Last Stop
A/N: Well, hey! Long time no see, eh? Sorry! -Cowers- (This time I actually have people to cower from, haha!) I would've had it out sooner but . . . I am a freshmen, and I kinda got swamped X-X. And then I got myself entangled in three different hockey teams! So yeah . . . (Plus, Vi3TBaBiI took three days to edit it:)
-SO HAPPY!- Yay, I got sixteen reviews for the last chapter! One thing to say . . . OH MY GOD! -dies- Hehe, guess you can tell that's my record.
Chapter Three: Haunting Memories
"Ladies first."
The look on Hitomi's face wasn't anything short of confused, and even a little bit of shock, as she stared at me. I felt awkward standing there, by the drivers seat, staring back at her, waiting for her to move, or at least say something (how ironic, all this time, I hadn't wanted to her to talk!). My face was calm and cool, but on the inside, my brain was scrambled; I, myself, was still trying to fully comprehend what I was doing. And more importantly, why. Why was I doing this? It couldn't have been because she said she was my . . . friend . . .
Could it?
"Van, what are you doing?" Hitomi asked again, this time getting the whole question out.
The answer 'I don't know' crossed my mind. But I did know, didn't I? The answer was there, and it came tumbling out of my mouth without my control. "I'm . . . coming with you." As I said it, my voice seemed distant, foreign even. I'd finally sorted out the signals my mind was trying so hard to send me. Even if I didn't like the message they bore, I had no choice but to comply with them now.
Emerald orbs gazed at me with an unreadable expression. The look on my face was just as unreadable, though, I was sure. The tension was building, but I couldn't back out. Not since I'd come this far.
Suddenly, a smile broke out across her features, shattering the ever-rising tension into pieces. "Thank you. It is very kind of you to stop by." She beamed even more at me.
Kind . . . of me . . .Those weren't usually words people would associate with me. They weren't even close. Yet, the way she said it . . . I knew she wasn't lying. She honestly thought I was kind.
How dense.
"Yes . . ." was all I could reply.
She gave me what almost seemed like a reassuring smile before she walked past me and out the door. Now was the moment of truth as I turned to face the open door. At the bottom of the steps, Hitomi stood, awaiting me. There was still a chance to leave; just close the door and drive away. But that accursed thing called a conscience stopped me. Funny, for all my pessimism and hate over the years, I still had a conscience. Or perhaps my conscience only reinstated its position now.
Before I could comprehend what was happening, my right foot half-stepped, half-slipped down one of the bus stairs. Then my left foot did the same, until I found myself standing on the weatherbeaten parking lot beside Hitomi. Now I didn't even have the option of running. But as my conscience reeled, I knew I couldn't run forever. Then again, if they'd really wanted to find me, they could've, and would've by now. Shows how much they cared . . .
"Van, are you coming?" Hitomi's voice penetrated my mixed up thoughts abruptly. She was already about half way to the front doors of the orphanage. I guess she just assumed I would be following.
With one last forlorn look at the empty bus, I began to walk towards her at a leisurely pace, preparing myself mentally for what awaited me. For once I entered the building, there really was no turning back.
The inside of Fassa Foundation was a complete contrast to the shabby exterior, just as I knew it would be. After all, books are not to be judged by their covers, and neither should anything else. Upon entering through the automatic doors (with convenient security cameras watching our every move, mind you), there was a short hallway. Walking along, I glanced around. The floor had simple, but not cheep, white tiles, while the walls were painted with the never-gets-old white as well. On either side of the hall there were finely stained doors with topnotch nameplates, leading to various peoples offices. At the end of the hall, an attendant sat behind bulletproof glass, sort of as a check in person. Unless this person verified who you were, there was no way of getting past the door at the end of the hall and into the heart of the foundation.
Behind this glass sat a women in her upper thirties. As Hitomi and I approached, she was reading some document, with reading glasses on. Her long, flowing hair was a light blond, and her eyes were a dark blue. When we approached, she looked up from whatever document she'd been reading.
