Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice belongs to Higuchi Tachibana. Period.
Note: Okay, so I'm back! This is my entry to The Revolution's Gakuen Alice Romance Challenge! And yes, this is the first time I've written something in GA that isn't NatsumexMikan.
I like Ruka and Aoi. It is canon in my eyes. Hoho. Let me convert you!
Have fun reading!
The past six years has been nothing but routine for Ruka Nogi. The death of Natsume Hyuuga and Mikan Sakura made something inside him snap, causing him to shut down.
He distanced himself from people, afraid that if they got close enough, they'd disappear the way Natsume and Mikan did. For a while though, he found comfort in the presence of Hotaru Imai. She knew how it felt to lose a best friend. Sadly, what they had was short-lived.
The relationship they had was greedy and selfish. They desperately held on to each other in hopes of possessing the things that reminded them of their best friends. Too blinded by the desire to stow away memories of their passed loved ones, they ended up hurting each other. He then realized that he wasn't ready for a relationship, so he stopped trying. The end of their relationship also caused the end of their friendship. The effects of their relationship and the memory of the people they lost lingered in both of them too much that it ruined all possible ways of staying friends.
The moment he left Alice Academy, he went straight to Tokyo University to take a special entrance exam. He then went to his hometown to patiently wait for the result. He passed.
His mother wanted him to stay with her, to even go to France for a vacation, but Ruka didn't budge. He didn't have time to wander around. His mother told him that if he went with her to France, he could study in any university there—in any place in Europe—as long as he'd come with her. His grades weren't a problem because he's always been a diligent student.
Despite his mother's offers, he insisted in staying and studying in Tokyo University, a school known to have the one of the science and medicine departments in the world. And there, he decided to major in Human Genetics.
Back when he was young, he never dreamt of choosing the path to heal humans. Because of what Natsume went through in their first few years in Alice Academy, he lost all sense of pity for humans. He concluded that humans were nothing but selfish beings. They would take things that would give them power. They would step on the weak to gain power. They wanted nothing but power, and he hated it. He preferred to help the animals, because they were simple. They would only attack if they see you as a threat. All in all, animals were simple. And he liked it that way.
He was set on becoming a veterinarian until Natsume passed away. It was funny, how huge of an influence Natsume was to him. He promised not to help humans because of Natsume, but he took it back because of him, as well. He felt helpless when he lost his best friend to the wrath of the limited Alice form. He knew he wasn't the only one who went through the same loss, so he wanted to do something to change it.
Studying medicine was the first step. He focused on Human Genetics because back then, he remembered hearing that a person's Alice type has something to do with the genes of the user's parents.
In his first year in the university, he spent most of his time in the library, reading about anything remotely related to genes. His research was futile, and he was frustrated. He started talking to his professors more, asking them questions. One professor knew a bit about Alices, and he agreed with Ruka that it could be possible that the parents' genes have something to do with the fact that their offspring is an Alice. But, since the professor wasn't an Alice like Ruka was, he had no idea that there were different Alice types.
The professor, Hiroto Ishikawa, became fond of the inquisitive blond. He saw how passionate the boy was, but he also saw how frustrated he was becoming. So, one day, he approached Ruka and said, "I don't mean to pry, Mr. Nogi, but why are you so eager to rush…things?"
Ruka was surprised that the old man noticed, but he didn't show it. "I just… I just need to."
"I see," the old man nodded knowingly. "I shall ask no further, then. But, as a mentor, do give me the honor of giving you an advice, Mr. Nogi. I hope you take no offense."
"What is it, sir?" Ruka looked at his professor curiously.
The old man smiled at the boy and said, "Sometimes, rushing things wouldn't give you the result you desire. It takes time. After all, you are only in your first year. I know you are a talented young man, Mr. Nogi, but, rushing will definitely not help you. It might just ruin things. My grandmother once said, 'the dough will not rise properly if you take it out of the oven too early.'"
Ruka sighed and combed his hand through his hair. He said, "I am aware of that, sir. It slips my mind sometimes, is all."
