Mystic Moon Vacation (An Escaflowne Story!)

[Sakura]

More Merle!!

This story is 51 pages and by far too much to put on a single web page... this stuff needs an editor. I especially like the complete absence of grammar and spelling mistakes in this story

Is it ok to 'correct' the german stuff?

[oldwrench]

Well, I finally got chapter 15........ I know you girls have been waiting for Van..... and Allen, in swim trunks. Enjoy/

Snowboarding and Swimming

AN: Lil' Dinky bows deeply and apologetically

I'm so very sorry about this chapter. First of all, it took forever for me to write it (evil case of writer's block!), and I think it's probably a bit long and rambling. Well, at least we get to Van (and Allen) in swim trunks! Yay!! Unfortunately, with my writing stuck in crap-land, this chapter didn't turn out very well. BUT the good news is, we'll have a little bit more Van in swim trunks next chapter, too!! Yay!



Also, WARNING: This chapter contains slightly more swearing, and slightly more lime-flavoring than past chapters. Sorry if that upsets anyone! You've been warned.


Allen woke groggily in the dark basement and slowly opened his eyes. A pair of deep brown eyes was centimeters away from his face.

“Gah!” he exclaimed, backing hastily away before his half-asleep brain registered the fact that it was only Annie, and she was laughing at him.

“That's for sneaking up on me last night,” she said with a smirk. “Get up, lazy-bones. We're totally late.”

“What about Van?” Allen asked, irritated at being called lazy.

“Up and showered and making breakfast for everybody.”

Allen stopped digging through his clothes bag. “Making breakfast?” he asked incredulously. Since when did Van even know how to cook?

“He volunteered. It's not like he's cooking or anything. Just microwaving some instant oatmeal,” Annie replied with a casual shrug. “Just get in the shower already, and I'll pack your bag. Jason'll be here any minute.”

Upstairs, Van carefully measured out the water and poured the little bags of oatmeal into four bowls. With some trepidation, he placed the first bowl into the center of the white microwave and shut the door.

Now what? Annie said to follow the instructions on the packets, but they weren't making much sense to him. He jabbed at the buttons on the strange machine, frowning at the annoying beeping sounds it made, and pressed the start button. The microwave whirred to life, and Van turned to pull open the refrigerator for the juice.

As he poured the orange liquid into the glasses, he heard some muffled popping sounds. Curious, he turned back to the microwave and bent to peer inside.

“Shit,” he muttered at the sight of the oatmeal bubbling and pouring over the sides of the bowl. With a sudden, loud pop, the goop exploded, leaving a sticky mess coating the inside of the microwave. With another muttered expletive, Van yanked open the door and stood scowling at the burnt cereal splattered and dripping on the inside of the machine.

“Whew. Look at that oatmeal explosion,” Annie said over his shoulder, making him jump. “That's gonna be a bitch to clean.”

“Sorry,” Van said sheepishly, wondering just when she'd snuck up the basement stairs.

“Ach, everybody does it at some point. And we know how to use these things,” she said with a shrug. She grabbed a washcloth and started scrubbing at the mess. Hitomi wandered in then, yawning sleepily as she surveyed the kitchen.

“Oatmeal for breakfast, huh?” she asked, taking a glass of juice from Van. “So when's Jason showing up?”

They all jumped at the sound of the doorbell ringing through the house, and Annie banged her head on the inside of the microwave.

“Ow, shit! Right now, apparently,” she griped, rubbing her head. Grimacing, she went back to attacking the oatmeal explosion as the front door opened.

“Hey Jason!” Hitomi called. She didn't move from where she was leaning against the counter, so Van copied her actions as they watched Annie scrub the microwave.

“Yo, anybody home?” Jason asked as he poked his head around the kitchen door. “Whoa. Who blew up the oatmeal?”

Annie gave a muffled response from the depths of the microwave, and Van took several quick moments to assess the newcomer. The man was only slightly taller than himself, but heavily muscled. Tattoos covered most of his exposed arms and neck, sloping over the twisted muscles in a clash of designs. His face had multiple piercings, the most noticeable being a large silver bullring in his nose, and his head was shaved bald. But his bad-ass appearance was almost undone by the friendly smile on his face, and the quick, brotherly hug he gave Hitomi.

“This is Van, Jason,” Hitomi said with a bright smile. Jason gave Van a half-handshake, half hi-five and a grin.

“Hey, nice to meet ya, man. Ever been snowboarding before?” he asked in his loud, burly voice. Van shook his head, liking the guy immediately, and inwardly laughing at what Allen's reaction to him would most likely be. Wait, had they ever mentioned to him that Annie used to date this strange looking guy? This might be more fun than mistletoe!

“We're running a bit late, J. Sorry,” Annie said, still bent over to scrub at the insides of the microwave. Jason stared at her a moment, a gleefully mischievous glint coming into his eyes.

“Birthday spankings!” he suddenly cried, jumping across the room to pin the brown-haired girl down and deliver a few smacks to her backside. Annie shrieked, hit her head on the microwave again, and tried to wriggle her way out of the big man's grip.

“What the hell?...”

Van and Hitomi turned to see Allen standing in the doorway of the basement stairs, confusion and something darker twisting his face into a frown. Amusement glinted in Van's eyes, but he kept his face neutral as Hitomi sighed next to him. Annie and Jason were too busy laughing and fighting with each other to notice.

“Jaa-son! Knock it off!”

“Uh uh, I've still got 19 to go, so hold still!”

Van considered it just pure good luck that Allen had chosen that moment to come up the steps. He was having a very difficult time keeping from laughing out loud at the expressions on Allen's face. Especially when the stranger swung Annie up over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, so he could finish the birthday spanks.

“Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two!” he said with a flourish. “Now you're officially older!”

“Dammit, Jason! Lemme go!” Annie shrieked with a laugh. “Oh. Hey, Allen.”

Allen just stared at them, his lips pressed into a thin, disapproving frown as Jason swung Annie back onto her feet. He kept a heavily muscled arm thrown around her shoulders, and she had one slung around his waist, both grinning like mad people.

“That's Allen, Jason,” she said, waving a hand at him. Allen managed a nod.

“Hey, man,” Jason said nonchalantly, smiling his friendly smile and seemingly oblivious to the frosty frown Allen gave him in return.

“So, where's your stuff? We should start packing the car,” Annie said to Jason, pulling him out of the kitchen with her, still all smiles.

“What was that about? And who is he?” Allen asked with a chilly edge to his voice.

“It was nothing. Birthday spankings are just a stupid thing friends do to each other on their birthdays. And Jason's a really old friend of Annie's,” Hitomi replied with a sigh as she gave Van a stern look. He grabbed the dishrag and scrubbed at the remaining oatmeal to hide the grin on his face.

“Didn't Annie say they were together for a while?” he asked innocently. Allen choked on his juice, and Van could feel the heat from Hitomi's glare scorching his neck.

“Together? She was with him?” Allen asked incredulously, disdain dripping from his voice.

“Yes, Allen,” Hitomi nearly hissed. “Jason's a really great guy. And he's a good friend of mine, too.”

For a moment, Allen looked taken back. “I'm sorry, Hitomi. I was...just surprised. He doesn't seem like her type.”

Allen could have kicked himself when he realized that he'd said the last bit out loud. Hitomi stared at him in confusion, and Van stopped what he was doing to turn around and look at him.

“How do you know what her type is, Allen?” Hitomi asked with a quizzical and interested grin growing on her face. Van's amusement was growing by leaps and bounds. Allen, smooth, controlled Allen, actually looked flustered.

“What? I don't...I meant to say...I'll go get our bags.”

Hitomi turned towards Van with a confused, laughing smile on her face as Allen made a hasty exit down the stairs.

“What was that?” she asked, her voice full of mirth and curiosity. Van just grinned, shrugged, and turned back to the microwave.

A short half hour and a whirlwind of activity later, all five of them were piled into Annie's car for the drive north. Hitomi found herself squished uncomfortably between Allen and Van in the middle of the backseat, since Jason's bulk necessitated him taking the front. She sighed and wished for the thousandth time she'd taken off her thick winter coat before climbing into the car. Annie's driving was more erratic than ever, given the fact that she and Jason were too busy joking around and arguing over the music for her to pay much attention to the road.