A sinking feeling came over me.
"Hello, Eries," Hitomi said as happily as ever.
"Hello, Hitomi," Eries' majestic voice floated through the speaker in the middle of the glass. "I see you have a--" her voice stopped suddenly as she took a good look at me. All my muscles tightened as a look of surprise adorned her face. It's kind of hard not to recognize a person when they haven't changed much over the past five years. (Or was it my damn NAMEPLATE that gave it away?)
"-- guest," Eries breathed after an awkward moment of silence.
"Oh, yes," Hitomi said slowly, bewildered at Eries' hesitation. My eyes were locked with Eries, as if we were sending each other telepathic messages, as Hitomi continued. "This is Van Fanel. He's the bus driver that gets me here everyday."
"You don't say," Eries said quietly before breaking our eye contact. My heart was set on rapid-fire mode. Already I was going to be ratted out! Gee, I thought I could at least get to Mr. Fassa first . . .
"It's nice to meet you, Van," her voice interrupted my thoughts. "And it is kind of you to stop by." It was the second time that day that I'd been called 'kind'. Though, when Eries said it, it wasn't sincere.
The door leading to the main room opened gradually. The room looked more like a really expensive daycare then a rundown orphanage. The reddish, pinkish carpet was covered with various toys and stuffed animals. To the left was a tiled area, with various tables set up, with small blue chairs were scattered around it. A television was tucked snuggly into a custom made nook in the middle of this table area, some cartoon flashing across the screen. To the right were some couches, with a radio/ compact disk player built into the wall much like the television. Down at the end of this large room, on either side, were doors that led to the sleeping corridors. On the back wall, there was a door that led into the "backyard".
Oh yeah, did I forget to mention all the unhappy children that were sprawled about? Well, maybe not all of them were that unhappy . . . But--
"Why, hello, Hitomi," a familiar, enticing male voice crashed my train of thoughts. A sinking feeling developed in my stomach as I turned around. Standing in the doorway Hitomi and I had just walked through stood a young man, no older than forty. His hair was a dark brown, and although it wasn't really that long, it was tied up in some goofy bow. The spectacles he wore were small, the gaze of his eyes hanging above the rims. Some whiskers adorned his chin, places that he'd obviously missed while shaving. A purplish scarf-like cloth was draped around his neck, going about halfway down his white shirt. His pants were a dark brown.
"Hello, Mr. Fassa," Hitomi replied.
The man smirked. "Please, Hitomi, just call me Dryden."
Dryden turned his gaze to me, that stupid smirk still on his face. It was time for the beans to be spilled. With each piercing moment, I could feel the blood rising to my cheeks. If he was going to blow my cover, he could at least do it with some decency and do it quickly!
"Who's your friend?" Dryden asked nonchalantly. Was this some mind game everyone in this damn place was playing with me, or did they really not know who I was? How could they not know who I was? (I still had that damn name tag on!) Did I change that much? No. This had to be a game. A game that was getting old, fast.
"Oh, sorry," Hitomi said sheepishly, almost nervously. "This is Van Fanel."
"I see," Dryden muttered.
"Hitomi!" a young girls voice squealed before Hitomi could say another word. I turned around unconsciously to see a little girl with brown, curly hair staring up at us, a red, plastic ball in her hands. She looked to be no older than six.
Hitomi bent down until she was almost eye level with the little girl. "Hello, Hana," she replied with gentleness.
"Come and play, come and play!" Hana cried, tugging at Hitomi's arm, dropping the ball in the process. Ever wary of Dryden watching my every move, I bent down and picked up the red ball. It was small in the palm of my hand, my fingers practically touching as they curled around the circumference. Taking a quick glance at Dryden, I held out the ball to Hitomi, who smiled and relieved me of it.
