Best Boyfriend(?)
Chapter 1
By MySilentVoice
...
The day started out normally enough. Natsume finally realized that walking Mikan to class was something a boyfriend was expected to do. Ruka had got up early again to bring Hotaru breakfast in bed, since she was up late the night before working on her latest invention. It was Koko and Sumire's eighth monthsary and the latter was flouncing around, showing off the locket he had given her. Inside was a picture of himself, donning a fake mustache and glasses. The inside was embarrassing yet somehow endearing, but of course, Sumire would never admit that. Instead, she preferred to showcase the outside to whoever was polite enough not to roll their eyes.
Indeed, it was a fairly normal day at Alice Academy, or so they thought.
Once everyone had safely installed themselves in the classroom, waiting for the first period to begin, Kitsuneme rushed into the room, excitedly waving a sheet of paper in the air.
"Guess what guys?" he cried in a singsong voice as the gang gathered around him. Koko stared at his friend for a moment, then broke into a grin.
"No way, man!"
"Yes, way!"
"And is the prize really...?"
"You read my mind, bud! Literally!" The two boys fist-bumped each other, leaving everyone to wonder what the hell they were talking about.
Reading their minds, Koko snatched the paper from Kitsuneme and lay it flat on the table. It was a flyer. The group huddled closer.
BBF of the Year Contest
Ladies! Ever wanted to know if your man is really worth your time? Enter him in this contest, where your boyfriend will be put through a series of trials, and prove to you that he's man enough to be your man!
Alice Academy's first ever competition to search for the school's bestest boyfriend will be held over a course of three days!
What are you waiting for? Put your man to the test, and if he's man enough, he'll be granted the title:
Bestest Boyfriend Of The Year!
Or in other words,
The Most Whipped Ass Of The Year!
The grand prize is a total of ten thousand rabbits, and a five day trip to Hawaii! Sign up now!
There was a stunned silence, the kind that usually follows a news as ludicrous as this one. Hotaru was the first to react. Eyes shining and mind spinning with the thought of the grand prize, she looped an arm through Ruka's and smiled.
The evil, scheming, devious smile.
"Ruka, you know what to do."
Unfortunately, Ruka knew exactly what to do. And he cursed the gods for bringing this insane competition into existence. On the outside however, he smiled charmingly at his girlfriend and nodded. "Of course. As you wish."
Sumire stared at him incredulously. "I think I've found the most whipped ass of the year. And he's right over there."
"Back off, Shouda. Find your own whipped ass."
Sumire sniffed disdainfully. "Oh don't worry, I've already found mine." She nudged Koko. "You're entering by the way. Hawaii has some beautiful resorts."
"Sounds fun. Sure, I'll do it." said Koko cheerfully.
"It wasn't an option, honey."
"Oh."
As Mikan watched her two good friends so easily take command over their boyfriends' destinies, she decided she needed to assert her authority as well. If they could do it, why couldn't she? "Natsume, enter the contest."
"Hell no."
Ah, that's why. She nearly forgot she was dating a world class jerk with a heart buried so deep you'd need a lamp and jackhammer to find it. But Mikan still had one more trick up her sleeve. She hadn't managed to win the heart of the coldest boy in the universe for no reason. Calmly, she smoothed her features into a soft expression, tinged with just the right amount of sadness and longing. The others stifled their laughter as they watched Natsume's face harden.
Mikan stared up at him from beneath her dark lashes. "But Natsume, I've always wanted to go to the beach with you."
Now Natsume prided himself for not being easily swayed. He had always thought it rather disgusting that his best friend so easily submitted to his lady love, and he swore he'd never be the same. So far he'd been able to avoid getting baited into submission by his own girlfriend, partly because Mikan never felt the need to assert her authority. But today was probably not his day, because before he even realized it himself, the words were already tumbling out of his mouth. "Where's the sign up sheet?"
The gang burst into unrestrained laughter as the unmovable Natsume Hyuuga finally caved. Kitsuneme pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper from his back pocket, tears of mirth escaping his eyes. "Oh gosh Mikan, your name should go down in history for this," he gasped. "You made Natsume join some insane competition cooked up by Narumi-sensei!"
A vein throbbed in Natsume's forehead. "That freakshow arranged this contest? Why am I not surprised."
"He was handing out the flyers when I passed by. It seemed interesting so I took one. He also said he's gonna host it."