The three backseat occupants massaged their sore arms, the muscles stiff from bracing themselves for an accident, when they finally arrived at the snowboarding park. It took a while to get fitted with the proper gear, but it was still only mid-morning by the time they were all ready to hit the slopes.

“Everyone else should be showing up in the next hour or so, I told them all to meet at the lodge around noon, so we can get some time in first,” Jason told them as he strapped on his boots. He was the only one of the three that had his own equipment and seemed to have a clue what he was doing. He led the way out to the hill and showed them how to get set up on their boards. Van was surprised to see that Hitomi and Annie appeared to need as much instruction as he and Allen did.

“I thought you'd done this before,” he said quietly to her. She gave him an adorable, sheepish grin.

“Yeah, once. But I don't really know what I'm doing. I'm better than Annie, though,” she finished proudly. As if to prove her point, she pushed off down the hill. She made it a wavering half of the way down before she toppled over in a heap. Annie only made it about ten feet before she flopped onto her butt.

“The trick is to lean into it right,” Jason explained to Van and Allen as they stood uncertainly on their boards. The burly man gave them a long list of pointers and demonstrated a few times before letting them push off down the hill.

Van wobbled and slid over half way down the slope on his first try before losing his balance and flopping onto his back. Allen, he noted with chagrin, had made it slightly farther.

“Whoohoo!” Annie cheered when they reached to top of the hill again. “You guys are amazing!”

“Yeah, that was great! I can't believe you made it that far on your first try!” Hitomi gushed, her eyes on Van as she gave him an unbelievably huge smile. Van grinned back, ridiculously proud of his tiny achievement.

Jason nodded enthusiastically. “No joke. You guys are going to get this in no time!”

By noon, Van and Allen were able to make it all the way to the bottom. Van was even trying to work on doing some turning, instead of just sliding straight down. Hitomi still wobbled her way down half of the hill before falling, but she was steadily improving as well. Jason swooped around, doing complicated moves and generally showing off. Annie was the only one who couldn't seem to get the hang of it at all.

“Dang. Who know you guys would be so good at this? I was hoping for a few wipe-out partners. I totally suck!” she said cheerfully as they trudged into the lodge for lunch. “When do we get to the swimming again?”

“This afternoon! Whiny baby,” Jason retorted with a grin. “Look, I'll try to help you out again after we get some food, okay?”

“Aw, thanks, Schmoopy-poo,” Annie quipped, nudging him with her board.

“I don't think it'll help, though,” Hitomi whispered to Van, who grinned and gave a slight nod in agreement. He was carrying both their boards, and Hitomi still had a fluttery feeling in her chest from how he'd silently taken it from her with a small, warm smile.

The only thing marring the fun day so far was a quieter-than-usual Allen. Hitomi stole a quick look at him over her shoulder as they entered the lodge. His face had reverted to a mask of indifference and slight boredom, and Hitomi felt a sharp pang of guilt thinking about everything he'd put up with since arriving on Earth. Annie, for starters, must be a real test of his patience. And he probably felt like a third wheel most of time, or fifth wheel, in this case. Hitomi frowned. Poor Allen. She'd really have to think of some way to make it up to him.

“You don't have to worry about Allen. He can handle himself,” Van's quiet voice in her ear made her jump, and she swiveled to face him.

“How'd you know...”

He shrugged, looking around the crowded lodge. “You were chewing on your lip. You always do that when you're worried about something.”

“Oh,” Hitomi whispered, completely shocked that Van had noticed something like that, something she'd hardly realized she did. It started that warm, tingly sensation flooding through her again.

She didn't have time to fully enjoy the feeling, though, since they were quickly surrounded by the rest of the group. Van and Allen were introduced to everyone in rapid succession, leaving no chance that they'd actually remember anyone's name, but it didn't seem to matter. It was a wildly diverse group that ranged from punks to geeks, but everyone appeared to know each other, or at least, they all knew each other through Annie or Jason. Van and Allen were absorbed into the mix without a blink.

Allen felt decidedly better now that they were in a bigger group. And it didn't hurt that Annie and Jason were loudly telling everyone how awesome he and Van were doing on their first snowboarding experience.

“Seriously. They're already making it all the way to the bottom!” Jason exclaimed to a couple of guys who looked as rough as he did. Allen's grin must've been a little too cocky, because Annie wrinkled up her nose.

“Yeah, but it's just a little hill. A teeny-weeny bunny hill,” she emphasized.

Allen's grin didn't falter one bit. “You can' t even make it half-way.”

“Hush up, you!”

Lunch over, the group broke off into twos and threes as everyone headed to their skill level slope. True to his word, Jason stayed with the three beginners to try, one more time, to get Annie half-way down the hill. Somehow, Allen found himself alone at the top with Jason, watching Annie wobble her way into another spectacular wipe-out.

“Aw, shit. She never figured out skate-boarding, either,” Jason sighed, shaking his head as they watched her try to untangle herself.

“Skate-boarding?” Allen asked, curious in spite of his dislike of the man.

“Hell, yeah. I tried to teach her that, too. Grandma Ida made me stop after she broke her arm.” Seemingly oblivious to Allen's shocked look, he rambled on. “How 'bout you? You and Van must be skaters or something, since you picked this up so fast.”

“Uh, no,” Allen answered quickly. “We've both just had...intensive physical training. I suppose that helps.”

“That so? What kind?”

Allen faltered for a moment under Jason's curious look, wondering what to tell him. Luckily, Annie had struggled her way back to the top, and she threw herself and her board to the ground unceremoniously.

“Forget it, J. I'm just going to break my tailbone again or something, so you can stop trying to teach me. Besides, I know you want to get to the better runs.”

Jason barely contained a grin. “You sure? 'Cause we can keep trying if you want.”

“Yeah, yeah, get out of here. I'm bruised enough.” Annie waved a hand at him, and he sped off, leaving her alone with Allen. She just sat there, watching Van and Hitomi making their way down to the bottom. Oddly enough, it looked like Van was giving Hitomi pointers. Allen took his bindings off, slid his boots out of the board, and sat down beside her.

“Tired?” Annie asked, still watching the couple on the hill.

“No. Just...taking a break,” Allen answered. He hesitated for a moment. “So, how long have you known Jason?”

“Huh? Oh. Forever. His mom used to babysit me. We've even got some embarrassing naked babies-in-the-tub pictures.” Annie answered absently.

“Did you really date him?” Allen asked, blurting the question out without meaning to say it. Annie turned to give him a strange look. He could have buried his head in a snowbank for being so stupid. It wasn't like he was interested. Just the guy didn't seem like the right type for her.

“Oh, you heard about that? That was a really weird period, you know?” Annie said thoughtfully. “J and I lost touch for a while. He got into some trouble after high school, and we didn't catch up again until we ran into each other in a bar. So it was just one of those meet up with an old friend and hook up for a while things. Anyway, we make better friends than a couple. so we broke it off. No big deal.”

“No big deal? You have a relationship with someone, and it's no big deal?”

“Oh, lighten up, Al. It's the way things are here. You date someone, it doesn't work out, you move on. And it's not like you're one to talk, anyway. How many relationships have you had?”

Allen straightened his back, frowning. “How many have you?”

“Uh...recently?” Annie asked after thinking hard for several minutes.

“Forget it,” Allen mumbled, frowning. They sat in silence, watching the snowboarders going down the slope. Hitomi and Van had reached the bottom, and Hitomi had fallen over. They watched Van try to help her up, lose his balance, and topple over Hitomi in a very compromising position. Annie giggled quietly.

“Too bad they're wearing all those layers,” she said quietly. Allen was surprised to realize he was smiling slightly. Large, white flakes drifted lazily down and he caught one in the palm of his hand.

“Yay! It's snowing!” Annie squealed, leaning back and trying to catch a snowflake on her tongue. Allen just grunted in response, and Annie stopped hanging her mouth open to give him a curious look.

“What's the matter? Don't you like snow?”

