?"
"YUKARI!" Hitomi turned red on the spot.
"Of course, I thought for sure you'd be dating by now. Aren't you? You really should."
At this point, Hitomi was ready to throttle her best friend, and unkown to the girls, Van supressed a chuckle.
"Well, I'm on a tight schedule, meeting my sister in five minutes, but I'll call you later, okay? It was nice meeting you, Van!" Yukari waved and left almost as abruptly as she had come.
"So," Van smirked, getting into the driver's seat, "You really think I have a nice ass?" Hitomi almost face faulted, if it hadn't been for the fact that she was already sitting down. She sheepishly leaned her forehead against the dashboard and let her embarrassed grin do the talking.
The engine started, and Hitomi blushed, as she stole another glance at Van, and chewed on her California roll.
"Is he going to be late again, that baka?" The boy said, sitting backwards on the folding metal chair set out in the center of the garage. He idly rocked back and forth, fiddling with a lighter in his hand, turning it on and off, on and off, until his fingertips were sore.
"You won't be able to play if your fingers get burned," The bassist said, trying not to sound challenging.
"If my fingers get burned, maybe we'll just amputate them, and I'll switch fingers with you. How's that sound?"
Gulp.
A blue car made it's way up the driveway, first Van, then Hitomi hopping out.
"Dude, where have you been?" The guy with the lighter got up and looked at Van.
"What? I'm just a few minutes late."
"Don't make me wipe the floor with you, man."
"Is it just me, or do I sense that you're in a particularly good mood today?"
"Smartass. Anyway, who's the girl?"
"This is Hitomi. She just came to watch us practice today."
"Hi," Hitomi waved, shifting akwardly from one foot to another.
"I'm Dilandau." He waved curtly and pulled a cigarrette out of his pocket. His silvery hair was concealed in a black ski cap with a handpainted anarchy sign on it, and even though he was thoroughly intimidating in almost every respect, he seemed almost-... pretty.
"This is the second guitar player, Miguel," Van introduced her to the long-haired kid sitting in the corner with a guitar strapped around his shoulder, "And this is our bassist, and second in command, Gatty. I'm actually rather surprised Dilandau hasn't killed him yet."
Dilandau responded to Van's second smartassed comment of the day by blowing a smoke ring in Van's face, making him gag for a second.
"See, Hitomi? Such a nice guy." Van laughed and picked up his sticks, heading to the drumset with the logo "Dragonslayers" painted on the front of the bass drum.
'How the hell do they come up with that name?' Hitomi wondered, while Van tested out all his drums.
"Ready to go?"
"Whenever you are." Dilandau stomped out his cigarrette on the floor, tuning his guitar.
Starting with the backdrop of Van's drumming, and heavy bass beat, the members all made a tapestry of sound that fit together like puzzle pieces.
'They're really good,' Hitomi quietly thought to herself, watching them play, 'Certainly... different.'
"Not gonna take it. Not like I care!"
"Gonna be a big mess; chaos everywhere."
"And I'll fall on spikes before I wait my turn."
"Just pour on the gas and BURN, baby, BURN!"
Dilandau wailed into the screeching microphone, putting a great deal of emphasis on the "BURN" part. There was something about his eyes when he sang that was very... creepy. But somehow she figured it meant he was just passionate about it... hopefully.
The chords of the Miguel's guitar screeched to a halt, punctuated by one last strike of the drum, before silence followed, and they all split into laughter.
"Our best work, I'm sure," Gatty chuckled, taking a swig form his bottle of water.
"I think it'll be our first single," Dilandau joined in laughing (Rather maniacly, at that, so Hitomi noticed), and sat in his chair again, fiddling with his lighter.
"What are they laughing about?" Hitomi thought out loud, not realizing she was heard by the band.
"We wrote that song as a joke," Miguel exlplained, sitting next to Hitomi, and setting down his guitar, "A tribute, of course, to our favorite pyromaniac, sir Dil."
Dilandau stood up and took a bow, lighter and all.
"Did you know that when he was a kid, Dilandau would put burn marks on the kitchen floor from lighting things with the stove?"
Hitomi joined them, laughing behind her hand.
"That wasn't the worst. He almost burned down the deck at the neighborhood barbeque. And he was constantly getting in trouble for bringing his lighters to school."
"You're making it sound like you were the one who lived it," Dilandau said, annoyedly lighting up another cigarette.
"Is that why you started smoking?" Hitomi asked, sensing she wouldn't want to see him getting pissed off.
"Yeah. It's a really gross habit, but I can't quit now. And I figure it's just another thing to burn," He snickered, taking a drag.
"Well don't you want to stop?" Hitomi asked, mostly because her throat was clogging up from the second hand smoke, and she was growing thoroughly annoyed.
Dilandau shrugged, raised an eyebrow.
"Then stop!" Hitomi yanked the burning ciggy out of his mouth and threw it on the ground.
"Hey! What the he-"
"It's bad for your singing voice." She said, matter-of-factly, "You wouldn't want Gatty to have to start singing, now would you?"
Gatty and Miguel were already cracked up, and Van had already fallen from his chair, and was doubled over laughing.
"Shut up, YOU MORONS!" Dilandau yelled, shaking a fist.
"Just start chewing gum or something." Hitomi said, grinding the cigarette butt into the concrete with her heel.
Dilandau's face simply went limp as he watched his power briefly whisked away by this- woman he didn't even know.
In a rage, he stomped up to Miguel, who just happened to be closest, delivered him a quick blow to the back of the head, and stormed inside the house.
Even with a throbbing neck pain, Miguel couldn't stop himself from snorting while he rubbed his sore head.
