A/N: Well, I wasn't too happy with my last chapter. I thought it dragged on too much. I told you I suck at description! No, wait, it's coz I write TOO much description. Anywho, I decided to make this one a little more fast-paced. Let's just hope it turns out that way! Unfortunately, Hitomi and Dilandau don't meet in this part of Chapter 3 but they will in the next part. However, there is a surprise meeting between Hitomi and (?)! Well, publicity's not my forte as you can see. And special thanks to dmfanel, koppoi, rina and Litschi, you guys have supported me since the first chapter and kept encouraging me to continue this! Thank you! Also, thanks to all my other reviewers for taking the time to review! It's much appreciated!

Note: This one's more Hitomi-centric. But don't worry, the next chapters are going to be a Dilly-full. Teehee…

Disclaimer: "My gorgeous Dilly, are you mine?" I asked dreamy-eyed. The Adonis took out his flamethrower and torched me to a crisp. "Not even in your dreams," he replied to my charred remains. "None of us are."

"…" Talking. Erm, DUH, right? Right!

'…' Thinking

Italics mean everything else including flashbacks and other weirdness.

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A Moment in Time

Chapter Three: Signs and Meetings Part I

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~

Infinitely tiny droplets of rain pitter pattered over her forehead like soft sprinkles of dew. It most certainly wasn't raining and not quite drizzling. She sniffled. It was a warm spring evening in the lively city---too lively. And it was getting dark. She could still hear the cacophony of sounds---noise---in the distance. Cymbals crashing loudly, drums beating, voices shouting and singing. The people were happy. She was miserable. She sniffled.

The drooping leaves from the willow tree she was crouched against swayed and caressed her cheek, as if sensing her pain and trying to comfort her. She wiped her tears with balled fists. How could she have been so careless! She was stuck in a strange city with people singing and dancing and throwing colored powder at each other. And she was lost. Lost!

She had no idea how it happened. One moment she was clutching her mother's skirt and watching in awe at the masses of merry people and the next, she was being swept away by a sea of dancing bodies and bright colors.

She had to do something. But what? She was seven! No one had seen her mother when she asked and she had been too terrified to go any further into the unknown city of bizarre buildings with bulbous domes and others that awkwardly resembled red-bricked pagodas. Everything made her dizzy and the people didn't help. So she came here. To the only place that seemed quiet and familiar. Under this lone willow overlooking the red beach and infinite sea, she curled into a tighter ball.

Now they were all singing. She was tired and scared and wanted to go home. Why were they so happy? She covered her ears furiously. Her mother was probably worried sick about her. Her mother… "Mommy, where are you?" she asked to any invisible force that might have heard her. The willow's rustling leaves answered instead. She cried. She cried so hard her head was hurting and her chest felt like it would burst.

She was all alone now…

"What are you doing here crying for?" a voice interrupted.

~

"Uhnn," a tired groan rasped under the covers. An awkward arm clumsily reached for the alarm clock buzzing and flashing a 6 A.M. sign in red on the display. Her mussed honey brown hair tangled over her face as she flopped back down on her bed. This was a morning routine she just couldn't bring herself to break. She blinked her tired green eyes to stop them from permanently shutting.

Whenever she had a certain dream that told of a past encounter, she would feel a ringing in her ears, not the most pleasant of things to endure, mind you. She was surprised it hadn't happened this morning. Suddenly, in her morning stupor, she heard a soft echoing wind that sounded like a distorted and ghostly voice. It was swift and spoke a strange dialect that she strangely understood. It's –ere. Es-ca—f---. You— pro—ect—key. Your---- The voice then disappeared, replaced by a ringing sound which quickly dissolved into a faint echo.

'What was that!' Hitomi was now somewhat alert and slightly shaken. 'I don't remember having any spirits in the house!' She decided to dismiss it as a semi-conscious hallucination, just some after effects of a dream probably.

