Summary: What happens when Hotaru has a slip up in her plot to blackmail Ruka? Repercussions. Revenge. And some fluff.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, but one can't help dreaming so.
The Best Medicine
It was just after classes in Alice Academy. The students rushed out of their classrooms to enjoy the rest of the warm, breezy day. A fifteen-year-old brunette was walking with her two friends, one raven-haired girl riding on a duck scooter, the other a blonde wearing glasses and a sweet smile. The brunette turned to them and asked.
"Hey, you guys. Do you want to go to Central Town tomorrow? We could invite all our other friends and have fun! And I'm just craving for some Howalon." Mikan fantasized about the delectable, cloud-like candy and began drooling. She could already feel the sweet treat in her mouth: the soft, heavenly sensation on her tongue as sweet as when she first tasted it-
BAKA! BAKA! BAKA!
Mikan ended up face first on the ground with three new bumps on her head. Yuu came to her aid but Mikan immediately stood up and dusted herself.
"Stop drooling, Baka… it's gross." Hotaru said bluntly.
"Sorry. I'm just very much in the mood for Howalon." The nullifier said "Anyway, do you wanna come, Hotaru?" The inventor gave a stoic nod in reply.
"I need to buy some parts for a new invention. And-" Hotaru was cut off by a loud scream.
"Stop right there, IMAI! Give me that camera and those photos!" A young blonde with Cerulean eyes was running angrily towards Hotaru. She calmly took action.
"Ja ne." She said and took off at high speed. Ruka followed suit, leaving a surprised Yuu and Mikan.
"There they go again." The illusionist said casually while Mikan giggled and nodded.
"I guess things like this only get worse or better… to think that they'd continue with this even when we're in Middle school."
Ruka chased Hotaru for about an hour. The blackmailing was happening more often now, and he got more irritated every time. He was tired of being humiliated and having to escape from the mob of crazy, lovesick fangirls who always buy his pictures. And he didn't even want to know how most of the animals are able to pay the Ice Queen, considering her lust for money. The animal boy shook away the thoughts and focused on his task: tracking her down; Ruka stopped to catch his breath, for they -or rather he, ran all the way to the Northern woods. He climbed a tree and called a few birds to help search for a black-haired girl riding a scooter. Minutes later a bird informed him that she was headed in their direction. Ruka thanked the bird and began to strategize a plan to corner the blackmailer and stop her deeds once and for all. At least, that's the reason he wanted to use. He knew that somewhere deep inside him, he just wanted to see Hotaru. And so he waited for her.
Hotaru's scooter moved carefully through the undergrowth as she assessed today's successful escape. It was all in the money, that motivation of hers. She knew pictures of Ruka having a tea party with the local barn animals would earn twice as much than she usually does, and took advantage of such an opportunity. She decided to take a little break under a tree; the mere sight of nature relaxed her, especially on stressful days. Now she was here for leisure, not to mention the view of the academy from the treetops. She began to climb, surprisingly unaware of whoever was waiting amongst the branches.
I got you now, Imai, the animal pheromone Alice thought as he hid himself better. While Hotaru was climbing, she spotted a strand of gold hair on a branch; her suspiciousness rose, and the genius looked up only to find the last person she needed at the moment. But she hid her irritation and smirked at him.
"What're you doing here, Nogi? Aren't you supposed to be having tea parties with the animals?" The boy blushed at the memory while Hotaru took the momentary pause to escape again. But her foot caught on a low branch and she ended up tumbling down the rest of the way. She landed on the grassy earth with a thud.
I just fell off the trunk of a tree. How humiliating. The inventor rubbed her aching back and tried to stand and winced. She accidentally twisted an ankle and gashed the back of her hand during the fall. Ruka quickly got down and looked down at her smugly.
"It seems the tables have turned, Imai. Looks like you're the one who was embarrassed today." Ruka smirked this time while Hotaru remained emotionless. She wanted to leave, return to her room so she could forget about this, but her pride wouldn't allow her. So she simply sat up and challenged the animal boy.