"I'm sorry," she said, sympathetically to Miguel.
"No problem. Dill's always like this. He probably would have ended up thwacking me anyway. And it was worth it too."
"You think he locked the door again?" Gatty asked, setting up his guitar on the stand.
"Damn, I hope not."
"Oh well. He always opens it again in a few hours or so. After he gets out all his rage. And he dosen't seem to have enough rage today to take all that time."
"Getting out his rage dosen't happen to involve burning various objects in the fireplace, does it?" Hitomi inquired.
"Surprisingly, no. He usually flips a few chairs, watches some T.V and gets over it." A few crashing sounds from inside the house confirmed said activity.
"You know what, I think it's getting late already." Van said, checking his watch, "I'll see you guys again in a couple of days, right?"
"Sure. If Dilandau unlocks the door by then."
"Ha ha. Let me know if we actually get any job offers." Van busied himself putting the drums in their carrying cases and stacking them carefully.
"Will do. Take care, Van."
"See you guys later."
"It's been nice meeting you." Hitomi called.
"You too. Come back some time!" Miguel waved as Van's car pulled out of the driveway.
Hitomi leaned her head against the window, smiling contentedly at the road swishing by.
"They're pretty nice," She said, drumming her fingers on the dashboard and lifted her forehead from the glass, "Interesting to say the least."
"Yeah, well that's what I like about them. It's never boring to practice." Van replied with a smile. God, that smile! She never got bored of looking into his face and just drifting. It seemed he didn't smile much except around the band, and her. That was what made it feel so special. He was a down to earth guy, who didn't mind acting like a complete idiot once in a while.
"Uh, you want to stop by my apartment?" Van asked casually. The offer caught Hitomi completely by surprise. Her skin tingled with nervousness, and she blinked in question.
"I don't mean- my apartment- not that way." He fumbled a little, very much unlike him. "I mean, you could just stop by. I haven't cleaned in a while, but..."
"Sure. I'd love to visit your place." She shifted upward from her reclined position, and grinned.
Trying to look fascinated with picking at the frayed end of her shoelace, she tried to envision what Van's apartment was going to look like.
Probably a musician's studio; complete with sheet music strewn about, classic rock records lining the shelves, a guitar on its stand right beside the couch ready for translating whatever next muse came to mind.
Or maybe it was a stylish, but still relaxed flat, where he had a dimmer for the lights and candles on the table with roses in the center. And he had everything perfect from the wine glasses to the romantic jazz music for a special evening...
'What am I thinking?" She even shocked herself with her little daydream. 'Maybe I really am regressing to age thirteen.'
A pattern was pressed white against her pink-ish skin from leaning against the side of the door, when the car finally came to a stop. Stretching her stiff legs, she looked up at the building.
"This is it?" She asked.
"Yep. Park avenue on a budget." Laughed the ebony haired drummer. He got out his keys and showed her the way up the stairs and down the hallway where a few kids were pitter-pattering past with plastic swords and tupperware bowls on their heads.
"Hi, Van Ni-Chan!" they yelled, on the go as they giggled their way by.
"Hey!" Van waved as the kids dissapeared down the bend, and he went back to unlock his door.
"They call you 'Ni-Chan'?" Hitomi asked, quite amused.
"Yeah... I have no idea why."
"Hmm. Maybe you just have a magnetism for kids."
"To tell you the truth, I'm not that great with them."
"Really? I'm shocked. You seemed so friendly with them."
"Meh, maybe that's just a me thing. Or it could be the fact that I used to babysit for some of them."
"You? Babysitting?" Hitomi was almost ready to burst with laughter.
"Well, I have to pay the bills somehow. It started out as petsitting, then before I knew it I had kids on my hands. And I know quite a few families here, so they trusted me." With a little squeak, Van finally got the door open, and he rushed in to immediately begin tidying.
"S-sorry about the mess." He said, stuffing two pizza boxes and a takeout container into the trash can. Hitomi took her jacket off and slung it over the back of the couch.
Van's apartment certainly wasn't what Hitomi imagined, but then again, she knew she certainly shouldn't have been surprised. He was, after all a twenty year old bachelor who played the drums for a living.
"You don't have to do that," Hitomi said, offering to help.
"Well, it's good you came, or I probably would have never cleaned up." He laughed, trying to get up, only to find his foot was stuck in the garbage bin from stamping down the contents.
Ever so gracefully, he shook his leg several times and toppled over, hitting his head with a loud bang on the wall.
"Itai!" He yelled, holding his aching skull. Hitomi swiftly got his foot free from the trash can and helped him up.
"Van, are you okay?" She asked, clutching his wrist.
"Yeah," He flinched, and chuckled. "Shows how much I need a house cleaner."
"Shows how much you need ballet lessons."
"Come again?"
"You looked like a freaking ballet dancer, hopping around like that."
"That was perhaps the strangest observation I've ever heard."
"Why thank you. I see the age of chivalry is not yet over." She smiled sarcastically.
"Is it chivalry you like?" He asked, grinning mischieviously, "Then, milady, do I need to ask before I can take your hand?" He took her hand and with an exxagurated bow, and kissed the back of it.
Giggling, she gave a flirtatious pout.
"Oui, Monsieur."
"Oh, Cherie`," He growled in his most ridiculous french accent, "I love it when you speak French." He set his arm around her waist, and leaned in toward her cheek.
She snorted to keep in the laughter while his breath tickled her neck terribly, and he nuzzled his nose against her face-
"Van! You're home!" A sudden noise sent Van backwards into a complete face fault, when a short figure seemed to materialize out of nowhere.
He quickly got up, but was no less startled when he felt the breath squeezed out of him by the strong little arms of his intruder.
