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MOURN OVER BLACK ROSES

On top of a grassy hill, three people stood close to where a certain tomb lay.

"Ruka, we all know that Hotaru's been a great friend but sometimes, there are things that we really should've let go. It's already the past, Ruka, let her go," a certain brunette said while patting Ruka's back.

"You don't understand, Mikan. Please, if you don't have anything to say, just go and leave me here," Ruka replied, tears forming in his deep blue eyes.

"Ruka, we're just concerned about you. You rarely eat and get some sleep. And most of your days, you just spend it here. Remember that you still have a life to live and a company to run. You've got friends who are worried sick of you. If Hotaru was here, she wouldn't like that kind of attitude of yours," she gently uttered, trying to counsel the blond boy.

"But she isn't here, Mikan. That's the point! And don't f*ckin' pretend like you knew me because you don't! You don't know what it's like. You just said that like you knew her but in fact you don't! But I do, I do because I've been there with her when you weren't and where were you? Yes, you were b,itch,in yourself with Natsume!" he yelled, cupping both her shoulders and hardly rocking her back and forth.

"Ruka!" the raven-haired lad scolded his charming best friend. Ruka stopped to turn to his direction. Mikan heaved a sigh of relief as she gently rubbed her shoulders before her stomach.

"Now, you're siding her Natsume? Of course, you always are! The only problem why you got her late was because you were a freaking bastard, a crybaby who was scared in confessing to an idiotic girl like her. You knew you almost didn't get her but you did because you asked help from who? From Hotaru. She helped you, your cousin. Yet here you are defending the slu-" SLAP!

"Don't tell me like I'm some slut, Ruka. Don't ever forget the things I've went through just so I can be with her in the academy! Don't ever forget I was also the one who helped you get Hotaru! Don't ever forget I was the one you sacrificed to that stupid elementary principal so all of you could escape! Don't ever forget I was also the one who brought her to the hospital the moment I broke free and went to her apartment! Don't ever forget the anguish Natsume has gone through for everyone, especially your sake! He's your best friend for God's sake! And don't you ever forget I was her best friend too, Ruka! I cared for her as much as you do," Mikan surprisingly yelled, finally unable to attain what had happened with their lives the moment Hotaru passed away. Tears rolled down her porcelain face as she watched Ruka's head faced down while holding his reddened left cheek. She tried to wipe the tears away using the back of her hand. Yet whatever she do, more seems to leak out.

Natsume held her waist for support. She's carrying a baby, dear God and Ruka even failed to notice it when he harshly rocks her back and forth. Blinded by his loss, maybe?

They all stayed in complete silence afterwards, only the wind carrying noises even from miles away. With his left hand still in his cheek, Ruka's eyes were as big as saucers as he digests everything that happened. "M-ikan, I, I'm so sorry," he apologized as tears leaked out of his pure blue eyes. He tried to reach out, touch the friend he pained the most with his piercing words but, but he couldn't. Too ashamed from his sudden outburst, he knew he doesn't deserve her apology.

Mikan closed her eyes as more tears cascaded down her face. Why does it have to be like this? Hotaru, why'd you leave? Why? Just then, something inside her burst as a drop of red known as blood dripped from her upper legs down.

"Argh!" she yelled.

"Mikan!"

"Nurse!" a nervous-stricken Natsume called while pushing the stretcher where a certain brunette uncomfortably lay. Almost immediately, two blond nurses accompanied the two best friends in transporting her to the delivery room.

Ruka was about to follow them but Dr. Subaru advised only the husband could enter. So, without a choice, he stayed outside. He paced back and forth as the clock went ticking by. Nurses came in and out of the room. Minutes turned to hours, he grew anxious of waiting. Nervous for he knew there's supposedly a month more before the baby will be finally out. Then, he remembered what he did back at the hill.Oh, God! What have I done?

Suddenly, the door burst wide open and out came a relieved Natsume, an unconscious Mikan lying on the hospital stretcher, an unsure doctor and another blond nurse with a baby in her arms safely wrapped by white cloth. Heaving a deep sigh, he came next to his best friend.

"So, how did it go?" Natsume shrugged. Ruka kept quiet afterwards, not sure what to say regarding the matter. Later, they were carried inside the hospital suite, the baby now passed onto the father. Ruka stood behind him, watching the little angel with glee.

…

Presently, the baby was now with the awakened brunette, pure happiness found in her face. Ruka couldn't help but look at her with awe, resentment to himself for what he did earlier. So, to make-up with them, he excused himself and decided to buy some fruits and other food for them on a nearby market.

Natsume on the other hand, ever since the hill incident, he didn't pay any attention to whatever the blond boy did or uttered. So, he wasn't even paying attention the moment Ruka went to him and said his excuse. He was still anxious of everything that happened. He knew, like Ruka, that the baby came quite earlier than the usual nine months. What he just hoped is that whatever bad things he's currently thinking right now wouldn't happen.

Ruka wasn't even about to step out of the door when… the baby started crying in Mikan's arm. She tried hushing her, yes her, up but she didn't. Mikan looked at her husband for comfort but he too didn't know what to do. Ten minutes had passed. The baby still didn't stop on crying. Ruka was glued to his spot. Mikan's eyes began to water as Natsume cradled the baby in his arms.