“It's better than rain,” he replied after a moment. Annie wrinkled her nose, confused.

“You don't like rain? How come?”

“Because it feels...sad. Like it's washing everything away. I've never liked the rain,” Allen answered quietly, watching as several more snowflakes landed in his open palm. Next to him, Annie flopped onto her back.

“Weird,” she said. “I've always liked rain. I thought it washed everything clean, you know. For a fresh start.”

Allen contemplated for a moment. “I've never looked at it that way.”

“Of course you haven't, Mr. Dark and Gloomy. You're the type to think the glass is half-empty, but I'm the type to think it's always full. And it is, just sometimes there's more air in it than water.”

He quirked a rueful smile. “Complete opposites.”

“Not really. Just two sides of the same coin,” Annie said thoughtfully. Allen gave her a questioning look, and she grinned. “In actuality, we're a lot alike. We just look at the world differently is all. That's probably why I like you.”

Allen was stunned. “You like me?”

“Hell yeah! You're way too serious, you can't take a joke, you care way too much about 'the rules', and you really need to learn how to have a good time, but I still think you're a good guy,” she said with enthusiasm. “Besides, what girl wouldn't like her own walking, talking joke?”

Allen's eyebrow twitched dangerously. “Walking, talking, joke? You-”

“Relax, relax! I'm just teasing you, Al!” Annie said, laughing so hard she snorted. She sat up and stuck her hand out. “I don't think of you as a joke. At least, not anymore. Friends?”

He eyed her warily, looking for signs of a trick. Finally, he reached out and tentatively grasped her gloved hand.

“Friends.”

She grinned, jumped to her feet, and dusted the snow off her backside. Allen stood up more slowly, stretching sore muscles from his own numerous wipe-outs as he moved. He could see Hitomi and Van slowly making their way towards them.

“So, does this friend thing mean no more teasing or jokes?” he asked casually as he strapped his boots back onto his board.

“Heh. Not a chance, buddy.”

Allen admirably resisted the urge to toss her headfirst into the nearest snowbank and merely shoved off down the hill again. At least she couldn't tease him about this.

A few hours later, more than half the group was ready and willing to head to the hotel and the promise of a good soak in the hot tub. Van's muscles ached in places he wasn't aware could hurt, even with all his training. Next to him in the car, Hitomi rubbed her sore thighs. He tried valiantly not to notice the way her finger kneaded her toned legs, sliding over areas he longed to touch.

After checking in, the group split up to find their rooms. Annie led them to two rooms on the ground floor directly off the pool area. Van and Allen surveyed the large, sunlight area with some surprise. The pool was large and curved, filled with still, clear water. A smaller pool sat a few feet away from the edge of the larger one, steam rising from it. Chairs and tables sat around the edges of the pool in clumps. The place appeared empty except for their group.

“Here's your keys,” Hitomi said, catching their attention and handing them two small, plastic cards. Quickly, she demonstrated how to work the strange locks, and they entered the room.

“Hey, look! We're connected!” Annie said gleefully, opening a door in the wall between their rooms. The rooms were small, with one queen sized bed in each, a pint-sized bathroom with a shower, and a table with a TV, microwave, and coffee maker perched on it. Annie took a running dive and bounced a few times on their bed.

“Well, looks like you're gonna have to get cozy tonight,” she said with a smirk to Van and Allen. Van surveyed the bed with slight dislike, and Allen shook his head with mild exasperation at Annie.

“So, what's the plan? Are we going swimming now or what?” Hitomi asked, her trepidation of wearing a swimming suit in front of Van completely swallowed by the prospect of seeing him in one.

“Hells yeah!” Annie shouted, bouncing off the bed and diving for the guys' bags. “Swim trunks, swim trunks...ah! Here! Put these on. And just these, nothing else, okay? We'll meet you at the pool!”

Van and Allen stared at the strange shorts she'd thrown at them as she dragged Hitomi back through the conjoining door, shutting it with a decisive snap behind her. Nothing but the swim trunks, huh? Van and Allen glanced at each other uncertainly before stripping down and pulling them on.

Van was surprised at how comfortable the shorts felt once he'd got them on. They were mostly black, with a few red stripes going down the sides, and they reached his knees. Allen's were similar, but were a sky blue with white stripes. Van couldn't help but glance nervously at himself in the mirror. Only his torso and his lower legs were exposed, but he still felt so naked.

“I wonder what girls swimming outfits are like here,” he muttered, more to himself than anything, but Allen apparently overheard him.

“Isn't it something called a 'bikini'?” he asked, and Van noticed that he was checking himself over surreptitiously in the mirror as well. “We should get out to the pool.”

Van sighed heavily, totally unsure about the whole thing, but desperately curious to see what it was about a 'bikini' that made Hitomi blush from toes to hairline. At any rate, there had to be less layers involved than snowboarding, and that was definite plus.

Once out of the room, they were beckoned over to the hot tub, already filling with members of the birthday party group. Van accepted a beer and struggled to recall their names as he sank into the bubbling, steaming water.

Aahhh, damn that felt good. Allen relaxed down next to him, a bottle of beer in his hand as well. So far, it was just them and four other guys.

“Wonder what's taking the girls so long,” Van muttered quietly to Allen, but the group heard him and laughed.

“Ah, you know how girls are. They gotta primp and complain and bitch about how fat they look for a half hour before they get up the courage to come out of their rooms. My girlfriend's pissed off because I wouldn't wait for her. Like hell I'm gonna sit there and listen to that!” one of them joked. Van sipped contentedly at his beer as the good natured talk washed around him, his eyes glued to Hitomi's door.

Behind that door, a mini-battle was being waged.

“Annie, I swear to God, if you took my swimsuit out of my bag--”

Annie pulled a face, keeping the bed between them for safety. “You mean your granny suit. I'm just doing you a favor. Friends don't let friends wear one-pieces. At least, not when said friend is a hottie who's trying to get some action.”

“ANNIE!”

“Just wear the damn bikini already! You look hot! You're not fat! You'll make Van--”

“DON'T SAY IT! Just stop talking. Right now!” Hitomi shrieked, flaming red. Annie tossed the skimpy string bikini at her with clenched teeth.

“Just. Put. It. On.”

Hitomi threw up her hands in defeat and grabbed the offending scraps of material. Cursing under her breath, she quickly whipped on the suit and stood grimacing at herself in the mirror. Annie came up behind her to give herself a quick once-over.

“What the heck is THAT?” Hitomi screeched. Annie's bright red bikini, while not overly-modest by any stretch of the imagination, definitely had more material to it than Hitomi's.

“What? I need more support than you, ya' know. And I'm not trying to impress anybody,” Annie said nonchalantly as she adjusted the halter strap around her neck. She ignored Hitomi's outraged splutters as she craned her neck over her shoulder to make sure the bottom was covering what it was supposed to be covering.

“Besides,” she continued, “The last time I wore a string bikini at a party like this, I kept losing my top. Word of advice: don't get too rough playing pool basketball.”

Hitomi suddenly deflated, pink all over. “I can't go out there in this...”

“YES, you can,” Annie coaxed as she took her arm and pulled her slowly to the door. Hitomi's feet dragged on the carpeting, and she took a few deep breaths.

“Just think, Van in swim trunks, Van in swim trunks,” Annie chanted. That did it. Annie swung open the door, gave her a quick shove, and they were officially out of the room and into the pool area. And Van was looking right at her. No turning back now.

Van's beer bottle nearly slipped completely out of his suddenly numb fingers as Hitomi stepped out of her room. Hell, his brain went suddenly numb. There was just too much blood being diverted to a certain part of his anatomy to accommodate any sort of rational thought.

“So that's a bikini,” he mumbled, unaware that he'd even spoken out loud.

“Uh,” Allen grunted, apparently incapable of anything more complicated than that at the moment.

Some part of Van's consciousness registered the fact that he was staring, with his mouth slightly open no less, but he couldn't for the life of him look away. He couldn't even blink. He thanked and cursed every god he could think of for the invention of the bikini as Hitomi made her way towards him. He'd wanted to see her in a few less layers, but this. How the hell was he supposed to deal with this? Those tiny scraps of green material covered just enough to keep her decent, but how was he supposed to keep himself, and his hands, decent? How was he supposed to keep them off her at all?