"M-m Merle?!?" He choked, his eyes as wide as saucers, "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I came to see you, baka." She beamed happily, hardly noticing the third person in the room. Hitomi was shocked out of her mind at the sudden appearance of the girl who seemed to be only about fourteen in Van's living room.
"How did you get in?"
"You left the door unlocked. You really need to be more careful about that." She pointed a finger at him, instructively.
"And-..."
"It's okay. Yuriko knows I'm here. She said I could spend some time with you. It was probably fantastic for her to get a week off."
"So you never considered to contact me about it?"
"I wanted to surprise you!" She grinned happily with outstretched arms, "Why, aren't you happy to see me?"
"Am I missing something?" Hitomi was starting to really get confused.
"Ah-, Hitomi. This is my little sister, Merle." Van stuttered to explain, "And, um, Merle, This is Hitomi."
"Hitomi Kanzaki?" Merle folded her arms skeptically.
"Yes, so you've heard of her?"
"Who hasn't?" The pink haired little girl vented, rolling her eyes.
"Now, come on, Merle. You can be a little nicer." Van was trying to shake off the tension of the moment.
"I can... But I won't." The way Merle puffed reminded Hitomi of a cat hissing.
The kid was definitely... spirited to say the least. She was a little on the short side, but with an attitude that more than compensated, and a demeanor like a cat in most every way. A backwards baseball hat covered her pink bob, and she wore a skirt and sweatshirt with sneakers.
Merele wasted no time in circling Hitomi, as if critically inspecting a bad sculpture. After giving her a good once-over, she finally managed to declare her conclusion,
"She's wierd!" she said, holding up a finger, "And she's a little on the skinny side. She has the funniest expressions, and what's with that hair?" Hitomi was doing her best in trying to hide her welling irritation for this little neko girl.
"Honestly, Oni-Sama," She continued, "I don't know what you see in this teeny bopper here. But then, you're a big boy, and I guess you can do what you choose. But I don't trust her, and I wouldn't want you to live with her or anything... unless you guys are already shacking it up."
Hitomi's cheeks turned pink, then shaded to a darker crimson, as she poked her finger's together nervously.
"Well we, um... aren't really, like-..." she stuttered, "T-together?"
"Bfft! Not together? I saw how close you two were getting. Or is that just how friends act on your planet?"
"You were spying on us?" Van started to twitch.
"Well, I did kinda hear you fall against the wall, you big klutz." Innocent little Merle laughed, and punched Van payfully on the shoulder, "How could I not notice you were home? Besides, I didn't want to miss all that romantical French talk."
Merle turned around and wrapped her hands around her back, mimicking a kissing couple.
"Oh, Van! I love you soo much! And I'm pretending I know a foreign language just to impress you, mon cherie!"
"Cut it out, Merle!" Van whined clapping his hand over his face. Hitomi was already on the verge of cracking her head over the coffee table.
"Ooooh! Hitomi-Chan! I love everything about you! Your big green eyes, your annoying voice, your crap records..."
"rrrrrrrrrrrrr.... BAMF!!!!" Hitomi screamed out of nowhere, causing the whole room to freeze. Her crimson flush had now consumed her entire face. The other two sets of eyes in the apartment were fixed on her and a long silence followed accompanying the mortified sweatdrop that formed behind her head.
"See what I mean? Wierd." Merele slid over the arm of the sofa and walked to Van's room down the hallway. Van and Hitomi stood stiffly looking at eachother sideways.
"Bamf?" Van asked.
"I had to say something." Her face lightened slightly.
"Yes, but... Bamf?"
"Eh heh! Long story."
"I'd imagine."
Some loud sounds on the floor from down the hallway could only be some large things being moved around.
"I did some cleaning in your room, if that's okay, Van." Merele called, tossing a few garbage bags out of the door.
"Ano-... Merle?" He asked.
She poked her head out of the door frame, "Don't worry." She said, "I didn't throw out anything important."
Van slumped back into the overstuffed sofa and picked at an old stain on the cushion. He exhaled and held his temples.
"Alright?" Hitomi asked, cautiously reaching to set her hand on his shoulder.
"NO!" He snapped loudly. She recoiled her hand, and he put his face in his palms again, "I mean... not really. Sorry."
"No problem." She said, sitting beside him, "You weren't the only one surprised by your sister coming."
"It's not her. I mean- she's my sister. I love her more than anything. But I just can't... I can't take care of her. Especially if she just shows up unexpected like this. I mean, I'm a musician for crying out loud."
"Well it seems she'd be taking better care of you than you would of her."
Merle leaned out the door of Van's room and called,
"Hey, do you have any vacuum bags?" She ducked back in then called, again, "Nevermind! I found them."
"Hm. I guess." Van said thoughtfully.
"I think even I might grow to like her. After all, if she's like you, I'll have to like her."
"You think?" He asked smiling.
Merle came into the living room with a rather large stack of magazines in her arms.
"I didn't know where to put these all, so you can deal with them," She told him, dropping the stack on his lap, forcing a little 'oof' out of him.
Satisfied with her part, Merle skipped back out to the other room, while van's eyes shrunk with embarrasment at the stack of magazines in front of him.
"W-what?" Hitomi said, leaning forward. She was able to make out a female figure and the letters 'yboy' and of course it didn't take her long to put two and two together.
"I- It's not what you think!" Van said, panicky.
"Should I put those in a case or something, Ni-chan?" Merle called. Van choked and his face dropped.
For a second, Hitomi didn't know what to make of it. She looked at Van, his morified expression, his stack of magazines, and his scheming little sister.
