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Authors writing this story: Alcyon Moire, Czeselle, DreamswithJoy, Pancakezxc, July Passion
The Deadly Jeux
Abodement
It was impossible. It really was.
But it was happening—right now. The officers were grave, the parents, indifferent. No one cared. No one except her, and she knew it.
Why did that person have to die? Why not someone who deserved it? Why not her "father"? Why not her "mother"? Why did someone who brought brightness to the small space she lived in, have to die in the hands of a monster? Why did she have to deal with it all?
Hotaru was crying, sobbing. The 'girl with no emotion', the 'ice queen', was grieving while the girl's parents were not. The officers just stood there, emotionless, until one of them decided to say something.
"We'll be finishing this up next week. Our condolences."
Those words could not mend a broken heart of the one person close to the dead girl. They could only hope to ease the pain, just a little. For a girl that seemed like the sun, it must have been a huge loss.
But that could not bring her back. Hotaru knew that as someone who studied science her whole life. The idiot who loved sweets, who believed in Santa, who brought gifts for everyone's birthday, who had three part time jobs, who wanted to own a store; she was gone. Hotaru repeated the word in her mind, "Gone".
But she was sure—so sure she'd find a way to make things better. Yes, she would do the impossible.
She would find a way.
"An accident caused by grief."
What a lie. It was nothing but irresponsibility. Stupid people did stupid things; this was just another mistake.
He looked at the coffins, one with his best friend, and the other with the woman who killed him.
Cursing, he sat down, counting.
How many people he knew had died this month?
Four.
His sister, his best friend's father, his best friend, and his best friend's mother.
What were the causes?
Accident, accident, accident, accident.
How fucking stupid.
There is nothing left but sadness, anger, and hate. He felt like he wanted to burn everything down.
Which sounded wonderful as he listened to this bullshit. It was all about how great they were, when only one of them really was.
"Fuck it, I ain't listening to a bunch of shit."
He left quickly, slamming the door behind him. And as the guests looked, one person figured out a simple thing.
"He's just fed up with the world, isn't he?"
The woman was in a different place from her world. Beside her was a boy, gentle and faithful. They were floating, of course. The populous could not see them
"She must be very sad to do this, Miss. It's admirable to see someone like that. Someone who has a loved one who means so much to them, they'll throw away everything. Don't you agree?"
"Boy, you are very aware of these things, are you not? Perhaps it is because you left someone like that behind as well?"
The boy looked up at her, the smile not quite reaching his eyes, "That is very true, Miss. I would not mind being dead if not for leaving him behind. That is my exact reason for doing all this - for wanting a second chance. It may be selfish, but it seems to be good enough for you to reach your hand out to me."
The woman smiled, touching the boy's shoulder, "Before you go, I must wish you luck, Ruka Nogi. You and her reasons are both so pure, I cannot help but be touched."
Before he could ask what she meant by "her", she disappeared. And he was sent off to the mad girl's side.
Hotaru had no idea why she was visiting funerals. There was a chance it was for distraction. It could have been a way to figure things out.
Following that angry guy was her best bet.
"Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit! What the hell's that preacher saying? Ruka was the best kid anyone could ask for—and they're saying shit like this about him? That he should have taken care of them!"
Footsteps. Whose? He didn't care.
"I don't think acting like a spoiled child is going to help you."
He turned, too pissed to do anything other than punch whoever followed him here. But something stopped him cold.
She was just like him. Always discontent and always frustrated; distant. She was dangerous—could ruin someone's life in an instant. It took a few seconds to realize that he didn't want this person as an enemy.
But that didn't mean he had to like her, "What the hell are you doing here?"
She shrugged, "No idea. But if I can say one thing, a small suggestion if you allow it."
"What?"
She stepped closer, a calculating smile on her face. She whispered something into his ear, then walked away.
Backing away, he yelled, "Get the hell out!"
And so she did, and he figured he'd never see her again. But her words still lingered.
"I'll find a way to bring people alive."