He swallowed convulsively as she reached the hot tub and stepped into the water next to him. Thank Jichia for the clouded, bubble-frothed water. He sure as hell wasn't going to be standing up any time soon. The water came just up to her chest, the tiny bubbles swirling suggestively around the swirl of her breasts.

“Uh, hi Van,” Hitomi said nervously, not quite looking at his face. Which he was profoundly grateful for, because he was having a hard time keeping his eyes from straying down to those swirling bubbles.

“Hi,” he croaked out in response through a strangely dry throat. He took a big swig of his beer to steady himself. Neither one of them noticed the huge, triumphant grin plastered across Annie's face, or the dumbstruck look still hanging on Allen's.

“Beer, Annie?” one of the guys offered, and she nearly accepted before noticing the bottle dangling from Allen's fingers.

“No thanks, Leo. Where's the wine?”

Leaning over, she dug through the large cooler and pulled out a large bottle with a flourish. She poured herself a huge glass of the deep red liquid before sliding into the water next to Allen.

He was still too busy trying to process what had just happened to really notice what was going on around him. Hitomi, stepping out of her room in next to nothing, had been enough to shock him into a stupor as it was. But oddly, Hitomi wasn't the one that had caught his attention.

He blamed it all on the color. Hitomi's suit was a soft green, just the color of her eyes. But Annie's was a bright, vibrant, scarlet red. Yeah. It had to be the color that made him stare like that. Not the way the skimpy top showed off her more-than-adequate curves. Not her flat stomach and toned legs. And definitely not her really fine backside. Because she wasn't his type. At all. He liked tall blonds.

“Hey, trade ya,” Annie said as she gave his shoulder a poke.

“Huh?” Allen mumbled, giving himself a mental shake to kick his brain back into gear.

“Trade,” Annie emphasized patiently, exchanging the bottle for the glass. “I know you don't like beer, so I brought this along for you instead.”

“Oh. Thank you,” he replied after a long moment. Tentatively he took a small sip. “This is... good.”

Annie wrinkled her nose. “Well, I cheated. I asked Hitomi what that Gaean drink tasted like so I could find something close to it.”

“It is. Very close,” Allen said, taking another sip. Annie took a swig of her beer and grinned.

“Good. Then maybe there's a chance you'll get plastered tonight, after all!”

Allen gave her a disapproving look. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not going to 'get plastered' tonight or any time soon.”

“Oh, relax. I'm going to. They're going to,” Annie said, waving her beer at Hitomi and Van. “We're all going to get hammered. Besides, it's my birthday, so you just have to shut up and do what I tell you. Now drink up!”

Allen frowned at her and very deliberately set his cup down on the edge of the hot tub. Annie just stuck her tongue out at him and took another big drink. On his other side, Van was rapidly finishing off his first beer, and Hitomi was right behind him with her own drink. Allen bit his tongue to keep from laughing at how they both were drinking out of sheer nerves. If he were Van, he wouldn't be needing the alcohol! He'd be working hard at finding some excuse to get her back to the room with him as fast as possible.

The pool area started to fill with more of their group now, girls mixing in with guys, and some were already diving into the main pool. The alcoholic drinks floated freely around, and the large, sun-filled room echoed with their loud laughter.

Hitomi downed the last bit of her drink, and looked over at Van. The alcohol was already seeping through her system, making her feel bolder and a little carefree. All she could see of Van's body was the upper half of his torso. And it was a really nice top half, too. She watched the taunt muscles in his tanned neck move as he took a swig of his second beer and unconsciously licked her lips. She wanted to see the rest of him, wanted to see what he looked like in just his swim trunks, wet and sticking to him. She raised herself to sit on the edge of the hot tub.

“Hey, Van, let's cool off in the pool,” she said casually, hoping he'd think the red creeping up her cheeks was just from the heat and not from the the way his eyes flicked over her body.

“...Sure,” Van replied hesitantly, willing his body to cooperate long enough to get the short distance to the main pool. Maybe if he just didn't look at her?...

He stood slowly, and Hitomi watched the water slide over his firm abs and tanned skin. He was lean, but toned, and so deliciously manly, that Hitomi had a hard time remembering why he was getting out of the hot tub in the first place. The swim trunks clung to his hips and thighs suggestively, and Hitomi could've died right there, a happy woman. Where the hell was her camera?!

“So, um, ready?” Van asked uneasily when Hitomi just sat there, dangling her legs into the swirling water.

“Huh? Oh. Right, the pool. Yeah, let's go!”

They jumped into the deep water at the same time, and Van surfaced with a gasp. It was freezing. Well, at least that would take care of his 'little problem' for a while. Hitomi giggled at his reaction and splashed some water in his face. He coughed, shook the water out of his eyes, and dunked her swiftly under the water by her shoulders.

The party cranked up as the last of the snowboarders trickled back to the hotel and joined the rest in the pool. Van saw Jason, in black and white swim trunks, pluck Annie out of the hot tub, sling her over his shoulder, and jump into the pool, bellowing,“POOL BASKETBALL!!” at the top of his bull-moose voice.

The game that ensued was complete chaos, since everyone, including Allen, joined in. They tagged in and out, spectators sitting on the side or in the hot tub, cheering their team on. Hitomi spent nearly her entire playing time holding on to her top to keep it from shifting too much, making Van useless, totally absorbed in watching her struggling to stay decent and totally unaware of what was going on.

Hitomi was grateful when they could relax on the side. She and Van sipped at their drinks-- she'd stopped keeping track of how much she'd had-- and enjoyed watching the game. They both had enough alcohol in them to relax enough to sit side by side, the skin of her thigh touching the wet fabric of his swimsuit.

“Hey, Tomi, did you know they have a sauna here?” Annie asked brightly as she plopped herself down next to them. She gave her a discreet nudge. “You and Van should check it out. It's through the exercise room, over there.”

“Oh. I don't know, we're watching the game,” Hitomi began, missing Annie's pointed look. Van appeared to only be half-listening to their conversation.

“No, I really think you should show it to Van. I think he'd like it,” Annie said, with a little more forceful nudge. Hitomi blinked, confused, for several more moments before comprehension dawned through her brain.

“Oh. Oh,” she said with widening eyes. “I think you're right. Ne, Van, let's go check out the sauna.”

Van shrugged and got up to follow her through the equipment room. He had no idea what a 'sauna' was, but he was willing to follow Hitomi anywhere at the moment. He just had to concentrate, hard, on not staring at her backside the whole time. But she really did have a very fine backside to be staring at.

Oh, gods, what was he thinking? Deep breaths, deep breaths. He needed another quick dunk in the cold water of the pool.

The sauna turned out to be a tiny room tucked into a corner, with a single bench along it's back wall. Van stepped inside and looked around curiously as Hitomi shut the door after them. He blinked to adjust his eyes to the sudden dim of the room, and his skin prickled at Hitomi's nearness. The room was so tiny she had to stand less than two feet away from him.

“So...what is this room for?” he asked into the tense silence.

“Well, you turn on the heat here, and you pour some water over the coals to make steam, and then you just sit in here and...sweat...”

An image of Van, in those swim trunks, with sweat running down his taunt abs, flooded Hitomi's imagination, and she unconsciously licked her lips.

Van watched, mesmerized, as her tongue moistened her soft, pink, lips, and he knew that it was over. There was no way he could stay in control now, not locked into this tiny, steamy room with Hitomi wearing just that green bikini. Shakily, still fighting to retain whatever shred of composure he could, he reached out and traced her mouth with his thumb. Her lips parted slightly, and she grazed the pad with her teeth. He was completely lost.

Pulling her to him, one hand tangling in her hair, the other pressed against the small of her back to mold her to him, Van covered her surprised mouth with his own. He nipped gently, impatiently, at her bottom lip, and she melted, opening to allow his tongue to slip inside and explore.

Hitomi pressed herself into him, the heat from their bodies igniting a fire deep within her belly. She ran her hands over his rippled, lean, muscles, reveling in the feel of his skin under her fingers.