"Pfft..." She snorted, snapping Van out of his haze.
"Bwahahahahaaahaaha!" She started to break into laughter.
"Well, she's certainly taking this well." Merle said, folding her arms.
"G- Gomen!" Hitomi said with tears starting to form, "It's just-... Bffwahahahahahahaha!"
Van set down the source of the current hilarity spasm posessing his friend, and pat her on the back, almost frightened. She leaned over on his shoulder and supported herself on him, as she was weak with trembling laughter.
"Van, I think your girlfriend is officially a nutcase." Merle said, heading into the small kitchen.
"You don't know the half of it!" Hitomi declared proudly.
"Well, I'll be making something to eat. Looks like you'll have to have your girlfriend staying here for dinner, seeing as she can't go home in her condition."
"I'd love to stay for dinner." Hitomi said, her control stablizing.
"Yeah, well I guess I don't have a choice now, do I? Just don't expect me to like you or anything," Merle said waving a spatula.
Even if it was a teenaged girl who had an attitude to be reckoned with, and a declaration of hate for her, Hitomi had a feeling she'd just found a new friend.
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A/N: Yahoo! Now as a little tribute to the reviewers. You lovely little cuties, you!
SabrinaYutsuki- I'm glad you liked it; the rock star attitude was what I was going for, and I'm glad it worked well. There are some character twists in store for him, though, so don't get too comfortable... (PS: I love Garbage too. 3 3 3)
Yoshi Kanzaki- Thanks!
Tinka- Thanks for your review. It's really nice to get long thorough reviews like yours. ^_^ I liked doing the little 'kiss-on-the-cheek-' thing. And your review really inspired me to continue on some plot buds I had growing. I was going to leave it as a one-shot at first. That's why I love reviewers!!!
Dillpops- Better throughout the chapter? That's quite often the case with my fics. The start-off is weak, but... it usually gets rolling eventually. Thanks much!
Snow Blossoms- Thank you soo much. Sorry if I don't make this response long enough, but just know I love you very much. Not in THAT way, but as a lovely reviewer.
Cev- Omigosh! I'm, lyke, your biggest fan! And you're lyke, reviewing my fic! Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh!!! Hehe, just playing. I do love your work though. But this isn't about you; it's all about me. Deal with it! (Don't you just love me?) Oh, yes, BOOGAH! Sorry if I dissapoint you, but Hitomi is indeed in the... *Gulp* pop genre. Don't worry. She's not a Britney clone in the slightest. She's more along the lines of some of the more talented pop stars. (I was thinking a bit like Michelle Branch). But there is some different music coming up, much like you just saw with Dill-Chan's band. I'm not sure exactly what genre they register under. (The lyrics of their song was a completely random product of my freaky mind) I've been thinking of writing some other songs for them, a bit more similar to bands like The Clash, Pink Floyd, etc. I can't believe you fell from your chair laughing! Am I really funny? Am I? *Goes and checks on funny-meter* Wow! I am! Gee, thanks. More fluff, and enough angst coming.
Hitomi21- Well thanks. L8er? Heehee. Kids these days. Wait... I'm a kid... AM I THE ONLY ONE NOT GETTING THIS WEB-SPELL WITH NUMBERS THING?!? Oi vay! Well I thank you anyway. Or is that "NEwayz"? Ha ha. I'm just playing with you. Love ya!
Dawnsama- Whoa! *Catches you as you swoon*. Don't fall over. So I take it you don't like Allen? Well, I guess I didn't leave much room for making Allen likeable here, but I can't really say there are any characters from the show I don't like. In fact, there are basically no characters I hate, period. I guess I'm not a hater. Thankies! Much Love!
Hitomi-Chan- Sorry if I end up making this abrupt. But it's severely late, I have the TV on, and I think I have a Cookie hangover. I loved your review. And I loved your faces. Those little things are kawaii. ^_^ ^_~ *_* Hee hee. I think if I'm sleepy enough to laugh at those, I really must retire. But your review was quite helpful. I'm glad you all put in your opinions. That's how my stories get written.
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Now continue to review! That's what keeps me going. Mwa! Ciao, peoples! I'll see you on the next chapter.
By Toby-Chan
A/N: Yay! After forever of talking about it and battling my writer's block and schedule, I've finally done it! Here's chapter two! This was intended as a one-shot, but I had some ideas for continuation, and your reviews inspired me. Keep up the good work! (Heh, I guess that's what you'd be telling me, now, ne?) Well, here's Shut Your Mouth, chapter 2.
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"So where do these guys live, again?" Hitomi asked, drumming her fingers against the car window.
"Um, they just bought a house around twenty minutes outside of the city." Van replied, keeping his eyes on the road.
"The shelter is nearby. It's almost done with construction... just down the block."
"You finally got Allen to cave?"
"Not really, but I did it anyway."
"Ha! I can imagine the look on his face when he realized he lost control."
"You're probably imagining right, then. He looked like he'd been hit by a truck!"
The both chuckled and returned to tense silence, each gazing out their own window, while Van focused on driving. In the mean time, Hitomi was nervously scoping out every detail of the car and her driver, from the floor that needed vacuuming to the stickers on the window and right back to of course, Van's perfectly calm face.
'I never really thought about what Van's car would be like. Come to think of it, I've never really seen his car, or his house, or anything else for that matter. I guess I should... though we're not exactly 'together'... It smells kind of funny in here,'
"Oh, look. There it is!" Hitomi pointed out the window, to the building mostly covered in tarp and wooden beams. On the front hung a banner reading, 'Kanzaki Shelter for Runaway Youth".
"Wow. Impressive."
"I'm just glad it's finally happening. I thought I'd never get it off the ground."