Punching whatever was nearby; he yelled and cursed like never before, in a rage people thought had long since disappeared.
But then, people never quite noticed the tear that fell down his cheek.
Except her, of course.
A girl was now sitting next to the woman, instead of the boy. The woman was smiling gently, the girl curious and eager.
The one odd thing about them was that they were floating high above most of the populous, and the angry boy himself.
"Miss, is this the one? He seems so very sad though! How can someone like me bring him happiness?"
The woman responded, "Girl, you do not have to worry about that. All you have to do is help him, and you get what you want."
The girl's grin turned bitter, and unusual emotion for her, "So Hotaru will—"
"Girl, it will be as if you never left. But you cannot see your friend unless you do this right."
The girl was still sad, but managed to smile once again, "Okie dokey! I'll chat with him right away!"
Before the woman could warn her, the girl set off, ignorant and determined at the very same time. The one thing she could say was simple.
"Good luck, Mikan Sakura."
DreamsWithJoy
Sometimes he'd wonder why these certain things always happened to him. Sometimes Ruka wondered why he died. Other times he wondered why he became a Madé Faierie. And today… He wondered how he could save himself as he plummeted towards the ground.
Oh great!
His mind lashed sarcastically. Maybe jumping off the cloud wasn't the most brilliant idea. Ruka thought that he knew how to use his wings; he was a smart boy after all. Problem was that he was just recently born again and he really haven't gotten used to his new wings someone were to ask him, he'd tell you he was reincarnated, not born. Besides it wasn't like he had a new mother. Now, that was an insane idea.
The only idea decent idea that sprung to his mind: land onto some trees. Ruka moved his body through the cutting wind. He twisted, turned and fled. The wind, like knives slashing him in the face, was making his eyes tear up a bit. God, did it pain him.
A sudden flick of brunneous hair appeared in the corner of his eye. He turned and saw two pigtails fluttering slowly in the wind.
"Your and her intentions are so pure."
He smiled the best that he could. Ruka noticed how her wings were slowly flapping as she hovered around slowly towards someone. Then, as if she had heard him, she turned around, with a tiny smile on her face.
"Think happy thoughts!" She yelled. Another flap of her small wings and she was gone. It was sort of like magic.
Happy Thoughts...
"Natsume, wait up!"
Those familiar crimson red eyes turned to him. His hands coolly tucked into his pockets. The raven-haired lad waited at a stop sign for his friend. Still, he never responded. Instead he gave a simple gesture – hurry up, slowpoke.
"Where do you live, Ruka?"
Ruka looked sheepishly at him instead of answering. A sudden gust of wind almost knocked poor Ruka off his feet. Natsume's lips cracked into a faint smile, tempted to laugh at how the wind almost knocked him over.
"D-don't laugh at me!" Ruka smacked Natsume's arm playfully.
It only made Natsume chuckle. "Again, where do you live?"
"I live right over there," Defeated he pointed to a house across the street.
"Big house," Natsume said nonchalantly. "Cool. I live on the next street down."
"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Natsume!" Ruka waved frantically at him as he was about to cross the street.
His hand suddenly caught Ruka's wrist. "We're having dinner at my house," Natsume gazed down coolly at his phone's screen. "You can spend the night if you want, too." Another jerk and Ruka was being dragged down the street.
Ruka Nogi had a friend. And, that was more than enough.
Hotaru was always a cautious and smart girl, special even. Even though her nickname and reputation landed on 'The Ice Queen', she still had a right to have feelings like any other girl. When her best friend left, her world fell apart. Hotaru had made it her duty to always have Mikan smile. Whatever the cost, she would have her friend smile. No matter how trashy or depressing her life became, Mikan would smile.
But Mikan was gone now. The only emotion she had left was grief. Nothing more and nothing less.
Suddenly, something plummeted into a tree next to her. Holding her defensive weapon, her baka gun, she walked backwards slowly from the tree. A split second later, a blonde figure came rolling out of the tree. Amber leaves and mahogany twigs were twisted together with the person's hair. She examined him carefully. He was about her age, taller and well built.