Van groaned deep in his throat as her slender hands fluttered over his body. His own hand wandered up her back slowly, feeling her incredible silky-smoothness before sliding down lower, lower, until his hand rested on her backside. Hitomi gave a soft moan, and his other hand untangled itself from her honey tresses to trail down to her neck, her shoulder, and beyond.

Somehow, they'd moved so the back of Van's legs hit the bench, and he sat down hard, pulling Hitomi with him. The jolt shook some rational part of his brain awake, and he pulled away far enough to look into her leaf-green eyes.

“Hitomi, I...” he began, uncertain, unsure, unwilling to hurt her in any way.

“Don't stop, Van,” she whispered. That was all the encouragement he needed.

[Sakura]

The story is getting better by the minute

[oldwrench]

YA, little Dinky's always been a dreamer. She's been writing stories since she first learned to write.

[Sakura]

Now I'm waiting for the shojo hentai part

[oldwrench]

Na, Dinky doesn't have it in her.......... ah, no wait, she just probably does....... maybe you shouldn't ask for that.

[Sakura]

Hm isn't she the "ordinary healthy kid of the neighborhood"

[oldwrench]

Chapter 16, a short one. You guys need to let Dinky know if you like it, so she writes more chapters. Writers all need an ego boost now and then.

Pizza and Surprises

AN: Holy crap-ola! This chapter is not what it's supposed to be!! And after the fun fluff of last chapter, this one kinda falls flat. But I have excuses! This was only supposed to be part of Chapter 16, not the whole thing! Only, seeing as how I haven't had a chance to do any writing, much less any posting, for almost a month, I desperately wanted to get something up tonight while I had the chance. So there you have it. Something to read, although I'm hoping (with fingers tightly crossed) that next chapter will be a lot more fun. Sigh. I really, really hate writer's block! Next one will be more fun with some always nummy VxH fluffiness thrown in! Anyway, enough of my excuses-- on with the story!



Allen's chest heaved, half out of breath and half in laughter, as the wild game of pool basketball finally slowed to a stop. From what he could gather, he was on the winning team. He stood still, the water up to his shoulders, to catch his breath.

“How ya doin' Al?” Annie asked as she wound her arms tightly around his neck from behind. Allen felt his already short breath hitch as her soft curves pressed into his back. A hot blush crept it's way over his ears, turning them a bright scarlet red.

“What are you doing? Get off!” he gasped uncomfortably. The contrast between the cold water and the heat between their bodies was terribly distracting. And it made him uncomfortably aware of just how skimpy her bikini really was.

Annie stuck her lip out and pouted. “No way. I'm tired, and I can't touch the bottom here.”

Her breath on his neck raised a delicious shiver of goosebumps, and Allen felt almost desperate. “Then go hang on the wall!”

“I can't make it! I'll drown, and it'll be all your fault!” Annie returned dramatically. She kicked her feet against the back of his calves. “Besides, you're more fun to hang on to.”

Gritting his teeth, Allen forced his way through the water to the nearest wall. The sooner she let go of him, the better for his sanity.

“Where are Hitomi and Van?” he asked, latching on to anything that could distract him from the way Annie clung to his back.

“Oh, they're off getting busy, if ya' know what I mean.”

Allen grunted in response. He was pretty sure he knew exactly what she meant, and the thought really wasn't helping him out in his current situation. Great Jichia, why the hell was he reacting like this to Annie? Out of all the women he'd ever met--

“Did you see the way they were oogling each other? I thought Van was gonna explode when he saw her! Wish I'd had my camera...” Annie stopped as Allen reached the wall and turned pointedly sideways. She eyed the wall and kicked his calves again. “You getting out or something?”

“No!” Allen exclaimed, hoping she wouldn't figure out why he wouldn't be leaving the water any time soon, especially if she didn't get off of him. Unexpectedly, her arms unwound from his neck, and he let out the air he hadn't realized he was holding in a relieved sigh. He turned to see Annie hauling herself out of the water.

“Pizza's here!” she shouted as she made her way across the room to a guy in a baseball cap. Everyone climbed out of the the water and swarmed the man, relieving him of the stack of pizzas he carried.

“What is this stuff?” Allen asked Annie in a quiet undertone as he eyed the cheesy, greasy food.

“This, my friend, is pizza. Food of the gods,” Annie replied, scooping several pieces onto a plate. “You look like a Supreme kind of guy. Try this.”

Allen reluctantly took the plate she held out to him and poked doubtfully at the pizza slices on his plate. All around him, the group dug in with obvious enjoyment. Slowly, he took a small bite.

The taste was actually fairly good. But the cheese was gooey and melted, and slid off his slice and onto his chin. Mumbling a swear word, he wiped frantically at it as the hot cheese and sauce mixture burned his skin.

“Cute. Very smooth,” Annie smirked as she tossed a napkin at him. He muttered something under his breath, and she turned back to the busily eating group. “Hey guys, save some pizza for Tomi and Van, okay?”

“Oh, Jason already went to go get them,” someone replied casually, and Annie dropped her pizza with a whispered shriek. Allen took a few discreet steps away from her. He could already feel the rage radiating off of her small form.

“He. Did. WHAT?!”

BANG BANG BANG

“Yo, guys! Pizza time! Get your clothes on and get out here!” Jason shouted through the sauna door. He smirked broadly at the sound of a small shriek and some muffled curses.

“Uh, yeah... We'll-- we'll be right out!” Hitomi's flustered voice called through the door. She and Van listened as Jason laughed and walked away. They glanced awkwardly at each other in the dim light of the sauna, and Hitomi giggled a little breathlessly.

“So, uh, guess we'd better go back to the pool, huh?”

Van only nodded in reply, a little unfocused since she was still sitting on his lap. He sighed silently as she scooted off and stood up, adjusting her top slightly. How long had they been in the sauna? An hour? Less? Van wasn't sure whether to be grateful or upset that they'd been interrupted. Honestly, he wasn't sure how much longer he could have kept himself from tearing off those flimsy scraps of material. But he couldn't, he wouldn't, dishonor Hitomi like that. No matter how badly he wanted to.

Hitomi led the way back to the pool area in a jumble of tingling nerves and confused questions. If she was any sort of judge of reactions, she could tell Van wanted her. Badly. So why, why was he holding back? Sure, his hands had finally started wandering, and while she was by no means complaining, she wanted- needed- more. She wanted to feel his hands on her skin, or more precisely, on the skin her bikini was covering. For god's sake, she was wearing a string bikini. It wasn't exactly difficult to remove. So why did he keep his hands on the outside? It was all too confusing, and she was too flushed, too full of buzzing nerves, to figure it out. She still felt like she was on fire where his hot, calloused hands had touched her. Dear lord, she wanted more.

They reached the pool area to find Jason caught in a painful headlock, being beaten senseless by an enraged Annie. Hitomi grabbed some pizza, handed a plate to Van, and sat down to watch the show.

“You idiot! Stupid poo-head! I hate you!”

Jason wheezed out a laugh as Annie tightened her grip. “Naw, you're gonna love me forever. Wanna know why?”

Annie stopped pounding on him long enough to look suspicious. “Why?”

“Because. I know a bouncer at the dance club down the street. And he's gonna let your friends in without their ID's.”

Annie let go of Jason's neck with a gasp. “For real?”

“Hell, yeah. Happy Birthday, babe.” he replied, grinning and patting her head. Annie squealed and knocked him over with a bear hug.

“Whoohoo, dance party! I love, love, love you!” she shrieked. Jason just laughed at her as he set her back on her feet. Van and Allen gave each other confused looks over the top of Hitomi's head as Annie bounced from table to table, bubbling over with excitement.

“Why is she so excited about dancing?” Van asked.

Hitomi swallowed a mouthful of pizza with a grin. “Because it's fun. You guys'll like it.”

“We're going along?” Allen asked, surprised. For some reason, he'd assumed this was just something Jason and Annie were doing. Or maybe some of the group.