"I've got to thank him for this awesome idea!" Mikan squealed. "I can't believe we get to go to Hawaii!"
"Not so fast Sakura," Sumire said haughtily. "You may have tamed the beast, but your boyfriend still has a long way to go before he even stands a chance at winning." She shot Natsume an apologetic look. "He's got the looks, that's for sure. But dear, may I say that he's a terrible boyfriend?"
"I agree with Shouda." Hotaru piped in. "The guy has no finesse, no class, and not to mention a severe lack of gentlemanliness."
Mikan could only stare at her friends agape as they gave her a rather depressing summary of her boyfriend's lack of positive traits. Natsume didn't seem the least bit affected by the insult however, and sat back in his chair, having filled out the signup sheet. Hotaru handed the form to Ruka. She smirked.
"Well, it doesn't matter if he enters I guess. Ruka will beat him hands down."
"Nuh-uh. Koko will."
"He's a monkey."
"At least his EQ is way above Natsume's!" Sumire gave Natsume a wink. "No offense dear, but you know I've got your back if it's a question of looks."
"Thanks." Natsume said dryly.
And so that day, males all across the academy found themselves in a competion to prove their worth, whether they liked it or not. As Narumi-sensei watched the sign-up sheets fill his pigeon hole, he laughed in glee at the thought of what he would be putting those poor boys through.
It is a wonder he hasn't been fired.
...
It was as if the whole school had turned up for the event. They had all gathered at the school field and students had almost filled up all the bleachers despite the early hour. In the center of it all stood a makeshift stage, and large screens floated in mid-air, positioned so the audience could see them. Behind the stage, Natsume and the others were forced to stand in a crowd of males, some looking weary despite the early hour, while others stood with an air of grim determination. Ruka easily fitted into the second category, and the boys didn't hesitate to tease him about it.
"A little nervous there aren't you, Ruka-pyon?" said Koko in a singsong voice.
"Buzz off." was the boy's curt reply. Natsume patted his shoulder. "Easy there, tiger. It's not like your fate rests on this. Then again, with Imai, it probably does."
"Fate..." Ruka moaned. "My fate hangs in the balance alright. I heard that Hotaru's brother is one of the judges."
The boys gave him pitying looks. Even though Ruka had been dating Hotaru for nearly a year now, Subaru Imai had never really quite liked him. In fact, whenever the two crossed paths, Ruka would give him a polite greeting only to be ignored by the senior. And sometimes, when he was together with Hotaru, he'd feel a cold chill run down his spine. He'd then look around nervously, and more often than not, a concealed Subaru Imai would be spotted, not too far away. Thus, Ruka had understandably developed a phobia for elder brothers, specifically Hotaru Imai's.
Koko lay a hand on Ruka's shoulder. "Hats off to you, mate. If you're lucky, you'll keep the girl and impress the brother."
"Best of luck. Might not wanna mess this up." Natsume added.
"Gee, thanks," Ruka sulked. "I am moved by your encouraging displays of support."
On stage, Narumi-sensei had captured the attention of his audience with his floppy pink hat and frilly green coat, and was now speaking into the mic.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first BBF of the Year Contest in history!
"Before we proceed with the first round, let us welcome out judges! First up from the elementary division, we have Youichi Hijiri!"
"Yo-chan?" said Ruka incredulously. "What good is an eight year old in a competition to judge boyfriends?"
"Next up, we have Yuu Tobita from the middle school division!"
"The guy hasn't been able to score a date in all his life, exactly how did he get picked?" Koko mused.
"And finally, after lots of begging and pleading on my part, please welcome Subaru Imai from the high school division!"
"This is one messed up panel of judges," Natsume sighed. He watched as Ruka's resolve seemed to melt away as Subaru Imai took the stage. "Suck it up, Ruka. Today you show the guy you're worthy of her."
Ruka pulled himself up to his full height. He inhaled deeply. "Right."
"And now for our elimination round," Narumi announced, gesturing wildly. "All contestants will have to go to central town, pick up a gift they think their girlfriend might like, and return here."
Ruka breathed a sigh of relief. "That sounds easy-"
"Within fifteen minutes! You can't take the bus, however."
"Is he nuts?"
"Even by bus it takes nearly ten minutes to reach Central town," Koko muttered. "I'm guessing they're trying to cut out more than half the competition with this round."
"Did you just say something smart?"
