VoE - (Un)fortunate Kiss   von CatariaNigra
                                  (Beta-read)
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                                Prolog: Sneaky
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A lazy summer breeze rippled the tree-tops growing on the school grounds of
Kamakura-Kita-High. The afternoon sky was a crisp blue full of promises. Even
though most of the students were still engaged in class and club activities,
day-dreaming about what they would do this upcoming weekend, a second-year girl
stood hidden behind a locker in the otherwise deserted school hallway.
 
Waiting.
 
Due to her coach and teacher’s sudden indisposition, the girl’s final class
and the track practice that followed it had been cancelled for today. She
wasn’t actually skipping any classes, but the teachers who may catch her
wouldn’t know that (and her father, upon hearing about it, would be furious).
She did not want to take time to concoct an excuse as to why she was tip-toeing
through the school and not heading home early like a normal teen. And time was
what she just couldn’t seem to afford recently. 
 
It had been three and a half weeks since her last visit to Gaia. Nearly a month!
Even though she had tried really hard to not let it go longer than two weeks
between visits, she just hadn’t managed lately. School stuff, family
engagements, and daily life had just seemed to add up and engulf her more and
more of her time recently. Knowing that Van was patiently waiting for her next
visit made her feel even more guilty.
 
Oh, right. He was certainly waiting now. 
 
Concentrating once more on her quest lying ahead, she adjusted her hearing and
decided that the teacher’s trip to the toilet would take much longer than she
had anticipated. It should be safe to take a chance getting to the staircase
that led straight to the school’s roof without being seen or heard. She
stepped as quietly as possibly past the closed bathroom door and started up the
stairs. She had just reached the top when said door suddenly burst open again.
The fair-haired girl flinched, but pressed on. With a victorious smile, she
silently opened the door outside. Not a minute later, embraced by the pillar of
light like by an old friend, Hitomi vanished from the roof and reappeared right
in front of the Fanelian king.     
 

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