Glad to inform you all that for the moment I don't have author's block :) I've even started writing chapter six…but just a bit for now. Last year…. during the time that I wrote the last chapter for this story wasn't very good for me, that's why there were hardly any updates. School is being kind of tough right now, especially when you're in a boarding school that makes you do activities after school and loads you with homework. But I'm just happy I'm writing again, I missed it. And because people seemed to have liked it and I just couldn't resist myself I have another flashsback in this chapter XD it's rather sappy and pointless fluff, but it's to compensate all the awkwardness and sexual tension between them….lol. but I like it :) it was fun writing it, hehe…although it's fairly long…hehe.

Thank you for all that supported me and reviewed, it meant a lot to me, seriously. Special thanks to the following people who reviewed:

bluerelic no worries, no purple bunnies are gonna keep me away from this and MH! Just might take a long time..:) , Thetys haha, I love the flashbacks too…hope you like the one that's here, Anime Monkey thanks twice! Enjopy the chapter, holly haha…yeah, it was pretty long. And just like I said, the next update would be faster than the last….lol gotta work on that, aan thanks :D , kmmgirly hehe, so many questions that I can't answer…but I'll answer one: you got right about folken being bitter towards hitomi, but you'll find out why (not now though), Strawberryz LOL! I guess he was a bit perverted…but hey, hitomi was a bit to comfortable for his health, can you blame the poor guy? XD, Evangelina ah, that's great! I liker her too. and awesome that you liked the flashbacks! My personal fav is the coffee and math exam , HopelesslyEscaflowne yeah, the letter was very cute….too good to be true…lol. And wow! Thanks for reviewing twice, cool beans. Glad you liked the flashes and the fic so far, Alex awesome that you're reviewing now, thanks a lot! Chocolate-Covered-Coffee-Beans bows thanks, enjoy the chappy, maika thank you, thank you, clavira89 lol, I think it's genetic :) haha, well, I've updated now! Enjoy.

For all that reviewed, kudos for you! And all that just read (or e-mailed) thanks too :D

Stealing Hearts

Chatper Five – Truce of Friendship

Monday somehow seemed to have come much sooner than Hitomi had hoped for; but under the circumstances, the distraction of work wasn't necessarily dreadful. Unfortunately, it seemed things were not going as smoothly as she had anticipated. For one thing, her alarm clock had in some way broken and hadn't rung until after twenty minutes it had been supposed to. In a mad rush Hitomi had run to the shower to discover there was only cold water. Excruciatingly cold water. After a sense-numbing shower much like walking out of a freezer, Hitomi also discovered that her favorite shoe (the same one that she had worn the day before) had the heel broken.

In a haste while grumbling and cursing, Hitomi grabbed an olive jumper over her long-sleeve and zipped a plain black skirt with matching black low-heels. On her way to the kitchen Hitomi realized there was no more coffee (apparently she had used it all unnoticed the night before) and which left a very peeved Hitomi.

Instead she had to settle for the blueberry muffin—for which she was dubious of the expiration date—and a carton of cold milk. In a blink of an eye she was gone, nearly forgetting to lock her door, she ran down the street like a possessed woman in chase of the train that was about to depart. As usual, in all the luck that she was having that day, she missed it.

Van rarely woke up early on Monday mornings, mostly because it was a free day for him. Or rather, his work was not needed until the afternoon. For more reasons than one Van was glad about his work, he had never been a morning person. And the ways things were going, he never would be.

Van rolled on his side and opened one eye to glance at the blinking clock. He made a little grunt and rolled back, hugging his pillow and pulling the sheets closer to his face. Minutes later the clock began to shriek, an unyielding sound that resonated around the room; bouncing from every wall and back, the noise almost unbearable to Van.

He muffled something on his pillow, flung his bed sheets and grabbed the clock in his hands. He silenced the machine and blinked several times to adjust his focus; straining his eyes and furrowing his brows, his eyes fixed on the winking digitals, barely deciphering the blasted clock. He grunted once more and went back to bed, hardly caring if the device went off again.