The car slowed a little, passing it, and continued.
"Are you hungry?" Van asked, while they were passing a few small shops and cafes.
"Just a little," She replied, studying her shoes.
"Let's stop here then," He pulled over the car into a free parking space, and checked his watch.
"We have- a half an hour. We can just get something and make it over in time."
Hitomi's stomach growled incriminatingly.
"I'd say that you're more than just a little hungry," Van laughed, pulling out his keys.
"Probably."
'I wonder... does this classify as a date? I don't think we've ever been on a real date yet.'
"I'll just have a small sushi plate and some mineral water." Hitomi said as they reached the counter. "You sure that's all?" Van's question was replied with a nod. He went on to order his sandwich and soda, and they brought their meals back out to the car again, only to be stopped halfway through the sidewalk.
"Hitomi? Hitomi! Oh my God! Is that you?" Hitomi almost dropped her food, when she was tackled by the red-head.
"Yukari!" She suddenly realized, as she made an attempt to hug her friend back. "Fancy meeting you here."
"Where are you headed?"
"To a band practice with Van." Hitomi said, remembering to introduce Van.
"Hi there." Van said, extending a hand, which Yukari shook firmly.
"Hitomi, you never told me you had a boyfriend." She said smugly.
"He's not- my boyfriend, really... I mean-"
"I was the replacement drummer in her bad for a while. I just joined a band of my own recently, and she's coming to meet them today," He said smoothly.
"Ooh," Yukari's eyes widened, "He's the one with the nice ass, right Hitomi?"
"YUKARI!" Hitomi turned red on the spot.
"Of course, I thought for sure you'd be dating by now. Aren't you? You really should."
At this point, Hitomi was ready to throttle her best friend, and unkown to the girls, Van supressed a chuckle.
"Well, I'm on a tight schedule, meeting my sister in five minutes, but I'll call you later, okay? It was nice meeting you, Van!" Yukari waved and left almost as abruptly as she had come.
"So," Van smirked, getting into the driver's seat, "You really think I have a nice ass?" Hitomi almost face faulted, if it hadn't been for the fact that she was already sitting down. She sheepishly leaned her forehead against the dashboard and let her embarrassed grin do the talking.
The engine started, and Hitomi blushed, as she stole another glance at Van, and chewed on her California roll.
"Is he going to be late again, that baka?" The boy said, sitting backwards on the folding metal chair set out in the center of the garage. He idly rocked back and forth, fiddling with a lighter in his hand, turning it on and off, on and off, until his fingertips were sore.
"You won't be able to play if your fingers get burned," The bassist said, trying not to sound challenging.
"If my fingers get burned, maybe we'll just amputate them, and I'll switch fingers with you. How's that sound?"
Gulp.
A blue car made it's way up the driveway, first Van, then Hitomi hopping out.
"Dude, where have you been?" The guy with the lighter got up and looked at Van.
"What? I'm just a few minutes late."
"Don't make me wipe the floor with you, man."
"Is it just me, or do I sense that you're in a particularly good mood today?"
"Smartass. Anyway, who's the girl?"
"This is Hitomi. She just came to watch us practice today."
"Hi," Hitomi waved, shifting akwardly from one foot to another.
"I'm Dilandau." He waved curtly and pulled a cigarrette out of his pocket. His silvery hair was concealed in a black ski cap with a handpainted anarchy sign on it, and even though he was thoroughly intimidating in almost every respect, he seemed almost-... pretty.
"This is the second guitar player, Miguel," Van introduced her to the long-haired kid sitting in the corner with a guitar strapped around his shoulder, "And this is our bassist, and second in command, Gatty. I'm actually rather surprised Dilandau hasn't killed him yet."
Dilandau responded to Van's second smartassed comment of the day by blowing a smoke ring in Van's face, making him gag for a second.
"See, Hitomi? Such a nice guy." Van laughed and picked up his sticks, heading to the drumset with the logo "Dragonslayers" painted on the front of the bass drum.
'How the hell do they come up with that name?' Hitomi wondered, while Van tested out all his drums.
"Ready to go?"
"Whenever you are." Dilandau stomped out his cigarrette on the floor, tuning his guitar.
Starting with the backdrop of Van's drumming, and heavy bass beat, the members all made a tapestry of sound that fit together like puzzle pieces.
'They're really good,' Hitomi quietly thought to herself, watching them play, 'Certainly... different.'
"Not gonna take it. Not like I care!"
"Gonna be a big mess; chaos everywhere."
"And I'll fall on spikes before I wait my turn."
"Just pour on the gas and BURN, baby, BURN!"
Dilandau wailed into the screeching microphone, putting a great deal of emphasis on the "BURN" part. There was something about his eyes when he sang that was very... creepy. But somehow she figured it meant he was just passionate about it... hopefully.
The chords of the Miguel's guitar screeched to a halt, punctuated by one last strike of the drum, before silence followed, and they all split into laughter.
"Our best work, I'm sure," Gatty chuckled, taking a swig form his bottle of water.
"I think it'll be our first single," Dilandau joined in laughing (Rather maniacly, at that, so Hitomi noticed), and sat in his chair again, fiddling with his lighter.
"What are they laughing about?" Hitomi thought out loud, not realizing she was heard by the band.
"We wrote that song as a joke," Miguel exlplained, sitting next to Hitomi, and setting down his guitar, "A tribute, of course, to our favorite pyromaniac, sir Dil."
Dilandau stood up and took a bow, lighter and all.
"Did you know that when he was a kid, Dilandau would put burn marks on the kitchen floor from lighting things with the stove?"
Hitomi joined them, laughing behind her hand.