She got up, albeit very slowly and took her shower before descending the stairs where she was met by a familiar scene.

"Good morning honey," chirped a tired-looking but cheerful woman. She was running around from one place to another.

"'Morning mom. 'You working double today?" the teen asked as she reached for the cereal box and sat down. Hitomi's mother decided not to take the paid summer vacation in order to pay for her children's school fees and other expenses---the payments were running late at the moment. And often enough, she did not really have the option to refuse double shifts when they came.

"I don't know, it depends whether there's enough staff at the hospital. The flu's going around so someone might just call in sick," the woman answered. "Oh no, I have to get going or else I'm gonna be late. 'Tomi can you just watch the toaster for me, thanks" she said as she sped away out the door but not before kissing her daughter on the cheek and bidding her a "great day".

Her mother left for work and Hitomi went for her daily morning run. She had been working as a volunteer for the Community Nursing Home diligently over the weekend and now she had to find a summer job. She worked from time to time at her school library but that was just for pocket money, she needed a lot of cash before moving away to study. The full scholarship paid for her studies and her stay at the university and everything else she might need---thank goodness for that---but there would be the extra expenses that came with studying at such a prestigious academic institution that were unaccounted for and the money would definitely come in handy in those times.

Hitomi was incapable of comprehending the concept of rest beyond what the body normally required. As soon as one thing was finished, she jumped onto another matter. Summer vacation or not, it wasn't an excuse for sitting idly and doing nothing. Yes, she was a workaholic but at least she could never be called lazy as any other normal teen is accused of being. She worked just as hard at home as she did at school so as not to let her mother's efforts and money be wasted but there was a part of her that wished she could lead a carefree life. She shrugged it off, that part died long ago, along with her father. She ran harder, faster.

-------

Yukari came over that night. The girl had been talking non-stop about Mystic Moon since they had first found out about it last Friday. And today was Monday and it was no different.

"So, what are you gonna wear Tomi? You know you have to look ultra sexy. You can't look like you usually do."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The offended teen crossed her arms and took a threatening stance.

"I mean, first you gotta take care of that poofy hair of yours and stop walking like a boy and—"

"Alright, alright, I get it. I'll dress nicely and I'll let you do my hair for Friday. Happy now?"

"Very much!" said a grinning Yukari. "Hey, you wanna come shopping with me tomorrow? They're having a sale at Zara."

"No can do. Folken-san invited all of us to go meet his family. He said it would really mean a lot to him," she replied while stealing glances at her disbelieving friend.

"OH MY GOD! Are we talking about your Folkie? The amazingly hot partner of your brother? The aristocrat who renounces the elite society to mingle with us commoners? He's so soft-spoken and sweet and gentlemanly and… You're so lucky…" the excited girl sighed and drifted off into her world.

Hitomi never quite knew sometimes if her best friend was serious or not. Sometimes she said things that would come out as sarcastic from anyone else's mouth but she seemed to be saying them innocently. Probably with a hint of hidden wisdom, if you asked her. Hitomi learned through the years that her friend was definitely not as naïve as she looked.

As if remembering something, Yukari frowned at her friend. "Hey, why didn't you tell me before? That's no fair, I tell you everything!" she said pouting.

"I tried to tell you last night you big dodo but you were too busy rambling on and on about Friday and Mystic Moon!"

"Oh," she said sheepishly. "So does Folkie have any cute brothers by any chance, hint hint." She winked. Yukari was incorrigible sometimes.

"Stop calling him that! It's Folken you know! And I have no idea. Folken-san and Niichan are coming to pick us up at 10 tomorrow morning," she said sorting out her and Aya's clothes to do the laundry. "But, I have to admit," she paused, "I'm really nervous."

"Of course you are. He's your first real crush and he's invited you to meet his family! Mind you, my first crush turned out to be a dumbass but that's another story," she said waving her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it babe, it's gonna be fine! And if they're anything like him, who knows, you might even enjoy yourself!"

