Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ There's Not A Thing I Would Change ❯ Requiem of a Dream ( Chapter 14 )

~*~I have to say you guys amuse me greatly. Your reaction to the chapter, and for my return, was just fantastic! More author's note at the end. Here's the next chapter! Oh, and just in case you were interested, background music for this in my opinion would definitely be Broken by Seether with Amy Lee. You'll understand… Oh, someone asked how old they are at this point? Both Van and Hitomi are thirty now. Time flies, doesn't it?~*~

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Chapter Fourteen: Requiem of a Dream

 

There they stood looking at each other, neither daring to move at that moment. It was almost as if they were afraid this instant wasn't real, that it was but a dream. Finally, the female took a deep breath and spoke first, her voice penetrating his very soul. “Mind if I sit down?”

Shaking his head quickly to stop his staring, Van soon nodded, too afraid of speaking to her. As she moved to the chair opposite of him, he slowly sat back down, eyes never leaving her. Was she truly here, after all this time?

As if sensing his shock, she simply smiled kindly at him. “It's been a long time, Van. How have you been?”

The said man blinked a few times before answering. “Good, I guess. You?”

“I've been… good.” Then came the awkward silence that surrounded them. Both shifted in their seats with the occasional clearing of the throat before she finally spoke again. “What's with the glasses?”

Surprised by her question, Van reached up and touched the object of her inquiry, as if seeing if they were actually there. “Oh, these. After I got out of the hospital, I got these really bad headaches, especially when I was on the computer for a very long time. My doctor suggested glasses and they've help a lot.”

“Do you still get them? Your headaches?”

Shrugging a bit, he replied, “now and then. They aren't as bad as they used to be.”

Nodding her head, she smiled a bit. “I'm glad.”

Sitting there for a moment, Van shook his head. “What are you doing here, Hitomi?”

A sigh escaped her lips as she stood. “Maybe this was a bad idea.”

“Hitomi, don't. Please, sit down.” The way he spoke was of great confidence and authority; she had no choice but to retake her seat. She was silent while he was sorting out his thoughts. “I'm sorry. I don't know what to…”

“I know,” was her quiet reply.

Running a hand through his hair, Van let out a frustrated sigh. What was he supposed to say? Four years she was gone and then now she just pops up again? Why? Why did she come to see him?

Finally, he regained some composure and addressed her. “Tell me. What have you been doing with your life the past four years?”

Raising her emerald eyes to meet him, she was uncertain of how to respond. “You really want to know?”

“Of course I do. Tell me everything.” If he wanted to learn anything, he was going to act like nothing had changed between them, like they were still the very best of friends.

A smile graced her lips, causing him to get all warm inside. “Well, I've been living in Basram.”

“Who the heck do you know there?”

“Millerna's older sister, Marlene. She offered to house me in exchange for looking after their son, Chid. He really is a great kid. So polite.”

Raising one eyebrow in amusement, he had to speak up. “This coming from the woman who wished she could drown all children in the lake?”

“Hey, that was a long time ago. I've grown up a bit since high school, thank you!”

Van could not contain his laugh, which definitely made the awkward vibe in the room to disappear. They were at ease now, free to talk like they had long ago. “Alright. Did you find a job at the high school?”

“Well, yes, but not as a choir director.”

“Oh really? What did you teach then?”

Chuckling a bit, she smiled. “Japanese.”

Surprised, Van questioned this. “I didn't know high schools offered that.”

“They didn't until they realized I could teach it. Rumors go around schools quickly. The day after I had come in, more than enough students went in and asked to be able to take the class. Apparently, anime is more popular than we originally thought.”

“Ah yes. Thank you Adult Swim and every other channel that airs that fabulous array of animation.”

That smile of hers returned. “Do I detect a hint of sarcasm?”

Shaking his head, Van leaned back in his chair. “Not at all. If it wasn't for those channels, no one would write fanfictions. If there were no fanfictions, my little book publishing company five floors down would have nothing to do all day.”

“And we can't have that, now can we?” With that smile still on her face, she shook her head gently, letting her now long hair to slip over her shoulder. It was at that point Van looked her over fully. Her hair had now grown a few inches past her shoulders, framing her beautiful face that held only a tiny bit of eye shadow and lip gloss. Her black tank top clung to her body nicely, showing off her now more womanly curves. Were those curves always there? Even though there were nice black open toed heels on her feet, Hitomi still worn denim jeans, although they did appear tighter than what he remembered.

