AN: Well, here's my update. I'm feeling bad still for not finishing up a chapter for Bitter Blissfulness. I'll get to it when I can, I promise. For now, here's another chappie for this fic. It deserves more attention cuz I started it first so yeah. I put Merle in this one cuz I felt I've been ignoring her….
Chapter ten
"Van, you're a stubborn bastard but I'm guessing you already knew that." By now, Hitomi was more annoyed than amused.
She had tried everything. From pleading him to stop this childish game to threatening him with next to everything in her purse. Nothing worked. Van just stood there with devilish grin on his face, waiting for Hitomi to take one step outside the change room door. He seemed to have all the patience in the world.
So what else could she do? Picking up her knapsack, she carefully cracked the door open. Still there…Damn.
"Hitomi, I don't have all day and neither do you. I want to go home. Come on, Hitomi!" His muffled voice called from outside the change room.
"Well then, go home." Hitomi chuckled. Maybe she would win this competition of sheer stubbornness after all.
"Fine, but remember…I'm not going to let you off this easily. You're lucky I have karate today." Van warned before walking away.
Hitomi pumped her fist into the air in triumph. Yes! I win. She waited until she heard the gym doors close before leaving her odd sanctuary. Her ego became three sizes larger when she happily noted that Van did indeed leave the gym. I showed him…HA! Hitomi bounced in a carefree skip across the gymnasium. But I guess I'm lucky he has to go to karate class…None the less she was still ecstatic that she was going to walk home using her own two feet instead of being lugged around, slung over Van's back. Cheerfully, she opened the gym doors wide. Unfortunately, her cheerfulness was short-lived. Wait a second…Van doesn't have karate class Monday…
"I told you I wouldn't let you off that easily…" Van jumped out from behind the pop machines. Hitomi could only yelp as she was swept off her feet.
"VAN! Let me go this instant! I can't believe you tricked me!" She wailed, smacking his back in frustration.
He sighed " That was my intention and I'll only let you down if you tell me who he is." Van stumbled with each step he took. It wasn't easy trying to carry Hitomi with her hitting his back like she was.
"Just when I thought we were getting along just fine…You had to go and ruin it!" She sobbed as she ceased hitting his back. Burring her face into her hands, she began to cry. Hitomi made a mental note to thank her drama teacher. Her little act did sound believable.
Van felt a stab of guilt. "Please don't cry Hitomi, I was just teasing you…I…I…" He promptly eased her to her feet. "I'm sorry, okay? You don't have to tell me who he is anymore. I won't mention it again…Just PLEASE stop crying…" Awkwardly, he rubbed her shoulder, unsure how to comfort the distressed female.
"You promise?" Hitomi rubbed away fake tears using the collar of her shirt.
"Promise." He said with intense seriousness. It made Hitomi want to burst into laugher. She had to resist the urge to with all her might.
"Okay, Van. I believe you" She ended with a classic sniffle. Van had fallen for her act hook, line, and sinker.
"That's good to hear…You scared me there, for a moment. Hey, how about I walk you home now?"
"Sure." Hitomi smiled genuinely. Van was more immature than not but he was still a kind person. Hearing him apologize with the utmost sincerity, reminded Hitomi of that fact.
"Ummmm here. I'm positive that you dropped this." Van rubbed his head shyly as he lifted her red tear-shaped pendant.
"My necklace!" Her hand automatically cupped around the bright orb. Van allowed the chain to coil down into her palm.. "It could've been disastrous if I'd lost this." She breathed, closing her fingers around it.
"Yeah, your mom would've killed you. Good thing I prevented you from losing it." He waited patiently for Hitomi to finish so they could start walking home.
"You prevented me from losing it? News flash, Van ; it wouldn't of fallen off if you hadn't swung me around like a rag -doll. Talk about being over-proud." She shoved him against the pop machine to humble him. That didn't work out quite as planned either. Before she could walk away feeling smug, Van caught hold of her wrist and dragged her along with him.
She blinked with surprise when she realised she was pressed up against him. "If you think I'm being over-proud, you should try evaluating yourself. Don't you think pushing me into this pop machine was being a bit over-proud on your part?" His tone held a kind of gentleness. It didn't even sound like he was trying to lecture her. With a mind of it's own, Van's hand smoothed her short hair down.