"'Kari, you know it's nothing like that. He's invited all of us. And besides, it's not just that… well, I…" Hitomi couldn't find the words without making her sound ignorant or hypocritical. Luckily, her friend knew her almost as well as she knew the latest fashion trends and that's saying something.

"I know. It's okay. You don't have to be perfect, you know. Just be yourself and everything will be fine," Yukari said with the sort of kindness that exuded only from her alone. "And if they tell you that you're acting uncivilized, just tell them to shove it! And then we can come back and throw eggs at their door, okay?" her friend laughed. Really, what would she do without her crazy best friend. Hitomi chuckled.

"It's a deal!"

~

"What are you doing here crying for?" a voice interrupted. It belonged to a young boy and he sounded annoyed. She wiped her face and turned around. "Aren't you supposed to be over there with your mom and dad or something?" he asked, looking away.

His arms were crossed over his chest and he sported a childish scowl. He looked like he was a few years older---maybe two or three. His unruly hair was completely covered and caked in multicolored powder that melted into a dull brown in some parts thanks to the wet air. His white t-shirt and light-colored pants were completely blotched with reds, pinks, blues, greens and yellows. His face had a streak of pink. She would have laughed had it been any other time but couldn't even find the energy to smile. It wasn't her mom.

"Well, are you deaf or dumb or both? I asked you a question!" he said impatiently. That boy was really trying on her last nerves. Couldn't he see she was upset?

"Can't you see I'm lost you big dodo!" she barked back. His expression changed. He looked less annoyed, almost as if he felt bad---almost. The look was quickly replaced by one of indifference.

"Well, whatever. You can't stay here, this is my spot," he stated, looking over his shoulder and craning his neck sideways to look over some bushes. "Besides, you're never gonna find them if you stay here." That boy was not only rude but arrogant as well.

"I know that you big dodo! But I don't even know this city. I'll get even more lost! And didn't your mom never tell you not to talk to strangers?" she huffed. He looked at her, unimpressed. He approached the crouching girl and sat down a few feet from her. He smirked.

"You're a funny one," he said plainly. "First of all, you're just a little girl and I don't have to listen to my mom if I don't want to. I can do whatever I want and they can't stop me." He threw a rock in the distance. She rolled her eyes. She started to do that since she saw Yukari do it to her brother the other day.

"Are you crazy? You always have to listen to grown-ups! If I did whatever I wanted, my mom and dad would kill me." Then she thought of the time she stole her mother's pearl necklace to wear it around Cookie, their dog. It was Yukari's idea. "My mom's the scariest," she said reminiscing that moment. She hadn't even realized that she said it out loud until now. She frowned at her carelessness. "So, you shouldn't say things like that!" The boy looked at her curiously. She was a strange one. One minute she's crying and the next she's fuming. Probably has cooties, he thought.

"Whatever," he said detachedly, watching the calm waves that masked the fury beyond. "So, what are you doing in Artha anyway?" 'Is he trying to be nice now?' The girl narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips to show her mistrust. She took her chances anyway.

"I came with my family to visit my grandma but my mom wanted to take me outside to show me the big party," she confided. "And we got split". The boy was laughing now.

"Why are you laughing! That's not funny! Stop it!" she demanded. He gathered his wits and made a loud audible sigh, like he had recovered from the funniest thing in the world.

"It's not a party. It's called a fes-ti-val and this festival's called Holi," he answered factually.

"What's a fes-tuh-vul?" She had a little trouble saying it but she was curious now. She turned to him and noticed that he didn't look mean anymore. In fact, he was rather nice to look at. She couldn't tell what his hair was like but it looked soft. The soft bluish aura of the night gave his eyes a maroon appearance---they were very pretty.

"It's where people get together to celebrate something." Wait, she knew that word. Her mom said it often when… it clicked.

"Oh, like a birthday?"