Professor Ishikawa patted the boy's shoulder and said, "I am quite fond of you, Mr. Nogi. You remind me so much of my younger self; so enthusiastic and curious. You are studious and hard-working, and if I've heard correctly, you are also an Alice. You have so much potential, boy. But, don't drown yourself in your studies too much. I'm not saying that studying too much is bad. In fact, it's quite admirable that people like you who are eager to learn still exist. But, you still have a whole life ahead of you. Make the most out of it. Go out sometimes. Enjoy. I may not have the right to say that, but I don't want to see you go to waste, Mr. Nogi. I don't think anybody does."
And so, he did.
The people in most of his classes were weary of mingling with him because of the unapproachable aura he once exhibited, but when he tried to befriend them, they accepted him nonetheless. He'd go with them to karaoke places, eat lunch with them and go with them to the movie house if the film that was currently showing was to his liking. They'd ask him to go to other places with them, but he'd politely decline. He tried his best to hang out with the people but not frequent enough to build an attachment. He thought it was better that way.
Truth be told, he would never consider them his real friends. They didn't look sincere and genuinely concerned about him. So, when they'd ask him about his life before the university, and he'd always say, "It's complicated."
They still accepted him because of his looks and Alice. He didn't mind, really. At least he wouldn't feel guilty for having ulterior motives in befriending them. He only used them for the purpose of "living" and "having fun". Somehow, it wasn't working.
That didn't mean he had to stop though. He kept on hanging out with them, hoping that he'd finally feel the "thrill" of living.
Shiro, one of his schoolmates, grinned at them and pointed at some girl a few tables away from them. "Hey, check out that girl. Damn, she's hot. She must be a freshman. Let's say hi?"
"You'll probably scare her away, man," said Ryosuke, another schoolmate. "Besides, she's too pretty for you. It might work on Ruka here, since he has this prince aura thing going on. But you? Yeah, I don't think so."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Ryosuke smirked at Shiro and said, "That, my friend, means you're as ugly as a glass' butt."
"What? That doesn't even make sense," Shiro said, shaking his head.
The smirk in Ryosuke's face didn't fade. "Doesn't have to. It's 'cause you're ugly."
"Hey. I think we got the point here." Shiro looked offended. "But damn. I've never seen anyone as beautiful as her. And her red eyes are just… wow."
Ruka looked up from the book he was reading and said, "What? Red eyes?"
Shiro, surprised at the blond's sudden interest, nodded his head and said, "Yeah. That girl with the straight black hair. She has red eyes. I saw it when she was looking around. She doesn't even look like a forei—Hey! Where are you going?"
Ruka's breathing came short as he strode to the table where the girl. He could feel the fast thumping of his heart and the rush of blood to his ears. But when the girl looked up for a while, he felt his heart completely stop. The girl had blood-red irises and long black hair, but she wasn't just some ordinary girl who had red eyes and black hair. She was…
"Aoi?"
The girl looked at him and gasped. She stood up from her seat and hugged him tightly. When she looked him in the eye, still not letting him go from her hug, she grinned at him. "Ruka!"
Ruka grinned back at the girl in his arms and said, "It's been such a long time, huh? What are you doing here?"
"I study here now, and I'm taking up SPED," she said proudly, finally letting go. "How about you? I missed you!"
"Human genetics. I missed you, too. We really need to catch up," Ruka said, still shocked at who he was talking to.
He then realized how much Aoi looked like her brother. He smiled at her sadly and said, "We should visit Natsume together. I also want to visit Mikan. It's been a while since I went."
The smile in Aoi's face disappeared, and she looked away. "Yeah. Dad and I visited him before I moved here. We also left Mikan flowers. But yeah, we should go."
Ruka shook his head to take away the uneasiness, and smiled at her. "What's your e-mail? I'll send you a mail once I'm free or whatever. Then we'll go to them… Maybe go to our favorite ice cream parlor in the hometown, too. What do you say?"