"Do you ever think of the future?" asked Hitomi in a hushed voice as she gazed at Van through her long lashes, her light brown hair sprawled against his broad chest as she lay between his legs.

Van laughed, "You're very curious, aren't you?" she grinned and just mumbled something incoherent against his shirt. Van smiled softly and fixed his eyes at the clouds, a pensive look settled across his face, the dark pangs casting over his eyes slightly; making Hitomi blissful at the sight.

Van prolonged the silence, half teasing her and half thinking of an answer, and came to when he felt a hand tug on his sleeve. His eyes swept to the face of a pouting Hitomi, her inquisitive face encouraging him to answer. Van laughed heartedly, and ensued on patting Hitomi's head, which just made her pout even more. He shook he head and grinned before saying, "To be honest, I haven't really. I mean, if you count the anticipation of passing high school, and then thinking of the torture college will be, then no, I'm afraid not. Have you?"

Hitomi snuggled closer and fluttered her eyes close, the feel of his palm caressing her cheek and the distinctive sensation of his heartbeat under her hand made her smile softly; raking her nails against the soft material of his shirt. She cracked an eye open and saw Van staring, a light flush surfacing her cheeks at his intense gaze, "Oh, well, you know, things that most girls have thought about."

Van gave a smirk and poked her side, "And what would that be?"

"Err…you know…typical girl stuff," Said Hitomi as she squirmed at his touch and hid her face from his view.

"Well, I hope you can see I'm no where close to being a girl, and God forbid, that you had never thought so," Van said while he tried to see her face. Hitomi relentlessly shifted away from him, daring not to take a peek at his smirking face. Van dropped his hands and grunted, "come on Hitomi."

Hitomi became flaccid against his arms, and turned her face to the side, her eyes fixed on his shirt while he looked at her with unease. Finally she spoke, in such a quiet voice that Van almost didn't hear her, "…to find that special someone, get the job I want, be able to travel around world, and how many kids I will have."

An uncomfortable pause settled over them, the unhidden agitation apparent through the silence. Van cleared his throat somewhat embarrassed and said, "Oh, I…I've thought of that before."

Hitomi shifted her eyes to his face and asked intriguingly, "Really? I thought you said you hadn't thought about the future," she raised an eyebrow at Van, suddenly giggling, "you've actually thought how many kids you want?"

"Ah, crap," a light flush tinted his cheeks as he grinned, "yeah, okay, I admit it. But it was only once! I swear!"

Hitomi giggled again and stood on her knees, turning around so she could face him and draped her arms around his neck, her nose lazily touching his, "How many?"

"huh?"

Hitomi grinned and kissed his cheek, hovering over his ear to whisper, "how many kids you want, silly."

"Oh."

"Yeah…?"

"Five," said Van promptly as he gave her a wolfish grin and brought her closer, nuzzling her neck and kissing it lovingly.

"F-five? Have you gone insane? Who do you think will have to go through all those labors?" said Hitomi mockingly.

Van backed away slightly, still holding her securely with his strong arms woven around her waist, looking at her face with a broad grin plastered across his beautiful face, "You, of course."

Hitomi rolled her eyes exasperatedly at him despite the sudden flutter in her stomach, "Van Slanzer de Fanel, if you think I will bear you five kids, you got another think coming. And how do you know it will be me anyway? We've only been dating for a few months, kind of a scary proposition coming from a guy."

Van kept his grin on his face, his gaze held such endearment that Hitomi couldn't keep her façade any longer, carefully brushing stray strands of hair away from her eyes, "Because the moment I fell in love with you I couldn't imagine myself with anyone else."

For a moment they stared at one another, their eyes communicating volumes that could not be said through words, and slowly, almost in a timid manner, Hitomi gently brushed her lips against Van's. They had both kissed several times, deep and frenzied, like a burning flame that consumed their bodies and bruised their lips with the sensuous dance they did; but this kiss was the gentlest of all, the passion veiled through the tender brushing of their lips, and their souls faintly but surely touching. A few minutes later they drew back, and Hitomi nuzzled her face against his shoulder, kissing the skin gently.

