Title: One and the Same

Author: Azurana K.

One-shot

Summary: We are alike, yet no one can see that, but you and I. One-shot, friendship fic: Hotaru and Mikan. (My late birthday gift for Tsubame.)

Disclaimer: It's obvious that I don't own Gakuen Alice if I had, Mikan would've been a Goth, who's not cheerful and outgoing.


Stepping inside the classroom, I saw you; you saw me; you tried to hug me; but I shot you. You got hurt, pouted and cried, but in the end you just laughed. That was our morning routine before he came and took all of you for himself.

Entering our classroom, I thought that day would just be any other day, that was until I saw you but you didn't see me. You didn't try to hug me and I didn't get to shoot you with my baka gun. You weren't pouting, crying and laughing, because your face was emotionless; you were daydreaming about him.

My stomach churned, but thought nothing of it. There was still tomorrow and the day after that and the days after. So, I sat down, thinking that everything will be alright, and continued to finish my latest invention.

After classes were over, I had expected you to come to me pouncing and laughing; accompanying me to wherever I go. But you didn't, instead you went the other way around and searched for him. My blood was boiling with rage, how selfish of him to take all of you. I was the one he had to approach just to get closer to you. I breathed in and out, there will still be a tomorrow; I assured myself.

It was seven in the evening, and I was in the dinning hall with everyone else that I know and don't. I thought now you will be here, by my side. But again, I thought wrong because you were with him. I almost twitched when I saw the both of you feeding each other. But I again reminded myself that there was still something called tomorrow.

The next day the same things happened; the day after that was also the same. Two weeks later and still nothing changed. I thought that was already enough time for you to remember that you still had a best friend, but since you haven't, I took the liberty of doing some necessary actions.

I went back to my lab and got the materials I needed. I searched for my most hated person in the academy, using my invisibility and tracking inventions. It took me not much time to find him. He was leaning on the wall with his friends. They were laughing and joking about things that I did not care about, when the guy in his left, who had dyed-blonde spiky hair and black eyes, brought out the topic that I had been pinning for.

"So 'Shi, what's been happening with you and Sakura?" With that said, my flying mosquito video camera, one of my inventions, started taping their conversation.

"Nothing much" That guy said casually. He's been hogging you for two whole weeks and all he says is nothing much. What a materialistic fool, he doesn't know how much you are worth.

"What do you mean, man?" The dense red-head beside the dyed-blonde asked.

"She doesn't agree to kiss me. She's loud and noisy, a pest in life. Also dense and stupid, all she's got is her hot body and pretty face, that's it." That foolish guy said shrugging his shoulders. I promise I'll torment him with my inventions, tell Youichi to make ghosts follow him wherever he goes, tell Yuu to make horrible illusions for him, blackmail Ruka to make the animals chase after him and tell Natsume to burn his body into crisps day by day.

"Then why don't you just dump her and get a hotter girl to make-out with?" Another guy with blue hair and smart brown eyes suggested. At least there's a sensible person around their group of hooligans.

"I like to see Hyuuga look so desperate and Imai so alone. Have you seen their faces lately? They look like a puppy lost in a huge storm." He shouted as he laughed. He is so dead.

"Well I have to go now; I still have a date with 'stupidness'." He added, laughing at his corny joke. He's the one who is stupid, playing with you, me and Natsume. And for his information there is no such word as 'stupidness', look, which's stupid now?

I turned around and used a quicker route to their meeting place. When I arrived there I saw you, I approached you and for the first time in two weeks, you took notice of me. Your smile was so cheerful that I hadn't the heart to tell you of the news.

My heart felt regret and guilt more, when you greeted me. It became heavier when you took my hand and sat me down the edge of the fountain. The more you told me of your happiness and feelings, the more my heart fell. So, I just listened to your rambling trying ease out my guilt-clenched heart.

I realized at that moment, that I too was selfish of you. I didn't want to share you with anyone else, since I wanted all your smiles and hugs to be only for me. I too called you dense, stupid, and worthless and an idiot. I was no better than him.

You suddenly became silent and then leaped out of your seat. My eyes followed to where you were going and I caught sight of him again.

You hugged each other and I think you probably got lost in his fiery red eyes. You don't love this guy, Mikan; you love someone else. You're just trying to forget about the person you truly love by acting as if you love someone else. This is the only time I remembered that you too are selfish. How stupid of me, everyone can be selfish; all people are.

Sighing to myself I pressed the green button of the small remote I created, so I could broadcast my videos through the school's audio-visual system. I'm so sorry Mikan, but it's all for the best. A tear escaped eye, I'm so sorry…

"So 'Shi, what's been happening with you and Sakura?", "Nothing much"………

The speakers rang throughout the academy, as the screens showed the suspects who said those vile words. When the film was done it played again and again, not stopping. I couldn't do anything but stare at you and let my tears fall.

You see me crying, I see you crying. I approached you and you approached me. I hugged you and you hugged me back. I kept on saying sorry and you kept on forgiving me. You then said that you too were at fault and we ended-up saying sorry and I forgive you the whole time, while Youichi, Yuu, Ruka and Natsume clobbered those insolent fools who were fooling with us.

From then on, I tried to treat you more special, and you tried to act more mature. I took more responsibility of looking out for you while you tried to do the same as me.

While we were happy together, Satoshi and his group of friends were treated as beggars in the streets by the students in the academy. Everything now was perfect, just like it should be.

We are different from the outside but we are one and the same inside, that's what they call opposites, and that's the whole reason why we are best friends.


Author's Note:
I know it sucks, but what the hell!

This is for my dearest best friend, Tsubame Sakura. I tried not to be too angsty, in this fic. This is a gift from me to you on your most special day of the year, sorry though it's all that I could give you and it's also one day late. I hope you liked it.

To my valued readers, I know that you might be angered by the fact that I am wasting most of my time writing my best friend a gift and not making the next chapters of my stories. I'm sorry, I promise it will be done sooner or later, just please bare with my laziness…

Any suggestions for the genre???

Mind you, I am not forcing you to review but if you do then that would be great. I accept anything, even if it would be comments, flames, especially corrections, feedbacks, advices and (my most favorite of all) criticism (harsh or light).

With regards,

-A.K.