"That wasn't the worst. He almost burned down the deck at the neighborhood barbeque. And he was constantly getting in trouble for bringing his lighters to school."
"You're making it sound like you were the one who lived it," Dilandau said, annoyedly lighting up another cigarette.
"Is that why you started smoking?" Hitomi asked, sensing she wouldn't want to see him getting pissed off.
"Yeah. It's a really gross habit, but I can't quit now. And I figure it's just another thing to burn," He snickered, taking a drag.
"Well don't you want to stop?" Hitomi asked, mostly because her throat was clogging up from the second hand smoke, and she was growing thoroughly annoyed.
Dilandau shrugged, raised an eyebrow.
"Then stop!" Hitomi yanked the burning ciggy out of his mouth and threw it on the ground.
"Hey! What the he-"
"It's bad for your singing voice." She said, matter-of-factly, "You wouldn't want Gatty to have to start singing, now would you?"
Gatty and Miguel were already cracked up, and Van had already fallen from his chair, and was doubled over laughing.
"Shut up, YOU MORONS!" Dilandau yelled, shaking a fist.
"Just start chewing gum or something." Hitomi said, grinding the cigarette butt into the concrete with her heel.
Dilandau's face simply went limp as he watched his power briefly whisked away by this- woman he didn't even know.
In a rage, he stomped up to Miguel, who just happened to be closest, delivered him a quick blow to the back of the head, and stormed inside the house.
Even with a throbbing neck pain, Miguel couldn't stop himself from snorting while he rubbed his sore head.
"I'm sorry," she said, sympathetically to Miguel.
"No problem. Dill's always like this. He probably would have ended up thwacking me anyway. And it was worth it too."
"You think he locked the door again?" Gatty asked, setting up his guitar on the stand.
"Damn, I hope not."
"Oh well. He always opens it again in a few hours or so. After he gets out all his rage. And he dosen't seem to have enough rage today to take all that time."
"Getting out his rage dosen't happen to involve burning various objects in the fireplace, does it?" Hitomi inquired.
"Surprisingly, no. He usually flips a few chairs, watches some T.V and gets over it." A few crashing sounds from inside the house confirmed said activity.
"You know what, I think it's getting late already." Van said, checking his watch, "I'll see you guys again in a couple of days, right?"
"Sure. If Dilandau unlocks the door by then."
"Ha ha. Let me know if we actually get any job offers." Van busied himself putting the drums in their carrying cases and stacking them carefully.
"Will do. Take care, Van."
"See you guys later."
"It's been nice meeting you." Hitomi called.
"You too. Come back some time!" Miguel waved as Van's car pulled out of the driveway.
Hitomi leaned her head against the window, smiling contentedly at the road swishing by.
"They're pretty nice," She said, drumming her fingers on the dashboard and lifted her forehead from the glass, "Interesting to say the least."
"Yeah, well that's what I like about them. It's never boring to practice." Van replied with a smile. God, that smile! She never got bored of looking into his face and just drifting. It seemed he didn't smile much except around the band, and her. That was what made it feel so special. He was a down to earth guy, who didn't mind acting like a complete idiot once in a while.
"Uh, you want to stop by my apartment?" Van asked casually. The offer caught Hitomi completely by surprise. Her skin tingled with nervousness, and she blinked in question.
"I don't mean- my apartment- not that way." He fumbled a little, very much unlike him. "I mean, you could just stop by. I haven't cleaned in a while, but..."
"Sure. I'd love to visit your place." She shifted upward from her reclined position, and grinned.
Trying to look fascinated with picking at the frayed end of her shoelace, she tried to envision what Van's apartment was going to look like.
Probably a musician's studio; complete with sheet music strewn about, classic rock records lining the shelves, a guitar on its stand right beside the couch ready for translating whatever next muse came to mind.
Or maybe it was a stylish, but still relaxed flat, where he had a dimmer for the lights and candles on the table with roses in the center. And he had everything perfect from the wine glasses to the romantic jazz music for a special evening...
'What am I thinking?" She even shocked herself with her little daydream. 'Maybe I really am regressing to age thirteen.'
A pattern was pressed white against her pink-ish skin from leaning against the side of the door, when the car finally came to a stop. Stretching her stiff legs, she looked up at the building.
"This is it?" She asked.
"Yep. Park avenue on a budget." Laughed the ebony haired drummer. He got out his keys and showed her the way up the stairs and down the hallway where a few kids were pitter-pattering past with plastic swords and tupperware bowls on their heads.
"Hi, Van Ni-Chan!" they yelled, on the go as they giggled their way by.
"Hey!" Van waved as the kids dissapeared down the bend, and he went back to unlock his door.
"They call you 'Ni-Chan'?" Hitomi asked, quite amused.
"Yeah... I have no idea why."
"Hmm. Maybe you just have a magnetism for kids."
"To tell you the truth, I'm not that great with them."
"Really? I'm shocked. You seemed so friendly with them."
"Meh, maybe that's just a me thing. Or it could be the fact that I used to babysit for some of them."
"You? Babysitting?" Hitomi was almost ready to burst with laughter.
"Well, I have to pay the bills somehow. It started out as petsitting, then before I knew it I had kids on my hands. And I know quite a few families here, so they trusted me." With a little squeak, Van finally got the door open, and he rushed in to immediately begin tidying.
"S-sorry about the mess." He said, stuffing two pizza boxes and a takeout container into the trash can. Hitomi took her jacket off and slung it over the back of the couch.
Van's apartment certainly wasn't what Hitomi imagined, but then again, she knew she certainly shouldn't have been surprised. He was, after all a twenty year old bachelor who played the drums for a living.
