And here we have the second instalment to this series. This was rather rushed, but I generally liked how it turned out overall though. ::shrug:: Writing about Ruka in slight pain is strangely... satisfying. As long as he comes out alright in the end that is =D It just gives me another reason to write protective!Natsume. And that fills my heart with joy ^-^

Pollux: You have just summed up my feelings for the entire manga. I was starting to believe that I was the only one with that train of thought ::bows:: Thanks for your comment!

And to everyone who added this story to their favourites and alerts, it all means a lot to me too!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

IOIOIOIOI

As his body, all nine years or so of him, broke the relative calm of the pool's surface that he found himself hurtling head first into, Ruka instinctively remembered the icy shock that shot down his spine at the initial wetness. The body of water took on the distinct feel of a blanket, smothering him through thick, frozen fingers that stretched tautly across his slight torso, thus rendering him breathless as whatever air left in his lungs, not unlike the after effects of a severe blow to the gut, rapidly dispelled from his body; ultimately winding him.

Impulsively, he inhaled. Unfortunately, although the need for the action was thoroughly justified, it was, without a doubt, untimely as he received nothing more than a mouthful of water in place of life giving oxygen. He choked, slipped as the water rushed over his head and pushed him under, and froze.

When he was six, he had managed, after numerous valiant attempts in doing so, to leave the watchful eye of his by-standing choice of seemingly never ending spiral of bodyguards. He had crept to the back of his house, animatedly watching the vast world around him stretch on either side of up to the very edges where the sky kissed the earth. There had been a shallow duck pond there, if his memory served.

True to its namesake, several ducks were drifting lazily across the clear surface. Ever the curious child, Ruka had taken off, waddling in knee deep water as the ducks jostled around him. He had laughed, a melody as golden as his bright locks of sunshine coloured hair that seemed to only make the ducks more persistent in their movements, lightly pressing against his knees and affectionately skimming the back of his thighs.

The water had been freezing too.

He had gotten in trouble for that escapade. If his mother's near hysterical shriek from behind was any indicator, it was safe to assume that he would probably never see the ducks again.

The more Ruka thought about it, the more he considered the events of trauma in his childhood that had often been linked with water. There was the incident where he had stumbled clear off his family's yacht, flailing helplessly in the water before his father had noticed and jumped in to effortlessly haul his younger, freezing self back onto the safety of the boat. Then there was also the moment not too long ago where he had slipped in a particularly nasty puddle after a storm. He had trudged back home, soak and caked with layers of mud. A predominantly horrible cold had followed suit.

Water, Ruka had learned long ago, was not his friend. It was this notion that had lead him to not take up swimming as a skill. He had thought that he could just spend his life skirting across the edges of any body of water that he might encounter.

Clearly, this was not the case.

He was out like a light, floating slowly to the bottom of the pool long before anyone realized the problem taking place not three feet from them, ages before another body sidled towards him, strong arms encircling his frame before a powerful kick propelled them upwards towards the surface again.

He remained blissfully unaware as Narumi tenderly laid him down on the cold cement on the side of the pool and as Inchou, ever reliable, dropped to his knees beside him, hands locked as he valiantly attempted (note: attempted) to pump the water out of his still chest under Narumi's firm instructions. He didn't realize the heartbeat of silence that followed when Hotaru lightly pushed the thin, bespectacled boy aside, amethyst eyes clearly unfazed as she placed a slim, metallic plate across his chest, nor did he feel the warmth seeping through his limbs as she activated her latest invention.

It was, preferably, for the best that he did not hear the sound of scuffling feet and barely concealed panic as Natsume bodily parted the sea of students around his friend. It was a testament to his infamy when nearly everyone simultaneously cleared a path for the crimson eyed boy, none of them opting to stand in his way. He neither felt nor heard as Natsume bent forwards on his knees, tipped his head back, squeezed his nose and then breathed for him.

The first thing that he realized as he came around was the feel of a strikingly warm forehead resting against his. He felt nails resting against his scalp and footsteps in every direction, a cacophony of sound that left him reeling from shock. Someone was holding his hand just out of his line of vision and Natsume was murmuring a soft string of words to him, "You're okay, don't worry, just keep breathing, I'm here, you're okay," the words were repeated in no particular order, a haze of warmth and breath and life that Ruka could make no sense of.

Regardless, bone weary and still disoriented, Ruka was content to lay there. The numbing pain in his chest left no room for thought or feel when he felt a characteristically larger physique slip an arm below the fold of his knees and Natsume reluctantly pulled back, the treasured heat diminishing along with his close presence. He felt himself lifted off the ground and cradled, a soft yet commanding voice in his ear repeating Natsume's mantra as he was lead away from the poolside. He attempted to look over his shoulder, to search the crowd for a glimpse of his best friend but was rewarded by a sharp spasm of pain along his neck line, allowing a strangled gasp to pass his lips before he felt the darkness sweep in again.

As he tittered at the edge of consciousness yet again though, balancing precariously in fear of pitching forwards to the abyss, he was convinced that a soft, threatening growl had nearly indefinitely reached his ears: "Who the hell pushed him in?"

Despite his condition, he felt a surging wave of pity for anyone unfortunate enough to be within a thirty feet radius of an irate Hyuuga Natsume.

IOIOIOIOI

End second chapter.

This chapter's considerably longer than the previous. It took a chunk of the night for my muse to come back to me. Again, reviews and criticisms are encouraged please! ^-^

- D.I.S