"…Staying awake to chase a dream; tasting the air you're breathing in… I know I won't forget a thing…"

: Falling Away With You : Muse :

Chapter Six: Chasing Venus

I laughed, shaking my head sadly as I padded barefoot into the kitchen to refill my glass with lemonade, "Try hitting the 'start' button in the middle of the controller; that usually works for me…"

"Oh. Oh," Dryden's voice sounded muffled over the sound of the video game, "I got it."

Biting back another laugh, I opened up the refrigerator and pulled out the chilled container, pouring its contents into my empty glass before returning it.

"You want anything, Dad?" I called out, leaning against the counter as I took a sip of the lemony-goodness.

"In a minute… hey you! Get back here for a proper fustigation…!"

I rolled my eyes. A derange model, and a psychotic video game playing lawyer. Oh the loveliness of the gene pool I hail from.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiing… Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing… Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing…

"I got it!" I called out, hastily taking another sip of the lemonade before I picked up the phone, "'Ello?"

"Gaaaaaaah! Where have you been! I've been trying to get a hold of you for the past three hours." Yukari demanded, audibly turning down the tones of some punk band.

"In the shower… more recently playing video games with the parental unit…" I said, absently swirling the contents of my glass, the ice clinking against the sides.

"So how did it go?"

"Ah… it went… ok… He promised that if I want to stay here, it's my choice, not Millerna's… So he's going to phone my old school on Monday to get my transcripts sent out here,"

Yukari laughed, "Now, just because you're my bestest best friend Miss Kanzaki that doesn't mean that I'll be letting you copy off of me in class."

"Why do I have the feeling that it will be the other way around bestest best friend Yukari?"

"Because you're probably right," Yukari said as her phone began to beep faintly, "Hey, just a sec, I have another call. Hang on chopped de liver."

"Aye, aye captain," I answered dully, balancing the phone on one shoulder, I placed my hands behind me and slide up on top of the polished marble counter-top.

Dryden's heavy footsteps padded down the carpeted hall, his hair rumpled and grinning from ear to ear.

"I killed 6 of the storm troopers before they got me," He said proudly, opening up the fridge and pulling out a soda.

I grinned, "Nicely done, my young padawan apprentice."

"Yukari?" He asked, glancing at the phone balancing on my shoulder.

I nodded, "I'm on hold, so she must have a boy on the other line."

"Ah," He took a sip of the soda, grinning again, as turned to go back to the den, "Don't be long, the universe isn't going to save it's self, you know."

"Yessir," I replied, smiling lopsidedly as I mock saluted his retreating form.

"I have no idea, ask her yourself," Yukari said as the phone beeped again to signal a three way-call.

"You still there Hitomi?" Van asked. I could here Merle chattering away to Mrs. Fanel in the background.

"What's up?" I prompted, swinging a leg on top of the counter.

"Wanna hit the beach tomorrow morning with us?"

I groaned, leaning back against the cupboard, "I can't… Allen and Millerna are coming tomorrow, and Dad will probably be going out of his mind Millerna-prepping the house in the morning."

Pause.

"Ah…That's cool…" Van said slowly.

"Well… you know… you have already run away from home once Hitomi, skipping out of chores and not greeting your favorite family members isn't much worse," Yukari suggested cheerfully.

I laughed, "I probably shouldn't press my luck."

"Hey, don't worry; the beach isn't going anywhere…" I could hear the rustling of cloth and Mrs. Fanel's voice, "Mom's making you a welcome back cake or something of the sort… Remind me to drop it off, ok Yukari?"

"Yes, your majesty," Yukari grumbled, "I hate to cut this short, but if you two will excuse me, I have some toe nails to paint black…"

"Night bestest best friends Yukari and Van."

"Night," Van echoed, chuckling, "See you in the morning."

"Until we speak again then, adieu, my dearest lady and most foul gentleman," The red head quipped, turning back up the music.

Click

Bright, noon-time sunshine shined brightly into the polished kitchen, almost reflecting off of everything it touched.

Tiredly, I blew a stray hair out of my face, leaning up against the mop in my right hand.