Shaking his head, a small smile tugged at his lips. “You've changed, Hitomi.”

Confusion swam in her green orbs, eyes that were fixed on his. “What do you mean?”

“Well, if the purse on your shoulder isn't a dead giveaway, I don't know what is.” Chucking a bit at his own joke, he pressed on. “In all seriousness, it looks like you are a lot more comfortable with yourself now. You look really happy, Tomi.”

The woman looked to the side for a moment, a tender lift of her lips barely shown. “I haven't heard that in years.”

In order to stay away from the uncomfortable silence that was daring to enter yet again, Van cleared his throat. “What else have you been up to? I'd hate to think all that happened to you was the start of a new class.”

The emerald eyed woman's head lowered as she closed her eyes for a moment. “A lot has happened since I've left Gaia.” The maroon eyed man sat up a bit, silently asking her to continue. “There was a fire six months after I got there. At the time, I was staying late at the school, but when I came back, everything was gone. Nothing was left standing, not even the foundation.”

Van leaned forward and had to struggle to keep himself from reaching out to her. “Oh Hitomi. I'm so sorry.”

Shaking her head, she sniffed before continuing. “That's not the worst of it. It turned out Marlene and her husband were both trapped inside. They died in the fire. I couldn't reach Millerna or Dryden at the time, something about a business trip.”

Sighing, Van stood up and walked over to her, kneeling down in front of his former best friend and took her hand. “Dryden never mentioned it. What about Chid?”

“Luckily, he was at his friend's house when it happened. He didn't have anywhere to go, so I took him in. It was hard for awhile, but we were lucky. I had made enough friends in the school who offered to help. After a few weeks, maybe even a month, I found a place for us to stay. The school let me have some time off, which was so great of them considering I hadn't been there long at all. It was hard for awhile. I mean, over night I had to become a mother to this child who lost everything. I had to make sure everything went on as normal.”

“You could have called, you know, if not me, then Folken or my mother. We would have helped you anyway we could.”

Slightly nodding her head, she continued, “I know, but to be perfectly honest, I didn't want anything to do with you, didn't want you part of my life anymore, you know?”

Van's heart shattered into a million pieces at that one sentence and slowly let go of her hand. `I know I hurt her badly, but isn't that a little overkill?' “But you were suffering…”

“I had to learn to live on my own, to become a whole person without any help from my past. If I had just run back here, what kind of person does that make me? At the first sign of trouble, I embraced it and reset my priorities to accept my new role. I don't need anyone else to make me happy and complete now. That's what I wanted, Van, what I needed to discover.” Concern shown in her eyes as she glanced over at him. “I'm sorry if that hurts you somehow. You must think I'm a cold, heartless bitch.”

Shaking his head, he reached out and took hold of her hand once again. “No. You do what you need to survive. Besides, since when have you ever considered my feelings?” Wincing as soon as he let the words slip out, Van moved to correct himself. “That was supposed to be a joke.”

“I know what you meant. It's okay.”

Taking a deep breath, he stood up and smiled kindly down at her. “Have you eaten yet?” Taking her rapid blinking as a sigh of shock, he said, “I've been working so long, I didn't realize I missed both dinner and lunch. You mind if we continue this somewhere that provides food, unless you prefer whatever's in the vending machines?”

Thinking it over for a bit, Hitomi shrugged. “I could eat.”

“I don't doubt it. I've seen you do it, much to my horror.” Van earned a playful slap on the arm for that one as she stood and placed her purse on her shoulder. “Just for that, you're paying, Sparky.”

“Don't I get anything from the physical abuse I had to suffer?”

“The pleasure of my company?”

Pretending to think it over for a moment, the raven haired man shrugged. “Eh, why not? Better than eating alone.”

It was then that they both started moving towards the door. “Hey, just remember. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have eaten at all. Considering your bottomless pit of a stomach, you would have died within the next half hour.”

Smiling as he held the door open for her, he nodded. “Ah, and for that I guess a meal will be sufficient payment for my life.”

“You said it. Not me.”

As they headed over to the elevator, Hitomi looked around and commented, “You've done well for yourself. I hear Esca is now one of the top companies in the country.”