"You don't have to do that," Hitomi said, offering to help.
"Well, it's good you came, or I probably would have never cleaned up." He laughed, trying to get up, only to find his foot was stuck in the garbage bin from stamping down the contents.
Ever so gracefully, he shook his leg several times and toppled over, hitting his head with a loud bang on the wall.
"Itai!" He yelled, holding his aching skull. Hitomi swiftly got his foot free from the trash can and helped him up.
"Van, are you okay?" She asked, clutching his wrist.
"Yeah," He flinched, and chuckled. "Shows how much I need a house cleaner."
"Shows how much you need ballet lessons."
"Come again?"
"You looked like a freaking ballet dancer, hopping around like that."
"That was perhaps the strangest observation I've ever heard."
"Why thank you. I see the age of chivalry is not yet over." She smiled sarcastically.
"Is it chivalry you like?" He asked, grinning mischieviously, "Then, milady, do I need to ask before I can take your hand?" He took her hand and with an exxagurated bow, and kissed the back of it.
Giggling, she gave a flirtatious pout.
"Oui, Monsieur."
"Oh, Cherie`," He growled in his most ridiculous french accent, "I love it when you speak French." He set his arm around her waist, and leaned in toward her cheek.
She snorted to keep in the laughter while his breath tickled her neck terribly, and he nuzzled his nose against her face-
"Van! You're home!" A sudden noise sent Van backwards into a complete face fault, when a short figure seemed to materialize out of nowhere.
He quickly got up, but was no less startled when he felt the breath squeezed out of him by the strong little arms of his intruder.
"M-m Merle?!?" He choked, his eyes as wide as saucers, "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I came to see you, baka." She beamed happily, hardly noticing the third person in the room. Hitomi was shocked out of her mind at the sudden appearance of the girl who seemed to be only about fourteen in Van's living room.
"How did you get in?"
"You left the door unlocked. You really need to be more careful about that." She pointed a finger at him, instructively.
"And-..."
"It's okay. Yuriko knows I'm here. She said I could spend some time with you. It was probably fantastic for her to get a week off."
"So you never considered to contact me about it?"
"I wanted to surprise you!" She grinned happily with outstretched arms, "Why, aren't you happy to see me?"
"Am I missing something?" Hitomi was starting to really get confused.
"Ah-, Hitomi. This is my little sister, Merle." Van stuttered to explain, "And, um, Merle, This is Hitomi."
"Hitomi Kanzaki?" Merle folded her arms skeptically.
"Yes, so you've heard of her?"
"Who hasn't?" The pink haired little girl vented, rolling her eyes.
"Now, come on, Merle. You can be a little nicer." Van was trying to shake off the tension of the moment.
"I can... But I won't." The way Merle puffed reminded Hitomi of a cat hissing.
The kid was definitely... spirited to say the least. She was a little on the short side, but with an attitude that more than compensated, and a demeanor like a cat in most every way. A backwards baseball hat covered her pink bob, and she wore a skirt and sweatshirt with sneakers.
Merele wasted no time in circling Hitomi, as if critically inspecting a bad sculpture. After giving her a good once-over, she finally managed to declare her conclusion,
"She's wierd!" she said, holding up a finger, "And she's a little on the skinny side. She has the funniest expressions, and what's with that hair?" Hitomi was doing her best in trying to hide her welling irritation for this little neko girl.
"Honestly, Oni-Sama," She continued, "I don't know what you see in this teeny bopper here. But then, you're a big boy, and I guess you can do what you choose. But I don't trust her, and I wouldn't want you to live with her or anything... unless you guys are already shacking it up."
Hitomi's cheeks turned pink, then shaded to a darker crimson, as she poked her finger's together nervously.
"Well we, um... aren't really, like-..." she stuttered, "T-together?"
"Bfft! Not together? I saw how close you two were getting. Or is that just how friends act on your planet?"
"You were spying on us?" Van started to twitch.
"Well, I did kinda hear you fall against the wall, you big klutz." Innocent little Merle laughed, and punched Van payfully on the shoulder, "How could I not notice you were home? Besides, I didn't want to miss all that romantical French talk."
Merle turned around and wrapped her hands around her back, mimicking a kissing couple.
"Oh, Van! I love you soo much! And I'm pretending I know a foreign language just to impress you, mon cherie!"
"Cut it out, Merle!" Van whined clapping his hand over his face. Hitomi was already on the verge of cracking her head over the coffee table.
"Ooooh! Hitomi-Chan! I love everything about you! Your big green eyes, your annoying voice, your crap records..."
"rrrrrrrrrrrrr.... BAMF!!!!" Hitomi screamed out of nowhere, causing the whole room to freeze. Her crimson flush had now consumed her entire face. The other two sets of eyes in the apartment were fixed on her and a long silence followed accompanying the mortified sweatdrop that formed behind her head.
"See what I mean? Wierd." Merele slid over the arm of the sofa and walked to Van's room down the hallway. Van and Hitomi stood stiffly looking at eachother sideways.
"Bamf?" Van asked.
"I had to say something." Her face lightened slightly.
"Yes, but... Bamf?"
"Eh heh! Long story."
"I'd imagine."
Some loud sounds on the floor from down the hallway could only be some large things being moved around.
"I did some cleaning in your room, if that's okay, Van." Merele called, tossing a few garbage bags out of the door.
"Ano-... Merle?" He asked.
She poked her head out of the door frame, "Don't worry." She said, "I didn't throw out anything important."
Van slumped back into the overstuffed sofa and picked at an old stain on the cushion. He exhaled and held his temples.
"Alright?" Hitomi asked, cautiously reaching to set her hand on his shoulder.
