Author's Note: I must start off with saying though that I must thank all of those who are reading this story. It makes me so happy that you have no idea. Lol Finally, Hotaru's second egg makes her grand debut.
Rating: T
Summary: Like any popular boy, Ikuto has many girls that chase him on a daily basis besides his sister, so there's only one way, in Ikuto's mind, to stop them. Have a fake girlfriend of course!
Dedication: Toricahill1978
Chapter 12: The Graceful Trapeze Artist
After having settled things with her brother, Hotaru had returned home, both glad to be able to speak to each other once more, though, Hotaru was a bit troubled. Though her sibling had apologized for his actions, there were parts where she was iffy, as if he was keeping certain things from her. Hotaru wanted to question him, but deciding to wait since they were a family again, and at the moment that was all she could ask for.
"I'll see you later Onii-chan!"
Hotaru had a feeling that today was going to be a good day, her 2nd egg bouncing against her chest as she jogged to school, Kia close behind.
Who knew that one could be so right, and yet so wrong?
Hotaru was currently sitting at her usual lunch spot, Ikuto running a little late. As she began to swing her legs back and forth, Hotaru noticed two pairs of feet in front of her. She looks up, her eyes landing on two familiar boys, smiles on each of their faces.
"Hey there Hotaru-chan! Waiting for Ikuto?"
Hotaru only manages to nod her head, unsure of what was going on.
"I thought so. Ikuto did get in trouble with the teacher again today for falling asleep in class."
"Yeah, he's seemed tired lately a bit."
Hotaru tilts her head in interest, trying to remember where she had seen these two.
"I…don't mean to be rude, but who are you?"
Both of them wave off her question.
"Don't worry, we're friends of Ikuto. We decided to come by and keep you company when we noticed a group of girls glaring at you. Wouldn't want them to jump you while you're vulnerable."
As the leader of the two spoke, he nodded his head to Hotaru's legs, a few rolls of bandages still intact.
"O-Oh…I see. Well, um, thank you."
She smiles brightly at this, glad to know that Ikuto had nice friends. She notices no response from the male duo and inspects them, both seeming to be cut off by something.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Don't mind them, they're just jealous."
Hotaru turns her head at the familiar voice, the tone alone causing her heart to beat fast. Her smile turns warm, both boys noticing the change in her aura.
"Ikuto-kun."
Ikuto would usually return her warm greeting but at the moment he was too preoccupied with his friend's presence.
"You two are free to leave."
One of his friends pouts playfully, feigning hurt.
"Ikuto, you're so cruel. Keeping Hotaru-chan all to yourself. Some of us would like to see her cute smile too."
Ikuto is only quiet before burying the girl in his chest, his head resting on her own.
"Well, I'm a cruel person."
His friend's only laugh at his answer before rushing off, the two knowing that Ikuto would be in a sour mood if they lingered. Hotaru was frozen stiff at the embrace, her face a deep red, never having been held like this before.
"I-Ikuto-K-kun…"
Ikuto looks down before gently releasing her and proceeding to sit down on the bench. Hotaru follows suit after awhile, her hands holding out his bento.
"Here you go."
Ikuto only smiles as he takes it from her, a bit glad at the peace and quiet.
Hotaru had just changed into her gym clothes which consisted of short shorts and the typical school long sleeved shirt, the shirt a black color, the shorts the same light blue on their uniforms. Hotaru had braided her hair for class today, having been told that it was best if hair was out of their face. All students aligned as the gym teacher appeared, their voice booming around them.
"Alright, today we start in gymnastics a bit, so I decided to start with the balance beam."
Hotaru flinched slightly, her fear beginning to set in.
'Oh no…not that….'
She gulped audibly, her body trembling a bit.
"So, any takers? Miss. Nikaidou?"
Hotaru's head shot up, her eyebrows furrowed in nervousness.
"Oh, I don't know if I-"
"C'mon, you're up."
Hotaru continued to tremble in her spot, unsure of what to do, knowing that if she didn't do anything, then she would be in trouble.
"Oh, it's Ikuto-kun! They're playing soccer!"
Everyone then turned their attention to the other group outside. Ikuto had just scored a goal when the coach blows his whistle. Their gym teacher calls them over, a signal that the game was either over or on hold.
"Alright, take a 10 minute break. Miss. Sanada's class is starting gymnastics this month, so you're free to join during your break if you want."
Miss. Sanada shook her head at the other teacher's words, her annoyance clear as day.
"Thanks for asking Shinji."
Sanada looks around, holding her finger up for a moment as she walked over to the other teacher, wanting to chat with him for a bit. Some of the guys in the other class began to head over, most going over to chat with the females in Hotaru's line. Co-ed was rare in gym, so the girls were currently chatting about how cute the guys were. Ikuto, having spotted familiar lavender hair, had walked over. Hotaru's mind was currently lingering on how good Ikuto looked in his white long-sleeved shirt and black shorts when he reached her side.
