Special Act 2: Hotaru and Ruka

Hotaru yawned. She doesn't feel like doing anything because of the cold. She curled into a ball on her bed while she hugged her life-sized panda stuffed toy. She wanted to do something about her laziness but she just couldn't so she decided to close her eyes. After a few minutes there was a soft knock on her wooden oak door. "Your friend is here Hotaru," It was her mother.

"Tell her to go away." Hotaru covered her ears. She assumed that Mikan would just bug her.

"She's a he," her mother laughed.

"Tell him I don't know him," Hotaru was getting annoyed. "So it wasn't Mikan. How dare he disturb me!" She thought.

"Sorry Ruka-kun," she heard her mother say.

Hotaru sat up straight and hurriedly opened the door. When she did, she saw Ruka wrapped in a towel, of course with his clothes on. He was talking to Hotaru's mother about being a bother. "What are you doing here?" Hotaru asked suspiciously.

"You see, I got stranded at the car because of the snowstorm…" Ruka blushed. "If it's alright, I asked if I could stay here,"

"Of course Ruka-kun," Mrs. Imai smiled. "Let me go get the maid prepare your bath."

"Thank you." Ruka bowed his head. He shivered when he felt Hotaru's icy stare.

"What are you doing here?" Hotaru repeated.

"I got—"

"Why were you there in the first place?" She intercepted.

Ruka smiled sadly. "I met up with Mikan-chan. She cancelled the arrange marriage."

Hotaru raised a brow. "She did that?"

"Apparently yes,"

Hotaru thought for a moment then she went outside of her room. "I'm bored. Entertain me since you're a guest."

"Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?" Ruka sweat dropped.

"I didn't even invite you here," Hotaru said without any emotions. Ruka couldn't tell whether she was joking or not.

"If you were thinking that I am joking, then I am not." Hotaru crossed her arms.

"What should I do?" Ruka asked with full submission.

"Follow me," Hotaru walked towards her laboratory which was located at the uppermost floor which was the third floor.

Ruka looked at his surrounding with awe. He was impressed with Hotaru and her Alice. Her inventions like the robots, weird machines that looked like chairs, wardrobes and such, and other machines that he couldn't understand were everywhere.

"Do you know how the human brain can be easily manipulated?" Hotaru asked. She was standing beside a chair that looked like an electric chair. Ruka gulped and shook his head. "Let me show you," she said, motioning him to sit at the chair. At first he hesitated but then he gave up and sat down. Hotaru covered Ruka's head with a bunny helmet which reached until his eyes. That was when he heard noises.

"What is this Imai-san?" Ruka tried to remain calm.

"It's a prototype that will project yourself into another dimension which will be created depending on how you feel. When you feel a bliss you will be projected into a place that gives you that feeling and it will be as if you are really there." Hotaru explained. "If you didn't comprehend that then you're a bigger idiot than I thought."

Ruka sighed. He got the feeling that Hotaru was cheering him up. He felt somewhat glad for her efforts.

"Well what did you see?" Hotaru asked despite the fact that she could see and record everything.

"I see trees and a meadow," Ruka's face flushed. He didn't mention that animals such as rabbits, bears, deers and other forest animals were around him and that he was looking like a dumb kid with sparkling eyes and a stupid grin. The animals were flocking around him and he tended to them one by one.

"Liar," Hotaru smirked as she recorded everything. "What else?"

"Nothing more, maybe the sun and clouds…"

"It means you're happy? Even though you and Mikan broke up."

"There was never an 'us' anyway." The skies in his mind darkened.

"Well, Mikan did cherish you and as I always told her we're still middle school students who are forced to mature because of our status in life."

Ruka smiled and the dark skies faded away. "This is great Imai-san. I could really feel that I'm walking and it's as if I could feel the… um… breeze and smell the flowers on the meadow."

"More like feel the animals that you're touching and ogling about," Hotaru muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing," Hotaru shrugged.

"Ruka-kun, the bath is ready." It was Hotaru's mother.

"Coming," Ruka replied. Hotaru shut the device off and took the helmet away from Ruka's head. After that he smiled and gave her his gratitude. She just looked away and smiled a bit.