"My, my, Ruka Nogi," Aoi grinned. "Are you asking me out?"
Ruka chuckled at Aoi playfulness. "Why, yes, Aoi Hyuuga, yes, I am."
Aoi took her phone from her pocket, and Ruka took it as a signal to take his, as well. After exchanging e-mail addresses, Aoi shook his hand and said, "Well then, I'll be waiting for your mail."
"Yeah. I'll see you, then," Ruka said, squeezing the girl's hand before letting go.
A few days and a few mails later, Ruka and Aoi met up again to visit Natsume and Mikan. They decided to meet at the train station at 8am to arrive there early.
When they arrived in their hometown, they went to a flower shop to buy some flowers for Natsume and Mikan before going to the cemetery. As they walked to the cemetery, Aoi noticed the uneasiness Ruka felt. She held his hand and squeezed it. "It'll be alright."
Ruka smiled at him and said, "Yeah. I just miss them."
"Me, too," Aoi said. "Mikan's a really nice girl, isn't she? My brother really loved her."
"Yeah," Ruka said distantly. "Mikan… She's… She's special."
"I can see she's caught your eye, as well," Aoi observed.
"I'm that obvious?" Ruka asked, embarrassed.
Aoi nodded her head and smiled like she usually did.
"I never thought I'd get over her," Ruka said. "I've... I've never felt so vulnerable before. It hurt everywhere. I didn't know how to stop it. I couldn't do anything about it. I wanted to. God. I seriously wanted to. But I couldn't. Because Natsume loved her so much and he needed her. Besides, she loved him back, so who was I to compete? I'm just the girly-looking best friend."
Aoi clicked her tongue in distaste and said, "For a good looking guy, you sure have low self-esteem. You're not just the girly-looking best friend. You're the genuine, caring, sincere, animal-loving boy with the beautiful blue eyes. And Ruka, you're the best friend Natsume could ever have. There's no doubt about that."
It felt really nice to hear something like that from someone who knows Natsume well. Ruka looked away, embarrassed. "What you said just now meant a lot to me. Thank you, Aoi."
The girl just smiled at him. They were quiet for a while before finally reaching Natsume and Mikan's graves. They placed the bouquets in the grave and stayed quiet for a while to pray for the two departed.
Ruka caressed the tombstone of Natsume and smiled. "How are you, buddy? Taking care of Mikan, I suppose? How are the two of you? It's so boring without the two of you fighting like cats and dogs in front of me."
He paused for a while before continuing. "I don't think I've told you this before, but I went out with Imai for a while in Alice Academy. It didn't work out. She almost clawed my eyes out one day, you know. It was scary! I can't believe we did that. Maybe because we miss you too much. I'm sure she misses Mikan a lot. And, I suppose you, too. Just… take care there okay? I'm sure you're happy right now. You and Mikan are. What I'm trying to say is that I'm alright. I'm okay here now. Just make sure that the both of you are happy, alright? You don't have to worry about me here. I'm fine now."
"I think I'm ready to let go," Ruka said a while later. "But, that doesn't mean I'll forget about you. Not even close. The two of you have been really special to me. I guess... I guess it's time for me to stop hurting, you know? It's been quite a while, but I never really found the motivation to close this chapter in my life. Thank god I saw Aoi, huh? So, yeah. I love you guys. I miss you so much, Natsume. It'll probably take me a while, but when the time comes, I'll see you on the other side."
When Aoi was sure Ruka was done, she talked to her brother's tombstone for a while before tugging on Ruka's jacket. "Are we ready to go?"
"Yeah."
The ice cream parlour they frequently went to when they were young was a few blocks away, so they walked their way there. When they reached the parlour and found a table, the waitress grinned at Aoi and eyed Ruka suspiciously. She said, "I knew you'd bring some city boy here soon!"
"Hello to you, too, Umi," Aoi grinned back. "And this isn't just some city boy. Remember Natsume's best friend back then? The Alice boy? Yeah, it's him."
