CHANGES & KISSES

Chapter 8

Ruka clutched his chest. There was no wound, but he felt as if a dagger had been plunged deep into his heart.

My bestfriend… and the girl I love…

He felt betrayed by two of the most important people in his life. He began to leave when the door opened…

"Ruka!"

He turned and saw Mikan's pale face. She must have realized that he had been there long enough to hear everything that had transpired between her and Natsume.

"Ruka?", Natsume also called out.

"Damn you both!", he angrily said and ran as fast as he could away from them.

"Ruka, wait! Ruka!", Mikan called out to him.

"Oh no!", Mikan cried despairingly. "Natsume? What are we going to do?"

"I'll talk to him.", Natsume said while trying to force himself to stand up.

"No! You're still injured!", Mikan pushed him back to the bed. "I'll talk to him."

Ruka went inside the woods in search of a secluded spot wherein he could think clearly. He sat beside a tree trunk and drew his knees up to rest his head on them.

Animals from different directions began to scatter around him. They seemed to have sensed his depression and wanted to comfort him.

A little squirrel climb unto his shoulder and rubbed its furry head on his cheek. A small smile came over Ruka's face.

"Thanks guys.", he said to them.

If he really thinks over it, Mikan and Natsume did not betray him. In the first place, he was not Mikan's boyfriend. Yeah, they seemed to date often, but it was more of a friendly date on Mikan's part. Maybe it was because he expected or wanted to believe that Mikan would finally return his feelings.

He sighed.

Natsume was always mean to Mikan, but he knew that he has a soft spot for her. He just never realized that his bestfriend was actually in love with Mikan.

Which would also be the reason for Natsume's withdrawal for the past 2 months, after he and Mikan began dating.

And despite all Mikan's rantings on Natsume saying that she hates him, she was always worried whenever Natsume was in trouble.

Yeah, he couldn't blame them both. It hurts but all is fair in love and in war.

He looked up in the sky and whispered, "So, where does that leave me?"

"To your grave if you continue to sulk like that."

He turned and saw Hotaru Imai standing by his side.

"Imai."

Hotaru sat beside him and looked at him with that blank expression of hers.

"So, you finally realized it, eh?", she asked.

"Realized what?"

"Your stupidity.", she replied.

"Huh?"

"You were blinded by your infatuation on Mikan that you missed to notice her feelings, as well as Natsume's.", she answered.

"So, you knew about it?", Ruka asked

"Yeah. I suspected as much. You just have to observe their reactions to each other and you'll know they're turning into idiots whenever they are together.", Hotaru said.

Ruka chuckled. "That's just like you, Imai. Too observant for your own good."

Then he sighed and said, "I guess I couldn't do anything about it, eh?"

"It's not the end of the world, Ruka. You'll find another girl who'll return your feelings.", she said.

"Yeah, I hope so. Imai… HEY!"

A flash suddenly blinded him.

"What the hell was that all about!", Ruka shouted.

Hotaru stood up with a picture in her hand. "Hmmm… A lonely Ruka-pyon. Surely, this would become a best-seller among your animal fans." She took a remote control from her pocket and pressed a button, suddenly her flying swan appeared. She then climbed on its back and sped off.

"IMAI! GIVE ME THAT PICTURE!", Ruka shouted as he chased Hotaru.

Don't know if it's okay to let Ruka get over his heartache that fast... but I don't want this fic to end with one person having a heartache..:-) Anyway, thanks to sakura0038,natsume addict,izuki, and nikkiru for your reviews! Next chapter would be the last! Yehey! I'm near the finish line. So, please look forward for it.

Arigatou everyone. :-)