"Sort of but instead of a person, they do it for a different reason like a God's birthday or something like that. This one's called Holi and it's the Hindus festival. They celebrate the arrival of spring but it has some religious significance too. Like I care," he said, shrugging. 'He's smart,' she thought. She didn't quite get everything but she realized it didn't matter. She liked his company; she didn't feel so alone anymore in this big and strange city.

"Oh," she simply said. "Then how come you're not with everyone else?"

"I came out to celebrate with everyone but…" he trailed off. He looked at the sea and seemed upset now. His fists were clenched. "But my mom yelled at me because of my little sister. And my dad…" His eyes seemed like they were glowing but that might just have been the light playing tricks on her. She smiled sympathetically.

"Don't worry, I'm sure she didn't she meant to yell at you. When my mom yells at me, it's because I did something bad and then I say sorry and then she says sorry and we go out for ice-cream and she's not mad anymore. Maybe you just didn't say sorry" she said, not really knowing why she told him all that. "I think she must be pretty worried now," she finished and looked down remembering her own mother. He was about to scream at her about her ignorance of the situation but quickly stopped himself when he saw her expression. He sighed.

"Hey, if you want, I can help you look for her. I can ask my mom and she'll help too," he suggested, feeling a little guilty for the things he had said earlier. She suddenly beamed.

~

The sun's playful rays danced over her eyelids. It was a nice feeling. She preferred being woken up this way than by her aggravating alarm clock. She brought her arms over her head and stretched from hands to toes and made a funny gurgling sound. She was laughing at herself when suddenly that same feeling overcame her and the ghostly wind spoke again. It's here. Es-ca-f—ow---. You— protect--- key. Your guardi--- The ringing then took over before fading away. It sounded like the same thing from yesterday, only slightly more coherent. Hitomi was now very unnerved. None of what the 'spirit' said made any sense to her and what's more, 'There's a freakin' spirit in the house!' she cried to her mind.

She brought her covers around her face and looked for any anomalies in her room. She wasn't one to be easily spooked but this was just too weird of a coincidence. She was used to facing things head on, not things she couldn't see. She nearly bolted out of her room, took a quick and stressful shower and quickly made her way downstairs.

-------

She and Aya waited in the living room. They had said they would come to pick them up at ten that morning. The time was approaching and Hitomi found herself growing increasingly nervous---her palms were now very sweaty. She'd never even been this nervous before a test. Well, it didn't really help that Aya was egging her on. She was just about to smack her sister when she heard a car halt in the driveway. They exited the house and locked the door.

"Hey Tomboy Tomi, always ready as usual, aren't ya!" greeted an energetic voice. Her brother chose the wrong time to taunt her.

"Shut up Mamoru!" She stalked around the car to open the door when almond-shaped eyes kindly pleaded with her not to. Her brother had done such a fine job in distracting her that she had forgotten to greet Folken. 'What a horrible person I am', she thought. She was already making a mess of things and they weren't even at his residence yet.

"Wait Hitomi, please allow me." Folken got out of the car and kindly opened the door for her and Aya and gestured for them to get in. The latter teasingly batted her eyelashes at her. Hitomi silently warned her with a stern glare. She mouthed an embarrassed thank you before stepping in.

The drive was not too long and Hitomi was surprised they hadn't even left East End yet. They arrived at a front gate with intricate carvings in the metal. The gates opened and they drove in. The car stopped in front of a beautiful mansion. It wasn't the biggest one she'd seen but it looked like one of the older ones. This was probably the oldest one in East End, she thought. In fact, it was one of very few mansions on this side of town. They were greeted by a very dynamic blond girl with deep navy blue eyes. Her short bouncy hair bobbed as she jumped in delight at their arrival. Her pretty face radiated with warmth.

"Oh how wonderful! You must be Aya," she said looking at the young preteen who was currently too busy ogling at the towering structure. "And this must be Hitomi, I've heard so much about you," the pretty girl exclaimed as she took Hitomi's hands in hers. Hitomi flushed. "Mother will be absolutely delighted to meet you, come let's go inside." She tugged the green-eyed girl into the large home.