Umi, the waitress gasped. "Oh dear! the half-French animal lover?"
Ruka laughed at the description and nodded his head. "Uh, I guess. But, I believe we've never met before. I'm Ruka Nogi. Nice to meet you."
The girl nodded enthusiastically and said, "Of course you haven't, but I certainly know you! I think everyone in our class knew Aoi's huge crush on you. Anyway, what can I get you guys?"
"Triple strawberry sundae, please," was Aoi's immediate response. "Oh, and additional chocolate fudge please."
"The usual, then," Umi said, writing Aoi's order. She faced Ruka. "How about you?"
Ruka looked at the menu for a while before saying, "A banana split, please."
"Okay, then. One triple strawberry sundae, additional chocolate fudge and a banana split," Umi said. "Your orders will be here in a while. I'll leave the two of you now."
Aoi smiled fondly at the retreating back before facing Ruka. Ruka was smiling at her slyly. She said, "What?"
"You had a crush on me?"
"What? Uhh… That… Uh, I need to go to the ladies' room for a while," Aoi rushed, standing up.
She tried to run to the ladies' room but didn't notice the 'wet floor' sign in front of her, making her trip in the process. She stood up and said to no one in particular. "I'm fine!"
When she came back, Ruka was still smiling at her. She glared at him and said, "Fine. I had a crush on you. Who didn't?"
"Why didn't you tell me?"
She blushed and said, "Natsume told me not to. Said I'd make your friendship awkward or something. You know how he is."
Ruka laughed. Like, really laughed. It's been a while since he did that. "Well, you don't have to worry. I had a crush on you, too."
Aoi's eyes brightened as she stared at him. "Really? Wow. That's great! Not awkward, then! If it counts, I still kinda have this... crush on you."
Soon, Umi came back with their orders. Aoi immediately ate her ice cream. Ruka smiled at her and said, "I see you haven't changed. In taste, I mean. I remember Natsume giving all of his strawberries to you because you're addicted to it."
Aoi nodded her head, still eating. She swallowed her food and said, "Well, one cannot simply stop loving strawberries. It's just not possible."
"I guess so," Ruka said.
"Dad gives me his strawberries, too," Aoi said fondly. "Especially when Natsume... passed. Dad would go to my room and give me a bowl of strawberries. It was my comfort food because I remembered Natsume giving me all of his strawberries even if he loved them, too."
They were quiet while eating their desserts. After eating, Ruka paid for their orders but didn't leave the parlour yet. Aoi place her chin on her palm and said, "How are you, Ruka, really? Your best friend and the girl you love are gone. I know it's been seven years, but still. Not to pry or anything, but have you ever told anyone how you felt about it?"
"I'm… I've been shit. I couldn't tell anyone because I believed that they weren't... special enough to know about it. How I felt about Natsume and Mikan's passing, I mean." Ruka said, hiding his face in his palm. "I never knew losing those two could hurt this much. I've been trying to cope. It's just not working."
"Maybe it's because you don't want to. You're holding onto to their memories, too much. But, Ruka, I'm proud that you've finally decided to move on." Aoi said, patting his back. "I miss Natsume so much, but I've accepted it that he's gone. I know he's not suffering anymore, and he's with Mikan."
"You know, I told Mikan I loved her a while before she…" He stopped, not wanting to finish the sentence. He sighed loudly. "She cried. She cried. Not because she loved me back, but because she knew I've been hurting. But, you know, I've accepted the fact that she's for Natsume. I guess I just miss them."
Aoi nodded with understanding and said, "That's normal when a person loses someone they love."
They stood up and walked back to the train station. Aoi held his hand and said, "I hope visiting Natsume and Mikan helped you."
"It did," Ruka said, smiling at Aoi genuinely. He squeezed her hand and didn't let go.
Aoi smiled at their intertwined fingers and said, "So, Ruka Nogi? How is your life so far?"
Ruka smiled, because for the first time in seven years, it no longer felt complicated.
End.