Hah! I know people must be saying how long I take to update... I can't help it! I am kinda busy... Anyway...

Here's my update and I hope you people like it. Some people expected Elaine to arrive while some didn't... And don't worry people. I wouldn't add a complication without knowing how to fix it! I mean, come on! If any of you have read my other stories, you'll know I never write anything that's smooth sailing. Complications can improve relationships... sure it can destroy them too but I don't plan on making that happen so relax.

WARNING: There might be extreme OOCness... MIGHT but I'm warning you anyway - mostly to do with the Dragon Slayers since I don't know their personalities all too well so I might change them.

Thanks to my loyal reviewers: Inda, Ayr, aan, Cherry Dragon, Xanthia Nightshade, Cev, fireangel621, sailuhome, MirokuLover, Crystal Twilight, Shizuka-naTenshi, elena-maria, Wings of Ash, LaVeNdErSaKuRa, pure hope, Katrina 14love, Strawberryz, Kiko cat, Thetys, Sadame X, Spirit Dancer and strawberriez (Are you Strawberryz?)

Anyway, enjoy!

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An Innocent Promise

Elaine Deville

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Hitomi's mouth was slightly open as her mind processed the information that was currently presented to her.

"Elaine Deville... Van Slanzar Fanel's fiancee..."

Van Slanzar's Fanel's fiancee...

Van Fanel's fiancee...

Van's fiancee...

Fiancee...

"Pardon?" Hitomi voiced hollowly. "Can you kindly repeat that?"

Elaine smirked as she saw the dumbfounded look on Hitomi's pretty face.

"I'll kindly repeat it for you," she said breezily. "I am Elaine Deville, member of the renown Deville family, and fiancee to Van Slanzar Fanel. I'm suire Van has told you this...?"

Hitomi swallowed, her heart falling to the pit of her stomach. She turned to Van, her eyes full of hurt, disbelief...

...and anger.

"Van... So this is how it is," she said quietly, her eyes hooded. Van stared with wide eyes at her.

"Hitomi-"

Hitomi, however, held a hand up, abruptly silencing him. "There is no need to explain, Mr. Fanel," she said with contempt. "After all, I'm sure this matter about Ms. Deville"-her tone became icier, if possible, as she said these words-"is more serious than the innocent promise you gave me years ago."

Before Van could speak another word, Hitomi spun around, trying so hard to stop her tears from falling before running off up the grand staircase. Millerna, who was passing by, saw Hitomi sprint off. After giving a confused look to Van and Elaine, she rushed off to follow her friend. Van, wanting to follow Hitomi and explain, was stopped when Elaine grabbed his arm.

"Van," she whined, somehow making the name have two syllables. "Where are you going? You owe me a dance at least after forgetting to invite me to this lovely party."

Van tried to free his arm in vain. "I didn't forget, Elaine," Van answered rather harshly. "You weren't invited."

Elaine's wide, seemingly innocent eyes suddenly narrowed dangerously. Van resisted the urge to take a step back upon seeing the nasty look on Elaine's face.

"Are you forgetting who you're talking to?" she demanded in a hiss. "Who took care of you when you needed to be taken care of the most? Who saved your life!"

Van swallowed and relaxed the fists that formed on his sides. "I'm sorry Elaine," he replied tightly. "How could I ever forget?"

"That's right," Elaine said nastily. Her beautiful smile returned. "Now that dance I have been politely asking for?"

Van miserably took Elaine's hand and led her to the dance floor. His gaze, however, went to the exit Hitomi just took. He would have to find her first thing tomorrow at school.

He wasn't ready to give up on her yet.

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Hitomi gasped as soon as she was in the bathroom. Tears started streaming in her eyes as she cried. Millerna burst into the women's room, eyes reflecting great concern for her friend.

"Oh, Hitomi... What happened?" she asked, wrapping an arm around her sobbing friend, offering comfort.

"Ohy Millerna!" Hitomi cried, hugging the other girl. Millerna wrapped both arms around her. "H-he... He's engaged to another woman!"