For a few moments they simply enjoyed the company of the other, the lingering feel of the other's lips still fresh in their memory. Soon the silence died when Van began to speak. "And besides," said Van as he caressed her face with a smirk, "since both of us are so good-looking, it wouldn't be any harm to bring more beautiful people into the world."

Hitomi thought for a second on what he was talking about before swatting his shoulder and laughing, "Van!"

He laughed, taking her hand in his, "But seriously, I want a big family."

Hitomi´s face softened and she pecked his cheek chastely, "Me too. But I don't know about five, though."

Van's grin broadened, "I'm sure we can come to an agreement in time." He said before he captured her lips.

Van didn't know how long he had stayed there, lying in his bed with his eyes fixed on the ceiling. Dreams of Hitomi started coming to him every night since he had seen her, and it seemed to only worsen. Van hated that he secretly welcomed them, the idea that she had such an affect on him even after five years alarmed him. Of course, he hadn't expected to be immune to her; Lord knew that would be impossible, but to think that he would be this affected by her appearance worried Van more than he would like to admit. He wouldn't allow himself to fall in love with her, he couldn't go through with that again. For this reason he had to somehow make these dreams seize, otherwise Van had no idea what to do. And from self-experience, that was never good.

Hitomi breathed heavily, sweeping back hair from her face while looking at the empty tracks. Tucking her hair in place, Hitomi soon remembered she hadn't brushed her hair yet and cursed under her breath, knowing that she had forgotten to bring a comb. Instead, Hitomi dug her fingers through her hair to straighten and tugged at tangles as best as she could, in such circumstances. Thankfully she had remembered to bring a coat with her, since it seemed the morning was a bit chillier than it would be expected. Well, thought Hitomi with a bit of optimism, at least one good thing happened today.

Hitomi glanced once more at the empty tracks and later fixed her eyes on her wristwatch. It was nearly time for the 7:45 train to arrive. Hitomi let a sigh escape through her lips, small puffs of warm air rising in the clear morning sky. For some reason Hitomi had never been eager when this time of year came, perhaps the cold weather bothered and the long hours cooped inside her home, the silence of the night and darkness persisting until spring; when life was born from the bitter soil and everything seemed more beautiful and pleasant. Since childhood spring had been her favorite season, and even now remained so, one of the only things that hadn't changed over time.

Hitomi's thoughts were interrupted when the sound of the train approached, the hum from the engines and the wheels on the tracks grew louder, until it suddenly came into a stop at the station; opening it's doors like the wings of a mother hen would do to her chicks. Hitomi took a seat by the window, the scenery before her rapidly shifting as the train began to move. She laid her head against the windowsill, strands of hair blurring her view as she shut her eyes and waited.

By the time Van left his apartment the streets were packed with people, small vendors and large stores expectantly waited for customers; the swarming citizens pushes against each other, the buzzing of whispering voices and cars moving resonated around the square. It had been a while since he had seen the streets so full, mostly because he didn't usually leave his home until after rush hour.

The multitude moved sluggishly, the pace nearly driving Van insane. After a while Van decided to leave and made his way through the crowd, moving them away as if he were swimming and pushing the water back to propel him. Van let a sigh once he entered a small street, a small and hardly known street that would eventually take him to his office. He knew this city like the palm of his hand, knew almost every corner and name that could be found on the map. The hubbub from the busy streets became fainter as he entered deeper into the narrow street, its quiet nature settling around Van. Some shopkeepers and passerby smiled and nodded their head in acknowledgment as Van continued on his way, nearing each time closer to the main square of the city.