“Ah ha! So you have worried about me. Good to know.”

Rolling her eyes, she pushed the down button before turning towards him. “You think I haven't talked to my mother in four years? She tells me things, whether I ask or not.” Cringing slightly, she shook her head. “I'm sorry. That sounded very bitchy.”

Shaking his head, Van walked onto the elevator when the doors opened. “Reminds me of when we first met.”

“I was a bitch back then.”

“I would say very hard-headed.”

“Like I said. Bitchy.”

A small smile grew on his lips as he hit the 1st level button, thus making the doors close and the box to descend. “So, what happened to you two?”

Leaning against the wall of the elevator, she crossed her arms and sighed. “Can't wait until we sit down and talk like normal people?”

“Since when are we normal?”

“Good point. But, give it a few moments and there will be caffeine available.”

“Ah, caffeine, a good friend of mine. Alright, then what are we allowed to talk about as we walk across the street and enter the diner?”

As the doors opened and the male walked out, Hitomi pretended to think. “How bout those Yankees?”

Van simply raised one eyebrow. “You're kidding, right?”

The emerald eyed woman exited the vertically moving box while questioning, “what?”

“You are not a baseball fan.”

Shrugging, she kept walking. “Things change, Van. People change.” At that point, she opened the main door and held it for the raven haired man. “Coming?”

Walking through the doors and waiting for her to follow, he sighed. “So now you watch Yankee games?”

“Now and then. It's more interesting than I thought. Got a hat and everything now.”

Feigning a look of shock, Van grabbed his chest and shook his head. “This cannot be the Hitomi Kanzaki I've known since high school. Who the hell are you?”

A small laugh escaped her lips. “As I've said, people change. I'm not obsessed or anything, but I do occasionally watch a game or two. What's the big deal?”

Leading her across the street, Van continued, “The big deal is I thought you hated the sport.”

“Then why would I practice with the softball team in high school and college as well as be the head varsity coach now?”

Before opening the door to a small diner, he looked at her as if she had ten heads. “You sure you're not a pod person?”

“Would I admit to it if I was?”

“Good point.” Van opened the door and entered after her, nodding his head to the man behind the counter. The man smiled and immediately came over to the pair. “Ah, Mr. Fanel. Another late night, I gather? At least this time you have a companion.”

“When isn't it a late night?” After they shook hands, Van gestured to her. “Calcifer, this is Hitomi, a good friend of mine I haven't seen in years. Hitomi, this is Calcifer. He makes sure I leave the office now and then to get some nourishment in me.”

Smiling, Hitomi shook his hand. “It's nice to meet you. Perhaps I should be thanking you for keeping this fool alive.”

Pressing the back of her hand to his lips, he smiled kindly at her, but not before sending Van a questioning glace. “The pleasure is all mine, madame. I have heard so much about you already. It's an honor to be able to meet you face to face.” Letting go of her hand, Calcifer picked up two menus and gestured for them to follow. “Your usual table, Mr. Fanel?” A nod was all that was needed as the man led them to a rather large corner booth. “Your waiter will be with you shortly. Let me know if there's anything you need.”

Van thanked him before the man disappeared back to the main counter. Picking up a menu, the maroon eyed man looked it over before glancing at the woman across from him. “You still a chicken fingers and fries fan, or has that changed as well? Would you prefer a salad?”

“I haven't changed that much, Sparky.” Rolling her eyes, she scanned the menu before looking up at him. “You want to split it?”

Putting the menu down, he smiled. “Works for me. I don't have as big an appetite as I did in high school.”

“A large country in Africa thanks you for the consideration. Now they can finally end their starvation and actually live another day.”

Before he could reply, a woman placed two sodas in front of them, both with no ice. “Good to see you, Van. Thought you went anorexic for awhile there. Who's your friend? Is it…?”

Cutting the waitress off, he motioned towards the emerald eyed woman. “Sophie, this is Hitomi. Hitomi, this is Sophie, a friend of mine.”

Raising one eyebrow, the sandy brunette questioned, “oh? A friend? Which sense of the word am I looking at?”

The waitress laughed as a blushing Van shook his head. “Just friends. Howl would kill me if I tried anything.”

“Howl?”

Sophie turned her kind brown eyes towards Hitomi. “My fiancé. Very eccentric and slightly protective of me. Heck, he'll be here in a few minutes to take me home.”