If any other guy tried doing this to her, she probably would of screamed "Pervert!" and kicked the boy where the sun didn't shine. But this was Van, and she couldn't do that to him without at least warning him. At the present moment, she was too stunned to say or do anything.
"Well I have to admit I can get carried away too sometimes but you were being a smart-ass in the first place today." He mused as he let her go. Hitomi couldn't tell if he was being playful, serious or something in-between. "Are you okay? Your cheeks are all flushed. Please, tell me you're not going to cry on me again. I hate it when you cry." He couldn't help but still feel guilty.
"No, no. It's okay, I'm fine." She covered her cheek with a hand and found that it was warm.
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"Okay." He smiled with relief. "Let's go home now."
"Sure." She looked down at her hand, still warm from her cheek. What happened just now? Why am I…Blushing? Since when has Van been able to make me blush? Does he like me? Discreetly, Hitomi put a hand to her mouth before leaving the school with Van.
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Hitomi tiptoed on by the living room, silently hoping her mom hadn't heard her come in yet. Her face was ruby red and Hitomi didn't exactly want her mom to see, in fear she would become more embarrassed. Mrs Kanzaki looked too absorbed by her book to notice her anyways. Hitomi breathed a sigh of relief when she made it into the kitchen.
"So, how was your day Hitomi?" Her mother asked from the living room as she flipped another page of her sappy romance novel.
Hitomi jumped at her mother's voice. "Good. How was yours?" She dropped her knapsack onto the counter.
"It was wonderful, thanks for asking. I slept in, worked on the garden, had tea with Varie, and now I'm just reading. It really was a relaxing day."
"That's great mom." Hitomi opened the fridge door, looking for a snack. She sat there for a moment, letting the icy air hit her face. That should do it…it doesn't feel as hot as it did before.
"Oh and by the way…Merle called. She'll be stopping by at about six tonight. She said that she wants to talk to you about something."
Hitomi marched into the living room munching on an apple. "She wants to talk to me? I wonder what about…" Shrugging, she made herself comfortable on the couch and reached for the remote.
Her mother put down her book. "I asked her what she needed to talk to you about but she wouldn't say." She paused for a moment, staring at Hitomi's flushed cheeks in wonder. "Hitomi, what did you do in P.E class? You're practically glowing."
"Ummmm just hockey and stuff." She could feel her blush creep down her neck.
"Oh…" Mrs Kanzaki checked her watch. 4:00, she's unusually late today…Looking out the window behind Hitomi's head, she noticed a certain shaggy black-haired boy making his way down the road. Mrs Kanzaki smiled secretively to herself. Oh I know what's going on…
"What?" Hitomi noticed her mother's odd glances.
"Nothing…Just thinking."
"About what?" Hitomi was beginning to feel nervous.
"What else? Supper." She laughed, grinning.
"Oh…" Hitomi nodded, but she didn't believe her.
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Lazily, Hitomi threw herself onto her bed with the cordless phone in hand. 4:30pm, this phone call won't take that long will it? Looking down at her hand for reference, she dialled Dilandau's number.
Ring…Ring…Ring…
"Gatty! For the last time, I'm staying home. If I go meet you guys at the usual spot, I'll miss Hitomi's call. QUIT CALLING ME!" Dilandau was about to throw the phone down yet again when he heard a familiar feminine voice on the other end of the line.
"Sorry to disappoint you but I'm not Gatty."
"Hey Hitomi…I thought it was him again. Sorry about that."
Hitomi laughed. "It's alright. So…" She said coolly. "I didn't catch you at a bad time did I? Because if I did, I can call you some other time…" She teased.
"No, it's not a bad time at all really…" Hitomi couldn't help but chuckle. He sounded way too serious for his own good.
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Before she knew it, Hitomi had lost track of time. They'd talked for the past hour and a half about well, pretty much everything that came to mind. She had discovered that Dilandau wasn't quite as he seemed. For one, she had no idea that he was into poetry of all things. It made her wonder what sort of poems he read and if he wrote any himself. Hitomi also made it her business to ask a lot of questions concerning what his little gang was all about. Dilandau assured her that all they did was hang out together after school and that they weren't actually a real gang. That didn't mean he didn't like the reputation the whole school had given him. He didn't mind playing the tough guy once in awhile if it meant that no one would go out of their way to bother him.
"Hitomi, Merle's here." Her mother heard Merle's footsteps coming towards the door.