“Hitomi, you know...I don't really dance,” Van said, uncertainty coloring his voice. The last thing he wanted to do was make a fool of himself in front of all these people. And especially Hitomi. He swallowed nervously.

“Don't worry about it,” Hitomi said with a bright smile. “You don't need to do much, just move with the beat. You'll have fun. I promise!”

Van smiled back at her, still uneasy about it, but willing to go along with whatever she wanted. It was her world, after all. After every last crumb of pizza was consumed, everyone headed back to their rooms to change.

Annie and Hitomi stared helplessly at the two changes of clothes they'd brought along. Sweaters, jeans, pajamas-- nothing either one was too excited about wearing out to a club.

“Dammit,” Annie sighed. “The problem with guys is they never think about clothes when they're planning a surprise.”

There was a loud knock on their door, and one of their friends walked in with a small duffel bag.

“Hey, girls. I brought you some clothes to wear,” she said brightly.

“Oh. That's great, Miranda. But I don't think either of us could dream of fitting into your clothes,” Hitomi said, eying up the tall, model-perfect blond. She'd always been secretly envious of Miranda's perfect figure and long, blond hair. In fact, now that she thought about it, she kind of reminded her of Millerna- at least in looks. Wait- had Allen noticed that, too? Tall blonds seemed to be his type. Maybe she'd ask Annie to help hook the two of them up. It might make him less grumpy.

“They're not my clothes, they're yours,” Miranda replied with a smile. “Jason had us swing by after you guys left to pick some up. So hurry up and change!”

“Really? Wow, thanks, Mir!!” Annie exclaimed, diving into the bag as Miranda left the room. She flung a shirt and jeans at Hitomi and pulled out her own clothes.

“Thank god it was Miranda, She's got good taste,” she said as the they dressed. Hitomi's shirt was a thin, shimmery green that tied over one shoulder and left the other completely bare. It molded to her curves like it had been tailor-made for her and brought out the bright green of her eyes. The light color contrasted perfectly with her dark, skin-tight jeans, and she knew she looked good. Better than good. She just hoped Van thought so, too.

Annie's halter top was bright sky-blue, with black silk edging that went perfectly with her tight black jeans. It tied around her neck, leaving her shoulders and back bare, and had a deep, plunging neckline. She grinned at Hitomi as they put the finishing touches on their make up.

“Damn, we're hot! Watch out boys! Bet Van won't be able to keep his hands off you!”

Hitomi sighed. “He hasn't really had his hands on me yet.”

“What?!” Annie asked incredulously. “What were you doing in the sauna for an hour, then? No wandering hands at all?”

“No, they wandered,” Hitomi muttered, blushing furiously. “It's just...the clothes were getting in the way.”

Annie stared at her, completely confused. “Wha-? But it was a string bikini. Any idiot could...Oh. Oh, I get it. He didn't even try to get under it, huh?”

“No!” Hitomi cried, exasperated. “I don't get it! It's like he wants to, but he won't let himself.”

“Probably more of that damn Gaean protocol,” Annie muttered, irritated. “Guess you've gotta get him drunk enough to not care anymore. That, or just do a strip-tease.”

“Yeah...” Hitomi said moodily, not really paying attention. “Hey, what do you think about getting Miranda and Allen together?”

Annie stopped what she was doing and turned to looked at Hitomi with a confused look. “Allen and Miranda-? What for?”

“Well, you know. He's seems so unhappy about being here. And Miranda's kind of his type: tall, blond, pretty.”

Hitomi bent over to fix the strap on her shoes, oblivious to Annie's thoughtful stare. There was a knock on the conjoining door, and she called for Van and Allen to come in. Hitomi straightened up as they walked in and very nearly swooned.

Nothing could possibly beat Van in a wet swimsuit, but this was pretty damn close. Really, he wasn't wearing anything that special, just an open, black button-up shirt with a tight red tank top under it and baggy black jeans. But it was the way he wore them, the way they hung on him. He was one incredibly sexy specimen of a man.

Van didn't even notice the way Hitomi was staring at him, being too busy staring at her himself. By the gods, he was grateful he'd come on this “vacation”.

Allen stood slightly behind Van, painfully aware of the way the two of them were staring at each other. Part of him wanted to smile, and the rest of him wanted to slam his fist through the wall. Hitomi was so perfect, so beautiful, it was no wonder Van was helplessly in love with her. And she, Allen could tell just by glancing at her face, was just as hopelessly in love with him. She had never looked that way at him...

Sighing, Allen looked away to find Annie contemplating him, hands on her hips. Once again, his brain froze up as he took in her petite frame with her perfect curves and her long, brown hair, released for once from it's customary sloppy bun to cascade down her back. Her dark chocolate brown eyes regarded him seriously from her pixie-like face and he swallowed hard. He had to think fast. Gingerbread men with no legs. Decorating the Christmas Tree. The gag gift. Princess Alice. Annie wasn't his type at all.

“So, you like tall blonds, huh?” Annie stated suddenly. Allen jumped guiltily, wondering yet again if she could read his mind.

“I- what?” he stuttered, Annie just snorted and turned to leave the room.

“Forget it. C'mon, let's go before everyone leaves us behind.”

[oldwrench]

Some V+H smuttiness?? What is Dinky getting us into? Maybe Sakura will like this one. Chapter 17

Drinking and Dancing

Anyway, this is to hopefully make up for the rather blandness of last chapter. There's some nice VxH semi-smut in this one! Yay! Just a warning, in case you're too young or easily offended by such things.



The dance club was only a few minute's walk down the street from their hotel, and they went together in a loud, happy group. The thumping bass was audible even before they pushed open the doors and stepped into building. Two large men in black guarded the doorways, and one waved them over. Jason greeted him enthusiastically and introduced him to Annie. Even standing directly behind them, Van and Allen couldn't make out what was being said over the pounding music. Eventually, they filed past the man, who grinned and stamped a green mark on all their hands, and entered the main part of the club.

It was dark inside, and the group took several minutes to adjust their eyes and look around them. Van and Allen stared disbelievingly at the packed dance floor, trying to make out what was going on through the flashing lights and smoke. Annie was already bouncing to the music, and Allen resisted the now-familiar urge to clamp his hands down on her head to keep her still.

“Birthday shots!” someone called out, and several people charged up to the bar to get the drinks. The rest of the group made their way to several open tables along the wall next to the dance floor. Soon, the others joined them and handed around the shots.

“Cheers!” Annie shouted, holding up her glass. “C'mon Al, Van, drink up!”

They did, grimacing. Whatever they were drinking was a lot more potent than vino! Another round was passed out, and both men picked up their next shot with trepidation.

“No worries. This is Goldschlager. Tastes like cinnamon,” Annie shouted to them as they eyed their glasses doubtfully. She knocked it back like it was water, and the men followed suit. It wasn't quite as shudder-inducing as the last drink.

“See? Not so bad, and it gives you nice breath, too,” Annie beamed at Van. “So when you and Tomi are getting busy-- ow!”

Hitomi had given her a well-aimed kick and glared daggers at her. She was surprised that she wasn't blushing scarlet, but with all the drinks back at the hotel and the two shots here, she was feeling decidedly fuzzy. Van must've been feeling the same way, because he just grinned a small, goofy grin at her, like he was the happiest guy on the planet.

The music changed slightly, hardly noticeable over the thumping bass, and Annie squealed and grabbed Hitomi's arm.

“Good song! Let's go!” she shouted, pulling Hitomi with her to the dance floor. Hitomi clamped on to Van's hand and dragged him into the crowd behind her. Half the group poured out onto the floor with them, and they formed a tight, always moving circle on the edge of the dance floor.

The multi-colored strobe lights flashed, and the occasional burst of white fog enveloped them as they moved to the beat. At first, Van stood still, feeling incredibly uncomfortable as the group danced around him. Hitomi grabbed on to his hands, smiling at him and moving to the music. Van watched her, mesmerized, until she'd closed the distance between them and pressed her body up against his. His hands settled on her hips, feeling the way they gyrated to the beat, and his own hips began to move in time with hers. The flashing lights, the throbbing music, the hazy air, made everything seem so surreal that he found himself drifting as if in a dream. A dream where nothing mattered but the beat of the music and the feel of her body under his hands, pressed up against him. He forgot about the people dancing all around them. He forgot that they were out in public and he shouldn't be touching her like this. It didn't really matter anymore.