"Hey what about me, Merle?" said a rather crushed Mamoru. "Don't I get a nice welcome too," he pouted dramatically. Only Mamoru was able to turn such a vacuous act into drama. The good humored girl only laughed and shook her head.

"No you don't because the last time, you made fun of my hair cut," she teased as she pulled Hitomi in, leaving a chuckling Mamoru behind. This was his first time visiting his partner's family home but he had met Merle on several occasions when she visited her brother's apartment. Hitomi looked at her very welcoming host. She never thought that aristocrats would be as nice as her. The wealthy students at her private school were all snobs. The girl had long blond eyelashes which gave her a somewhat cherub-like appearance. She was certainly very pretty. Her stature was a little shorter than Hitomi's but the girl looked to be around nineteen.

"It's nice to meet you," Hitomi said, looking a little shy.

"Oh," the perky girl replied putting a hand to her mouth, "how silly of me, I've forgotten my manners in all this excitement. My name is Merle Alexandra Fanel. It's nice to meet you too," she said smiling.

Merle led them down a large well lit corridor with a few paintings hanging on the walls. They came to the main living room where a beautiful woman with golden locks streaked with grey sat talking to a young man with dark hair. They both looked up. The woman walked over to greet them and the dark haired man simply stood up.

"Welcome, you must be the famous Kanzakis. I am Folken's mother, Varie." She was as kind and welcoming as her daughter but there was an aura about her that was hard to miss. She explained that her husband was away on a business trip at the moment.

"Nice to meet you and thank you kindly for inviting us, Mrs. Fanel," Hitomi said courteously. Obviously, she hadn't been practicing those exact words since last night. No, of course not.

"This is surely Hitomi," the woman said looking at Folken who acquiesced with a slight inclination of his head. "And on the contrary, it is I who should be thanking you for coming. Please, just call me Varie," the gracious woman said and Hitomi shyly acknowledged. "And you must be Aya. You are a very talented pianist from what I hear," Varie said looking at the young girl next to Hitomi.

"Well I wouldn't say that just yet but I'd definitely want to be one. Say, you wouldn't happen to have a grand piano here would you? Coz I'd sure love to see one," said a wide-eyed Aya who was still looking around in admiration.

Hitomi elbowed her sister in the ribs. "Aya, behave!" the older girl commanded in a grave whisper. The hostess laughed along with everyone else. Hitomi was about to apologize for her sister's behavior when—

"Please, there's no need, it's quite alright. Merle and I would be more than happy to show your sister. Come this way, dear." The lady placed a delicate hand on Aya's back and gently pushed her toward the direction in which they would go. The woman gracefully swiveled around to face Hitomi once more. "Maybe we could all gather in the main living room to hear Aya play when you're both done with introductions," Varie said smiling at Hitomi and someone behind her before turning to leave.

Uh oh. This was awkward; she hadn't even noticed there was still someone she hadn't met. She was just so nervous that she tried to completely focus her attention on the lady of the house. She hadn't even realized that the last host had already quietly introduced himself to Aya and Mamoru while she was busy admiring Varie for her elegance. Good thing Mamoru and Folken were there.

"Hey Tomi," Mamoru nudged Hitomi's arm, "Folken wants to show me his dad's antique gun collection. We'll be back in a jiffy," he finished, winking at her. She thought too soon. Curse her and her rotten luck. Jiffy? Ha! What a joke! Hitomi was sure 'Mamoru' meant 'gun freak' in some foreign language because the way he would ramble interminably about those things was enough to want to make you shoot your own ears off. Before she could berate him for his improper use of her name in front of their hosts, both Mamoru and Folken were gone.

"He looks like a pretty cheerful guy, kinda reminds me of my sister," said a confident voice coming from behind her. She tensed but turned around.