"Oh no, I was just reading Natsume's mind."
"But don't be too disheartened, boys," Narumi grinned. "You're allowed to use your alices."
"That's insane," Ruka groaned. "The teleporters will finish in no time."
Narumi was chuckling darkly into the mic. "Now don't get too excited, most of you won't make it pass the trap."
"What trap-"
Suddenly, the ground from beneath them caved in and a large, monstrous vine with prickly thorns surfaced. It was quickly followed by several more. The plant snatched up several boys, while others fell into the hole it created. Natsume quickly leapt out of the way, and with a flick of his hand, the vines were soon ablaze with fire. It didn't seem to hinder it however, and the vine shot towards him with renewed strength.
"This is a plant specially created by Misaki-sensei for this event," Narumi continued cheerfully. "It's extremely tough against alices, and it'll take more than your typical strength or fire alice to get away. By the way, the competition has begun!"
Natsume cursed loudly as the vine took a swipe at his head. He wasn't the black cat for no reason however, and he rolled safely out of the way, quickly jumping into a tree way out of the plant's reach. From his perch, he took in the scene. The plant seemed to be growing bigger with every second, and it easily snatched up the contestants and held them, screaming, aloft. Some tried to fight the thing but the plant was strong, not to mention fast, and it was a losing battle on the students' part.
In the bleachers, the audience was going wild, cheering and screaming. Within five seconds, Narumi had turned the happy event into a full scale attack on the contestants. Was this even legal?
"Natsume!"
He turned just in time to see Ruka fly past his tree, on the back of a large eagle. "I'll be going ahead. You better get a move on!"
Natsume had nearly forgotten the objective of the game. In the sky, clouds were shifting to form numbers. The countdown to the end of fifteen minutes. It was currently at thirteen.
With a loud, curse mainly directed at Narumi, Natsume leaped into the neighboring tree with ease, and in this way, made his way through the dense forest. There was a shortcut to central town through the trees, and he was confident he could win as long as he relied on his training.
...
Ruka was probably one of the few boyfriends who had trouble getting their girlfriend to smile. Not only was she hard to please, but she seemed to have absolutely everything she could have ever wanted at her fingertips. Food? Her three star status granted her all the delicious meals she wanted. Money? Her status and marketing schemes took care of that too. That left Ruka to wonder, what could a girl like Hotaru possibly want, but did not have?
It was this question that bugged him all the way to central town, and even as the eagle dropped him off, he still had no idea what he should get for Hotaru. He knew which shops she often visited, but he also knew she had bought almost everything she wanted from those stores.
The clouds above told him five minutes had passed, and he knew he was running out of time. Frustrated, he kicked a nearby photo booth, only to jump back, startled as the trees behind it rustled to life.
Natsume leapt out from the trees, looking no worse for wear. He gave Ruka a quick nod and slipped into the photo booth. Ruka blinked, surprised. What on earth was Natsume Hyuuga doing in a photo booth?
A minute later, his friend walked out, a roll of film in his hand. After a cursory scan, it was quickly shoved into his pocket. Natsume raised an eyebrow at him. "Trouble?"
"You know," Ruka sighed. "Hotaru...hard to please."
"You're thinking too hard. It doesn't have to be special."
"What-"
"It just has to be something only she can receive from you." With a small shrug, Natsume turned on his heel and disappeared into the trees once more.
Only she can...
Ruka chuckled softly. Then he burst into a loud and hearty laugh. Who ever could have thought Natsume would be the one giving him relationship advice?
He straightened up and smiled. He knew just what to get her now. Bringing his fingers to his lips, he whistled loud and clear. A large shadow passed overhead and he jumped, hands grasping the metal ring his eagle clasped in its claws.
"To the academy." he said, and with a resounding cry, the bird took to the skies.
...
"I wonder what Natsume's going to bring me," Mikan mused. "He's never given me anything."
"Which is why he's never going to win." Sumire replied, still peering through her binoculars. "I can't see Koko anywhere in that crazy plant. I bet he managed to get away."
Mikan ignored the jibe at her boyfriend and nudged her best friend. "See Ruka anywhere?"
Hotaru had in her hands a device with a screen and some knobs. She was scowling fiercely. "I can't find him anywhere. My lady bug tracker shows he's not in central town."