"Come on, don't be shy, Van," Hitomi said as she stood up, with Hana still tugging at her arm relentlessly. I scratched the back of my neck, debating whether I should make up some lame excuse and leave now, or go with Hitomi. Still not completely in control, my mind decided that the latter was not so bad.
Just as I took a step forward, Dryden's voice stopped me dead in my tracks. "If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to Van privately for a few minutes."
Glaring daggers all the way, I abruptly rerouted my tracks back to him. Looking over my shoulder, I watched as Hitomi was pulled to the other end of the room by Hana. She gave me an apologetic smile, as if saying I'm sorry, it'll be okay, before turning her attention back to Hana. I just stood, slightly hunched, next to the owner of Fassa Foundation.
"A bus driver." It was a statement, not a question. The game was over, as I figured it would be, for Dryden was always a very concise kind of guy. He didn't even bother to take me to his office (so much for 'private'). Finally adverting my attention from Hitomi, I turned once again to glare at the man. Chocolate eyes locked with mine, each unwilling to budge.
"What of it?" I growled under my breath, never taking my eyes off Dryden. A deep frown set on the elder mans face.
"'What of it?' Is that all you have to say to me after five years?" Dryden asked calmly.
"As if you cared what happened to me all this time," I replied coldly, clenching my fists up in rage. Foolish, foolish, foolish, FOOLISH! I screamed at myself. 'The latter was not so bad'? What the hell was I thinking! Then again . . . What had I been expecting?
Dryden gave me one last hard look before staring off to the far side of the room; mainly, I thought, at Hitomi.
"If I hadn't given a damn about what happened to you, I wouldn't have sent you off to college," he said, not even turning again to face me. "There is-- was-- only so much I could do for you. I can give you money, support, but I can't decide your future, Van, only you can do that. Your choice was to drop out of college, and work at places like McDonald's, or in this case, become a bus driver." As an afterthought, he added, more to himself, "Though I guess being a bus driver is better than some fast food joint because it at least requires you to pass a special drivers test."
Lamely, I hissed, "Shut up."
"You had potential, Van, why did you throw it away?" Dryden asked, unfazed by my rising temper.
For the first time since I'd arrived, I began to quiver, to melt under the circumstances. My gaze diverted to the floor. "You're the only one who ever thought I had any potential in writing."
"Maybe if you incorporated at least an ounce of happiness into your work, you wouldn't have this problem."
"You can't write about what you don't know," I said flatly.
Dryden said nothing for a long moment, still staring off to the other side of the room. Kids paid no attention to our tirade, going about their daily dread with solemn faces. As I watched them, a pang went through my heart. I could relate to their pain. It had been seven years since I'd left; and five years since I'd been in contact with anyone here. Since I'd been in contact with my 'home'. Just as I'd been a lone, distraught orphan, I grew up to be a lone, distraught adult. No friends. No family. No nothing.
No one to care for me; no one to care about.
"You were happy once," Dryden said softly.
"Yeah . . . once," I said in a far-off voice, turning my face away from Dryden, away from where Hitomi played with Hana, and stared blankly at one of the white walls.
I hated this place.
"I'm guessing you met Hitomi on the-- sorry, your bus?" Dryden said, changing the subject.
Snapping my head back around, I stared wide eyed at the owner of this foundation. Then my attention turned to Hitomi. More children had gathered around her, joining in the little game of catch Hana had started. The kids seemed attracted to her, joining in one by one. Looking at her face, I saw the gentlest, kindest, most caring smile there could ever possibly be on this earth. No words passed my lips.
Apparently, Dryden had never taken his eyes off of me. And apparently, I'd been gapping a little too long. Yet, Dryden only smiled, saying, "She'll be good for you."
I turned to face him, a blank look adorning my features. What the hell was he talking about? Good for me? Nothing was good for me; it was too late. Besides, she was only . . .
. . . my friend.
I curled my lips into a false smile, one that reached my eyes, clouding them with hatred. As I walked away, towards Hitomi, I replied, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Where is your inspiration?
You lost it, oh so long ago.