"Yeah, I guess he is, but he's more annoying than anything else. Your sister's sweet so I wouldn't compare her to my crazy brother."

He laughed, "Well, I suppose we both share the same view when it comes to siblings. By the way, I'm Van." He extended his hand.

"Hitomi," she said, taking his hand. His grip was firm but not crushing. She finally looked at him and for a split second, her breath caught in her throat. He looked very much like his brother except his eyes were rounder, his skin more tanned and he had thick onyx hair that flopped over his face. His eyes shone a beautiful maroon color. Simply put, he was gorgeous. His chiseled features shifted to accommodate a grin when she looked away.

"Why don't we go watch your sister play?" he suggested. "And if you want, later on, I can show you around." She gave him a timid half-smile before following the tall man down a hall.

-------

This was certainly a peculiar day. Not only was she enjoying herself immensely in the company of people she would have blindly hated, she also felt a strange familiarity even though she had just met them. The feeling was especially strong around Varie and Van. They were definitely one of the nicest and kindest people she had ever met. Although she found Van to act smug at times, she decided that it only added to his charm. In the end, she couldn't deny that his heart was in the right place judging from their discussions about politics and world views. She felt a little uncomfortable when he looked at her for the simple reason that his good looks intimidated her but she held her own in their various discussions.

Hitomi studied them trying to figure out why they seemed familiar to her, little did she know, she was also being watched by a pair of maroon eyes.

~

"Hey, if you want, I can help you look for her. I can ask my mom and she'll help too," he suggested, feeling a little guilty for the things he had said earlier. She suddenly beamed.

"Really? You'd do that?" She scooted over and hugged him. He stiffened. No girl had ever hugged him before. He didn't let them. But he was surprised to find that he didn't mind it all that much. He still shoved her off though.

"Yeah, yeah. Well, we better go now before it gets too late." He was happy it was dark or else she would be able to see slight pink tinting his burning cheeks. Just as they both got up, she noticed his chain. It was a beautiful chain and there was a small loop hanging off it. She instinctively grabbed the chain for closer inspection. Her hand brushed his skin. He stiffened again.

"W-What do you think you're doing?" he cried indignantly but didn't have the heart to stop her when she looked so taken. The pink was slowly creeping up on him again. He silently willed it to stop.

"It's beautiful," she mouthed as if speaking more to herself. It had a red stone encased in the shining metal loop. The stone looked like a swirling storm of red and wine. She had never seen anything like it before.

He didn't know what it was about her that didn't make him mind the fact that she was touching him. Usually, he pushed all the girls away, they had cooties after all and he didn't need to be contaminated thank you very much---but in reality, he knew it was just an excuse, he was much smarter than that but he liked to believe in it to give him reason to avoid them. Gently, he caught her wrist and guided it away from him and smiled smugly.

"Of course it is, it even changes colors," he proudly stated. She smiled warmly. It was nice to make new friends in a new place. Suddenly, she felt her hand being grasped and before she knew it, she was being tugged around the buoyant city. Her cheeks felt hot and so was the hand he was tightly holding.

He pulled her through the crowd and acknowledged a few people who recognized him. He stopped when he came next to the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Her long and wavy golden hair hung all the way down to her waist and she had the most dazzling blue eyes. She looked infinitely kind but she had worry contort her face. When she noticed them, relief washed over her features. Her warm eyes regarded the pair curiously. They were still holding hands. They let go as soon as she smiled at them.

The boy explained the situation while the angelic woman listened on with concern etching her lovely features. Before she knew it the woman dropped down and gave her the most loving embrace. She felt fuzzy inside. The beautiful woman squeezed her arms reassuringly.

"Don't you worry, sweetheart. We'll find your mother. Where did you see her last?" she inquired.

"I don't remember but I think there was a very big fountain," the child answered thoughtfully.

