Sweet Sixteen-- Chapter 14 (Halloween part III)

AN: Okay, I know I haven't updated this fic for...well, I can't even remember the last time I updated it. Anyways, it's been very long over-due. I'm very determined to finish this fic as I like to finish things I start whenever possible. With that said, happy reading! Hope it's up to par... (As in, not too corny)

Dedication: This is for everyone who has reviewed/ read this fic. You don't know how much it means. (Translation: I love you guys!)

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"Hitomi! Dilly boy!" Yukari chimed, enthusiasm oozing through her sparkling pearly whites. "Hey! I didn't see you guys here until now. How's your night been?" The pair simply stared at the daring Devil lady and the sheepish Vampire, Hitomi bemused and startled, and Dilandau flatly unimpressed.

The red-head grinned, ruby red lips widening. She dropped Van's left hand abruptly, pulled herself into a spin after ducking under his right arm, then coiled herself back towards him. Her partner's face went a lovely shade of scarlet red just as she predicted it would. She spun away from him again, and with a grand flourish, fell back into his arms in a classic dip. In his confusion, Van almost dropped her. He obviously lacked the grace and timing his partner was abundant in.

This only caused the devil lady to burst out into fresh peals of laughter. It didn't do his red face any good, completely destroying his pale, scary, and gothic vampire image. They continued to watch them, too bewildered to speak.

"Van, I wish I could continue dancing away with you like this. It truly has been magical, but I still have my goals of dance floor conquest to take care of." She sighed, almost wistfully, bringing a perfectly manicured nail to her red lips. "Hitomi, could I borrow your date for a dance…or two? I'll promise to play nice." Yukari winked, horrifying her friend.

Hitomi's mouth opened in shock. It was like her friend was playing an alter-ego the way she was acting with that costume on! She was almost thankful when Dilandau stepped forward, angry vein pulsing blue above his temple.

"What?" He delivered with a threatening stare.

"It's just one dance." Yukari huffed. She didn't bother waiting for an answer before sinking her claws into Dilandau's arm.

"Hey! What do you think you--" The Fireman's protests fell upon deaf ears as the Devil Lady dragged her prey away with a sultry smirk. She refused to tolerate his resistance, pinching his arm sharply whenever she felt he would attempt an escape.

"Score one point for the creatures of the night! This soul belongs to me now." She smiled at Van innocently. "You can thank me later, Cookie-monster."

Hitomi bit her lip, collecting her thoughts at what had transpired. Beside her, Van gulped. Had his collar always been this tight? That Yukari girl would soon be the death of him, socially-wise. Curse her to…Heaven. He was afraid to even look Hitomi's way, fearing the dreaded awkward silence.

"What did she mean by 'You can thank me later'?" Hitomi asked curiously after a short pause.

Van felt his shoulders tense up. "I have no idea." He drawled out.

"Oh. I'll have to ask her about that later." She smiled at him, unaware that the entire situation had frazzled him in any way.

The raging techno beat pulsed through the room as Van struggled to regain the semblance of composure. It wasn't every day he was scarred for life. He stared at the green-eyed girl helplessly, unsure if his heart was madly beating against his ribs, stuck in his throat, or if it had stopped altogether. It was difficult to tell with the loud music running through his body. She grinned at him slowly, slightly breathless. The black eyeliner she had on had smudged under her eyes was beginning to smear, leaving a faded black trail running down her cheek.

"So, have you been enjoying yourself?" She asked him curiously, trying to fill the gap of silence between them.

His lip quivered nervously as he stuttered out a pathetic unintelligible response. How could Yukari do this to him? He had been fine in his comfortable bubble of isolation, but she had to go and ruin everything by dragging him out here. There was no place he could hide now, no place he could run to. Even if he tired, the girl in the bright red dress with matching pumps would surely bring him back. He shivered at the thought.

"What?" Hitomi tilted her head slightly. "Never mind. The music's too loud. I won't be able to hear you anyways."