“What does he do?”

“Well, he's a Mythology and Astrology professor at the local college. However, he has dipped into the chemistry field. Honestly, I'm twenty-five. Can't tell, can you? Some potion of his exploded and turned my dark hair to grey. He's still trying to make it up to me.” Sophie waved that off as she pulled out her pad and pen. “Howl thinks he's some kind of wizard or something. I don't know. Anyway, you ready to order?”

Smiling, Van handed her the menus. “Just the usual, Sophie.”

Nodding as she picked up the menus, she commented, “So this time you'll actually finish it? Amazing. I keep telling you it's too much for one person.”

Van shrugged as he answered, “Old habits die hard. Thanks Sophie.” She smiled before leaving the pair alone to talk, which they immediately did. Or rather, Hitomi was the first to speak. “Is there anyone here you don't know?”

Chuckling, he shook his head. “I come here as often as I can, but lately things have gotten a bit… busy.”

A look of concern crossed her features. “Oh? Did I come at a bad time then?”

Waving his hand in dismissal, Van shook his head. “Never. I'm a workaholic now a days anyway. I could always use the break. Now, before you change the topic and make me lose my train of thought, what happened to you and the child?”

Taking a long sip of her drink, Hitomi sighed before continuing her tale. “Like I said, it took about a month to find a place of our own to stay. It was difficult, very difficult. I only had so much money, not enough for something over the top. I couldn't even afford what I had here. The place was very small. A lot of my stuff was gone in the fire too, so we had practically nothing.”

Sorrow was etched onto his face as he listened to her. “I really do wish you had said something.”

“Van, I didn't even tell my mother. I wanted to be independent, so I became independent. To truly start over, things had to change, so the fire did that for me. Should I even continue with my life story, or are you going to cry over everything?”

“I'll try and gain control over my tear ducts. Go ahead.”

She took another sip of her drink before going on. “I thought it best to make sure Chid kept attending school, have some sort of normalcy in his life after everything. Heck, I even went as far as drop him off in the morning and pick him up afterwards, just like what my mom used to do with me. We had to cut out all luxuries and focus on what was needed. Chid took it all very well, never once complaining. It amazed me, how easy it was to think of him as my own child, as if I really was his mother. And even though we never asked, there were so many people who were more then willing to help.”

Before Hitomi could continue, a plate of chicken fingers and another of fries were set in front of them, courtesy of Sophie. She smiled before walking away and cheerfully telling them to enjoy the food. Both of them reached for what they desired and began to eat, Van still looking at her. “You can continue, if you'd like.”

“You mean I have a choice?”

“No, but it makes me sound nicer.” Rolling her eyes, she took a bite of chicken. He could definitely tell she was stalling, as if she was afraid to say what was coming next. `I wonder what she's avoiding.'

Finally, he heard her speak once again. “I met someone there, Van.”

Shrugging, he kept eating. “I would hope so. I mean, you'd have to if you're a teacher. It's not like you to be a hermit.”

Shaking her head, she didn't look at him. “No, I mean I met someone… someone that has helped me more than I can possibly say.”

Van paused, trying to understand her meaning. Suddenly, it hit him. `She met a guy.' Preparing himself for her news, he took a fry and watched her. “Go on.”

A sigh escaped her lips as she thought over exactly what to say. “His name is Bryan Caliburn. He's a history teacher at the junior high Chid went to. I got to tell you, our meeting was… interesting…”

~Flashback~

The bell rang as a large group of students ran out of the junior high school, ready to get away from all the books, lectures and painful reminder that a beautiful day was wasted indoors.

“Wait…”

~End Flashback~

Hitomi raised one eyebrow at him. “Wait for what?”

“I thought Chid was seven. Wouldn't he be in the second grade? Well, sixth grade by now.”

Waving her hand in dismissal, she rolled her eyes. “No, he was in the seventh grade when I came.”

It was Van's turn to raise an eyebrow. “How did you possibly confuse the two?”

“The number seven was all that stuck in my mind. Easy mistake.”

“Oh yeah. Cause a seven year old is exactly the same as a seventh grader.”

Throwing a fry at his head, Hitomi commented, “Do you want me to tell the story or not? If so, then shut up.”

