"-THE SCARF-"

By Sinshana

It was the Alice Academy's Winter Festival and there was a great celebration at Central Town. Everyone was enjoying it with a particular person and everyone was having fun, playing games, and admiring beauty. There were a great number of people, but there were no squatting areas. Everyone was happy, welcoming another companion. After all, the best thing about a celebration like this was the company.

But there was one particular person in the crowd who had no particular company. She was alone, looking up to admire the fireworks. She looked up with narrowed, shining hazel eyes.

She was alone, without her beloved Natsume Hyuuga, whom she was thinking about just then. Although she was not even 12 years old, she was quite sure of her feelings. She knew she must like him; or even love him, but was he really the one? She had already made the decision that he was, but as she pondered about it, she grew more unsure by the minute.

All of a sudden, an intensely cold wind blew, therefore the brunette grabbed at her upper arms with her hands covered with thin mittens. It was getting colder, and she hadn't covered up enough. She just stood there, shivering, and frozen, but not because of the cold. No one minded her; they were having too much fun. Her female friends were in Central Town, but not in the certain area their brunette friend was standing upon.

"All alone," she decided as she looked up at the sky again, still gripping her own shoulders.

But what she didn't know was that a pair of no, not ruby eyes, but silver blue ones, watched her intently, sad because he knew she was cold, but yet, he couldn't do anything about it. He was wondering where his friend was and what he could be doing. It crossed his mind that his fire-casting friend had not come, and would not be able to help her for he did not even have any knowledge of her well being.

He turned his eyes back to the brunette haired girl, alone and cold. He tried to resist the urge to go over to her and hug her. After all, he had made the decision that she loved Natsume, and he decided to give way and let him have her. And if he showed care now, that would be another step farther for Natsume. He turned back to the scene from his view, crouched behind a bush. His eyes scrunched by the minute, for he was getting more and more uncomfortable. Another thought crossed his mind, giving him another reason for his feelings.

"What am I doing here?" he thought. "I'm her friend. I should help her." And with that, he took a deep breath and emerged from the bushes. "I'm not a lover. Just a friend." He kept repeating this over and over as he walked o her direction. The brunette girl had soon seen him, hence a friendly, cheerful smile spread across her face.

"R-Ruka-pyon!" cold smoke came from her mouth as she exclaimed. She removed the hands from her shoulders to reach out to him, but then she pulled them back in a hurry, and her teeth chattered. Ruka looked at her guiltily, two meters away from her. He looked at the ground, and then he approached her, whilst untying and pulling the scarf from his neck as he went.

"Although I know Natsume is the only one for her, I can at least keep her warm when she's alone here without him," Ruka thought as he wrapped his scarf round her neck. He was standing at her side, and Mikan looked at him in surprise.

"Ruka…-pyon?"

Ruka gave Mikan a solemn smile, his silver blue eyes showing dully. Mikan looked at him with warm blood rising to her cheeks as he pulled away.

"W-wait!" she stammered, unable to keep herself steady. But as she plunged forward, she began to fall. Ruka looked wonderingly behind him, and when he saw Mikan about to subside, he ran and sled his knee on the ground to catch her. Her eyes opened wearily, and she looked at Ruka's worried face. Her eyes were still narrow as She gave a tiny smile and neared her face to his.

"I'm not so unsure of my feelings anymore."

And that's when it happened. She closed her face within his and kissed his lips. He was a bit surprised and his eyes widened as she did this, but soon his eyes were slowly closing and he returned it too. Two of them, kneeling and kissing in the cold, dim light. But that's not quite the end of the story.

What the both of them didn't know was that the well-known fire-caster was sitting on a tree branch above the bush Ruka had been hiding behind. He knew what Ruka had thought, and what he and Mikan both did. A smile was on his face. The reason? He was out of the darkness, but he didn't really love Mikan.

He wanted his friend a boost, and now everything was complete. He sat there contentedly; happy at the result and thinking that everything would be fine for he had seen everything that happened. But what he didn't know that someone was watching him.

"Don't think that you know everything," came a bleak voice. Natsume whirled around. "Imai?"

Hotaru jumped from the higher branch she was standing on and seated herself on Natsume's to watch the panorama. "I saw everything. Including you," she said. Natsume looked back down again. A few minutes later, Hotaru broke the ice.

"Appears akin to our associates ended up together."

"Yeah."

Hotaru looked at Natsume. She inched closer to him and spoke. "Since our associates ended up together, why not we?"

"What?!"

"Kiss me."

"WHAT?!"

Despite Natsume's gasp, Hotaru closed her eyes and pursed her lips. Natsume gulped, but soon followed suit. Then at that moment, there came a click and a flash.

"Imai!!!" Natsume yelled when he realized what had happened. Hotaru held up a picture of Natsume closing his eyes and pursing his lips. The picture would be a rage.

"I'm going to make dozens of facsimiles of this," remarked Hotaru bleakly. Natsume began to chase her all over the tree.

Meanwhile, Mikan and Ruka had just finished the kiss and were staring at each other.

"Oh your knee's hurt!" said Mikan suddenly.

"Oh, it's nothing," he assured her, but then he gave out a great groan that revealed his pain.

"It's bleeding!" Mikan said. "What should I do?!"

"Do you know what would really make it better?" Ruka challenged weakly.

"Another kiss?" Mikan guessed.

"No, but—,"

Before Ruka could finish his sentence, Mikan closed in him with another kiss and at that exact moment, the most beautiful fireworks of the celebration, which were saved last for the occasion, erupted. Some second kisses were better than the first one. and you know what? It did make him feel better!

THE END

Mikan took off the scarf and wrapped it around Ruka's injured knee.

"And to think it was all because of this scarf." They both smiled as Mikan helped Ruka limp to the clinic.

FIN