"Oh, I know where that is. I'll tell you what, we'll wait there and see if she comes back. And if she doesn't you can stay with us until we find her. I promise we'll find her, alright?" the kind woman said. The little girl looked a little reluctant. The boy saw her hesitate.

"Don't worry, we've got enough rooms to fit all of these people," he said nodding his head toward the crowds, "so you're not bothering us. And if you want," he added a little timidly, "I'll let you play with my games… to kill time." He had no idea why he was even offering. He didn't let anyone play with his games, much less girls. Looking relieved, she took their offer and they all headed to the place where she had said she last saw her mother.

They waited there, chatting, joking and telling stories all the while. The children bickered from time to time but they seemed to be enjoying themselves. By now, the masses were dispersing and people were returning to their respective homes and still, they were waiting. Just as the girl's eyes began to glisten with tears, a frantic woman with short brown hair and wearing a pained expression immerged from between two of those strange buildings.

The little girl ran full speed toward her mother and jumped into her waiting arms. Her mother broke down and cried, relieved. After a long emotional reunion, the girl pulled her questioning mother toward her two saviors and explained what had happened. The thankful woman showered them with heartfelt gratitude. When it was finally time to leave, the little girl ran back to her new friend, stood on her tiptoes and gave him a swift kiss on the cheek. It was her thank you. She never saw the boy watching them disappear into the shadows of the night and unconsciously touching his cheek.

~

Hitomi sloppily ate her onigiri breakfast that morning. Her eyes were swollen and red and she had a remarkable bruise on the upper right side of her forehead. She also looked like she hadn't slept all night---it was almost true. She had that dream again and when she woke up that early morning, she waited with frantic eyes for the dreadful paranormal disturbance. It didn't come… until she hopped in the shower way later. She was so taken by surprise that she slipped and hit her head rather hard on the tiled surface of the shower walls.

The eerie voice seemed even louder than the previous times and in her naked state she noticed for the first time that her translucent pink pendant seemed to glow. Something vague about guardians and Escafuone---she didn't quite get that part---being here and protecting keys kept nagging her mind. That spirit not only intended to scare her wits out with nonsense but also made things glow and pinpointed a past memory of hers to associate itself to.

Furthermore, she didn't understand why that dream kept appearing for three nights in a row. The worst part was that she could never remember the faces of her saviors. She remembered some details but as much as she tried, the fog in front of those faces wouldn't disappear whenever she was awake. But when she was dreaming, it felt like they were right there and she could touch them. There was a time she'd wish with all her heart to be able to sleep and be taken back in time with that dream but now she wished it would just go away if she had to endure the inexplicable manifestations that followed.

She would have been scared to death a few nights ago but now she was mildly intrigued as to why an entity was so keen on communicating all this to her---given that it was an entity and not the result of her exhausted mind going haywire. Maybe it was trying to tell her something, to come into contact with her---she owed one to Yukari; those "scary" movies actually did come in handy now. That's 20 bucks down the drain. 'How does she do that? She must be some sort of psychic,' she mused.

"Hitomi? Are you okay? You look exhausted," her mother put a hand to the teen's forehead to check her temperature, Hitomi flinched. "I don't think—" the woman stopped and lifted some strands of light brown hair. "How on Earth did this happen? I'm worried about you Hitomi, I want you to stay home today." She felt bad for her daughter because she knew that the teen worked herself sick sometimes and she often felt it was her own fault.

"No mom, I'm okay, really. I just slipped in the bathroom that's all. It'll heal you know."

"I know but that doesn't mean you can't take care of your body meanwhile. You need to drink lots of fluid and you need to rest. I'll get some ice," she started for the fridge when Hitomi abruptly stood up, almost knocking the chair to the ground.

"I said I was fine. I'm gonna go for a run now. I'll see you when you get home… if we're not all asleep by then," she said as she stormed off, not hearing her mother's plea.