"What are you gonna do about it, Nogi?" Hotaru snapped at him, assuming he would just leave her be. But his reaction surprised her; Ruka's expression softened at the sight of her bloody hand. "Hey, your hand." and he knelt down to look at it. Hotaru suddenly remembered the kind look his eyes always had as a child, and that made her stomach knot up and warmth rise up to her face. But she quickly composed herself. The Ruka she knew back then, she just realized now, grew to be a very promising young man. His face was more angular, his hair grew ever so slightly; and yet his eyes remained the beautiful Cerulean orbs they always were, giving him a look of calmness and maturity. His body, she could tell even while Ruka was in his uniform, was more muscular and lean. But one thing never changed: his care for others. Suddenly Ruka took out a white handkerchief from his pocket and carefully bandaged the wound. He held her hand very gently and looked at it with such worry that Hotaru felt her heart skip a beat. Since she wasn't used to being taken care of, she intervened.
"It's just a scratch, Nogi; nothing to concern yourself with." Her voice almost failed her. But Ruka ignored her statement, and he carefully stroked the bandage-covered skin of Hotaru's hand.
"I remember one day as a kid, I grazed my knee while playing and went home. My mother was always so gentle, and showed a lot of concern for me. I told her it was nothing, and that I could just bandage it up. She smiled and told me that sometimes the best way to heal a wound is by bandaging it with love because it's the best medicine. And to never be ashamed of letting others take care of you once in a while. Just like that I felt much better, not just in my knee, but in my heart as well. From that day on, I always tried following her example, for I believed, and still do, that she was right. That's one reason why I love my family so much. They taught me how to comfort and care for others without expecting anything in return. I hope to make the pain-you're pain- go away, even for just a little while." The animal pheromone alice said while keeping his eyes fixed on the inventor's hand.
And with that, Ruka slowly put his lips to Hotaru's bandaged hand and kissed it. The inventor's heart rate increased threefold, and her cheeks turned redder, but her hand didn't even twitch. He looked up and smiled; cerulean meeting amethyst. Neither said a word for a while until the silence was too much. They both looked away.
"Come on. Let's get you to the nurse."
Hotaru nodded and took out a remote. With one click, her scooter changed size, making it look like a harmless toy. She put it away in the bag she has been carrying. Ruka took her uninjured hand and easily lifted her to his back, Hotaru's arms snaking around his neck without protest. On the way back, she leaned in and whispered. "Thanks, Nogi."
"No problem, Imai. Anytime." He replied casually and she smiled one of her rare smiles as they walked the rest of the way in silence.
After notifying the nurse and their friends of what happened (ofcourse on a need-to-know-basis without mentioning any kissing), treating the wound and the sprain, and calming down Mikan-which took longer than the other things combined-, the two returned to their dorms. Hotaru entered, or rather limped all the way to, her room and immediately opened her bag. After locking the door she took out her things, including the photos which would still be copied and sold, and put them away, ready for reproduction. The last two photos were that of Ruka bandaging her hand, and the other was of him kissing it. She managed to actually take the pictures without him noticing.
That baka is sometimes as clueless as Mikan. But I guess I'll spare him this time. Besides, I'm in these, too. And the fans as well as the animals won't have that. She thought with a smirk and hid the photos in a very secret compartment of her bedside drawer.
These two in particular would've made millions, but these were more important to her than what they're worth. These would be placed in a scrapbook she would probably make in time, just for her and her bunny boy. Hotaru shook the thoughts away and began to construct a new invention; since she would be forced to hop on one foot for almost a month, she might as well make it easier. The sound of tools filled the air of the room, and hours later, the inventor lay with a satisfied expression, and fell asleep while keeping her eyes on the drawer that contained a few of the many memories she and that clueless bunny boy share.
And so ends my first ever (uploaded) fanfic. Comments? Suggestions? Read and Review, please. If given a chance, I'd like to add another chapter after this one. Sounds good?