Dryden had left me about two hours ago with instructions to clean up the house the best I could. In that time I, the city girl who whose bedroom was, frankly buried under three feet of clothing back in New York, had swept and mopped the floors, vacuumed the rugs, dusted and polished every inch of the house from top to bottom, and, believe it or not, washed the windows, and a numerous amount of other things that make me tired just thinking about.

Not too shabby, if I may say so, myself.

A key grated in the lock down the hall, and Dryden appeared in the kitchen shortly after, his arms laden with plastic grocery bags,

"You are amazing, 'Tomi," he said, dropping an armful of bags unto the counter, "I think I saw my reflection in the floor when I walked in," he stood up right and pulled off his sunglasses, "Can you grab the rest of the bags from the car, while I put these away…?"

I nodded, leaning the mop against the island, "No prob."

"Thanks…" He rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly, as I turned to make my way towards the door, "Hitomi?"

"Hmmm…?" I asked, turning around and walking backwards down the hall.

"Smile. She's not coming here to kill you in your sleep."

I gave him a wry half-smile, "Only if you say so, Dad."

The pavement was warm on my bare feet as I walked across the driveway towards Dryden's parked sports car, the trunk ajar and half-filled with bags.

Stifling a yawn, I slipped my wrists into the loops of two of the bags, heaving them out of the trunk as I heard a car door slam.

"Hey, are those chips?" Dilly asked, scrambling out of Van's car, a towel around his shoulders and his swim shorts half-dried, "I'm starving."

The silver haired boy took the bag from me, rifling through it, "This is…" he glanced at the watch on his wrist, "Hour 5 without any food."

I smiled absently, nodding in sympathy, my eyes on Van and Yukari as they got out of the car and made their way up the drive.

Yukari had pulled on a pair of short shorts over her bikini bottom, her red hair now boarding on black from swimming, her cheeks sun kissed and her eyes dancing as she carried a large, foil wrapped tray that I could only assume was Mrs. Fanel's cake.

Van was walking slower after her, his hair tousled and damp from surfing, a smile twitching on his lips as our eyes met, his skin damp and golden, swim trunks hanging low from his hips…

"Earth to Hitomiiiiiii…" Dilly waved his hand in front of my face and I blinked, "Can I eat these?"

"Yeah," I cleared my throat, feeling my cheeks heat up, "Yeah, you can have them if you carry these inside."

"Being able to help a damsel in distress and getting free food," Dilly winked at me as he took the bags from me, "Not a better combination in the world."

"Where do you want this?" Yukari asked holding up the cake, her eyebrows raised with curiosity she glanced behind her to see what I had been staring at so intently a second ago. Van stood to the side, still looking at me.

"In the refrigerator, if there's room…" I said, moving so she could get through the door.

"We're so talking later, girly," she hissed, as she passed me by, she winked, the corner of her mouth twitching with a smirk.

I grinned sheepishly and nodded as she disappeared into the house.

"Hey," Van said, still smiling, "Missed some killer waves this morning."

"Don't rub it in," I teased, pushing a stray hair behind my ear.

He glanced over my shoulder into the house, "Are the wicked witches here yet?"

I rolled my eyes, twisting the hem of my white tank top, "Ah… no… but if they don't come soon I think Dryden is going to have a heart attack from the stress."

"That bad?"

"I found him attempting to mop the kitchen floor this morning at six."

Van whistled, "Must be hard for him, seeing your mom with somebody else."

"From Grandma Fassa's stories, I guess she was his first real love…" I shrugged, looking over my shoulder into the house, "I think a part of him will always love her."

"Hitomi, I---" He ran a hand through his hair nervously, his eyes darting up and meeting mine as he stepped closer.

He didn't have a chance to finish his sentence, because then the voice that launched a thousand children into their bedrooms crying sounded out across the yard.

"Hitomi Aston, you are grounded."

I didn't have to turn around.

"Hi Mommy."

Dedicated to the Teddies; Dariel, Ryuu Angel, and Starry Eyed Wonder – Thank you for being so bloody brilliant at what you do, and forever challenging me to be a better writer. May the Fanelage be with you always grins cheekily

July 7, 2005

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