Disclaimers: I do not own Gakuen Alice. Hints of Ruka/Hotaru. Natsume/Mikan.
Hotaru's POV. Hotaru is jealous. Set during the Last Dance after the Alice Festival.
Selfish.
Call me that and much more but I won't care. I am unlike Natsume who, despite seemingly so cold and uncaring, sacrifices himself just so that his best friend gets the girl he loves so much.
I am not a martyr. Despite all the goodness that Mikan has shown me, there is a part of Imai in me that is so similar to my brother. It dictates that I must have what I want and in order to alleviate my pain, I must pass it on to others. Just like my brother's healing abilities.
Mikan and I were talking. Or rather, she was the one doing all the talking and I was busy eating crabs while listening half-heartedly. I must admit that I was relieved that Mikan is so dense that she doesn't realize her adoring fans namely Ruka and Natsume were vying for her affections.
Ruka. He's just so fun to blackmail. The way he reacts and the way he shows his compassion, his shyness. It's understandable that he gets attracted to Mikan afterall. They were so much alike in their personalities, sooner or later people will be cooing about them being the perfect couple.
And where does that leave me?
It leaves me alone again. Every time she spends her company with Natsume and Ruka, I feel more distant. It's as if there's just the three of them in the world where I'm not included.
So when Mikan left after dancing with Narumi-sensei to a dark place in the forest, I was curious. But I couldn't possibly follow her there, not with these idiots hovering over me like a bunch of vultures. So I patiently wait and counted the seconds ticking till she came out of the woods. I looked around and found Ruka missing. Could they have set up to meet there in order to avoid mean gossips from fangirls? It's highly probable.
The first thing I noticed when she came out was a red tint on her face. Could she have applied rogue when she was out there? Or had she spoke with Ruka and they've confessed their feelings. Could… No… I have to stop this.
I shook my head to clear up my thoughts. 'Think rationally, Hotaru.' I urged myself. It wouldn't do good to panic. I look at Mikan worriedly. Would she dance the last dance with Ruka?
Finally, a good idea struck me as Misaki's name was being announced. I could ask Mikan to dance with me. That way… that way…
…
What was I avoiding? This is ridiculous. Bit it is done. I've already requested a dance.
As I started dancing with Mikan, I noticed Natsume and Ruka at the sides being friendly. So… nothing happened? Mikan and Ruka haven't decided to dance?
To confirm, I asked Mikan herself if she's alright with dancing with me. She said she doesn't mind. I danced in a mindless trance. The thought that they weren't dancing together took time to seep through. But after that, the realization struck hard. I can't help but look relieved. A little bit.
It was unnoticeable. Luckily, Mikan was enjoying herself too much to detect my feelings. Or else I'll be in deep trouble. I guess the two friends, Natsume and Ruka resolved theirs. Should I resolve the one-sided tension between us too?
Mikan chattered happily, asking me about her weird feeling.
So she's in love, huh? And she doesn't even know it herself. She asked me if I know what that is. I replied, "I may know."
And that's that. The day ended with that. And deep within my heart I pray that she would choose Natsume. They're a much better couple anyway. Ruka and Mikan are much too alike to work out.
The End
Author's Notes: Ooooh! Someone's in denial! Lol! I'm more of a Natsume/Mikan fan but in order for NM to work, the Ruka issue must be resolved. Hope you like it. Whew! I just watched it a while ago and got inspired. Again it was rushed and I have no betas because I'm still fairly new to the FF community. Hope you guys like it.
