Greetings to all! This is my very first, so please understand!

Disclaimer: If I own Gakuen Alice, then I would not write here in FanFiction!

Hotaru and her classmates are fifteen year olds at the start of this story, and they are in their last year of middle school.

Ruka Says…

Chapter 1. I Need You Hotaru

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Hotaru sighed as she heard the knocking on her previously peaceful room. It was nearly seven in the evening and she was busy working on her latest invention that would be due in three days. But now, as she guessed that the knocks were from her boy friend (with the space! Though she secretly wished there was none), Ruka Nogi, she would never finish even the framework tonight. This is because she's fully aware that that friend of hers would bug her again to cry his heart out, complain, and say that he is jealous of his other friend, blah blah.

She then momentarily stopped working, walked across the room, and opened the door. Truly, her guess was correct. It was Ruka with a sad look in his face. She sighed again. She knew that aside from not being able to finish her new invention, she would again hear some things that she does not want to hear. It would truly hurt her again, without him knowing. But despite this, she still welcomed him into her room everytime he needs some company.

"What do you want?" Hotaru asked him unemotionally, as always, managing to hide his true emotions to anyone.

"Well, to start off, … can you first let me enter?" Ruka then said to her.

Hotaru then moved a little to the side of the door in order for him to enter. He then walked to the chair beside her study table and sat. She then closed the door, followed him, and pretend to continue to work.

"You're working on a new invention? What is that called?" Ruka asked her uninterestingly.

"Can't you see I'm busy? Can't you just go straight to the point? I know you're not really interested. Why are you here again? What do you want?" Hotaru managed to asked, even though she felt that his answers would surely hurt her, … again.

"To tell you the truth, Mikan said to me earlier that she has already someone she likes. Obviously it's not me because she asks for my help on how to deal with it and finally to confess. As you know, I still like her very much that's why it hurts. Now I don't know what to do." Ruka said this to her almost in a whisper, while looking down on his lap. He did not notice (again) that Hotaru was already showing some of her emotion, that is hurt, much the same as his feeling right now …

Before any one of them would breakdown by crying, she did what came first to her mind, what she used to do with him.

Click. Click. Click.

Ruka suddenly faced her and looked into her purple eyes. Then said, "Why did you do that? I'm serious, you know."

"Well being serious would not do any better to your problems, you know," she was surprised as she said that as she was also guilty of that. 'Actually, she was more guilty of that being serious than him,' she thought to herself. So to divert their attentions and forget their loneliness, she ran to the outside of her room, waving the freshly printed picture of Ruka that was nearly going to cry. (By the way, that was another one of her inventions. A digital camera that has a built-in printer, colored inks, and hundreds of photo papers of varying sizes in it. Well, I don't know how that fits in the palm-sized camera. What I know is that it was built for convenience, as it would print any of the pictures stored in its memory in a click.)

"Come and get this from me before somebody else would buy this for a great price," Hotaru said to him while running on the corridor, going to the lobby, as her duck scooter was parked there.

"Hotaru, give that back. Who ever gave you the right to depress a person that is already depressed, huh?" Ruka questioned him while running after her. He thought about what she said awhile ago and realized that yeah crying, or even being lonely would not make the situation better. And deep inside, he wants to thank her for lifting the miserable mood.

"What's the matter, Ruka? You seemed to be slowing down. Thinking about surrendering already?" Hotaru spoked as she was about to ride the duck scooter.

"No!" Ruka answered as he ordered a horse to let him ride and run after her.

The chasing continued until they realized that they're already in Central Town. So they decided to stop and buy some food as they both didn't have dinner yet. They then laughed at their actions of chasing each other at this hour of the night.

"Thank you," Ruka finally muttered to Hotaru while purchasing some snacks and drinks to take home.

Hotaru looked at him thinking that she's alright with his terms of gratitude but she wants more from him. Then she said (to hide again her true feelings), "Didn't know you actually like the fact that I took embarrassing pictures of yours."

"That's not it. Thanks for making me forget the pain I felt awhile ago."

Hotaru then looked away, while already starting to walk back to the dorms as they already bought enough and while thinking 'if you only knew that I felt the same pain awhile ago and up to now' as a reply to him. She was now the one who was being hurt and with no one to comfort her. She sighed.

He heard this and said, "What's the matter? Still hungry? We can eat these all when we reach your room."

"Thanks," she said to him. At least that means I have some company until they both finish all those food, and the company would be him.

When they were already inside her room, indulging on the food they bought, they were both surprised at the quantity of it. So they just ate to their stomach's and heart's content. They were then surprised again that there was a liquor on their purchase. Because they previously swore that they would finish eating all before he can go to his room and they could both sleep, Ruka decided to drink it. Hotaru just continue her eating and doesn't mind Ruka already being slightly drunk and sleepy. After an hour, they already finished eating all. Ruka was already lying on her bed but was still awake. And Hotaru was cleaning up the trash and some food debris on the floor. She then went to the bathroom to brush her teeth, etc. When he left the bathroom, she saw an already snoring Ruka on her bed. She then looked at her baby-like face and then realized that she could not sleep again … just like before.

She then thought of the first time that they lay down on the same bed. It was the New Year back when they were in elementary, when Tsubasa added some powder to their mochu. She slept well that night, as back then she did not fell anything towards him, not like the second time. Yeah, there was a second time. This was already when they were in their first year of middle school, and Hotaru has just realized that she somehow likes him. That was now the reason why she couldn't sleep beside him, just like now. By the way, Ruka was there in her bed at that time, the same as this incident too. That is, he felt lonely about Mikan spending more time with his friend more than any one of her other friends, and he needed Hotaru as someone to listen to. But, unintentionally, while waiting for her to finish what she was working on at the time, he fell asleep.

As Hotaru knew she could not sleep while he's there, she then looked again at her face and saw that it was already smiling unlike earlier this night. She then scolded herself. She hated herself for being like that. For being herself. For always being unemotional. For always showing that she does not care but inside she also felt happiness, or loneliness. She just hates it. But that's just the way she is. And she has no plans of changing her self, even for him. No, she thought. And yes, she have succeeded in that. Then she sighed yet again and then decided that she'll just continue her new invention. So she worked until morning came.

So what do you think? Please review so that I can improve myself and the succeeding chapters. Yeah actually I already finished planning on how this story will go on but I can change some and then include your suggestions. Thanks.

By the way, in case you're interested, this chapter was inspired by the songs Kung Ako Na Lang Sana by Bituin Escalante and Insomnia by Craig David.