The pack of people were more visible and the noises began to rise again, and just when Van was about to turn to join the crowd, his body collided with another. Having quick reflexes he regained his balance swiftly and before he apologize someone shoved him from behind, quickly finding himself knock against the person he had previously bumped into. Van instantly knew the person was a woman, the slim arms that he held and the soft curves of her body pressed against his was unmistakable. He stepped back to the side, a bit embarrassed at the whole ordeal, "I'm so terribly sorry! I didn't see you coming and then someone pushed me and then I bumped into you again…" Van took a breath in and looked up, expecting to see an upset woman standing before him. For a moment Van thought his eyes were deceiving them, his rambling dead on his lips and his eyes boring at the person standing in front of him.

Folken believed he was a patient man, the kind of man that would wait as long as possible for something to be done. He had to admit that sometimes he could be a bit demanding and urgent, but for the most part he was an understanding person. Folken leaned forward against his desk, his hands cupping his head with his eyes transfixed on the newspaper in front of him. The only sound in the room came from the clock on the wall, the second hand ticking perpetually over and over again, vibrating throughout the room and intensifying the sound. He growled to himself and stood up, pacing his room in deep thought; the brows furrowed and the tension high in the room.

"God damn it!" Folken looked back onto his desk and grabbed the newspaper again, reading the heading Does the Police Force have what it takes to catch Emerald? His eyes skimmed over the words again, his face rapidly turning shades of red until he crunched the newspaper into a ball and chucked it across the room, hitting it inside the trashcan with a clang. Folken's eyes burned red with an irate glint, his features twisted and his body tense. He walked back to his desk and sat down, taking a baseball in his hand and throwing from one hand to the other, back and forth. After a while his features relaxed, and his eyes focused on the ball in his hand as he contemplated. Suddenly, as if light had struck him, Folken flung from his chair and paced to the window, looking bellow at the people swimming across a sea of multitude. His eyes fixed on the crowd and said quietly, "I have to do something about this."

Just then the phone rang, the shrilling sound of the apparatus nearly making Folken jump. He composed himself and walked up to the contraption, examining it strident and shake for a moment before answering casually, "Folken Fanel speaking."

A quiet pause settled for a moment before the person answered, "I think I know what you're looking for."

Somehow it was hard to breathe at the moment for Van, seeing Hitomi again was still so surreal for him; like their meeting had been all a dream that he woke up from and had forgotten about it. Van stepped a few paces back, the sight of her causing alarm bells to ring inside his head, the temptation to do something too strong; but what exactly, he didn't know. All he knew was that he had to leave, and leave fast.

"Van…how…surprising to find you here," Hitomi said this with some awkwardness, her eyes never shifting to his face. Van couldn't help but notice the way the sun shone on her hair; the rich color of light brown strands dancing across her face when the wind blew, her pink lips nibbling in her nervousness and her long lashes hiding her piercing eyes. It took a minute for Van to realize he was staring and he quickly cast his eyes downward, the silence only making the whole situation more uncomfortable. Van lifted his head and with all his courage said, " I'm really sorry I bumped into you, it was an accident."

Her green eyes flew to his face, a faint smile gracing her angelic face, "it's okay, I wasn't paying that much attention anyway…"

"Yeah, it happens."

"Yeah."

The two remained silent for a few minutes, occasionally looking at one another, trying to catch a glimpse when the other wasn't looking. Hitomi shifted from one foot to the other, the quietness slowly driving her mad. She sighed, adjusting her purse and half turning sideways, discreetly looking at Van, "I think…I should get going…it was nice seeing you, Van." She turned, half expecting to hear something behind, to stop her, anything. But it was only a quick thought that soon vanished, and quickly she began to walk away.

Van watched as Hitomi was soon lost in the crowd, the uncomfortable situation irked his nerves, the impulse to run after her very strong. He pondered for a second and turned the other way, shaking his head to rid his thoughts. But it persisted, a taunting presence that finally made Van sprint the same way Hitomi had vanished within the mass of people.

