Any comments, suggestions, or criticisms are welcome! (Btw, it takes a lot of patience to work on Notepad...sighs)
Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice
I was taken aback when the girl with purple eyes appeared in front of me out of sudden.
In fact, I was so surprised that while taking steps backward, I tripped on the floor.
Frowning, Hotaru looked at me and muttered, 'baka'. She always said that to Mikan and others, andsometimes I wondered,
maybe it was her way of expressing affection toward others...?
"How about lending me a hand, Imai? I fell down because you showed up so suddenly."
"I can't believe it, everyone is becoming more and more like that clumsy Mikan. She must be spreading the deadly baka virus around the school."
With that, she offered her hand. With her help, I got up and asked, "Speaking of her, where are Sakura and Natsume?"
"Mikan's with Narumi. She got another letter from her grandpa. About Natsume... I have no idea."
He may probably be under the sakura tree, sleeping, as usual.
Saying that, she took out something from her bag.
Then I realized that she was wearing a kimono. "Imai, why are you all dressed up like that?"
"You see, that middle school principal invited me again", she answered, flagging the invitation letter in front of me.
That reminded me of something that I, or we, for that matter, all wanted to forget. The Flower Garden Association...I suddenly felt cold...
But then, my eyes widened when Hotaru suddenly lifted her hand and patted me softly on the head. What am I, a baby?
"Hey, Imai, stop it-", I said in an irritated voice. Despite myself, I felt my cheeks blushing madly.
"You looked as if you were scared, Ruka."
"I'm not!"
"You don't have to worry. This time, it's just an invitation to some official gathering, you know."
She was talking to me in her usual emotionless voice, but there was something...different about her today. Maybe it's because she's dressed up?
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"oh...ano...sorry if I..."
"Want to escort me to the meeting, Ruka?"
"wh..what..." I stammered. Okay, she must be teasing me again.
She was called a genius, the ice queen of the Academy. Yes, she seemed so cold and aloof on the outside, but I knew better than that.
Deep inside, she cared a lot about her friends. Just like Mikan said, she was so much like Natsume...
"Ruka." I heard her calling my name with seriousness in her voice.
"...huh?"
"You...still like that baka, don't you?"
So she still remembers it, after more than a year. I wondered why she asked me such a question, since it was now obvious that there was something between Mikan and Natsume that went way beyond friendship.
I was...heartbroken, but I had no choice but to give up on her.
"Why don't you just confess to her? Girls fall for that. Maybe Mikan likes Natsume because no matter how he mean he can be, he reveals his feelings toward her from time to time. It's true that Mikan is dense, but then again, you've always hidden how you feel about her..."
I didn't know what to say. I knew all along that Natsume liked her... Though I bravely challenged him once that I wouldn't lose, I just couldn't take her away from him, knowing better than anybody else what he had been through. No, I couldn't make him sacrifice once again.
I didn't hide my feelings not because I wanted to, but because I had to...
But I don't have to say this to Imai. Why should I? It was a thing of the past and I've got to move on.
"I know you did that for Natsume, for the sake of friendship... Maybe I'm more like you than Natsume", she said calmly.
What was she talking about? Was she saying that she liked Natsume, too? I felt my heart sink. But, she also said she was more like me...does that mean...?
"Let's go together, Ruka."
"...huh?"
"It would be okay to bring a boy along, since it's not the Flower Garden meeting."
I looked at her, trying to figure out what she meant by that. She was again extending her hand towards me, smiling slightly.
It will be okay to accept it...won't it?
I won't have to give up this time.
Am I right...Hotaru?