She was right. He could barely even hear himself think. Not long after the techno song ended, a new one blasted proudly over the speakers. It was a very familiar one to the hopeless youth. He had thought he had managed to escape it forever, but it seemed to have come back to laugh at him one more time.

It was the Macarena.

All the dancers on the dance floor laughed and cheered, loosely assembling themselves into rows. Hitomi grabbed his wrist as people began chanting along with the chorus, a carefree sparkle in her eyes. She bobbed her head to the beat of the Spanish song, body swaying to its rhythm.

"You remember this song, don't you?" She asked him excitedly. "Come on, let's dance! Yukari stole my date, so you'll have to do." It wasn't long before Van found himself stuck in the middle of an overwhelming crowd of dancers.

He could have died on the spot as he clumsily tried to keep up with the music, forgetting half the arm positions. His face cheeks flushed being this close to so many bodies. The heat radiating from the crowd was enough to choke a horse. He felt more than a little foolish, standing hip to hip with Hitomi, dancing to a ridiculous song he hadn't danced to since he was twelve.

A wave a nostalgia rippled through him. Yeah, of course he remembered this song. How could he not? His mother had forced him to dance with Hitomi at his cousin's wedding. He had struggled and fought against the notion, but his mother had won the battle. She always won their battles. The song had been just as ridiculous then as it was now, but at least this time he didn't have to worry about Hitomi intentionally kicking his shins.

The pair looked comical, a Goth and Vampire, dancing to an upbeat song. Then again, so did all the other ghouls and goblins around them. Relief washed over Van when the music came to a halt. Too bad the feeling would only prove to be temporary.

Hitomi laughed at his goofy smile, face aglow. She recollected herself using Van's shoulder as a support, and forced him to stay on the dance floor for the next song. He had been very reluctant to stay, but he let her convince him that it would be a good idea. After-all, he could always leave after the next song, or so he thought.

One song lead to another, and with each new beat he felt himself lose sight of the idea of stopping. People and faces were a spinning warm blur, moving by far too quickly for him to notice anyways. Before long, he even forgot he had been off brooding earlier, his eyes fixated on Hitomi. He was free to enjoy himself now that he didn't have to worry about her. She was right in front of him.

It was a nice feeling. She wasn't very far away at all, only an arm's length away. And Dilandau…who really cared where he went as long as he couldn't see him? Van quickly reminded himself to tell Yukari that she had been right, and to thank her. When the music's tone slowed, they weaved through the crowd to the edge of the dance floor, both warm to the touch and smiling.

"I…" Van tugged at his collar. "That was…fun." He smiled, still feeling a little disjointed.

"Yea, it was." Hitomi breathed a sigh. "I didn't know that you liked to dance."

He made a face. "I don't."

She rolled her eyes at him, chuckling slightly. "Right. Whatever you say Van."

"What? I don't normally." He maintained.

"I guess that makes me an exception." Humming to herself, she approached the refreshment table and poured herself a glass of punch. "Do you want some?"

"Sure." Van shrugged indifferently.

She poured him a cup, handing it to him without comment. As she brought her drink to her lips, she heard Van laugh. Puzzled, she looked up at him, eyes demanding an explanation. Noting her expression, he pointed across the room.

"What is it?" She blinked her squinted eyes.

"Look to your left." The grin he wore stretched from ear to ear. "Isn't that…?"

Hitomi's cup would have clattered to the ground if Van hadn't grabbed a hold of it instinctively. "Where's Yukari? Wasn't she with him?" She saw Dilandau with a panicked look in his eyes, but her friend was no where to be found. However, Dilandau was in no means alone. He was inching his way as fast as he could across the crowded room, evading a very persistent and scandalously clad Naria, whose advances were very difficult not to notice. His attempts to escape didn't phase her as she chased him around the dance floor, cornering him whenever possible. Dilandau's face matched his bright red firefighter's costume.