Hitomi turned around in his arms and pressed her back flush against his hard chest. Van's hands slid across her stomach, and she leaned her head back into his shoulder, still moving steadily to the beat. Her hands came up to tangle in his hair as he trailed light kisses across her exposed neck and shoulder, leaving behind a trail of fire on her skin.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Hitomi registered the fact that they were still out on a public dance floor, but for once she didn't care. Maybe it was the two shots, or maybe it was just Van's touch alone that made her feel so reckless, but she wasn't going to stop. Thank god their hotel was only a few minutes walk away. Now if only there was some way to get one of their rooms to themselves for the night...

Allen could see the group from his seat at the table. A few of the other guys sat near him, drinking and watching the dancers.

“You just gonna watch, Al?” Jason shouted as he walked up to the table carrying several beer bottles. Allen simply nodded and caught the beer tossed at him.

“Your loss, man,” Jason said with a shrug as he headed off to dance. Allen watched him reach Annie and hand her a beer. He cracked open his own bottle and took an enormous swig, pulling a face at it's bitter taste. He didn't really care right now what he was drinking, if it helped distract him a little. For a moment, watching Van and Hitomi dancing, he'd had a crazy urge to challenge Van to a duel for dishonoring her. He felt like a complete idiot for even thinking it, since what they did together was none of his concern. Besides, from what he could tell, Hitomi had been the one to start it in the first place.

And then he'd looked away and seen Annie dancing, and he'd forgotten all about Van and Hitomi. She danced liked she lived: wholeheartedly, wildly, openly. There was a certain primal sensuality to the way she moved that he was doing his damnedest to ignore and failing miserably.

The shots must've been affecting him more than he thought, because he kept wondering what it would be like to be out there, moving along to the beat. More specifically, what it would feel like to be dancing with her. How her hips would feel under his hands, or the feeling of sliding his hands along the silky fabric of her shirt. Just like that guy was doing.

What the hell-? Allen's brain jerked back to reality as he sat abruptly upright in his chair. Annie was dancing with some stranger, some muscle-bound hulk of a guy who had his beefy hands all over her! Okay, not quite all over, but it was obvious he was enjoying it, and Annie didn't seem to mind. What the hell was she doing?

“Check Annie out,” one of the guys at the table said, pointing in her direction. “Wonder how long it'll be 'til Jason pulls him off her?”

“Dunno. Looks like they're having some fun, anyway. Lucky bastard,” returned another. He stood and stretched. “I'm gonna get some more beers. Need one, Allen?”

Allen glanced down at the bottle in his hand and realized he'd already drained it. “Yeah, sure,” he replied, shrugging. What the hell. If he was going to have to sit here watching Van and Hitomi, and Annie, dancing all night, he'd rather not be sober.

Giving himself a hard mental slap, Allen tore his eyes away from Annie and stared aimlessly out across the dance floor. His eyes settled on a leggy blond from their group. What was her name-? Marissa? No, Miranda. Yeah, he was pretty sure her name was Miranda. He vaguely recalled noticing her at the pool and thinking how much she looked like every other woman he'd ever been interested in, except Hitomi. But then, his attraction to Hitomi had been an emotion that he had never been able to clearly define. Watching this Miranda felt safe, comfortable, like watching something he'd seen a hundred times before. She reminded him of Marlene, as did all the others before her, so he could rationalize any attraction he felt towards her.

Only, he realized with dismay, he felt no attraction at all. Not one shred. To his utter horror, he found himself comparing her, unfavorably, to Annie, of all people. Not Marlene. Certainly, her hair hung in perfect, golden curls, but it wasn't as long or as thick and silky-looking as Annie's. And yes, she had long, exquisitely shaped legs, but her hips were a bit too wide, and her feet were too large. As hard as he tried to admire something about the girl, there was always some flaw, something lacking, something that just couldn't compare.

It terrified him. He had to get up, do something to stop the crazy direction of his thoughts. Taking his beer, he got up walked around the edge of the dance floor. He wondered if it would be horribly rude to get his coat and walk back to the hotel by himself. Hitomi and Van were occupied- very occupied- with each other in a dark corner of the dance floor, and Allen didn't think either one would be noticing the world around them any time soon. He didn't think Annie would leave before she had too, either. All he could hope for was someone else from the group wanting to leave early.

“Hey, Blondie, how come you aren't dancing?” Annie suddenly shouted in his ear. Allen jumped and spun around to stare at her. Her hulking dance partner was nowhere to be seen. She grinned and grabbed his beer.

“Oh, thanks. I'm dying of thirst,” she said before taking a swig. Frowning, Allen grabbed the bottle back.

“Don't you think you've had enough to drink?” he hissed, and Annie scowled fiercely at him.

“Well, you certainly haven't, Grumpy-butt. I saw you sitting at the table, looking all pissed-off at the world. What's your problem?”

“I have no interest in this kind of 'dancing', if it could even be called that,” Allen retorted haughtily. “Shouldn't you be getting back to your dance partner?”

Annie wrinkled her nose, looking confused. “My what? Oh, you mean that guy. No, why should I? That's how it goes, you know. Find a hot guy, dance a little, have a little fun, move on to the next one.”

“Do you have any sense of decency? Morals?” Part of him wanted to wring her neck for being so blatantly casual and indifferent. Like she didn't care who she was with as long as she was having fun. Kind of like him, after Marlene left...

“God, Allen. It's not like I'm making out with them or taking them home!” Annie exclaimed, her eyes blazing. “If you don't like it, you know how to fix it, don't you? Just come out and dance with me yourself.”

For a moment, Allen was too shocked to speak. Did she know, had she somehow guessed, that that was exactly what he'd been wanting to do? No. No, she couldn't have. She was just teasing him again. His pride took over, and he silenced the voice in his head shouting “fine, then, I will!” and forced his mouth into a disdainful sneer.

“No, thanks. The thought's just not attractive enough for me.”

The moment the words were out of his mouth, he wanted to catch them and shove them away in a dark corner where Annie would never hear them. But her expression never faltered, not even for a second. In fact, she leaned towards him with wide smirk.

“Whatever, Allen Shezar,” she retorted, slowly, deliberately. “I am the hottest damn woman you will never have.”

Allen couldn't come up with a reply, and watched silently as she turned and sauntered back out onto the dance floor. He finished the rest of his beer in one gulp, trying to drown the little sniggering voice in his head telling him that she was right. She was right, and he'd just made a very big mistake.

Hitomi never wanted to come back to reality. Van's hands felt too good; their warmth burned through the thin fabric of her shirt and set her nerves tingling. Her own hands moved restlessly over his torso, feeling the rippling, lean muscles under his tight tank top. She wanted their shirts off now. She needed to feel skin-to-skin contact. Their private hotel room was calling loudly.

But her bladder was calling even louder. With a sigh, Hitomi broke their movement to lean up and shout into Van's ear.

“Let's take a break!”

He nodded and followed her out of the crowd to their tables, one hand still intertwined with hers. On the way, they collected Annie, who was dancing with yet another new guy. She left him behind with hardly a backwards glance to catch up to Hitomi and throw an arm around her shoulder.

“What's up, babe? Having fun?” she said, just loud enough for Hitomi to hear.

Hitomi nodded. “Come with me to the bathroom, okay?”

“Why? You gonna fall in?” Annie asked with a laugh, but she waited while Hitomi told Van where they were going. He sat down with the few guys left at the table and accepted the beer they handed to him while the two girls started to make their way through the crowd to the bathroom.

“So...why'd you need me to come with you?” Annie asked as they entered the slightly quieter bathroom.

“You've got to help me,” Hitomi pleaded. “I want to get back to the hotel. You know, to one of our rooms...”

“Oh...gotcha. Right. Okay, well, give me your key, and then tell Van you don't remember what you did with it. And I'll take care of Allen, so you guys can have the whole night, alright?”