"Maybe he's in there?" Hotaru followed Mikan's gaze towards the evil plant that was still busy rounding up the contestants. By now, most of them had given up and were only making a few half-hearted attempts with their alices to attack the plant. It showed no signs of letting up however, and numerous girls in the audience were screaming in dismay as they watched their boyfriends get throttled by a plant. It really was a test of your man's worth.
"I'd say by the time this is over, a lot of guys will find themselves single," Sumire said, amused. "This really is a display of the male species' patheticness."
"I feel sorry for them...I bet they didn't even see it coming."
"Don't be so soft Mikan. It's because you're like that that Natsume's the one wearing the pants in your relationship."
"Easy for you to say," Mikan said, exasperated. "You have Koko! He has a permanent smile while Natsume has a permanent scowl!"
"Which is why he'll lose to Koko." Sumire lowered her binoculars, a satisfied look in her face. "He's not in that mess, thank goodness."
Narumi was twirling his way into the stage once more. "We're down to the last two minutes! So far, nobody has arrived. Could we come out of this with no winner?"
Mikan stared up at the floating screens, but she couldn't find Natsume on any one of them.
Where is he...
"Oh, would you look at that!" Narumi cried, arm stretched out towards the side of the stage. "It's Natsume Hyuuga! Our first survivor!"
Leaping to her feet at once, Mikan felt a surge of pride in her chest as Natsume mounted the stage. Narumi grabbed his hand and held it high above their heads, only to get cuffed on the ear by the boy. Mikan whooped and cheered. "Good going, Natsume!"
Sumire was inspecting her nails. "Of course, since this is mainly a test of physical fitness, Natsume would naturally come in first."
"Aw don't be so sour Permy," Mikan laughed. "Isn't my boyfriend amazing?"
As the cheers subsided, two figures tumbled onto the stage and were quickly intercepted by Narumi. "Our next two survivors...Tsubasa Andou and Akira Tonouchi!"
The two boys looked a little harried, as if they had just come out of a fight, but their smiles were still intact. They waved to the audience and slapped Natsume on the shoulder.
"I didn't know they were taking part!" Milan exclaimed. "Go Tsubasa-senpai! Go Tono-senpai!"
"Looks like we have an interesting mix of winners today! Now with only one minute left, I wonder who else will make it to the next round?"
Narumi raised his hand to his brow and scanned the surroundings. A flash of sandy blonde hair caught his eye. "Now this is unexpected! Coming in from the left of the stage is Kokoroyomi!"
Sumire snapped to attention as Koko dashed onto the stage, snatched the mic out of Narumi's hand and shouted, "I made it! In your faces!"
There was a stunned silence. Koko laughed nervously. "I mean, this is for you Sumire!" He blew her a loud kiss and Sumire reached out a hand to grab it from the air. "Love you too!" she cried back. Then she settled back into her seat, a smug smile on her face.
"We're down to the last twenty seconds! Will this round be closed with only four contestants?"
From out of the corner of her eye, Mikan watched Hotaru as her friend sat up straight, staring straight ahead. She bit her lip nervously. It wouldn't be pretty if Ruka didn't make it. Clasping her hands together, she prayed for Hotaru's sake Ruka would just drop out of the sky already.
On stage, Narumi began the countdown, gesturing for everyone to join in. "Ten...Nine..."
The plant began to shrink back into its hole.
"Eight...Seven...Six..."
The floating screens began to blank out.
"Five...four...three..."
Ruka!
As if god had heard her wish, an eagle soared out of the clouds and swooped towards the stage at neck breaking speed. The crowd held their breath.
Just before the eagle hit the stage, Ruka jumped off its back and skidded into the stage, clutching tightly to his chest a white ball. The eagle pulled out of the dive and spread its wings, and with a loud cry it took off again, disappearing into the horizon.
Narumi was ecstatic. "And finally, making a very dramatic entrance, we have Ruka Nogi, the last contestant to make it! Congratulations to all!"
The audience stamped their feet with approval and clapped loudly for the spectacular performance Ruka had just showed. Smiling shyly, Ruka backed up so he was standing beside Natsume, and Narumi waved his arms in the air to silence the crowd.
"Looks like we have five contestants left! But the real test begins now..." he smiled broadly. "May I ask all the girlfriends of the respective boys to please come up?"
"I think he means us!" Mikan squealed, squirming restlessly in her seat.
"No duh." Hotaru said, a pleased smile on her lips.
Sumire grinned. "Shall we, ladies?"
...
