Homework on the first day of school. Figures.

Hitomi got busy and took out her pencil, scribbling on the assignment that was due for the day. She squinted up at the chalkboard to see what the assignment was again.

Write a paragraph about your goals for this year, it read. Hitomi sighed. What a good question that was. In fact, she was still trying to find friends let alone goals…she sighed, resting her chin on her hand, in deep thought.

So…what goals do I have?

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Go Gaia!

Chapter 2: The 4-1-1

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Hitomi put the pencil down and began to write about track. Everything about track, what she wanted to do, and how she was going to do it. She couldn't wait to feel the wind against her face again. How she missed it back at her old school. The thing was, Hitomi loved running. And she had always wanted to show everyone that she was the most amazing running anyone had ever seen.

Within seconds, Hitomi had filled up half the page about her track goals. She felt a tap on the shoulder. Hitomi turned around.

"Huh?"

"Hitomi, right?" Yukari whispered, "You have super nice handwriting."

Hitomi smiled strangely.

"Uh, thanks?"

"No, seriously. I didn't know you liked track…I'm going to be on the track team, too!"

A smile quickly grew on Hitomi's face.

"Really? That's great," Hitomi whispered back, "Awesome. I'm really glad. See, it's been kind of a weird morning. It's not like I meant to come in late, or anything…"

"Whatever. Deathrow Dellis doesn't care. She just cares about failing you," Yukari muttered sarcastically, "Hell, I come in late everyday…But enough about that!"

Hitomi blinked.

"What period do you have option?"

"Oh, uh, 6th."

"Aw, damnit!" Yukari cursed, "I have it 7th."

Hitomi looked downward, "Bummer."

"Where did you move from?"

"Kyoto," Hitomi replied, "It's a ways away from Tokyo anyway."

"That's really cool that you're on the track team, I know I just love running. Ever since I was a little girl, I'd run places, and no one could stop me, you know?" Yukari laughed. Hitomi smiled.

"Thank you…" Hitomi said quietly. Yukari blinked.

"For what?"

"Talking to me. It seems like…is it just me, or is everyone here starring at me funny?"

Hitomi casually glanced over at the students in their class. Yukari did the same. As soon as the two of them turned their heads to look at the students, there was a collective head turning, and the students looked busy, some faking whistling, or looking the other way. Hitomi's shoulders drooped.

"Don't worry, it's just because you're new. They'll get used to you. Okay, so track talk! Are you going to the informational meeting?"

"Uh, when is it? I met the girl who's arranging it, she's super nice, I think her name's Azalea, she even invited me to sit with her at opt—Yukari? Are you okay?"

By this time, Hitomi had the attention of every single female in the classroom. Yukari looked at her as if a deer had spotted oncoming headlights. The girls in the classroom had their eyes pinned on Hitomi, waiting for the next sentence like a tiger hunting it's prey. Hitomi let out a nervous laugh.

"Azalea Anderson? THE Azalea Anderson?" Yukari hissed. Hitomi blinked.

"Uh, yeah, that was her name. She was really nice, Yukari. She even offered to sit with me at option."

The expressions of the female students went rigid with jealousy.

"Azalea Anderson invited –you- to sit with –her almighty goddess-?"

Hitomi looked to her side. The girls around her were fuming with rage.

"Uh…Yukari…" Hitomi edged, "Can…you keep it…down?'

"Azalea Anderson, the most beautiful girl to have ever lived, actually talked to you and personally invited you to come sit with her?"

Hitomi nodded slightly.

The girls immediately turned around and whispered, hissing to one another.

"What the hell? I can't believe that new girl thinks she's gotten it all just because Azalea talked to her…"

"What right does she even have talking to Azalea Anderson?"

"She isn't –worthy-! Azalea is too good for her."

"Why can't I sit with Azalea?"

Yukari's eyebrow twitched.

"SHUT UP! YOU JEALOUS BITCHES! HITOMI HAS EVERY RIGHT IT THE WORLD SO UP YOURS!" Yukari roared. The class fell dead silent. Deathrow Dellis turned to Yukari.

"Ms. Uchida," she said curtly, her tiny glasses shimmering in her direction, "do you have something you want to share with the class?"

Yukari blushed.

"Nothing, ma'am."

The teacher cocked and eyebrow and returned to her grading. Yukari fumed at the girls around her and looked at Hitomi, who was grinning.