Popping the fry in his mouth, he smiled. “Yes ma'am.”

“Okay, now where was I? Oh yeah…”

~Flashback~

One boy with blonde hair and blue eyes held back from the rest, choosing to sit on one of the benches in front of the school. Slowly, the student body disappeared from the school, leaving this boy all alone. Even some of the teachers were on their way home while he waited. He would wave politely, wishing them a good night, while sitting there. At one point, he even took out his homework and began working on that when a hand on his shoulder stopped him from learning about Ancient Egypt.

The boy looked up into kind brown eyes. Well, he didn't have to look up long for the man sat down next to him. “Now, here's a question to ponder. Why would a twelve year old boy not run away from the imprisonment that is school, but rather sit outside of it and do the homework that is required of him? Seems very illogical to me. What's up, Chid?”

A sigh escaped said boy's mouth before he answered, “not much, Mr. Caliburn. My pick up isn't here yet, that's all.”

Nodding his head, the teacher looked around. “What time are they usually here?”

Shrugging, the boy replied, “She's only a little bit late. She mentioned something about a meeting after school, so it's no big deal.”

“Oh? Is she a teacher?”

“Yep. The new Japanese teacher at the high school.”

Mr. Caliburn searched his memory for any mention of this teacher. Sadly, he came up with nothing. Then again, he wasn't really into the whole gossip chain. Shrugging, he looked over what the boy was reading. “You do realize that material isn't for my class, right?”

“I like Egypt, especially the Gods.”

Holding up both hands in defeat, Mr. Caliburn smiled. “Well, far be it for me to prevent the youth of the world from learning.”

“Well that's good to hear.” Both men looked up at the owner of the voice. Chid smiled and began packing his things, getting ready to leave. As he walked over and gave the woman a hug, he turned back to the teacher. “Mr. Caliburn, this is…”

It was then that the dark raven haired male finally stood, his eyes never leaving the woman's emerald eyes. His own eyes were a bit wide and his lips were parted slightly, as if he was shocked. Taking a few steps forward, he extended his hand towards her. “Bryan Caliburn. I'm Chid's history teacher. You must be Mrs…”

Shaking his hand, she cut him off. “It's a pleasure to meet you. Chid has spoken of you a few times.”

Smiling, the keeper of historical knowledge stepped forward a bit. “Well, don't believe everything you hear. I'm really a nice guy.”

“So I should be expecting my hand back…when…?” Looking down at their hands, the man took his back as a slight blush formed on his face. Before he could say anything, the woman was on her way home with the boy. “Thank you for staying with him, Mr. Caliburn. Good night.”

Noticing them heading out of the parking lot on foot, Bryan stepped up. “Umm, would you two like a ride? It's no trouble at all.”

Chid looked up at the female, who simply looked over her shoulder while continuing, “no thank you. We aren't too far away.” The look on the boy's face showed only a hint of disappointment.

“Are you sure? I really don't mind.”

The sandy brunette whirled around suddenly, a weird spark in her eyes. “I'm sure you don't, Mr. Caliburn, but like I said, we aren't too far away. Now, if you'll excuse us, we'll be on our way.” The way she said that and quickly turned to walk away left no room for debate. The man smiled before digging out his car keys and walked toward his vehicle.

~End Flashback~

“What a prince.”

A small smile played on her face. “If I remember correctly, our initial meeting wasn't much better, you macadamia nut.”

Shrugging, Van smiled also. “Well, you were standing over her with that oh so threatening look in your eyes.”

“I was protecting her. By the way, how is Merle?”

“Last I heard she was in Spain with her college roommate. Apparently they really liked it there.”

“Sounds good, but you didn't let me finish the story.”

“By all means, continue with your little fairy tale.”

“Sarcasm?”

“Only the purest form.”

“Anyway…”

~Flashback~

Walking down the hallway, he gave a quick wave to some students before walking into the main office. A smile grew on his face as he leaned against the desk and looked at the secretary. “Good morning, Kanami. And how are we this fabulous morning? Kazuma doing well after his promotion at the station?”

Those bright blue eyes focused on him, the younger woman sighed. “What do you want, Bryan-kun? Oops, I mean Mr. Caliburn.”