His heart drummed in his head as he squirmed through the mass, blurs of figures flashing to the sides. Anxiety began to consume Van, the frantic need to find Hitomi blaring in his head for a reason he didn't know. Suddenly, as if God had heard his prayers, light brown locks flashed ahead of him. Van went forward and reached out, grabbing the sleeve of the red coat that he had remembered Hitomi wearing before. A startled face looked back and time stopped.

"Van?"

"Sorry," Van gasped as he breathed heavily, laughing a bit at what he had just done. Van's regale look soon sobered, a more composed posture replaced and said evenly, "I just couldn't leave it like that."

At the confused look that flashed in her eyes, he clarified, "what I mean is, I don't want us to be like this. Let's start over, forget…what was in the past and move on."

At the meaning of his words Hitomi looked thoughtful for a moment, a small smile soon growing and nodded.

"Well, let me start by introducing myself. I'm Van Fanel, Nice to meet you," said Van with a flippant grin on his face as he extended his hand.

Hitomi giggled softly and shook his hand, "it's nice to meet you, I'm Hitomi Kanzaki." For the first time Hitomi realized that Van had never smiled at her since their reunion, a true and earnest smile. She hadn't noticed how much she had missed it, how it could change a person just with a lift of the lips, like a hidden and pure side of the person shown; and in return she gave a smile of her own.

Suddenly a phone rang, Van searched his pockets, retrieving his cell phone, for a second looking at the screen of the machine but swiftly answering in a calm voice, "What is it?" A moment of pause took place, the person on the other line speaking to Van. The conversation between the two weren't long, but something had changed in Van; the way he stood and turned back to her, the look in his eyes told her.

"So, uh, I guess you have to go," Hitomi tried not to sound disappointed.

"It seems so," Van put away his phone, his eyes asking forgiveness, "sorry about this, but I have to go."

"No, no, I completely understand. Besides, I should be going myself. Well, I guess I'll see you around," Hitomi grinned and started walking, already starting to mingle with the crowd when she heard Van's cool voice.

"Hey, I was thinking, you know, for us to have a cup of coffee sometime and catch up. Someday when you and I don't have to work," Van grinned again, "but it's okay if you don't want to, we could just…"

"No, no, it's fine actually," Hitomi nodded, her hair going from side to side as she shook her head and turned her body back to face him, "coffee sounds perfect."

Van raised an eyebrow, a light smirk forming across his lips, "Is that now?"

Hitomi laughed, "I actually like it very much. It just…took a while, I suppose." She grinned at Van.

And he grinned back.

It was nearly ten in the morning when Van arrived at Folken's office. He greeted people as he walked, occasionally one or two women would smile flirtatiously. Van grinned and moved on, remembering how Folken had reacted when he had started going out with a few of his employees. It had always amused him to irritate his brother when he was younger, and it still did. Folken was just too easy to tease to simply let the opportunity pass by.

Van shook his head with a grin, and opened the door to his brother's office. He grinned and lifted his head up, almost chocking in his speech, "Folken what brought me here…" Van closed the door behind him slowly, a stern look in his eyes, "what the hell is he doing here?"

Across from Van stood Folken, his calm brother leaning against his desk with a figure beside him. The tall man stepped forward, a smirk on his lips, "Now, now, Van. Is that a way to greet an old friend?"

So, there you go. Yes, I know it's extremely evil of me to leave a cliffhanger….I have no idea when I'm writing the next chapter. Realistically, the earliest will most likely happen during Christmas break…hope you liked the chapter, it took me a while to figure out how to combine everything together…I think it's coming out fairly well. Just to make it clear, Van and Hitomi are NOT back together, they have simply come to a truce, of some sort. For the mean time, at least :) it will take some time for them to get together again, but no intimacy of any sort will happen like it did when they saw each other again, they are simply 'friends. Or as friendly as you can get, lol. No worries, you'll definitely know who the dude is next chapter, for those that haven't figured out yet :D happy Sunday! Lol, really random, I know.

hitomi-chan

16/10/05