"Hotaru…"
Hotaru smiles as a small blush adorns her cheeks.
"H-hi Ikuto-kun."
Ikuto's eyes unknowingly rove over Hotaru's frame, her legs catching his interest easily.
"Alright, girls, get ready."
All turn to Sanda as she blows her whistle, her hand signaling to Hotaru.
"You're up Nikaidou."
Hotaru was beginning to tremble once more, a few drops of sweat beginning to drape her brow. Ikuto seems to notice the girl's hesitation.
"Hotaru, are you alright?"
If it weren't for his cat like hearing, he wouldn't have noticed Hotaru's whispers.
"I'm so clumsy…I'm going to fall…I'm going to fall…I'm not graceful at all…."
"C'mon Hotaru!"
Hotaru nods her head slowly as she heads over to the balance beam, her footsteps slow.
'What am I going to do? I'm going to fall and….everyone is going to laugh…and Ikuto is watching to top it all off. Oh no….'
[Then Change that. Change from a girl who is clumsy to one who is graceful.]
As the foreign voice speaks, small intricate designs appear on the upper part of Hotaru's legs and around the top of her left arm. Ikuto's eyes zero in on the changes, his mind generally understanding what was happening. At the change, Hotaru's strides become confident, a smile intact as she stands up on the balance beam.
"Alright Coach, what do you want me to do?"
Sanada shrugs before returning her attention to her clipboard.
"Do what you can, on my mark."
Hotaru nods, the coach blowing her whistle in response. Hotaru's feet take off, each step down the center of the beam as she raises her hands, the coach's whistle dropping from her mouth as Hotaru proceeds to do a upside down split on the beam, her arms holding her up as she then easily slides into a back flip, her feet pushing her off backwards off of the beam. Ikuto steps forward as the coach does, fear evident in their eyes.
"Hotaru!"
"Nikaidou!"
But Hotaru's arms only pull in as her body straightens out, her limbs close together as her whole body twists in the air, her feet landing softly on the ground, knees bent before straightening up, arms raised, a shocked and frightened look on her face. All is quiet before all of the students begin to clap, yells of excitement coming from various directions.
'What did I just do…?'
After a minute of shock, the coach's head turns as she watches Hotaru rush back to her spot next to Ikuto before grinning madly.
"Great job Nikaidou! Glad to see some confidence coming from you finally."
Hotaru smiles nervously at the teacher as she reaches Ikuto's side, Sanada calling up another student. Hotaru's hand grips onto Ikuto's sleeve, her eyes staring off.
"You alright?"
Hotaru nods her head.
"You Character Changed, didn't you?"
Hotaru nods her head once more, a bit unsure before but was now sure of what occurred.
"Hotaru-chan!"
Both turn their head to the new figure floating next to Kia, the small Chara smiling widely.
"Hi, I'm Lily! It's nice to finally meet you Hotaru!"
The little Chara was currently adorning tights of some sort, the one piece tying around her neck, a small skirt going to her knees, a slit right down the front. In Lily's hair were two red lilies, the flowers pulling her locks back. Two bracers covered her wrists, the same designs that were on Hotaru were on her as well, and on her feet were two acrobat flats.
'An…Acrobat?'
"It's…nice to meet you too."
Lily suddenly moves forward, excitement in the Chara's eyes.
"Oh, you were wonderful earlier! You landed that layout perfectly! Thank goodness you're limber from having done ballet or that would've been more difficult."
At this new bit of knowledge, Ikuto raises an eyebrow, secretly happy to be learning something knew about the girl that sometimes plagued his thoughts.
"Ballet?"
Hotaru turns to him before fiddling with the end of her braid, a slight hue on her cheeks.
"Yes, well…My parents are kind of important, so it was expected of me to be talented in several areas. I can also play the flute, crochet, figure skate and tea ceremony, though I've never been graceful enough to perform the ceremony for anyone.
Ikuto stares at the shy girl, never having thought of that before.
"I see…and the others you are?"
Hotaru nods her head, a smile beginning to grace her lips.
"Yes…I enjoyed them so much that excelling just happened naturally. I had fun and my parents were pleased, it was a win-win situation."
Both Chara beginning talking, Kia helping the acrobat catch up.
"Iku-chan~!"
Ikuto lifts his head as a yawning Yoru floats over, his cat eyes easily spotting the new Chara. Lily notices him and floats over gracefully, her arms wrapping around Yoru's.
"You're so cute!"
Hotaru could only laugh as Yoru's face turned beet red, Ikuto's chuckles following after.