So much for innovation,
I saw this coming long before.
You have no motivation,
Your hopes are high, but trapped below.
This constant competition,
We've won, but you're still keeping score.
It seemed that all the children were attracted to Hitomi. By the time I reached the spot where she sat, there was a group of kids surrounding her. At least fifteen. I stopped walking a little ways from her, just watching her. She sat cross-legged on the floor, two children, one of them Hana, the other a little boy, seated in her lap. Children closest to her sat down, the others stood up. They all seemed to be listening intently to whatever she was saying, probably a story of some sorts. She didn't seem to notice me, as I paused, unsure about what to do; say good bye or just leave. I stole another glance at her and sighed. No, I couldn't just leave without saying good bye.
Hesitantly, I walked until I stood off to the side, but still in her line of vision. She seemed to have stopped talking, smiling at each member of the group individually. Only when her eyes rested on me did she pause, her face feigning surprise. But almost as suddenly as it'd disappeared, her smile came to the surface once more. I rubbed the back of my neck nervously, and from embarrassment.
"Van," her angelic voice spoke softly. "Don't be shy, come over here."
Without a word, I complied, until I stood next to her, all the kids eying me suspiciously. From where I stood, Hitomi looked so small . . . fragile . . . and gentle.
I swallowed hard as she took my hand, her fingertips so soft, and simply commanded me to, "Sit."
This time, I managed a nod as I plopped down on the floor next to her. Every eye was locked on me; Hana visibly shrinking into Hitomi. My eyes roved around nervously, taking in all the sad faces. But that was not what made my heart race. Turning, I looked into Hitomi's stunning green orbs, then unconsciously down at her hand. It was still linked with mine, keeping my palm warm. It was a nice feeling . . .
Hitomi followed my gazed, instantly blushing, and hurriedly detaching her hand from mine. All the warmth began to seep out. "S-Sorry," she said sheepishly.
"I-It's okay," was all I could manage, equally as florid.
Even though her face was mostly buried into Hitomi's chest, I could feel Hana's eyes watching me. I found this odd, since she hadn't acted at all shy earlier. Maybe she just hadn't taken notice of me before.
Hitomi brushed one of Hana's curly locks out of the little girls face, gently lifting her away from the warmth of her own body, while seating the little boy on the floor. Hana gripped her shirt feebly, not wanting Hitomi to let her go. Hitomi only gave her one of her classic smiles.
"Don't be scared of Van!" Hitomi said with a laugh. "He's a friend of mine; he won't hurt you." In a whisper, she added, "And if he does, I'll strangle him personally!"
"As if you could," I mumbled, earning a playful elbow to the ribs. Instead of getting mad, Hitomi only laughed harder.
"Oh, lighten up, it was only a joke," she said between chuckles. Suddenly, I felt her gentle hand wrap around the back of my neck. My eyes widened in surprise, as I gasped, looking at Hitomi, and inhaling sharply. For once, her smile seemed sly. "Or was it?"
"Uh . . ." I was flustered now. What was with this woman? For one reason or another, she always rendered me silent! My cheeks became heated again.
Hitomi began to crack up again, removing her hand from my neck. All the kids seemed to chuckle a little with her when she said, "You really do need to lighten up!"
I didn't crack a smile, only replying with a, "Yeah . . ."
Hitomi turned her attention back to Hana once more. "Hana, say hello to Van."
Hana had finally let go of Hitomi's shirt, yet she still stood in front of the older girl. She looked at Hitomi, still unsure. Hitomi nodded slightly, gently giving her a little push towards me. With one last hesitant look back, Hana walked the little ways to me, and stopped directly in front of me. Even though I was sitting, I was still slightly taller than her, as I stared down into her sad, gray eyes. I began to wonder why she was here.
"Hello," was all she said.
"Hi . . ." I replied.
We had a mini-staring contest before, out of the blue, she asked, "Are you Hitomi's boyfriend?"