"Thanks, Yukari," she whispered. Yukari shook her head.

"Don't mention it. And don't pay attention to them. They're just a bunch of attention whores who didn't get enough love from their parents when they were kids."

"Yukari," Hitomi started, "Why is Azalea respected the way she is?"

"Hitomi, Azalea is beautiful…" Yukari trailed off, "isn't she? It's every girl's dream to be just like her. She's fit, beautiful, and she's got a suuuuuuper good-looking boyfriend…" Yukari trailed off. She let out a dream-like sigh.

"Who's her boyfriend?"

"Dalet Meridian" Yukari said, still dreamy. A collective squeal escaped from the girls around them. Yukari glared at them, and they looked down, collectively mumbling 'sorry' for eavesdropping.

"Dalet Meridian? Who's he?" Hitomi asked innocently.

Yukari's jaw dropped.

"How could you not know?" Yukari whispered frantically, "Did you read about anything in the back-to-school packet?"

Hitomi shook her head.

"Actually, do you mind if you answered me something? Why does this school have it's own band? The dragonslayers, I think?"

There was a silence in the room. A very awkward one at that. Yukari starred at her with wide-eyed.

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHO THE DRAGONSLAYERS ARE? THEY'RE ONLY THE MOST GORGEOUS GROUP OF BOYS WITH THE MOST ANGELIC VOICES EVER!"

Every girl in the room became giddy and screamed.

Deathrow Dellis cleared her voice loudly. The girls stopped and immediately fell silent.

"I didn't know they were that popular…"

"Oh of course they are, Hitomi. They aren't in anyway related to the school. It's completely voluntary. The dragonslayers even have their own fanclub," Yukari flashed a smile while taking out her membership card. Hitomi sweatdropped.

"Are you kidding?"

"No, totally not joking. Azalea has it good…she's the girlfriend of Dalet, who's one of the band members," Yukari explained, "Are you coming to their concert tonight?"

"Concert? Oh right…"

"There's a concert alright," Yukari replied, "You should come and hear them. They really are good. It's every Gaia girl's dream to go out with one of them…"

"Maybe the reason why everyone wants to be Azalea's friend is because Dalet is her boyfriend, and then she must be friends with the dragonslayers."

"Yeah," Yukari nodded, "It makes me sick."

"Then Azalea must be really lonely…"

There was a strange silence.

Maybe that's why she came up to me. Because she knew I was a new student who knew nothing of her social status. Because she was hoping I'd see her as Azalea, and not a tool to be used to gain popularity.

Wow…Azalea must be really lonely.

"By the way, why were you so late this morning?"

"Oh, I just woke up late. I was kinda up late last night, and stuff…" Hitomi trailed off, "it was bad because I was on my way to school, and I totally knew I was gonna get here like, ten minutes after the bell, but some kid that goes here gave me a ride."

"Wow, you're awfully trusting."

"Well, no, he's my neighbor. I saw him pull into his driveway last night."

"Ooooh…" Yukari nodded, "Stalking him already, I see."

Hitomi blushed.

"H-hey! I-it's n-not what you think!" Hitomi argued. Yukari merely replied with a simple "uh-huh".

"What's his name?" Yukari added on in a more serious tone.

"Oh, you probably don't know him. He's not popular like the dragonslayers anyway."

"Spit it out," Yukari giggled.

"Van Fanel," Hitomi said, scribbling a few more sentences to her paper. Yukari dropped her pencil.

"Van Fanel? Hitomi, what is this? Some kind of joke?"

"What's a joke?"

"Azalea comes and shows you to your first period class while inviting you to sit with her, and Van Fanel gives you a ride to school," Yukari shook her head, "Hitomi, you are living a Gaia girl's dream."

"Who is he?"

"Van Fanel is the hottest senior ever," Yukari assured her, "but he's very shady. I think that's why no one is really open about their crushed on him. It's almost like he's hiding some deep dark secret…but every single girl has a crush on him…"

"Deep dark secret?"

"I don't know, something juicy," Yukari grinned. Hitomi half-smiled. At that moment, Hitomi didn't feel like mentioning anything about how Azalea had said that it was a long story as to how she knew Van Fanel.

- - -

Hitomi was stuck with study hall a couple of periods left. With first period English with Yukari, second period chemistry, and third period Algebra, she already needed a break. Hitomi huffed and started towards the vending machine, fishing through her purse to find some change to purchase some sort of snack.