She looked back at Van, half-horrified and half-amused. Van wasn't any help to her, he was too busy doubling over with laughter to offer her any console. It was truly a sight to behold. "I think that's Yukari over there with Amano." The onyx-haired youth managed to point at a couple in the crowd between his fits of laughter. Yukari danced happily in the arms of her French poet, guiltless of the situation Dilandau found himself in.

Hitomi threw her hands up into the air with mock-surrender. The situation couldn't get any worse for her. "What a disaster." She grumbled bitterly. Pushing her hair back away from her troubled face, she drew a long shuddering breath and stole a glance at Millerna's packed living room behind her. The couches were packed, leaving the chattering guests no choice but to find seating on the ground. "I don't know what to do with myself." She confessed to her companion, eyes still locked onto the people lounging about in the living room.

"What do you mean?" Van asked lightly.

"Well," Hitomi began slowly, fidgeting with the bracelets on her wrists. "for instance, should I go chase after Dilandau, find out what Yukari's really up to, or," She paused. "do I simply do nothing?"

"Um…" The Vampire hummed, completely stumped.

She let out a little growl of frustration, squeezing her fists together like a little girl ready to throw a tantrum. "I'm not making sense, am I?"

"Not exactly." Van replied honestly, interested in where this conversation was headed. Hitomi laughed softly to herself. She knew she could trust him to be cut and dry with her.

"You see, I don't think you'd really understand, even if I did explain." Chewing the inside of her cheek, she looked off into the distance as if she were weighing out the possibility of him being able to understand her plight. She continued after a considering nod. "Well, you might, but I'm not sure."

There was a long silence. Van stood there awkwardly, waiting for her to continue. He became more agitated as she remained silent, and fingered his Vampire's medallion to keep his agitation from showing. He waited a moment longer, but found that he didn't want to wait any longer. "You're either going to tell me or you're not. Which one is it?"

Her eyebrows drew together in irritation, brow creasing. "It's complicated, you know!" She responded with an edge. "You could be a little bit less…Van-ish about it."

He rolled his velvety maroon eyes at her. "That one was original." He muttered. Dodging her hand as it reached out to inflict harm on his person, he shook his head sadly. "If you're going to make a scene, maybe we should go someplace where there'll be less people to see it?" He suggested.

To his astonishment, she nodded. "I think the backyard is open to the party guests."

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The moment they stepped outside, Van felt more at ease. Perhaps he should have chosen this place to hide out at in the first place. It was cooler out here, no one was around, and best of all the night sky was the perfect cover for a Vampire. Yukari wouldn't think to look for him out here either. He smiled at his cleverness, making a note to remember this place if he ever found himself at a party here again.

They walked across the vast lawn, and eventually found themselves leaning against the six foot high fence. Hitomi looked a little less troubled, which Van took to be a good thing. He felt safe beginning the conversation. "Well, you chose option three. Now what?"

"I don't know." She whispered. "I didn't think I would choose this option, so I didn't really think about it."

"Oh." He scratched at the back of his neck. "You…" He stalled, not knowing how to phrase this nicely. "You seemed pretty angry earlier, and I don't think you were angry at me. Well, at least I hope you weren't angry at me."

She laughed, rubbing at the remnants of the makeup underneath her eyes. "No, I wasn't." Looking up at him with her pink eyes, she smiled wanly. "I was…angry with myself actually."

"Why?" Van treaded on the topic carefully. He didn't want to pry too much or make her feel uncomfortable. As much as he wanted to know about everything that was troubling her at the moment, he didn't want her to end up in tears or her throttling him for being incompetent.

"Well," She began shyly, hesitant to speak. "the truth is, I thought tonight was going to be different than what it turned out to be." She studied his face, waiting for him to say something.