I almost fell over in shock. Were little orphaned girls suppose to know about this stuff! And for such a shy little thing, she sure came out of her shell with that one. For the third time that day, I felt my cheeks blaze with utter embarrassment.
"NO!" both Hitomi and I exclaimed simultaneously, a little too forcefully. We both stared at each other for a brief moment, long enough for me to note that she was blushing too, before turning away hurriedly. Apparently, this was a riot to all the kids. But even Hitomi didn't laugh at this "joke".
"He's --" Hitomi began to say.
I cut her off, "I'm just the petty bus driver that gets her here everyday, nothing more."
This was apparently enough for me to break through to Hana, as she climbed into my lap and snuggled into my chest. "You're funny," she said, starting to giggle again.
I gave Hitomi a 'What the hell am I suppose to do!' look. Here, all I'd come over to do was say goodbye. Now, I'd been made a fool of several times and was stuck with a young girl in my lap. All Hitomi did was shake her head and smile. I looked down at Hana again, and sighed, wrapping one arm around her small frame.
"Yeah, I'm a riot," I whispered gently.
"Who wants to hear another story?" Hitomi asked to the group of kids who were incredulously still surrounding us. A storm of 'me's engulfed us as Hitomi began to tell another tale. I listened, holding Hana, as Hitomi's voice intoxicated my senses. When the story was over, I hastily departed; Hitomi thanking me, while Dryden only glared as I left.
When walking into the bus station to report my bus back, there weren't many people around. The sun was beginning to set. I began walking to the front desk to hand in my keys, when I ran into my boss along the way. He stared at me quizzically.
"You're just getting back?" he asked, suspicion lacing his voice.
I gulped. "I . . . stayed at the orphanage for a little while."
To my surprise, he smiled. "That was nice of you. Keep up the good work." He began to walk away.
"Wait!" I exclaimed. He stopped and turned to face me once more. "Why is it that I get that stop, anyway? None of my other stops are even close to it."
He smiled some more. "Just common courtesy to Mr. Fassa's volunteer's, Van. But if you want, I could transfer the stop to another bus."
"No," I replied hastily and with unexpected vigor.
But I grew up, (wishing) wishing on a star,
You think I won't ever get too far.
A/N: Well . . . How was that? -cough- bad -cough- You know it! Hm . . . I think you guys will like the next chapter! (Just . . . it's probably not for the reason you're thinking.) I probably going to drop one of my hockey teams, but even still, my schedules crammed with it. (Don't expect ANYTHING on Monday's; I have double hockey practice.) Ack, school was going so great for me too until I got a 72/90 on my math test. -sadness- Now I have an 89! DAMMIT! -sobs- Oh well, I'll get an A no matter what the cost! (Bribing, cheating, etc . . . JUST KIDDING!)
Oh yes, the song is "Star Struck" by Yellowcard. Expect to see more of the lyrics (even if it is a really short song!)
Obviously, I don't own Yellowcard or anything (all YC lyrics are written by the lead singer, Ryan Key.)
Review Replies! (YAY!)
Vi3TBaBiI: . . . Forget you:P
The lady winged Knight: Better then the first chapter, eh? Well, something interesting actually happened there, you know? See, see, Van can be nice! And look, he did go in the orphanage. My original plans for this chapter were for me to tell you more about Van's past in the conversation with Dryden. But I decided to be mean and make you wait until . . . chapter six or so, hehe. (Don't hurt me!) Yeah, like I said, I think everyone will like the next chapter the best. I wasn't so thrilled with this chapter, but eh . . . Hope you enjoyed it anyway, and thanks!
Inda: Open up as in . . . more like this? Well, I guess Van's not quite there yet. But dun worry, he'll come around! Thank you!