She started towards the vending machine and got a soda instead. The carbonated drink fizzed at the top as it vended, and Hitomi reached into grab it. She turned around, while opening the cap, and didn't bother to watch where she was going.

Hitomi bumped straight into a tall, pale boy. The soda fizzed and exploded everywhere on his shirt. Hitomi let out a huge gasp and covered her mouth as she looked up at his face.

Garnet-colored eyes and a pale face starred straight at her. Hitomi backed up, reaching into her purse for some napkins. The boy stood there, watching what she would do. The people around her starred at her, gawking madly. Immediately, the females around her at the time began to dig furiously into their purses to find some napkins, whispering frantically to each other.

"I am SO sorry," Hitomi said sincerely, while taking out a few napkins and search for a few more, "I didn't see you there—"

"Of course you didn't," he said simply, making Hitomi look up at him in curiosity. Shrugging it off, she continued to search for anything that would clean him off.

"I'm really sorry about that," she apologized frantically, "I mean, the soda was fizzing, and I was watching it, and I didn't see you, and I bumped into you," she laughed, "I'm really sorry."

"You should be. There's going to be a stain on my uniform, now."

Hitomi looked over at the girls, who were now coming forward to clean him off with their napkins and things that they had stuffed in their purses.

"Oh, Dliandau, not your shirt," whined one of the girls, who reached out, "I'm really sorry, that new girl is so clumsy."

"Oh, let me clean it up!" another chanted, "I feel bad for you…"

Hitomi gave them each disgusted looks. The boy looked over at the fangirls.

"New girl?" he added with a slight sarcastic tongue, "Oh, then I think she should clean it off and take full responsibility then."

Hitomi gawked at him. The soda was dripping off of his uniform and making a small puddle on the ground beneath him.

"Right?" a wicked smile came across his face. Hitomi gave him a dirty look.

"No, you know what? Screw you," Hitomi spat and through the spare napkins on him. All of the girls around him gasped, "I hope that leaves a dirty stain."

Hitomi turned on her heel and began to walk away.

"What disrespect! How rude!"

"Ungrateful!'

Hitomi felt someone grab her arm fiercely. Hitomi turned around. He still had that smirk on his face as she turned around.

"If you don't want to clean it off, then maybe you should lick it off."

The girls around him giggled with a wicked sense of humor. They were enjoying every moment of this, no doubt. Hitomi looked at him angrily in the eye, almost read to spit in his face.

"Excuse me," Hitomi hissed, "I told you that I was sorry, but I don't know if I want to clean it, let alone lick it off some asshole. If you'll excuse me please," Hitomi finished. The girls around her looked at her with contempt and looked back at Dilandau with an eager expression, awaiting his reply.

"You aren't leaving my sight until this stain is clean," he growled menacingly, "that would be rude of you…wouldn't it?"

"Hey."

Hitomi turned around to see who had stopped Dilandau from intimidating her. Dilandau turned to the source of the voice as well. The girls that were around the sight that Dilandau was making gawked in all of his glory.

Van Fanel glared viciously at Dilandau.

"Leave her alone," he said calmly.

Dilandau roughly pushed Hitomi away and turned to face Van, whom the crowd parted for.

"Oh, my, my. Look who it is? If it isn't Van Fanel himself?" Dilandau hissed sarcastically, "And of what business is this problem child to you?"

"You're a living inferiority complex," Van stated simply, "Scaring the shit out of those who respect you makes you feel good, doesn't it? I don't think Hitomi respects you, though. Maybe that's why she isn't scared."

Van? What are you doing? Please stop that. Please don't bring this on to me, Hitomi thought nervously.

"Like that's any of your business," Dilandau replied, "Always have to be the better hero, don't you?"

"I'm just doing what you don't have the guts to do," Van spat back. Dilandau smiled at him and turned around.

"One of these days, Van. Karma's gonna get you."

Dilandau walked away, leaving the girls around him speechless. They looked hungrily at Van, who looked at Hitomi, who was watching Dilandau with contempt as he waltzed away. The fangirls screamed.

"AAAAHHHHHH! He actually walked PASSED me!" the red-haired girl with glasses squealed as Van made his way over to Hitomi. The girls continued to rant about Dilandau.

"What a jerk," Hitomi whispered to herself before facing Van.

"Are you okay?" Van asked, "If he ever does that again, you be sure to tell me, I'll kick his ass for you, okay?"