Millerna stared at her friend in shock. "He is! To whom?"

"A-an Elaine D-Deville," Hitomi sobbed, her form shaking.

"Elaine Deville?" Millerna repeated in confusion before her eyes widened in recognition. Her eyes then narrowed as her brain processed the information. "Elaine Deville... I know her. More like Elaine She-devil if you ask me! She is the nastiest girl you can ever hope to meet! Her family's a bunch of snobs, always going on about their bloodline related to royalty! As if!"

"T-then why is V-Van engaged t-to her if sh-she's so nasty?" Hitomi asked tearfully, her sobbing slowly decreasing as she began to loose breath.

Millerna, however, merely shrugged. "I have no idea! Maybe she is a witch after all and charmed Van... That or Van is a blind idiot."

Hitomi couldn't help but smile at Millerna. Her friend always knew how to cheer her up. Millerna smiled gently at her.

"Do you want to go home, Hitomi?" she asked. "We can go if you want to. I was getting bored anyway."

"What about Dryden?" Hitomi asked worriedly. "He might not want to leave yet."

Millerna, however, merely raised her nose in the air. "He'll leave when I tell him to leave!" Hitomi couldn't help but chuckle at her friend's antics. "Come on Hitomi. And I'm sure Folken won't need an explanation on your departure. I'm positive he knows about Van's engagement." Her eyes darkened at the thought of Folken knowing Van was engaged and not informing Hitomi.

Before the two could even get off the bathroom floor tiles, the door burst open and Yukari went inside.

"Guys," she gasped out, panting and cheeks red as if she was running. "We have to go! Anelese sprained her ankle and it's getting worse. I think we need to get her to the hospital."

The oldest of them frowned. "She ran while in her heels, didn't she? I told her not to run!" Millerna sighed. "Oh well... We need to go anyway."

Yukari, just noticing Hitomi's tear-stained cheeks, rushed to her friend.

"Hitomi! What happened? This night isn't turning out too well!"

"No objections there," Millerna muttered under her breath as she and Yukari helped Hitomi up. "We'll tell you later Yukari. Right now, you can show us where Anelese is."

Hitomi glanced at herself in the mirror just before they left. An image of Elaine Deville and her triumphant smile flashed through her vision before her eyes became glassy with unshed tears.

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"It doesn't look too good," a young blonde commented as he looked at Anelese's ankle. He then glanced at the wincing teen. "Does it hurt?"

"No, duh," Dilandau rolled his eyes in annoyance. "You sprained your ankle before. Did it hurt Chesta?"

Chesta winced and muttered under his breath, "Yes." He was, however, too used to Dilandau's attitude to take the comment to heart. Chesta, along with a few other of Dilandau's friends, also worked at the country club.

"Don't be so mean, Dilandau," Anelese said in a sligtly reprimanding tone. "Chesta was merely asking." She then smiled at Chesta, who returned it weakly. Dilandau huffed and muttered about "bossy girls" under his breath.

"It's so unfortunate for such a pretty girl to be hurt," Gatti (spelling?) said as he twirled a strand of Anelese's hair in his finger, eyes twinkling flirtatiously. "Don't worry, sweetie. I'm one of the limo drivers and we're getting you out of here and to a hospital as soon as your friend returns with your companions' consent."

"Thanks!" Anelese said cheerfully, oblivious to the flirting. Chesta and Dilandau sweat dropped as Gatti looked taken aback.

"Wow... a girl who doesn't fall for your charms," a brown-haired guy commented from a corner. "How does your ego fare, Gatti?"

"Oh be quiet, Dallet," Gatti said with a wave of his hand, as if dismissing the other man.

At that exact moment, Millerna burst in the room, Hitomi at her heels.

"Oh Anelese!" Hitomi rushed over to her cousin. "What happened?"

Millerna, however, was less sympathetic. "I TOLD you not to run in those heels! What in the name of the seven hells made you run with those things? I avoid running in heels and I wear them all the time!"