Koriina: Hm . . . Here's chapter three! (Sorry, chapter four sold seperately :P! . . . And is on presale, since it currently does not exist.) Anyway . . . I dunno why, but I looked up the word 'cute' out of boredom. I actually learned something! (Wow) The second definition of cute is 'clever and shrewd'. Yeah, isn't my story just so clever? Haha, just playing with you . . . (even if that really is the second definition!) Yes, I need to get my act together, ha. -grins- But I dub that impossible! Thank you!
f-zelda: Gawd, I'm getting slower, wah! But . . . It's only been a month, right? (give or take a few days) Hehe, I'm glad I updated too. But I'm even happier that you reviewed . Thanks a bunch!
Grrl N: Uh, yeah. Van driving a bus is out there. Normally I wouldn't think of making him a bus driver either. He's too good for the position, you know? But eh, I was bored, and it made a good story, so I thought, what the hell, I'll write it! And look what it's turned into, eh? I cleared everything up with him not stopping, see? I even gave you an insight to the future. I was going to give more, but . . . it just didn't seem right! Thanks!
fireangel621: Yes, Van is just so cool when he's grouchy! And yes, Hitomi's his little ray of sunshine, blah blah. Too typical, but what was I suppose to do -shrugs-. The bus driving was different, and I'm sure the ending of this fic will be different . . . Or will it o.O. Haha, I should stop egging you on . And hey, blabbering is cool! I do it all the time. Like right now . Heh, thanks a dozen times -blushes at the 'love your fic' comments-.
akai chou: I like to try and be original, and usually nobody reads my stories when I do. But this one makes me happy! (Guess I broke the streak.) Hm . . . You know, I use to really hate first person stories for some reason. They just sorta ticked me off. But now that I'm writing one, I see that they are really cool. (Not to mention fun to write!) Whenever I can, I find myself writing in first person . Even for school things, hehe. Thankies!
Avelyn Lauren: Hehe, this is what happened next . I say, he's going to fall in love with someone. -wink- Heh, the next chapter will prove it. Sort of. o.O -giving too many hints- I'll shut up now! Thank you!
kk: Dude, bus drivers are mad chumpy cool! They deserve respect around the world! Heh, I dunno, as cool as Van is, I think he's better as a regular citizen than as a king sometimes. Half the time I make him even lower than a regular citizen '. Hm, that's freaky when I think about it. I shouldn't be thinking to hard, though. Heh, hope you liked this chapter; thanks!
FoxyFire: Eh, sorry, it took longer than expected to get this chapter out! Hm, everyone seemed to like the second chapter better. I guess that's a good thing . Except, this chapter doesn't meet it's standards o.O Oh well. Lol, Dariel is my god! (Well, not really, but you know what I mean!) Dun be alarmed by the not-so-greatness of this chapter, the next one will be better. I promise, mwhaha! Fine, fine, fine, I won't diss myself anymore . . . Cause I'm too lazy to keep denying it ;). Hehe, thaaaank you!
Carla: Oh wow, I'm being envied. That's new, lol. -hides muse- Muse, what muse? -ponders- Do I even have a muse? o.O -isn't sure-. Staring at walls for unhumanly amounts of time is helpful . And that's okay, one review is enough to brighten my day (until it gets smashed into little tiny pieces again). Sorry, I didn't really update too soon, did I? Oh well, I'll try harder this time. -Is still really pissed off about today's day at school . . . failed everything- Thank you!
Tramie: Cute equals clever and shrewd to me now! (It's the second definition for cute.) See, I can tolerate that word now (even if I know that's not how you were using it!) Thanks for putting me on your favorites!
Sakura onto Hitomi: Cookie! Whee! (I'm so retarded . . . ) Did you like this chapter? Thankies!
sesshy: Considering you reviewed this only five days ago, I'd say that was pretty fast, eh? Just playing with you. It gave me new vigor! Thanks!
Lady Luna: I would never forget this fic:P I'm a slow, I know! (I'm slow at lots of things) See, it's only been three days since you wrote that. I'll get better! Thank you.
I just realized I failed like everything at school today . . Aw well . . .
Please review! It makes me the happiest person alive!
-Spirit0