"Let's call the doctor, Natsume!" Mikan uttered, her tears began to leak out of her eyes. Natsume turned to his wife with a look of concern before ringing the alarm bell near her bed. Moments later, Dr. Subaru came rushing to their room with his head nurse behind him. She began taking the baby away from them. Before he was even about to exit, "Dr. what's going to happen?" Mikan asked, her face filled with tears. Dr. Subaru breathed. "Let's just hope it'll be good, Mikan, let's just hope."

…

"Doc, how's the baby?" Natsume questioned after he was asked to go to the doctor's office. The four-eyed doctor kept quiet, just kept his head low as he sighed for the hundredth time, not sure how's he going to spill the news to the worried father.

Finally, after minutes of silence, he raised his head as he let out a heavy breath. "I'm sorry."

…

"The baby came out earlier than usual, meeting pretty much a lot of complications. She suffered underdevelopment, Natsume, added to the fact that your wife might've undergo too much stress while she's carrying the baby. Her work, perhaps?" he uttered while leaning towards the table, entwining his hands on top of it. Natsume shrugged. He never remembered Mikan stressing herself over her work.

"Well," Subaru groaned as he heavily lay back to his black chair. Pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose, "Perhaps something happened to her minutes before you carried her to the hospital? A heavy shake, maybe? You see, Mikan is fragile. I've told you that the moment you had your first ultrasound, right? Two of your friends, the blond boy and that raven-haired girl even came up with you that time. One uncomfortable shake might lead the both of you to lose the child she's carrying."

Then, it hit him. Ruka.

...

Walking back to her room, his head kept low, he was thinking how he is going to explain this to his wife. He can't just go to her and say, "Hey, our baby's dead and it's because of Ruka." No, he knows she'd cry. He also perfectly knew how he hates to see her cry. But, no matter what, she still needs to know, right? He lifted his head up to see Ruka outside, on a bench sitting. Immediately, he forgot the worries he carried inside and let himself be carried by anger.

"Natsume," the blond boy uttered upon seeing his nearing best friend but…

"You're happy now, Ruka?" an angry crimson-eyed boy yelled while pinning the regretful blond boy on the wall with his collar.

'You're happy now that our baby's dead, huh? How am I going to tell her now? Because of your stupid selfishness, our baby died. It's all because of you and your idiotic sentiments with imai!"

"Don't include Hotaru in this, Natsume!" Ruka finally retorted upon hearing her name as he slap his hands away.

"Oh yeah, I can't blame her because she's dead!" Natsume answered before –PUNCH! Ruka punched him in the jaw.

"I said don't you dare to talk about her like that," he said, raising his voice to the raven-haired lad's level.

Massaging his jaw, he glared at the blond. "I'm not blaming her, Ruka. It's you. What's it with my cousin that you can't get over? Because of that, Ruka, look at the outcome? Our baby is dead because of insufficiency!"

"Is it true, Natsume?" a quivering voice said from his side. He turned around to see the door accidentally open and his wife looking intently at him. He couldn't answer. What would he say? He also couldn't lie, right? He sighed.

"Yes," he answered. He watched his wife's eyes widen as she tried to cover her mouth before breaking to tears. He immediately rushed to her side, patting her back, trying to comfort her in all ways he knew.

"Natsume," ruka called, left outside with complete guilt in his heart.

"Just go to hell, Ruka!" Natsume yelled at him. Mikan, though disapproving of his sudden yell, could not reprimand him. She was too weak, too miserable, to even say a single word. She just sat there, crying while hugging Natsume's figure. As she watched Ruka retreating in absolute bitterness, she only wished he'd not do something reckless. She knew him too much. She just hoped, only hoped. Ruka.

…

Wiping the tears with the back of his hands, he cursed a thousand times under his breath. I told her to leave before, right? But she didn't! And now, they're blaming me and Hotaru.Tightly gripping the steering wheel, he continued swearing.

As his car passed the bridge, his thoughts wandered off to Hotaru and their moments together. Hotaru.He thoughtas he turned up the skies. I wonder what you're doing right now. I wondered whether or not you're happy up there with Mikan's baby. Upon the thought of her, his mind switched on to what happened a while ago and he couldn't help but gnash his teeth. As he punched the wheel with his right hand, he turned up to see a ten-wheeler truck on the opposite lane. He gripped the helm much tighter. With one last drop of tear, his brows intersected as he drove left to meet the car.

HONK! HONK!

CRASH!

Hotaru, my black rose.He laughed to himself. Are there even black roses? Yes, her. She's thorny and mysterious but amidst all the darkness she hid inside, she's still a rose… a lovely rose. Everyone just doesn't understand her but… I do.He last thought before everything around him turned pitch black.

THE END

Note:Ruka sure is a hothead, isn't he? Sorry for the bad outcome and for the fact that I might've disappoint you with this. I only got this plot while watching a very epic movie. Thanks for the reviews and support! Reduced to single chap