The teacher smiled over her so-called error. Kanami was born and raised in a very traditional household, however she had to work very hard after her parents died. It was around that time she had met Kazuma, who was now her husband. What started out as a brother sister type relationship grew into more when Kazuma tried to work on his own. Now that he was a detective, the boy finally asked for Kanami's hand, which of course she agreed to. The two were very happy together, much to everyone's pleasure.

“Now what makes you think I desire something? Can't we have a nice chat between friends?”

A giggle escaped her lips. “Oh, so you want to look at a file. Before I tell you that information is classified, who is it for?”

“Chid Dalzar.”

Her smile instantly faded as a look of sadness took over her features. “That poor kid. What do you need to know?”

~

Looking around the place, heels soon clicked against the floor as the female made her way towards the destination desired. She was already running late, which did not sit well with her. Finally, she found the correct door number and gently knocked on it, only entering when the voice on the other side gave her permission to do so. “Sorry I'm late. Now what…” Seeing the person sitting there, she shook her head. “What's going on, Mr. Caliburn?”

The teacher rose from his seat to meet her emerald eyes. “Would you like to sit down?”

Shaking her head, she took one step forward and crossed her arms. She was still not used to skirts, so her footwork was still questionable. “I was told there was a problem with Chid? I find that hard to believe.”

Holding up both hands in defense, the brown eyed man commented, “My concern is for his home life. I think…”

“Let me cut you off right there. I don't know what your deal is, but I'm not interested. If you're trying to be the nice guy in some sick attempt in getting with me, then don't bother. We've both been through enough to last us a lifetime. So drop the fake savior act and leave us alone. Just teach him history and that's it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a class to get to. Good day, Mr. Caliburn.” With that, she turned on her heel and stormed out, adding a nice slamming of the door as she left.

Sinking into his seat, the history teacher simply blinked and thought over what she had said.

~End Flashback~

“Glad to hear you still have that bad ass attitude.”

“Do you mind?”

“Sorry. Go ahead.”

~Flashback~

A loud knock on the door had the grumbling woman a bit irritated. Don't people usually sleep in on a Saturday? Not caring about her appearance, she opened the door to see the person she dreaded. “Mr. Caliburn, what are you doing here?”

The man stood there with his arms behind his back and a very sincere look on his face. “I've thought about what you said last week.” She simply leaned against the door to hear what he had to say. “I'm sorry about that. I know you think I'm only here for my own reasons, but I want to assure you I really do care about Chid. I heard what happened and I want to help. I hope you don't mind, but again I heard about your living conditions and all, so I brought some things to help out a bit.”

A moment passed in silence before she spoke. “And I'm supposed to believe you?”

“Believe it or not, but I just want to help any way I can. No child should grow up like this. I brought some tools and wood, to repair the walls and all. Throw some paint up and the place might at least be nicer to look at.”

Before she could say anything, a tired seventh grader came from the back room. “Mr. Caliburn?”

A small smile grew on his face as he peered at his student. “Hi there sleepy head. You want to give me a hand in helping fix a few things around here?”

“Mr. Caliburn, it's six thirty in the morning.”

*Sweatdrop*

The man blinked a bit before replying, “Is it really? Oh, I'm so sorry.”

A small smile broke onto the woman's face. “Go back to sleep, Chid. I'll wake you up in a few.” He didn't even answer, but instead made his way back to one of the back rooms with his bed in it. The female turned and looked at the teacher. “Now you understand the attire and the nice dark rings under these eyes?”

Shrugging, he sighed. “Sorry. Guess I was a little anxious.”

“You think?” She sighed as she thought over her words. “I'm perfectly capable of raising Chid and providing for him.”

“I understand that, but everyone could use some help now and then. From what I can tell, you're barely making ends meet.”

“Well, they're meeting.”

Shaking his head, Bryan looked her straight in the eye. “Put your pride aside for a moment and think of Chid. What's the harm in just fixing things so you both are more comfortable? There are no strings attached. You have my word on that.” As she thought that over, he added, “You don't have to trust me, just allow me to help.”

Another sigh escaped her lips as she opened the door to allow him entrance. “Come on then. We don't have much, but I can find something to make breakfast out of. The least I could do if you're going to do a lot of manual labor.”

Nodding his head, the teacher bent down and brought in all his supplies, including a toolbox, large pieces of wood (in various sizes) and then a very large box. “What's with the box?”