"NO!" He snapped loudly. She recoiled her hand, and he put his face in his palms again, "I mean... not really. Sorry."
"No problem." She said, sitting beside him, "You weren't the only one surprised by your sister coming."
"It's not her. I mean- she's my sister. I love her more than anything. But I just can't... I can't take care of her. Especially if she just shows up unexpected like this. I mean, I'm a musician for crying out loud."
"Well it seems she'd be taking better care of you than you would of her."
Merle leaned out the door of Van's room and called,
"Hey, do you have any vacuum bags?" She ducked back in then called, again, "Nevermind! I found them."
"Hm. I guess." Van said thoughtfully.
"I think even I might grow to like her. After all, if she's like you, I'll have to like her."
"You think?" He asked smiling.
Merle came into the living room with a rather large stack of magazines in her arms.
"I didn't know where to put these all, so you can deal with them," She told him, dropping the stack on his lap, forcing a little 'oof' out of him.
Satisfied with her part, Merle skipped back out to the other room, while van's eyes shrunk with embarrasment at the stack of magazines in front of him.
"W-what?" Hitomi said, leaning forward. She was able to make out a female figure and the letters 'yboy' and of course it didn't take her long to put two and two together.
"I- It's not what you think!" Van said, panicky.
"Should I put those in a case or something, Ni-chan?" Merle called. Van choked and his face dropped.
For a second, Hitomi didn't know what to make of it. She looked at Van, his morified expression, his stack of magazines, and his scheming little sister.
"Pfft..." She snorted, snapping Van out of his haze.
"Bwahahahahaaahaaha!" She started to break into laughter.
"Well, she's certainly taking this well." Merle said, folding her arms.
"G- Gomen!" Hitomi said with tears starting to form, "It's just-... Bffwahahahahahahaha!"
Van set down the source of the current hilarity spasm posessing his friend, and pat her on the back, almost frightened. She leaned over on his shoulder and supported herself on him, as she was weak with trembling laughter.
"Van, I think your girlfriend is officially a nutcase." Merle said, heading into the small kitchen.
"You don't know the half of it!" Hitomi declared proudly.
"Well, I'll be making something to eat. Looks like you'll have to have your girlfriend staying here for dinner, seeing as she can't go home in her condition."
"I'd love to stay for dinner." Hitomi said, her control stablizing.
"Yeah, well I guess I don't have a choice now, do I? Just don't expect me to like you or anything," Merle said waving a spatula.
Even if it was a teenaged girl who had an attitude to be reckoned with, and a declaration of hate for her, Hitomi had a feeling she'd just found a new friend.
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A/N: Yahoo! Now as a little tribute to the reviewers. You lovely little cuties, you!
SabrinaYutsuki- I'm glad you liked it; the rock star attitude was what I was going for, and I'm glad it worked well. There are some character twists in store for him, though, so don't get too comfortable... (PS: I love Garbage too. 3 3 3)
Yoshi Kanzaki- Thanks!
Tinka- Thanks for your review. It's really nice to get long thorough reviews like yours. ^_^ I liked doing the little 'kiss-on-the-cheek-' thing. And your review really inspired me to continue on some plot buds I had growing. I was going to leave it as a one-shot at first. That's why I love reviewers!!!
Dillpops- Better throughout the chapter? That's quite often the case with my fics. The start-off is weak, but... it usually gets rolling eventually. Thanks much!
Snow Blossoms- Thank you soo much. Sorry if I don't make this response long enough, but just know I love you very much. Not in THAT way, but as a lovely reviewer.
Cev- Omigosh! I'm, lyke, your biggest fan! And you're lyke, reviewing my fic! Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh!!! Hehe, just playing. I do love your work though. But this isn't about you; it's all about me. Deal with it! (Don't you just love me?) Oh, yes, BOOGAH! Sorry if I dissapoint you, but Hitomi is indeed in the... *Gulp* pop genre. Don't worry. She's not a Britney clone in the slightest. She's more along the lines of some of the more talented pop stars. (I was thinking a bit like Michelle Branch). But there is some different music coming up, much like you just saw with Dill-Chan's band. I'm not sure exactly what genre they register under. (The lyrics of their song was a completely random product of my freaky mind) I've been thinking of writing some other songs for them, a bit more similar to bands like The Clash, Pink Floyd, etc. I can't believe you fell from your chair laughing! Am I really funny? Am I? *Goes and checks on funny-meter* Wow! I am! Gee, thanks. More fluff, and enough angst coming.
Hitomi21- Well thanks. L8er? Heehee. Kids these days. Wait... I'm a kid... AM I THE ONLY ONE NOT GETTING THIS WEB-SPELL WITH NUMBERS THING?!? Oi vay! Well I thank you anyway. Or is that "NEwayz"? Ha ha. I'm just playing with you. Love ya!
Dawnsama- Whoa! *Catches you as you swoon*. Don't fall over. So I take it you don't like Allen? Well, I guess I didn't leave much room for making Allen likeable here, but I can't really say there are any characters from the show I don't like. In fact, there are basically no characters I hate, period. I guess I'm not a hater. Thankies! Much Love!
Hitomi-Chan- Sorry if I end up making this abrupt. But it's severely late, I have the TV on, and I think I have a Cookie hangover. I loved your review. And I loved your faces. Those little things are kawaii. ^_^ ^_~ *_* Hee hee. I think if I'm sleepy enough to laugh at those, I really must retire. But your review was quite helpful. I'm glad you all put in your opinions. That's how my stories get written.
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Now continue to review! That's what keeps me going. Mwa! Ciao, peoples! I'll see you on the next chapter.