"I'm sorry Dilandau, I gotta go. I've got company now. It was nice talking to ya." The door bell rang clearly as Hitomi headed for the door.
"Yeah, ummmm wait a second, Hitomi?"
"What is it now?"
"Can I call you 'Tomi? I know it sounds weird, but Hitomi sounds way to formal to me."
"Okay…."She paused. "You can call me that I guess…But only if I get to call you Dilly then. It's only fair." Dilandau grumbled in protest on the other end of the line. "Oh, come on. It's a cute nickname."
"The things I do for you…Okay, fine, whatever. See ya at school tomorrow, 'Tomi."
"Okay, see you then." An odd kind of sensation tingled through her fingers as she turned the phone off. Hitomi was actually looking forward to school tomorrow.
"Hey, Hitomi." Merle called from the bottom of the stairs, hurriedly hanging up her coat.
"Hey, Merle. How's life?" She called back, smiling. Merle practically ran up the stairs to meet her. Something told Hitomi that the smile Merle was wearing was forced.
"Could be better, I guess." She admitted.
Hitomi gave her a look of empathy and hooked her arm through Merle's. "Okay, what could be better?" She lead her down the hallway. "Something must be up otherwise why would you want to talk with me? So, what's on your mind?"
Merle looked behind her in suspicion. "Where is everyone?"
Hitomi laughed. "Don't worry. Seth's downstairs playing some internet game and I'm pretty sure mom's still reading in the living room. Seth won't even notice your presence unless you physically go down there and remove those silly headphones he always wears. He has them turned up way to loud. My mom won't bother us, I know that for a fact. So, what can I help you with?" They entered Hitomi's room and Hitomi pulled out a few chairs for them. She sat down and encouraged Merle to as well
"Oh….ummmm well…" Merle looked down at her holy socks as she sat down. "Hitomi, do you think I'm a tomboy?"
Hitomi looked a bit surprised, but she took a moment to think about it, studying Merle's face. "You could be described that way…It's not a bad thing, if that's what your getting at."
Merle sighed, looking down at her clothing. Baggy cargo pants with a dark equally baggy t-shirt that completely hid her petit figure. Now Hitomi thought about it, she'd seen Van wearing that same shirt during junior high. "Guess they were all right…" She said dejectedly.
"Who was right? Merle, what's going on?"
Merle looked up, twisting her hands together nervously. "The girls at school…and mother." She whispered.
"Since when did you care about what they had to say? You didn't before." Her green eyes keenly narrowed with concern.
"Well, what if this time I do care?" Merle played with the edge of Van's hand-me-down t-shirt. "What if I don't want to be a tomboy anymore?…" She said quietly with the utmost carefulness.
Hitomi's jaw almost hit the floor. "What….what do you mean? Merle, what can I say?…I'm shocked at what you just said….I…"
Merle looked up from her lap with confidence. "I don't want to be the tomboy girl who's 'One of the guys' anymore…I've had guy friends all my life and that's fine, I like hanging out with them. It's just, I've never had any girl-friends , besides you of course. Yesterday, I was thinking about it and I realised that I haven't even tried being friends with any of the girls at school. What's worse, when I did try…" She trailed off.
Hitomi was patiently listening, waiting to hear the rest and take in what Merle was telling her. "So, what happened?"
"I was ignored, looked at funny, some smirked like they found it hilarious that I was trying talking to them, and a few made some comments about the way I dressed. Scary thing is, when I did look in the mirror I did look a bit…err…Tomboyish."
Hitomi nodded, feeling a bit flustered that Merle was having these types of troubles. "Why didn't you tell me sooner about this? I could of helped you out."
Merle gave her a tight smile. "That's why I wanted to talk to you. I think I need some advice…You're the first person that came to mind when I thought about talking to someone about this. Hitomi, you've known me since I've been born…Can you help me out here?" She seemed tense, but willing and co-operative none the less.
Hitomi paused, looking Merle up and down with a smirk curling one side of her mouth in thought. "I can help…If this really is what you want. It might be tricky though. I'm going to need to call Yukari to come help me with this. We're going to have to go through your wardrobe-" Merle cut her off.
"Wardrobe?" Strawberry blonde eyebrows squished with puzzlement and curiosity.
"Yeah, your closet. You know, clothes and stuff. Anyways, after that we'll take you shopping and go through your make-up drawer-" Hitomi was interrupted again by Merle.