Hotaru's ballet lesson had just let out, Lily having insisted on following which turned into a fiasco of her walking along some of the railings and doing flowing flips and splits. Luckily for her, both Chara were resting in their eggs, both of which were pinned to Hotaru's hip. The sky had darkened considerably, Hotaru having stayed behind for some more practice, always determined to perfect her forms for she had a show coming up and her parents were to attend.
"Oh, my goodness, that was a close one."
"Yeah, if it hadn't been for that boy, we could've gotten hurt."
Hotaru's head perked up as two women passed her, the fear and worry in their eyes evident.
"I hope he's okay. I think a few of them had knives."
Hotaru's gut was turning at this tidbit of news, her mind already imaging who the boy might be. She shakes her head, her hand lightly slapping her face.
'Don't overreact…I'm sure it wasn't even him…'
She continues ahead, her bag clutched tightly to keep her mind from wandering when she notices an alleyway, her head turning unconsciously to inspect the dark area. Hotaru freezes in place, her eyes distant in paralysis from the sight before her. Ikuto was sitting on the ground, his back leaning against one of the buildings, several cuts and bruises on his body.
"Ikuto!"
Hotaru rushes over, her need to know that Ikuto was alright overriding her logical thoughts. She quickly kneels by him, Yoru licking one of the cuts on his arm.
"A-Are you alright? What happened?"
"You're too loud..."
Hotaru ignores his response, her hand quickly reaching into her bag to pull out a small handkerchief and some antiseptic. She quickly sprays it onto one of the corners before returning her attention to Ikuto, his amethyst eyes watching her every move. It's when her hand begins to tremble as she presses the cloth against the cut on his face that the guilt begins to settle in. Eyes sparkling with unshed tears, eyebrows scrutinized in worry, Hotaru leans her forehead onto Ikuto's shoulder, her free hand gripping his shirt tightly.
"Ouch…ouch!"
Hotaru looks up, her body pulling away instinctively, eyes wide.
"Oh, I'm sorry! Where does it hurt?"
Always quick to move, Ikuto had grabbed one of Hotaru's wrists, his face only a few inches from her own, his tongue out to taunt her.
"Just kidding."
A frown of embarrassment appears as she pushes Ikuto back reflexively, her hands hitting his chest lightly.
"You jerk! I'm worried and you decide to tease me?!"
"Ow…that really does hurt…"
Hotaru stops at hearing his words, her attention returning only to see Ikuto's body fall forward, his head landing in her lap.
"Ah….I'm dead."
Hotaru is unable to move, a dark red tint covering her whole face, her hands still raised in mid-punch. She doesn't move for what seems like hours before relaxing her body, her heartbeat erratic.
'He looks so cute like this…he really is like a cat…'
One of Hotaru's hands begins to play with Ikuto's blue locks, her fingers unintentionally grazing his ear every now and then.
"Hey…watch my ears."
Hotaru blinks confusedly.
"Ears?"
He nods his head, his hair tickling Hotaru's legs as one of his hands points to the ear that Hotaru's hand was close to.
"Yes, they're sensitive….like yours. My one weak spot."
At his words, Hotaru remembers how Ikuto would usually smirk at her reaction after whispering in her ear. Hotaru's hands shoot to her face, her mind willing to push the blush down.
"I-I-I'm s-sorry. I-I didn't mean to!!"
She quickly sits up, forgetting for that one moment that Ikuto had been using her for support, his head hitting the pavement with a thud. Hotaru gasps, kneeling back down to inspect his head.
"Ah! I'm sorry! Are you okay?"
Ikuto is quiet as he stands up, his hands brushing his jacket as Hotaru follows suit.
'Oh…is he angry?'
"Iku-"
Hotaru is quickly silenced as Ikuto traps her to a wall, his arms blocking her escape, his gaze intense. He leans forward slowly, Hotaru's eyes beginning to close, her lips beginning to pucker. Her eyes close, waiting for his lips when she suddenly feels a soft bite on her ear, her face flushing immediately.
"I-Ikuto!!!"
Her hand covers her ear as Ikuto smirks that teasing smirk of his, a playful glint in his eyes.
"I see that they're your weak spot too."
She frowns, completely embarrassed at being caught off guard, and feeling slightly guilty in enjoying what he had done to her.
"Let's go home."
Hotaru looks up shocked, a bit confused before realizing what he had said. Ikuto turns his eyes to her, a stoic look on his face once more.
"You're house is this way, right?"
Hotaru nods her head after a few seconds, her feet quick to catch up with him.
Note: I didn't want to make this chapter too long, so the amusement park scene will be in the next chap. Thinking about it now, I think it'll fit in there better anyways. Lol Until the next chap!