"Allen Schezar," Anelese blurted out without thinking. She then clamped her mouth shut and looked away, avoiding Hitomi's gaze.

"Allen?" Hitomi echoed. "But Allen is a perfect gentleman!"

"It's not his personality," Anelese reassured her. "It's just... The way he looked at me and..." She suddenly started blushing as she cupped her cheek with a hand. "...w-when he t-touched me..."

The four guys who watched quietly, suddenly perked up - even Dilandau. Gatti, Chesta and Dallet liked Anelese despite the short time they knew each other. Dilandau... well... Would he really admit to anything?

"Touched you?" Gatti said, as if clarifying something. "Who is he? Why I oughta-"

"Who are you?" Millerna interrupted, noticing them for the first time.

It was at that moment Yukari came into the room. "I asked them to look after Anelese. They looked trustworthy enough - especially Chesta." Chesta blushed at the comment and gave a slight bow in gratitude. Dilandau snorted. Millerna turned her attention to him.

"He doesn't look trustworthy," Millerna said, eyeing Dilandau. His jaws clenched.

Anelese looked at her overprotective friend, eyes worried, not wanting a fight between the two. "Millerna, Dilandau-"

"I'm the one who brought that injured girl in here," Dilandau said scathingly.

"I think this is no time for an argument," Dallet cut in smoothly.

"I agree," Hitomi said, voice firm. "We'll talk about the Allen matter later. Right now, we need to get Anelese to the hospital."

"I already approached Dryden and he already left to get his car," Yukari explained as she went over to Anelese and took her hand, meaning to help her off the table so they could leave.

Gatti, Chesta and Dallet looked at each other. They also glanced at Dilandau who ignored them. The three stepped forward.

"One of us can carry her so she won't have to apply pressure on her foot," Chesta stated, looking from one girl to the other.

Anelese's friends looked thoughtful.

"That is a good idea," Hitomi said with a small sad smile. She was still upset about the Van incident. But she had to put her feelings aside for the moment. Her favorite cousin was in pain. She can be selfless if necessary. (A/N: Aww...)

"Well?" Millerna prompted. "Which one of you will carry her?"

Unknown to all of them, Dilandau had slowly approached the injured girl. After Millerna's statement, Anelese's cry of surprise rang in the room as Dilandau lifted her in his arms. He was out the door with her before anyone could react. Hitomi and Yukari were able to react first and follow them. Millerna growled when she recovered from shock and followed. Dilandau's three friends were the last to recover.

"Was he actually doing something nice?" Gatti asked, mouth agape.

"I believe he was," Dallet answered in the same stunned manner.

"Wow..." was all Chesta could say.

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"Thank you Dilandau," Anelese said with a bashful smile as he placed her inside the car. Dilandau merely 'hmphed' and turned and walked away. Millerna kept on muttering under her breath how rude he was while Yukari sweat dropped.

"The bottom line is he helped her... twice," she added.

"That doesn't erase the fact that he's a rude jerk!" Millerna exclaimed with feeling.

Hitomi had gone inside the car. As soon as she got in and looked at the huge country club, her eyes started stinging with tears. Anelese quickly noticed.

"Hitomi! What's wrong?" she asked urgently, hating to see Hitomi in distress.

Hitomi told her everything. Anelese stared, wide-eyed. When Hitomi finished, she looked sadly at Hitomi.

"Oh Hitomi... Maybe he has an explanation..."

"Then why didn't he run after me and explain?" Anelese couldn't answer. She had no answer.

"What do you plan to do then?" Anelese asked, taking her cousin's hands in silent support.

Hitomi gave a tearful but determined smile. "Then I'll just have to forget about him, won't I?"

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I finished this chapter in a rush. I'm going to retreat tomorrow! YAY! Anyway, I can't leave all you hanging. You'd better review while I'm gone! I love reviews and they really make me update faster, to tell you the truth. And I'm not just saying that.

Anyway, what do you think?

Chisakami Saiyuki