"How was it supposed to be different? Was it the food? Music? Dancing?--"

"No, no, no." She laughed. Although she knew he was only trying to help, she couldn't help but laugh. His face had been so serious and his voice so concerned. "When Dilandau asked me to go with him to this dance, I wasn't too keen on the idea. In fact, I thought about calling the whole thing off, but Yukari convinced me otherwise. She made it sound like it could be fun going to the dance with Dilandau. Her and Amano, and Dilandau and I could go to it together, like a double-date. It was stupid of me to think of it like that, I guess." Hitomi sighed. "She ended up doing her own thing, and I ended up doing my own thing."

"Hm," Van nodded with sympathy. He rubbed at his chin thoughtfully.

"So, you see," She continued, back against the fence. "I think I've been a little naïve about the whole thing."

"Hm," He hummed out in response, eyes locking onto the dark grass.

"Well, at least I learned something." Hitomi sighed, running her hands up and down her cold arms. Her fingertips grazed the goose bumps prickling her arms, making her shiver slightly. "I should do things because I want to do them, not because someone else thinks it might be a good idea."

"Hm. Interesting conclusion." Van's head bobbed understandingly, his eyebrows raising.

Hitomi glanced up at him with a queer look on her face, tucking her hands between her arms and sides, clutching her waist for warmth. Van stared at her warily, waiting for a verbal berating. To his relief, it never came. Instead, she laughed at his wary expression, a hand reaching up to her mouth to hide her exposed teeth. "You haven't really been listening." She stated, smiling in amusement.

He hadn't been expecting this sort of reaction from her. "I have!" He informed her after gasping in shock. Well, at least she didn't bite his head off for his lack of response to her explanation. "I…didn't know what to say about it, but if you would have given me a few minutes I think I could have came up with something…plausible." His eyes darted between her and the grass, lingering on the grass more than her face.

Her lips quirked up into a half-smile. "Thank-you, for…um, listening?"

"You're…welcome?" He offered tentatively.

She gave his shoulder a tap. "You know, this won't change things at all."

"Who said things would change?" Blinking, he gaped at her in confusion. He had no idea what she was blathering on about now.

"No one did!" She cried in exasperation. "Sometimes you can be so…arg!" Stomping her foot, she jerked her head to one side and sighed. He could be so dense sometimes.

"Oh, you mean things between you and Dilandau?" He asked confidently. After thinking about it for a moment, she must have meant that things between her and Dilandau would not change. Did that mean she wouldn't see him anymore? He hoped that was the case because he didn't like the idea of them dating too much.

"No, that's not what I meant!" She rolled her large eyes.

His face fell flat in defeat, then rose again hopefully. "Then you mean things between you and Yukari?" That had to be it then. Was she going to forgive Yukari for…what was it exactly again? He was still a little foggy about the situation. They were still going to be friends, right?

"Van, for Heaven's sake! I meant things between you and me!" She practically pounded out.

"Oh…" His chin dipped suddenly as his gaze dropped down. When he thought he was certain what she had meant, he cleared his throat. "That's good. I wouldn't want things to change." Was all he felt he needed to say on the matter.

Hitomi smacked her forehead and walked away from the fence. Glancing back at the shaggy-haired youth, she smiled gently. "I-- Thank-you, Van. Really. I do know that you listen, although you don't always understand what I'm saying. But thanks for being there to listen, nonetheless. It's nice knowing that you care."

"It's no problem." Van responded, flustered and embarrassed. He had botched things up, he knew that, but she still appreciated the effort. It could have turned out worse than it did, he had to admit. She could have ended up hating him.

She walked across the grass slowly, looking back only when she reached the backdoor. "By the way," She called out to him from across the yard. "I still think that you're annoying. And you're still a Dweeb. That's what I had meant earlier, about things not changing. I think I'll always see you that way."

A slow smile spread across Van's face and slowly progressed into a grin. There was a blush evident on her cheeks as she shyly slipped back inside the house. She had grinned back with as much zeal as he had. After she had closed the door behind her, he dropped to the ground and leaned his back against the fence, not caring if his costume was getting dirty or crumpled. He couldn't shake the grin from his face. No, she didn't hate him, not at all.

That made him a very happy man.

To be continued...