"Shimatta ne..." she said as she arise from the bed, her left hand cluchting her head while the other massages her stomach

'Now I'll always remember never to drink a huge tumbler of hot coffee late in the night just to create and fix machines then wash off the caffeine by drinking 5 tall glasses of cold, cold water.' she thought miserably though her face is void of any furrowed brows nor emotions.

She hate to admit it but...

Sometimes, we make mistakes, and she, the ice-princess is stupid enough to do those and now she skipped the whole class today... Her brother checked her out becuase Anna and Iinchou called so and in the end she almost gunned him down with all of her gun she created, especially the baka gun... Becuase he wouldn't take away her goddamn sickness.

Her head was pounding like shit,

Her eyes were circling round and round,

She walks like a drunken person.

And she hated all of it.

For being weak like this and to pity her... That's what she hate the most, she don't want to be a burden, she don't want to see anyone suffer because of her.

"Damn..." she cursed as she sat on the edge of the bed and looked through the window to see the sky.

Whenever she looked at the sky, she felt like she was different than the ice-princess one, her atmosphere seemed to be friendly and cheerful, and her eyes looked soft, sweet and positive, and she always wear a smile, very different from the common smiles she gives.

She always liked the zenith blue sky, it was so bright, yet soft and comforting to the eyes, peaceful and so harmonic that eases her pain for a while.

She stood up and went to the kitchen preparing herself a big bowl of crab brains, then she sat into her sofa and started to watch, but as she dug into the bowl and tried to eat the delicacy, she stared at it only, though it was her favorite, she couldn't bring herself to eat the food because she lost her appetit, sighing, she left it in the table and tried to stand, though she winced at the pain emerging from her stomach, she never gave up and successfully entered the bathroom to wash her hands, she took a long time at the bathroom because she was looking at the running water, like a cat afraid to touch it. Finally, after mustering all of her courage, she touched the water and washed her hands, in which she also took a long time.

So after she came out of the bathroom...

"(sneezes so cute!)" thinking it was nothing, she went back into the living room to watch but she sneezed like that at least 5 times and then she remembered what Mikan had said back then.

Flashback:

"Hota-chan! I want to tell you something!!!" Mikan yelled throughout the hallway...

As she entered the room, Hotaru gunned her down with the baka gun.

"Itai..." the brunette muttered as she stood up while touching the affected area, and with chibi eyes ready to cry,

"Mou, why did you do that, Hota-chan?" Mikan wailed

"Baka, you don't have to yell throughout the school." she said coldly, Mikan smiled "Gomen!" she said, Hotaru looked at her "What do you want to say?" she asked,

Mikan plopped the vacant seat next to her.

"did you know that, if you sneezed once, someone thinks about you. And if you sneezed twice, someone is talking evil things about you and if you sneezed thrice, someone is talking praises or good things about you!" she exclaimed, Hotaru looked at her for a moment "What if you sneezed 4 to 7 times?" she asked

Mikan thought for a while as her left hand brushes her chin thoughtfully

'Like a shitty genius...' Hotaru thought, suddenly, Mikan snapped her hands "Ah! I know! You'll have cold!!!!" she grinned "Baka..." Hotaru muttered as she continued to fix the chicken (A/N: Remember from an episode [It's ep 1 i think?] in which Hotaru gave that chicken to Sumire Shoda and it pecked at her head afterwards?) machine, then she asked "What if you sneezed a hundred times?"

"That's impossible!" Mikan said in disbelief with half open eyes.

END OF FLASHBACK

She mentally smiled as the image of Mikan's face of disbelief entered her mind.

She looked at the T.V, but her eyes felt sore and her body seemed to be rigid, achy and hot... And she knew what was happening. She was running a high fever.

Turning off the television and walking up to her bed, she looked at the time "3:15..." she muttered, 15 minutes more and the classes would be finished and finally, Anna would be back together with the notes and assignments to copy. Luckily, Amanatsu was under repair because she tried to answer the pi.

Turning her body to the left, she looked at the blue sky again, and somewhat she felt sleepy.

Suddenly, there was a soft knock on the door and she absentmindedly uttered a "What?"

"Hotaru-chan, Ruka-puon and Natsume is here..." a voice said behind the door.

"They will be looking out for you as I buy some grocery. Ja..." then she heard footsteps fading and her door creaks open. Though Hotaru's mind didn't registered what the voice had said.

"Anna, could you please give me a glass of water?" she asked, still looking at the sky.

"Tch, oi oi ice-princess, Anna told you before she'll buy some things." a voice said rudely

"Shut up Natsume! She's sick so she couldn't understand that clearly!" somebody scolded NAtsume and then she heard footsteps going to the kitchen.

"Here." a soft and comforting voice said. The glass of water covered the sky's view

"Arigato, A--" her voice paused in mid-air as her eyes widened, she looked around and saw the fire caster, who was sneering at her,

"Tch... How pathetic of you." he said insultingly as his sneer turned into a smirk, she sent an icy and poisnous glare

The boy who gave the water flipped his head towards the raven haired "Natsume!" he voice sounded grave and like he was warning him, the crimson eyed kkid sighed loudly "Fine! I'm going out!" he said as he stuffed his hands into his pocket "Here! Mikan said get well soon and told me to give you this!" he added as he threw something at her bed, then he faced the blonde boy "Ruka, don't waste this opportunity I've given you! Tch, I need to see Mikan, Ja!" he said as he stormed away and slammed the door.

Sometimes.... Hotaru just wanted to finish that fire caster into pieces... But then, she remembered, that her best friend loves that guy.