Hitomi smiled.

"Thanks."

- - - -

Option approached. A girl with a loud megaphone in her hand with the dragonslayer's band poster in her hand yelled loudly into the megaphone.

"DRAGONSLAYERS CONCERT TONIGHT! DRAGONSLAYER FANCLUB MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT!" she yelled. Hitomi had to block her ears as she crossed the grass outside where the lunch area usually was.

She looked at the girl who was roaring loudly into the microphone. A blonde girl, with wavy-hair in a ponytail stood, shouting into the microphone. Hitomi looked at her with a curious look. There was a gigantic line of fangirls waiting at the table, money at the hand.

The blonde girl quickly put down her microphone and started to sell tickets, along with a few other girls. Each girl that paid for a ticket showed some sort of ID card.

Membership card, probably, Hitomi winced. There was a loud squealing of fangirls that came from the other direction. In fact, this whole school seemed to be filled with squealing fangirls.

Hitomi looked at the source of them.

"OH MY GOD THERE HE IS!" one girl screamed. Hitomi cocked her head to look forward. A group of girls that were at a distance peered over some bushes, giggling and sushing each other. Hitomi looked in their general direction.

A tall, well-built young man exited Gaia high into the courtyard, fashionably cut, chin-length dark brown hair drifting in the wind and cool, light blue eyes starring forward dully.

"omgomgomgomgomgogmogmogmomgomgomgomgomg…."

Hitomi let out a light groan of annoyance and the repeated gushing of the girls not too far away from her. She watched as he walked placidly out into the open, seating himself on the bench, and put his leg casually over the over, leaning one arm on the bench, as though he was looking for someone.

"Wow, he is sooooo gorgeous!"

Hitomi shook her head and walked in the other direction, looking for Azalea. Not really sure how important sitting with her was, she sat down on a nearby bench under a cherry tree, watching the boy look for someone.

She watched as Azalea approached him. Her heart jumped and she jumped up as well, smiling. Before she could even wave, Azalea waved to her, which prompted a glare from the fangirls that were spying on the boy sitting on the bench.

Not paying attention, Hitomi waved back and watched Azalea show her first finger at her, mouthing, 'one minute'. Azalea walked up to the boy sitting on the bench.

"Oh my god, I wish I was Azalea…"

She sat down next to him, and he looked delighted to see her. Hitomi instantly knew that the boy sitting on the bench must have been Dalet Meridian, Azalea's most talked about boyfriend. Azalea took his hand and started smiling as she heaved him up on the bench, tugging him forward playfully. She walked in Hitomi direction across the grass.

"They make the cutest couple ever…"

"She's so perfect…"

Hitomi looked up at the couple's approaching form. The girls watched the couple approach Hitomi, Azalea with a ginger smile upon her face.

"HI AZALEA!" they said in unison. Azalea sweatdropped and raised a hand, waving absent-mindedly. She stopped in front of Hitomi.

"Hey there," she said placidly, "We usually hang out over there in the gazebo," she said, pointing to the gazebo that was a few feet away. Hitomi turned to look at it and looked back at Azalea.

"Great," Hitomi smiled, "I'm going to go get something to eat, I'm starving, but I'll meet you over there, okay?"

Hitomi nodded and began to walk the other direction. Azalea turned the other way, hands still linked with Dalet, who walked placidly with her to the gazebo.

"Well that's not like you," Dalet whispered in her ear. Azalea looked straight forward.

"I know, but… I really like Hitomi. She's a very special person…"

- - - -

A/N: WAI! Hello again. Where are the other slayers you ask? Well, they're coming…:3 So please keep reviewing! Yes, this is a VxH…:)

Reviews:

Inda: Thank you:3

aan: Thanks for reading:3

Niru: Thank you:3

Honeypots: Long reviews are good. :3 Thank you!

Sakuya-Kaleido: You'll see...

One-winged-angel: Thank you for reading! Thanks for the Esca: AU love, and this will be a VxH...:3

Monty: Yeah, she did take it well, didn't she? lol Thank you for reading, and no, Van 3! He can't be evil! Thank you for revewing:3

f-zelda: Hitomi is based off of my Esca: AU fic. Not that much different, only appearence wise, with the long hair and everything. I'm going to try to include as much characters as I can, though it may be difficult because I find some of Escaflowne's characters father boring. / Thank you for reading:3

--FMB

(c) October 2nd, 2005