Raising one eyebrow, he lowered it so she could see. “I talked to a few people in town. They donated all this stuff for you and your son. Food, clothing, whatever…”

Emerald eyes focused on his brown ones for a moment. “Why are you doing all this?”

“That's not the right question to ask. My concern is why someone didn't do this sooner.”

A sincere smile grew on her lips as she took the box out of his hands and into the crumbling kitchen area. She soon came out and extended her hand. “Hitomi Kanzaki. I'm his guardian, not mother.”

Nodding his head, he took her hand and shook it. “Bryan Caliburn. You may not be by blood, but you are a mother to that boy.” Soon, they let go of each other and made off to do their own thing, Bryan checking over what needed fixing and Hitomi putting together a nice breakfast.

~End Flashback~

Shaking his head, Van looked her over. “Wait a minute. You can cook? Last I checked it was only ramen.”

Stealing some fries, Hitomi glared a bit. “I learned a thing or two. Had to.”

“Hey, am I ever going to eat some of those nicely fried potatoes?”

“I'm surprised you haven't eaten during the story. Oh, and I'm not done.”

Grabbing a piece of chicken, he dipped it in ketchup and bit down. “I didn't think so. I'm listening.”

~Flashback~

With the end of the school came the summer, which came and went, bringing Chid to enter his eighth grade year. Smiling a bit, he waved to the brown eyed teacher, realizing it was going to be a bit difficult to go back to calling him Mr. Caliburn instead of just Bryan. That's what he had been told to call him all summer.

The summer had definitely been interesting. The history teacher came over to the apartment as often as he could, helping to fix it up to make it livable. Hitomi did not seem too pleased at first, considering she worked very hard to even be able to afford the place, but as time passed she began to accept the fact he was not going away any time soon. They now had a full cupboard, an actual refrigerator with stuff in it, as well as other electrical devices they couldn't afford. Bryan assured Hitomi it wasn't just his money paying for all their new appliances. “Is it that hard to imagine people might actually want to help you?” They had a lot of arguments about that, which was quite funny to him.

Then again, he was just a kid. What did he know about lovers' quarrels, especially when the people involved didn't even realize?

~

Raising her arms over her head in order to stretch, Hitomi heard all those nice pops before she returned her attention to the tests she was grading. It was already a month into the school year and the students were catching on quite nicely. Of course, as soon as that thought entered her mind, Hitomi came across one paper that was a mixture of Japanese, French and Spanish. How that was even possible was a puzzle to her and the paper was in her hand. `Obviously someone is taking more than one foreign language class at a time.'

Before she could put that famous red pen on the white page, a knock on the door interrupted her. Sighing, the sandy brunette put the tests down, got up and walked over to open the door. For some odd reason, she was a little surprised to see the history teacher standing there. “Mr. Caliburn? What are you…?”

“Before you say anything, I just wanted to tell you I can't come by anymore.”

This definitely was a shock. “Reason?”

Exasperated, he threw up his hands and walked in a little circle on her little front porch thing. All of the homes in this apartment complex had their doors facing outside. There was no hallway connecting them inside, but rather steps and the little front porch. Taking a moment, he leaned on the railing and looked at her. “Why do you think?”

Confused, she leaned against the door frame and crossed her arms in front of her. “If I knew the answer, why would I ask the question?”

Shaking his head, brown eyes met emerald. “You can't honestly tell me you haven't noticed. I was very sincere in my intentions in the beginning, but now… now I can't do this.”

“Do what?”

“I can't keep coming here and seeing you everyday, knowing nothing will ever happen between us!” That made her quiet, giving him a chance to continue. “When I first came, I had every intention of helping out, for Chid's sake. I wasn't here to make a move or anything. These past months have been so great. I love being here with Chid and you. That's my problem. You! You're not just some girl to date so I have something to do. You're not the type to just date a guy for a meal. You're compassionate and protective and just so…” He shook his head again before finishing. “All I think about is you. Your face is always in my mind. When I'm not here with you, I look forward to coming here. I'm out with my friends and I keep thinking about what you're doing at that moment. I can't escape you.” Looking her directly in the eyes, he asked, “What the hell did you do to me?”

Her eyes were wide in shock, no words forming any sentences. He was just standing there, waiting for her to say something, but what could she say?