Hitomi ran for what felt like hours. She ran so hard that she was in a daze where she felt she could run forever. Her legs didn't feel like they were hers anymore and just repeated the same motion from their inertia. Everything was synchronized, her heartbeat, her breathing, her pace. Runner's high was her drug of choice. The scenery was just one blur of green and grey as her head bobbed up and down. She closed her eyes, and let her legs take her as far away as possible. It was an unconscious decision her mind made to take this body to the one place she loved to come for an escape: near the cliffs overlooking the red beach and deep blue sea.

Tears streamed down her face but she didn't notice them. 'Why do I make her worry so much? She works so hard for us, to give us the best of lives and here I am making her worry. I can't believe I had to go and say that to her… how could I be so heartless? I'm the worst daughter, the worst friend, worst sister, I'm the worst person!' She broke down and cried. She hadn't done this in many years and it seemed like all the years of bearing the abuse from her peers, the pressure she had to be an excellent student and taking the role of Aya's mother and now the dream and voices took their toll on her fragile body. Everything was overwhelming her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know there was someone here—"

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A/N: Well that was it! How was it? I never thought I'd say this but I've unwittingly become a review-whore… meaning, reviews make me happy so… please review and tell me what you think! If you liked it, review, and if you didn't like it, well, at least tell me why. Maybe I can improve and better it on the next chapters… of course no flames would be nice.

To the reviewers:

To MirokuLover: Thanks! I'm so sorry I have to make you wait a little longer before Dilandau and Hitomi meet but at least I can tell you it's going to be pretty intense!

To Limonchik: Thanks a lot! You'll have to keep guessing about those papers and if you're still confused about it come the next update, then I'll be more than happy to tell you. And yes, he is planning something mean! It's our favorite Bad Boy!

To dmfanel: You're too nice! I hope this chapter met with your expectations! Hopefully the next part will too! I hope you'll keep reviewing!

To koppoi: Yay! I love description when it comes to Dilandau-sama as well! Ooh, I'm glad you liked Folken's arrival! My Folkie! Haha, I just had to put him there! And he's a detective… how hot! Sorry about Hitomi and Dilandau's meeting… but at least I didn't lie when I promised they would be in the next chapter… it's just in the next part… And as you can see, Van is in this and I've got something important planned for him as well… God I love feeling like I control them somehow… I should be shot! Anyway, I hope to read more of your reviews in the future!

To Chromewave: Well I'm glad I converted you into a Dilandau lover! He's too wonderful to ignore! And thanks so much for your compliments! As for the mystery island, well that's going to come up in the next chapter (not next update!) maybe but I'm not sure yet. Yes, Dilly-kun is cruel but manly… and he's going to get a lot more cruel…!

To rina: I'm so sorry about Dilandau and Hitomi's non-meeting!lol! They WILL definitely meet in the next update! I PROMISE! Thanks again for keeping on reading! Hopefully you'll keep on reading!

To Litschi: Ahh I'm blushing! Thanks so much! I hope this chapter delivered… I'm a bit scared to tell you the truth! I'll try and update as soon as possible. I'm already coming along nicely with the next part of this chapter. So, if all goes well, I should be updating the next part soon enough. Thanks again and hope you'll keep reviewing, your reviews make me smile!

To neverending: Thanks a lot! I was afraid people might not like how I portrayed them but I'm glad you did!

To Megan112: Thanks so much! I'll definitely check it out… although I only know Full Moon Wo Sagashite… it's been a while since I last saw the show so I don't really remember all the character's names and stuff but I'll definitely check it out.

To coleadams: I promise they WILL meet up in the next update! And of course I have to totally agree with bad boys being hot… especially Dilandau… must stop drooling now.

A/N: Wait a minute… I'm such a clutz… I've already replied to the non-anonymous ones… I don't feel like deleting them since I put "effort" into the replies so I'll just bear with people calling me a dumbass… Thanks to everyone who's read and liked it! Well, everyone who's read this far too… hehe?