Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice. No profit being made here, people. Written purely for my own enjoyment.
The first time he asked you out, you blinked because you had no idea how to respond. Your face betrayed no emotion but your mind was swirling with more emotions than you could name. You were startled (why is this boy asking me out?), surprised (he's asking me out? Really?), suspicious (why did he ask me out?), a little bit flattered (an older boy just asked me out), apprehensive (how do I respond? And what will his reaction be?) and above all there was a slightly tingly feeling spreading through your limbs. You ignored it all. You were Hotaru Imai, after all.
Your face was impassive as you walked away without giving him an answer. You were a little bit disappointed that he didn't follow but you pushed the feeling away. A few minutes later, you heard a sigh and a soft, "So?" and turned around, heart leaping, to find him silently walking behind you.
The next few years passed in a blur of friends, schoolwork, inventions, business and potential customers. But still, there were moments that stood out in your memory as though freeze-framed. And in some strange way, almost all of them included him.
There's the time you were walking along the lawns of the Academy, feeling just a little bit inferior because Ruka Nogi (with his blue eyes and golden hair and soft voice and kindness and compassion and sweetness and near perfection) clearly preferred Mikan Sakura to you. You tried telling yourself that you were much better than Mikan (prettier and richer and smarter) but each thought felt like a betrayal of your best friend. Besides, being better was clearly not such a good thing when the object of your affections still wanted someone else.
"Cool Blue Sky!"
You suppressed a groan and turned to find Hayate standing there, a goofy smile hanging off his lips. You snarled, "Not now." The tiny crack in your facade would have been invisible to anyone else, even Mikan, but somehow he spotted it and bent down, a concerned expression on his face. "Hey," he said softly, "What's wrong, Hotaru?"
His use of your first name bought a strange lump to your throat and you blinked away the tears that suddenly seemed to appear. You waited, a burning (of shame and embarrassment and anger and frustration) running through you, for what he would say. You didn't want to talk, you didn't want to listen.
But he didn't say a word. He just gathered you into his arms and held you there.
On another occasion you and Mikan were walking along Central Town and you spotted Hayate sitting alone in a corner, fidgeting nervously. You wondered what was wrong. Hayate had many friends but all of them seemed to be avoiding him that day. Curious, you walked up to him and tapped his shoulder. He flinched and turn, shoulders hunched as though expecting pain. When he saw you his muscles relaxed for a moment but then an uncharacteristic frown settled across his brow and his eyes darted about, left and right.
You raised an inquisitive eyebrow. He swallowed and said quickly, "I'll talk to you later, Cool Blue Sky." He gave you a little shove away from him and said, with a pathetic attempt at cheeriness, "See you later!"
You stood there mutely until he broke down. "Persona is going to be here soon."
(Logic and reason and intellect all told you to get away from there)
"So?" you asked, leisurely settling down next to him. He jumped up and began to walk away, an almost angry look on his face.
"So go away!"
You blinked. That was new. Usually your exchanges went the other way round. You were irritated, he was persistent and you told him to go away. You started to go in the opposite direction. It was while walking away you realised that Hayate had always followed you.
You turned back.
You were Hotaru Imai, after all. A debt (of gratitude or friendship or money or anything more complicated) wasn't something you kept.
The day was otherwise ordinary. Classes had gone on as usual, Mikan had kept up a steady chatter all through break before someone set fire to her pigtails, Anna had given you some of her chocolate cake and you had had an interesting discussion with Yuu about some of the mathematical theories you would be doing in class next year. But you felt a little down. There was nothing wrong, per se, just a feeling that you couldn't name. So after classes ended for the day, you stealthily slipped past all your friends. Natsume's eyes flicked once in you direction but he just gave an almost imperceptible nod and didn't alert any of your friends.
The lawns were wide and green and never-ending. You began to walk through them briskly and the steady rhythm of your own feet and nature combined to make you feel better. You ran through logarithms in your head and peace washed over you. But the blues still hung around the edges of your mind, waiting to pounce again at the slightest opportunity.
"Hey! Wait up!"
You turned around and found a lunatic, waving the latest available picture of Cool Blue Sky and smiling so widely that you could count all his teeth.
Suddenly, a smile tugged at the corners of your lips (it didn't succeed in lifting them up, of course. You were Hotaru Imai, after all) and somehow your chest felt lighter.
He caught up with you soon enough and began to talk about everything and nothing. You kept walking, a stoic expression on your face. A passerby would have assumed that you were ignoring him.
But you weren't.
At the age of twenty four, you were ready for marriage. Ruka Nogi, your childhood crush turned friend turned boyfriend turned fiancée would turn into your husband in a few minutes. You peeked into the church and he looked so good, standing there in a tuxedo, looking slightly nervous and fidgeting with his collar when he thought no one was looking. Natsume stood beside him, carelessly handsome as always. You could hear a few girls sitting at the back giggling and taking pictures of the attractive duo.
The question of who would lead you down the aisle had been puzzling your friends for weeks. Your father, the traditional choice, had passed away last year.
As with all other matters of mystery, for this question too, Koko had set up a betting pool. Bets ranged from your older brother to Mr. Bear. You almost rolled your eyes at the unnecessary drama your friends were creating over such an obvious answer.
You adjusted your dress just one more time (it was important for you to look good. There were a lot of big investors outside). Finally, you were satisfied with yourself. It was time for you to walk down the aisle.
A tiny smile played about your lips as you laid your hand on Hayate's arm and he led you outside, towards Ruka.