“Screw it.” Reaching out, Bryan grabbed her arm, yanked her over to him, held her head in his hands and kissed her fully on the lips. It was powerful and passionate, causing Hitomi's emerald eyes to flutter shut and before she knew what was happening, she was returning the kiss.

Finally parting, his eyes gazed into hers softly before he whispered, “I think I'm in love with you, Hitomi Kanzaki.” Before she could comment, he released her and began to back away. “I'll be going now. I'm sorry that I crossed the line. Please forgive me.” He quickly turned and left, taking the stairs at a quicker pace than usual.

Just as he was about to unlock his car, he heard her call to him. “Bryan, wait!” Turning around, he saw her jogging up to him, stopping only when she reached him. The Japanese teacher looked at him before saying, “There's this café not too far down the road. I think we need to talk… or rather I need to explain something to you.”

“Hitomi…”

“Please? I want you to understand where I'm coming from, why I've been acting the way I have. Please?”

Thinking it over a bit, he motioned to the car. “Am I allowed to drive you this time?” She nodded, causing him to walk around and open the passenger's side door for her. With no hesitation, Hitomi climbed in and waited for him to come around and head to the café.

~End Flashback~

Van had been sitting back the entire time, watching and listening carefully. “So you two started dating after that?” Her nod was his answer. Shrugging, the maroon eyed man sat up. “That's great, Tomi. It's good that you've moved on so well and have dated. Much better than the whole nun thing.”

Raising one eyebrow, she shook her head. “I'm far from being a nun, Sparky.”

“Bad example, I admit.” A small chuckle came from his lips as he drank the last of his drink. “So, do I get to meet this boyfriend of yours or would certain doom fall upon us?”

Looking down, Hitomi bit her bottom lip. “Actually, Bryan isn't my boyfriend anymore.”

“Oh? Got tired of your sarcasm and harassment? Poor guy. Not everyone can take that kind of abuse for long.” Smiling, he stole the last fry and popped it into his mouth.

Shaking her head, she commented, “No, that's not why.”

Van raised one eyebrow and seemed concerned. “Did he do something to you? Did he hurt you, Tomi? If he did, then I'll…”

Hitomi's eyes closed for a moment before she looked at him again. “Van, Bryan's not my boyfriend. He's my fiancé.”

That stopped him dead in his tracks. All the color drained from his face as he tried to compute the information she just gave him. “Your… your what?”

Sighing, Hitomi raised her left hand, showing him the ring, confirming what she had said. A look of sadness and sympathy was on her face as she stated, “I'm getting married.”

At those three words, Van Fanel's entire world, every tiny hope he held in his heart, shattered into a million pieces.

 

~*~So, you guys hate me or what? Bet you didn't see that coming! Again, killing the author is a very bad thing. Sorry this took so long. As you know, college is a priority now, as sad as that may be. I'm trying to work on this as much as I can, but I'd rather have a good chapter than a rushed one.

Chid's last name was interesting. I went to this EscaFlowne site to look for it and found something. His real name is Chid zar Fried, meaning Chid prince of Fried. The `dal' is part of his father's name, meaning king or leader. At least, that's what I took it to mean. So, thus the last name Dalzar was created: King Prince. (yes, I'm a little sad…)

Oh, in the last chapter I mentioned a company called Avalon run by a woman named Kinomoto. All CCS fans should know who I'm referring to… Way back in the chapter where the two are in college, Hitomi mentioned her friend Sakura and her boyfriend Syaoran. Sakura's last name in the original Japanese version is Kinomoto, but in the American dubbed version, it's Avalon. (yes, yet again I am that sad…)

One thing that got me stuck for almost a month was Bryan's name. I have this little quirk. I cannot write about a character without knowing their name. Not a big deal? Without the name, I couldn't write the flashbacks because I can't picture the character nor how they'd act. Why do you think I haven't really started on my real fiction story? No names… and the fact I don't know how to begin it… *sweatdrop*

ANYWAY, I hope you like the chapter and don't send assassins to kill me in my sleep. I think there are only one or two more chapters left, but not too sure. This thing will definitely NOT hit twenty chapters. Heck, this thing was supposed to end back at the balcony scene, but the characters dictated differently. AKA- the story now has a life of it's own. Leave a review if you'd like. I do enjoy hearing from all of you, so the email option is always open. Ja ne!~*~