"…I want to feel your hand in mine; I want to feel that rush in my spine. I want to wear the scent of you, let this fantasy become real, because I am not afraid to let you see this side of me…"
::This Side of Me :: Savage Garden ::
Chapter Five: Tell Me a Secret
I remember the first time I met her.
Hitomi Kanzaki, that is.
I was at Dilandau's house, we where in the backyard throwing a football back and forth. My brother Folken was sitting on a bench swing near the fence, watching us as he talked with Dilandau's older sister, Seleana.
That's how the entire thing started I guess, with Seleana.
My brother had had a crush on the pale, blond haired violet-eyed girl since he had hit puberty. And now, at the highly esteemed age of 17, that little twig had stolen my brother from me. Yeah, sure, maybe I was being selfish, but you try watching your idol get all mushy over a girl at age ten.
It hurts worse then catching a potato launched at 60 mph with your face. But that's another story.
Needless to say, I hated Seleana more then ever that summer. Whenever I wanted to play catch with Folken or play video games, he was always too busy doing something with Seleana. Even Merle, my younger sister fell prey to Seleana's charms, having tea parties together and playing with dolls. It drove me crazy.
So, being a genius trapped in a ten-year-old boy's body, it didn't take long for me to figure out, that if I throw the football just right, I would be able to hit her. Make her suffer for taking away the two most important people in the world from me. Hey, to a ten-year-old boy, physical violence solves everything.
So, I took my aim carefully, squeezing that inflated pigskin with all the hatred a boy could have for a brother and sister stealer, and let it fly.
It didn't hit her. Instead of knocking that little twig upside the head, the ball simply soared over her head – and the fence.
I chased after the football, climbing over the fence and landing in the neighbor's yard.
That's when I saw her.
She was sitting on the back porch of her house with her hair, which was longer then, twisted up in two ponytails; nothing but knees and elbows in her short denim shorts and a yellow t-shirt.
She looked up and smiled at me, her eyes, which were bright green, met mine.
That's the day when girls stopped having cooties.
It was her first summer visiting her father, so 'Dilly' and I quickly took the green-eyed tomboy under our wing. So the days passed. She came and went like the summer between our houses; sweet and fresh, and always on your mind, making you wish that it would last forever.
Slowly, I started to realize that I liked her. It was unthinkable, but I had a crush on that little sandy haired girl.
So how did I
show that I had a crush on her? I did what any other little boy with a crush on
a girl would do. I tortured her.
I did stupid stuff like pull on her hair, or sometimes I would chase her around
her house with a squirt gun.
Anything to get her attention. Anything for her to look at me.
After a while she started to punch me after I teased her, or would fight back by stealing my water gun. Sometimes she would just stick her tongue out at me. No matter how she fought back, it of course, only made me want to tease her more.
After a while I stopped teasing her, mostly after how my brother told me that 'you can catch more flies with honey then with vinegar'.
I didn't believe him at first. But after she had lost her favorite sweatshirt at the beach, and we had spent days, just the two of us looking for it, I followed Folken's advice. I brought her my favorite sweatshirt, a thick dark red one with a hood.
She smiled, and, much to her father, Mr. Fassa's disdain, you couldn't get her out of that sweatshirt to even wash it. I can remember him talking to Dilly's mother about it once while we where playing video games in the next room, he said that he had to wait until she fell asleep on most nights before he could wash it. I just laughed.
The three of us rarely parted, much like Hitomi and that sweatshirt, and we spent most nights sleeping outside in my tree house telling ghost stories or chasing after fireflies.
And slowly, I started to like her, more and more. She fascinated me. One minute she would be spitting watermelon seeds with Dilandau, the next she would be waltzing across our back porch on Folken's feet.
She was funny, smart, brave and had the most amazing eyes that I had ever seen. So that one time she smiled at me wasn't nearly enough. I wanted more.
I wanted to, well, hold her hand. Don't laugh, that was a big step for a 10 year-old boy who'd never liked a girl before.
I had it all planed out. It was the last day of summer, and she was going to leave in an hour to go to the airport to catch her flight. I was wearing my favorite red Nike shirt and had even 'borrowed' some of Folken's cologne, putting on enough to overwhelm a skunk.
Everything was perfect.
Except, when I climbed through her bedroom window, she was crying.
After an entire summer together, through all the cuts, bruises and tumbles, I had never seen her cry.
But she was now. And I didn't know what to do.
"I don't want to go home," She sobbed into her pillow, clutching my sweatshirt against her chest, "I wanna stay here for ever and ever."
"Then stay." I said. It was simply enough. If you don't want to do something, then don't do it. Easy. "You can hide under my bed and I can bring you food everyday."
"Really?"
On impulse I wiped away a tear from her cheek. She smiled. That made her even more mine.
"Really."
"Going my way sailor?" Hitomi asked, leaning against the side of my car as I loaded Merle's overnight bag into the trunk.
"It'll cost you." I said, grinning cheekily.
"I'll do anything, I just need a ride to Mo LeMan's café," She said, smiling hopefully at me.
"Anything?"
"Anything. I'm desperate." She batted her eyes at me, "Pretty please help a damsel in distress Lord Van?"
I rolled my eyes.
"Hop in."
The car ride was almost in complete silence. Merle was sprawled out across the back seat sleeping, she and Yukari had probably stayed up most of the night watching chic flicks and talking.
"So, how have you been?" She asked softly, breaking the silence.
"Pretty good. Haven't blown off any limbs yet."
"Always a good thing not to do."
"You?" I asked, my knuckles tightening on the steering wheel, slightly, "Any Prince Charming in your life that I should beat up?"
She shook her head, looking out the window instead of looking at me, "No Prince Charming for this juvenile delinquent," she glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, "What about you? Found true love yet between attempts of blowing your self up and surfing?"
"Nah," I pressed on the brakes as we came to a red light trying desperately to act cool, and not stare at her.
Silence.
"You…sure you don't think it's a bit too much?" Hitomi asked, shyly pulling at the hem of the dress, which rode up even higher on her legs as she was sitting.
I looked over at her, and her eyes met mine, a faint blush across her cheeks.
"You look really nice," I said truthfully.
Things haven't changed at all between us since that summer.
I swallowed, keeping my eyes on the road.
She's one of my best friends, why is this so hard?
"So… I'm having a bonfire Sunday night… Ya' wanna come?"
"Sure." She said simply, leaning her sandy haired head against the window, "The café is up here on the right."
I switched on my blinker, pulling up into the parking lot of the quaint French styled café.
"So, see ya' soon…?" She said, her hand on the door handle, a faint smile on her lips.
I nodded, "See ya' soon."
She slowly slinked out of the car, straightening her dress and giving me one more heart-wrenching smile before disappearing past the flowered entrance of the café.
A/N: Long and fluffy. It's my apology for not updating in so long. And my excuse not to start wrapping my Christmas presents.
Merry Christmas to all, and please leave a review so that I can have a good night!
Avaris 'The Yunanator' Sky
Dec. 25th 2003
Version 1