His blue eyes flickered to her face and he quickly stood up. A mixed look in her eyes threw him off. He moved an inch closer to her as she took a step backwards. He tried again, but she still moved further away from him.
"You don't trust people very much, do you?" He questioned. "Don't worry, I'm an honest person."
Realizing that he might be a little too straight forward, he added, "Sorry."
"And, you're too trusting of people." Hotaru nodded coolly.
"It's okay to rely on others though, right?" he hopped closer. "I mean, sometimes."
Just like a rabbit, he hopped even closer to Hotaru. Ruka felt like he had matured – for once, he wasn't stuttering when talking to another girl. It was a big step.
"You're too arrogant," She stated, her gaze fixed on him.
"Ah, but aren't you the same?" He was being cocky. Dang, did it feel odd.
"I am and I don't see any point in furthering this conversation," With that, she stormed off.
Guilt was rushing through his veins, but he ignored it. Ruka knew that he could beat her to where she was going. He knew that today was a sad day for her.
Yes, he knew exactly where to wait for her.
Mikan Sakura
1994-2007
Here lies a friend, family member and gracious soul.
R.I.P
"I knew that you'd come here." His voice rang, satisfied.
She sniffed flatly. "I don't know who you are. I don't care what you want. I just want to be left alone."
"But, that's the thing. You hate to be left alone."
She snapped, "Don't speak like you know me."
The only person who really knew her was dead.
"My name's N. I know who you are. I do care about what you want. And, I don't want to leave you alone," A small blush crept to Ruka's cheeks. He couldn't believe what he just said.
The gleaming sun revealed one of his wings over his shoulder. Hotaru never believed in fairytales. Shock was written all over her face. Maybe they were fake wings, but it seemed a little crazy for a guy to be running around in some fairy wings. Following her gaze, Ruka noticed that she had seen his wings. He smiled. Now things will be easier. He should have shown his wings in the first place.
"I'm sorry for what happened to her. When the time comes for a chance to get her back..."
"I would take it."
Ruka grinned. "That chance has come."
"I've heard in these fairytales that there's a catch."
"T-that's right. Um, one second, I have the thing somewhere around here," Nogi stuttered absent-mindedly as he searched through his pockets. He flapped a crinkly paper and passed it to Hotaru.
Hotaru scanned over the paper. "Risk my life, get contracted, death may occur?"
"Uh, yes. Like I said, it's a long shot," He paused shortly. "We're going to play the Jeux, a game. Accept to play, win and we both get what we want."
Taking a red pointed pen out of her pocket, Hotaru signed on the dotted line. She would do anything to see Mikan smile again. With a poof of magic, a spin of the paper and a blast, the paper was gone as it shot straight into the clouds.
Smile again...
As though as he was reading her mind, he gave a wink, "She's closer than you think."
Mikan knew how to fly and she was proud of it. Hotaru's cold demeanor towards her had helped shape her determination in learning things well. Reminiscence of her best friend always reminded her of the joyous memories to look forward to in life. And this kept her cheerful.
However, the wind was strong and mad like the boy. She found it tough to fly against the powerful gusts. With much effort, Mikan managed to hover around the top of the small hill where the raven-haired lad was. Boy, he sure was mad. He was cursing and yelling so much that she could hear him from where she was. Mikan's eyes watered as the wind blew her around. She closed her eyes just for a second, one tiny second and that sent her falling. Fear kicked in and her wings failed her. Mikan found herself smashing into the mad boy. They tumbled down from the top of the hill.
Natsume's instinct was to protect the girl, since he didn't like seeing people getting hurt, no matter whose fault it is. His arms encircled the girl, keeping the girl's head and upper body safe from harm.
They reached the bottom of the hill unharmed. Mikan's eyes shot open. Her heart was jumping around in her chest. For candy's sake, she thought she was going to die, again. She was panting and scared. Then, her fear melted like ice. Crimson red eyes stared intensely at her. She really hoped that her cheeks weren't turning red. She always had that bad habit of blushing at the wrong time.