"This is sounding a lot like a…" Her eyes went wide.
"Make-over? Well, ummmm it kinda is. It's not going to be anything drastic or anything. You're still going to be the same Merle you are now…Just improved. Trust me on this one. When we're done, you won't look done up or overly girlish or anything." Hitomi assured her, beaming with enthusiasm.
"Okay…" Merle took in a deep breath. "I just have to get over how scary that word sounds…" Laughing at how foolish she sounded, she smiled. "Thank you Hitomi, I really do want as well as need this change. Thank you again, for understanding and listening to me."
"No need to thank me, Merle. You're like a little sister to me." She reached over and gave Merle a hug.
Merle chuckled. "What does that make that brother of mine then?"
"Which one?" Hitomi returned the laugh, pulling away from the hug.
Merle sighed, rolling her large eyes. "The one in your grade. Messy black hair. Goes by the name of Van, as I recall."
"Oh him. Well, I guess that makes him…an overgrown lout that happens to know me." She laughed at Merle's reaction. "He's not that horrible I guess…still, he can get annoying. You have to agree with me, of all people. After all, you are his sister."
"So that's what you think of him…I was under the impression that you two were…" Merle shook her head quickly. "Anyways, when are you going to give my "Wardrobe" a little brush up?"
Hitomi gave Merle a flat hard stare, her smile vanishing from her face. "You were under the impression that Van and I were what, exactly?…"
Merle yelped. "Good friends?" She said, looking at Hitomi in fear. Once Hitomi removed her stare, Merle let out a sigh. "When are you coming over to my house to…you know." She asked hopefully.
"Oh! Well, it might have to wait till the weekend. I'm kinda busy with track and school." Hitomi smiled again, chipper as ever.
Merle's face brightened dramatically. "Okay! I'll see you around then."
"Most defiantly." Together, they left the room. As predicted, Mrs Kanzaki was still reading her novel and Seth was still out of sight downstairs.
Spontaneously, Merle began squealing with delight. "I should see what Seth's up to." She pranced down to the basement, leaving Hitomi to sigh and shake her head.
"So, how was girl talk?" Mrs Kanzaki inquired
"Can only be described as interesting…" Hitomi chuckled. "We talked and fixed what needed fixing I guess…everything is peachy in Merle's world now."
Mrs Kanzaki smiled fondly at her daughter. "It amazes me at how fast you're all growing up." She laughed at her own cheesy comment.
"Mom…" Hitomi sighed, placing her hands onto her hips.
"I know, I know. Sorry, but it's true though. When you become a mother, you'll understand."
Hitomi smiled warmly. She loved it when her mother smiled. To her, she was the most beautiful person in the world. Her smiles made her feel loved. "I'm sure I will someday…Well, I've gotta hit the books now. I love you." She blew her mom a kiss as she headed for her room again.
Mrs Kanzaki caught her kiss with smiles. "love you too, sweetie. I'll call when supper's ready."
"Okay, thanks." Hitomi quickly disappeared into her room to finish her dreaded homework.
AN:
Up next: another typical Friday for the esca gang? Maybe, you'll see. And after that, the long awaited Halloween bash. lmao. I'm working on those chappies for ya.
…that last part was kinda for my mom. Lol, I just love her so much. She's really dear to me, I don't know what I would do without her. Kinda sappy I know…sigh.
TO THE REVIEWERS!
I really want to thank ppls here, because they're all so wonderful and their reviews really mean a lot to me. Seriously.
I'd like to thank
Iceboltmage- glad u liked it, and here's my update. Fast no?
FluffieGirlie- it's not that hard…blushes thanks for the compliment.
queenyasha- I loved ur input! It really helped me out a lot and got me thinking…
Cev- lol, yeah it's my little love square... it'll be a triangle soon, you'll see. Ur stories are so awesome by the way. They leave me speechless.
Toki Hasegara- thanks! Happy u enjoyed it.
Xanthia Nightshade- lol, here's ur update. Hope u liked it.
Hitomi21- well, u can stop waiting. I updated!
Angelofdarkness1566- I'm ecstatic that u love it. Thank u so much for all the reviews!
Pure hope- I love ur enthusiasm! Ur just so awesome! I really mean that. And the emails u send brighten up my day. My chemical romance rocks now doesn't it? Lol
Thanks to everyone who reviewed. U all get double chocolate cookies, my treat.