“Really? That's great!...Do you think Van'll be suspicious when I don't have my key?” Hitomi asked nervously. Annie laughed outright.

“Tomi, I don't think he'll care. Especially if you try my strip-tease idea!”

Hitomi blushed scarlet and tried to hide a grin. “Thanks, Annie. I really owe you one for this. Hey, where is Allen, anyway? I didn't see him at the tables.”

“Who cares?” Annie said with a shrug. “Probably off shoving the stick further up his-”

“Whoa! Okay, now I'm not so sure I should let you stay in the same room with him tonight. What'd he do this time?” Hitomi asked, cutting her off.

Annie frowned. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing besides just being his prissy self. Maybe I will try to hook him up with Miranda after all.”

Hitomi gave her a thoughtful stare as they exited the bathroom. What had Allen done to get her riled up? Usually it was the other way around. Hitomi shrugged it off. Whatever it was, Annie didn't want to talk about it, and that was that.

Half-way to their tables, Annie got pulled into a small group of their friends. Hitomi laughed them off and moved on through the dance floor towards Van. Really, it was almost scary how single-minded she was about getting them back to the hotel.

Hitomi tried to make her way past a group of young men, intent on getting to the tables. She recoiled sharply as she felt one of the men make a grab at her. He snaked his arms around her hips, and she could smell the alcohol on his breath as he tried to get her to dance with him. She attempted to pry his sweaty arms off her waist with very little success.

“Wassa matter, baby? Doncha wanna dance with me?” the man slurred.

“No,” Hitomi replied firmly, still trying to pull away from him. How was it Annie could wander around, dancing with who knew how many guys, and she was alone for one minute and got grabbed by the drunkest guy in the club? God, she had the worst luck ever. Honestly, if he didn't get the hint in the next two seconds, she was going to kick his 'family jewels' so hard...

A lean, tanned hand suddenly clamped down on the drunk's shoulder.

“Beg your pardon, but you want to let go of her right now,” Van said calmly, but through gritted teeth. The man kept a tight grip on Hitomi and glanced angrily over his shoulder. He caught sight of Van's face and released her, putting his hands up defensively.

“Hey, sorry man. Didn't know she was with you,” he muttered before hurrying off through the crowd. Hitomi nearly laughed out loud at how anxious he was to get as far away from Van as possible.

“Are you alright, Hitomi?” Van asked sincerely, and Hitomi fought back laughter again at how concerned he seemed. It wasn't like she couldn't have handled the guy, even though Van had made it much easier. Oh wait- maybe this would be the perfect excuse to get him to take her back to the hotel! She feigned her best 'distressed damsel' look.

“Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine...but,” she bit her lip and tried to look helpless. “Can we go back to the hotel now?”

Van blinked, surprised. Hitomi wasn't one to get easily rattled by things like this, but she did look a little shaken. He frowned, concerned. He wasn't that sure how long she'd been fighting with that guy. He'd just looked up and seen him grab her, and immediately jumped up to rescue her. Dirty bastard. He should've taught him a lesson.

“Sure, if that's what you want. Should we find Annie?” he asked gently. Hitomi had to hide a smirk again, confident that he'd bought her act.

“Oh, no. We'll just tell whoever's at the tables, and they can let her know,” Hitomi replied airily, then remembered she was supposed to be playing the distressed damsel. She gave a very small pout. “I just really want to get out of here, you know?”

Van looked concerned again as he quickly ushered her towards the tables. Hitomi had to swallow a tiny pang of guilt at using his protective streak like this. But she thought- she hoped- he wouldn't mind once they got back to their hotel room.

Hitomi was eternally grateful that the hotel was just down the street from the hotel, because she surprisingly unsteady on her feet. She couldn't tell if it was from the alcohol or nerves at what she doing. Van wasn't walking a perfectly straight line, either, although that might have been because he had an arm around her to help her walk. At any rate, it felt good to snuggle into his side and hold on to his coat as they walked.

“Are you sure you'll be alright by yourself?” Van asked as they stood outside her hotel room door.

“Um, yeah...” Hitomi answered distractedly as she made a show of searching through all her pockets for her 'missing' key. Silently, Van stood patiently watching her.

“I can't find my key,” she finally stated after searching all her pockets three times. “I must've left it in the room or something.”

“Oh,” Van said, shifting uncomfortably from side to side. It wasn't like he minded. Actually, he had really hoped something like this would happen. The only problem was, he didn't trust himself alone with her at the moment. He could tell that he'd had a bit too much to drink, and dancing with her had put him so close to the edge, he wasn't sure how well he could control himself. Hitomi looked up at him with her brilliant green eyes, and Van's resolve cracked and fell apart.

“We'll just wait in my room until Annie gets back,” he said in a husky voice. Hitomi nodded and followed him into his room, shedding her coat as she went inside. Van closed the door quietly behind them, his eyes on the slender curve of her neck and her bare shoulder. Slowly, he removed his own coat and the black button-up shirt.

Hitomi caught her bottom lip in her teeth when she turned to see him standing there in just the tight tank top and baggy black jeans. Dear lord, had any man ever been this unbelievably sexy in the history of either of their worlds? She toyed nervously with the tie on her shoulder, vaguely wondering if she actually had the guts to try a strip-tease. Anything to get Van to take his shirt off and show her his perfect abs again.

“So, um...” Hitomi began, chewing on her bottom lip again. “Do you have a t-shirt or something I could borrow?”

Van moved like an automaton to his duffel bag and pulled out a t-shirt. Did she have any inclination what she did to him just by toying with that little knot that was the only thing holding her shirt up? Or how he couldn't take his eyes off her mouth when she bit at her lip like that? Hitomi went into the bathroom to change, and he took several deep breaths to try to calm himself down.

Safely behind the bathroom door, Hitomi stripped off her shirt and pulled Van's over her head. It was the one he'd worn earlier that day, and it smelled like him. Like wind and fields and freedom. It was long enough that it came down to almost mid-thigh, and Hitomi paused for a moment, considering. She wasn't brave enough to do a strip-tease, but maybe...It might have been Van's lingering scent that urged her on, or it might have been the alcohol, but whatever the reason, Hitomi suddenly made up her mind. Quickly she stripped off her jeans and walked out into the room wearing nothing but the t-shirt.

Van had stretched out on the bed with his back propped against the headboard when Hitomi had gone into the bathroom. Now, he turned his head to look at her as she walked into the room and was eternally grateful that he was already laying down. When she'd asked for a t-shirt, he'd assumed she just wanted to change her top, not change into just the shirt. The hem barely came down low enough to keep her decent, and he couldn't keep his eyes off her long legs as she moved towards the bed.

Van wondered if his heart could explode from the sheer pressure of it's own beating as she climbed onto the bed to settle herself next to him. Was she doing this on purpose? Did she know how close he was to pulling her onto him so he could slide his hands under that shirt to find out what, if anything, she was wearing beneath it?

She snuggled into his side, resting her head on his chest- could she feel how wildly his heart was beating?- and wrapping an arm around his waist. Instinctively, Van wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in tighter.

“I'm so glad you came to see me, Van,” Hitomi sighed. Her breath sent goosebumps racing along Van's skin, and he only trusted himself to nod in response. Stretching up, Hitomi planted a soft kiss on his jaw.

Groaning deep in his throat, feeling more helplessly lost than he had in the sauna, Van turned his head to catch her soft lips with his own. His hands moved of their own accord as they pulled her on top of his chest. They moved up the silky skin of her thighs, straddled on either side of him, and the slight, shivering moan that escaped her lips drove him to the edge. Even so, he hesitated when he reached the hem of her shirt. Hitomi pulled back far enough to look deeply into his dark, fathomless eyes.

“It's alright, Van. Really. I'll tell you when to stop.”

Still he hesitated, shaking slightly from the effort of it, and Hitomi never loved him more than she did at that moment. No words he could ever say could compare with the amount of love he was showing her right now. She leaned down and kissed him, one hand gently guiding his upward.

Then Van took over, and she felt like she was floating away.

[Sakura]

The story is much better than Escaflowne itself

I still need to know, is it ok to correct the horrible german?