A bored expression plastered his face. Natsume pushed the girl off roughly to the side. Almost immediately, Mikan's face lit up in boiling anger. She was like a switch, one click to turn her on and one click to turn her off. Playing with Mikan's emotions would only result in juggling fire. Whether he knew it or not, he was playing.
Her face and her cheeks were rosy red in colour. Mikan tried standing up but pain seared through her thigh. She cringed away from the bright sunshine as she fell. The boy, Natsume just stared in awe. No, he wasn't going to touch those wings no matter what. They were thin and fragile-looking.
She winced as she tried flapping her wings, "Ouch!"
Maybe she wasn't the best at handling pain. Natsume's face wore a surreal look. His hand gently went to her shoulder, though he seemed afraid to even move her. He hated to cause anyone pain.
His hand touched her shoulder.
"Ah! Don't touch me. I'll be fine."
Mikan's hands gripped the grass tightly. She tried pushing herself up again, and was successful at her second attempt. But she was in pain. Natsume couldn't decide if the wings were real or not. If the wings were faked, they couldn't possibly hurt her. His mind was spinning. He had heard the term 'girls flying at him', but he never actually expected it to happen.
"Those things are fake, right?" He asked as he extended his index finger to point at her wings.
Her eyes glinted. "My chest is not fake, you pervert!"
He smacked his forehead. For the love of manga. H snapped, "You idiot. I'm talking about your fairy wings or whatever."
"Oh! These things," Mikan accidentally flapped her wings. "Yeah, they're real. I'm not human... Anymore."
"Sit." His voice rang roughly, which she surprisingly obeyed.
The wings moved every time she moved. Natsume sat on his knees as he examined her wings. They were small wings, the kind that he had seen in fairytales as a child. Obviously, from the clear material, they weren't made from fabric. He reached his hand out without a second thought to touch them. When she yelped, he quickly withdrew his hand.
"So, why were at the top of that hill. I saw a cliff the side. You weren't going to, you know?"
"I have nothing to live for. Still, it doesn't mean that I would go and kill myself."
"Oh, well that's good. I'm sure they wouldn't want that either."
Silence roamed until Natsume asked, "So, you've been stalking me."
"What! No way, I hate cocky guys."
"So, you stalk non-cocky guys then?"
"Ugh! Whatever, jerk." The grave look that suddenly took over his face when she called him a 'jerk', made Mikan feel bad. She was wondering why when it clicked – his best friend used to call him that.
"I'm sorry, he used to call you that, huh?"
"What the hell! You know nothing, stupid girl. Or whatever the hell you are," He flared. "Get lost!"
"Whatever, idiot! I can't believe you are my partner for the game, if not for N-"
He hissed darkly "What in the world are you talking about?"
"This!" She retorted as she shoved the paper into his face. Quickly, he whacked her hand away, picked up the paper and read it.
"What's this? A stupid joke to get back at me or something?" Natsume scoffed and dropped the paper at her feet.
"No, it isn't!" She picked up the paper and slapped it against his chest. "The Jeux is a game, a game where we can both get what we want. You'll be risking your life and you may die in the process. This is your stupid chance to get Nogi back! Are you really going to let this chance get by? You won't die not signing it! I expected better from you. I expected you to care for your best friend. I expected you to jump in immediately at th-"
"Shut up. You have no right. You have no say," He snarled harshly but he took the paper and signed it. Her eyes lit in awe as the paper flew towards the sky, straight into the clouds.
"Wow, that was so cool!"
Natsume's teeth clenched. "What's your name?"
"Uh, I usually go by, um, S."
"Good to know." He smirked evilly. "I'm going to fucking rip that smile off your face, S. If this is a game to trick me."
"Don't worry. It's not," She replied. Something in her mind told her, that this was going to be one long story to tell to her kids someday.
If she ever have kids.
-End-
July Passion.