She picked up the thing Natsume threw; it is an orange, with red pentel marks at the side that looked like a ribbon plus it has brown squiggles that resembles Mikan's brunette hair and in the middle, there was a smiling face that really captures Mikan's face when smiling

"Baka..." she muttered as she smiled secretly.

"Did you know that Mikan said that you'll have a cold because she thought about you more that 7 times?" the blonde sid near her.

Just then... Hotaru's heart skipped a beat because she realized...

They're only the two of them!!!

---

Her heart beats rapidly as Ruka went close to her face, she could see the pink tint at the boy's cheeks, and maybe, she has too.

"Are you okay?" he asked, merely a whisper, she pulled her head away "Yeah..." she replied

"What happened?" he asked worriedly

"Nothing..." came a cold reply, a long silence followed

Then, she felt her bed plump back into normal as Ruka stood up.

"Hotaru-chan... I would like to apologise for my rashness today but I guess this is the only opportunity and the best chance I could say this..." he started as she didn't replied though she was looking at sky again.

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

"I like you..."

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

Her eyes opened wide in surprise, stunned, she looked back to where the blonde kid was. His back was facing her so she couldn't see if he really was serious or it is some prank that raven haired fire caster put up.

She couldn't say anything, she was not used when someone confesses to her so she doesn't know what to do.

"Daijobu, I know that you don't like me..." his voice is full of agony and sorrow

"Sorry for troubling you...." he finished as he started to walk away.

Surprised, Hotaru quickly jumped out of the bed to follow him. Unfortunately for her, the blanket got tangled at her feet causing her to stumble at the ground 'Such stupiddity' she thought. Then she heard a sigh "Now I know that when you're sick, you're also clumsy." he said as he walked towards her and slid his hand between her belly and the floor, in which she almost jerked in surprise by the suddent feeling of his warmth.

"Well, you look perfectly fine now..." he said as he slowly raised her up, and she embraced him for support

"No, I'm not..." she muttered

"You're saying something, Hotaru?" he asked, she was surprised for he didn't called her like the usual 'Hota-chan' or 'Hotaru-chan' and it is kinda disappointing for her, and then...

She discovered a feeling of emotion that she never knew she had.

She embraced him tightly, her eyes behind her hair.

'It's now or never to me...'

"Hotaru?"

---

---

---

"Don't leave, Ruka--------......." she muttered the last word hoping he wouldn't hear it. But, he heard it anyways

"Ruka... kun?" Ruka asked, slowly, Hotaru felt her face heat up 'So this is what you call blushing...' she thought.

Ruka, sensing the rising of their temperature, slightly touched Hotaru's forehead

"Well, I guess I'm wrong. You have a fever Hotaru." he said as he slipped out his hand on her waist "Here, so you could not say I'am taking advantage of you." he said

"I... can't walk... I'm too weak." she said in a weak voice 'What on earth am I saying!?!?' she yelled at herself because she knew she could walk perfectly on her own.

Ruka looked at her in surprise, then grinned, in which her heart flipped and beats fast "Well, this is new... The Ice-princess decided to open up and show to me her weaknesses." he complimented as she felt herself heat up again

"A!- I could walk now." she said quickly as she went away from his hand and though her knees felt wobbly, she could still walk.

But suddenly, somebody jerked her body backwards and she landed on Ruka's body, her eyes widened in surprise.

"I told you I'll take care of you even if you never needed me." he whispered softly, she flushed suddenly as Ruka carried her in bridal-style and laid her gently, for a while, they looked at each other.

As sapphire met amethyst.

------

-------

-----

---

-----

----

------

--------

---

--

-

'I always liked the zenith blue sky... It is so comforting and peaceful...'

---

Her eyes softened like the way she looked at the sky, causing the animal pheromone user to be surprised

---

"Wha--"

---

Without knowing, Hotaru unconciously reached out her hand to caress Ruka's cheek...

---

'If only I could reach the sky...'

---

"Gomen ne, Ruka-kun, for not answering back to your confession earlier. But, I wanted you to know that..."

---

Then suddenly, she gave Ruka a warm embrace that no one had ever imagined she could ever did that, it was a mixture of care, protection, and love.

A little while later, due to surprise, he embraced back...

"I like you too..."


"Hota-chan! HOTA-CHAN!!!" Mikan screamed along the hallway again, as she entered the door

"HOTA---"

---

BAKA! BAKA! BAKA!

---

"Mou, what was that for?!" Mikan complained

"Why did you thought about me 7 times huh!" she reprimanded as Mikan smiled sheepishly

---

"Gomen ne! But do you know that Ruka-pyon couldn't go to school today?" she asked, as Hotaru secretly smiled

---

"HE has---"

---

"I know...." Hotaru interrupted as she stood up

"Tell sensei I didn't feel well..." she added as the door closed

---

"Eh?" Mikan asked as Narumi-sensei entered, and she looked at the red envelope a secret student gave... who it was? she w never know...


There was a soft knock on the door, the kid under the sheetes grunted

"Who is it?" the voice sounded somewhat groggy and hoarse

---

"Hotaru." the voice on the other door replied softly

---

the door creaked softly as the kid under the sheets unveiled himself.

---

"Hota-chan! You told me drinking a tumbler of coffee and then drinking a bucketful of ice cold water would be good!!??" he scolded as Hotaru smiled sweetly.

---

---

"Gomen ne, Ruka-kun, but I told you I'll pay back!" she said

---

---

"You should be happy 'cause it will be only the two of us..." she added as she sat at the edge of the bed, her eyes gleamed no one ever saw before.

---

---

---

Ruka smiled softly...

---

---

---

"I guess you're right..."