Chapter 2: A Hint of Kindness
Hotaru surveyed the place with a studious glance, but her eyes roamed no farther than the back of Ruka, as if pulling away the temptation to see him make use of his Alice.
She decided to let this chance slip to show her gratitude. Ruka has forced himself to bring her in the barn despite the fact that she's proven to be his worst…uh…nightmare.
Besides, how could she snap a picture?
He's draining almost all of his energy just to resist the eyes that make him want to overuse his Alice.
The barn was just as simple as to why it was built for. Fodders are heaped neatly in its dispenser while some were laid on the wooden feedboxes and bits sprawled everywhere on the floor.
Hotaru sat on an empty milk box and leaned back against the door post. She breathed in the distinctive whiffs of the rain and the animals. It was perfect.
Albeit the blended noises of the animals drifting around the place, Hotaru found it peaceful.
She watched from her position how the animals gathered around Ruka the moment he approached them. It was only a matter of seconds when she saw nothing but his blond head poking out of the top.
The animals in the barn were composed of cows in all sorts of colors, sheep with slight wools and gallant horses. Hotaru reckoned that the chickens stay beyond the door at the end, which Ruka already visited.
He certainly has that scent animals look forward to and his friendliness was pure without malice. His love for them seemed to spring from a child's heart that naturally loved such things.
It's no wonder that he's his true self when he's around them.
She's about to turn her eyes away from the gathering when the gaze of the animals met her violet eyes. They looked solemnly at her as if to say, 'We're going to eat you.'
Hotaru broke the eye-contact instantly and reprimanded herself to not imagine stupid things.
She found herself looking at the dewed window that looked out onto the barnyard. She observed the rain and thought it vague to cease any minute.
She continued to watch the depressing downpour of the rain and remembered how disappointed she was with her elder brother.
Pulling her legs to her bosom, she did not tear her eyes from the window and was lost in a trance.
Persuading him to reconcile with their parents was harder than she thought. When she invited him to sit along with them in the forthcoming competition, he was indignant.
'I'd rather sit in a cheap slot than be with them.'
That did it.
And Hotaru did not leave without a retort.
Unkind words were exchanged.
…
It was only a split second when Ruka broke the spell with a bantering tone.
"It's odd of you to not abuse this opportunity." He laughed softly, snuggling a calf.
Hotaru saw that Ruka had an amused glitter in his eyes when he looked at her, but she pretended to be serious.
"Don't be stupid," she spoke indistinctly, "As soon as you lose control of your overwhelming Alice, I won't hesitate for a shutter chance."
She gently dropped her feet on the ground and revealed her newly invented camera.
Ruka just smiled as he sensed the palpable Hotaru. She was all gesture.
"Whatever," he said while sitting on the hay-embellished ground beside her.
The animals fixed their eyes on them, wondering who the black furred friend Ruka brought with him was.
They wanted him to have fun with them, but they all know that their friend and master mustn't play when another human is around. They thought of selfish things as they returned to whatever they're going about.
Hotaru lifted her eyes away from Ruka and watched as the animals revert to their usual doings.
"They hate me don't they?" she asked, not that she really cared.
"Not really," said Ruka, his eyes transfixed on his friends. "They just thought you were…" he paused, finding the right term to translate what the animals were telling him.
After a second or two, Ruka started snorting. It only took a couple of seconds when the snorting turned into hideous guffaws and only a matter of whatnot to make Hotaru resent it.
The chortling lasted for about half a minute when she stood up and shot Ruka a dangerous glance.
"Are you finished with them?" She asked with a tone that made Ruka shrug.
"Man," said Ruka, "Mikan's right. You sure have a short temper." He added and Hotaru thought she saw him blush by the mention of her best friend's name. "Anyway, there's no point in rushing. Let's wait till the rain holds back a bit."
She turned her eyes away, for the animals already looked murderous. She laid them on the window again, starting to regret that she ever came to that place.
It looked as if the weather was on Ruka's side, for it pissed her off when she realized that his umbrella would not endure the wind that accompanied it.
'Great,' she thought, 'I'm stuck with the shepherd and his flocks.'
Ruka saw the glint in her eyes and identified it as annoyance. He sighed and decided to keep quiet to cool her down.
Once again, nothing but the mixed din of the animals and the rain hung in the air.
Ruka glanced at Hotaru whenever he thought she wouldn't notice. It was to check if she was still annoyed.
He was actually worried of what might happen to him after she gets through with this gratitude stuff.
Many things could happen, it was true.
Especially when you stirred Hotaru's temper.
Ruka's sidelong glances took in Hotaru's shoulder-length silk black hair, slender body, rosy cheeks and cold but brilliant violet eyes.
If she would just flicker a smile at the corner of her mouth, Ruka would have marveled at her breath-taking loveliness which sprouted as the years passed by.
This time it was he who was in a stupor.
She was not the only one who grew up to look wonderful. Everybody had their growth spurts too, but the second one he particularly cared to notice, (for his was the first, of course) was the complete transformation of the girl he's loved ever since elementary.
Mikan Sakura.
…
"Have you told Mikan yet?"
And this time, it was Hotaru who broke the enchantment.
He looked at her and turned away quickly, flushing fiercely as he pondered if he voiced out his thoughts of her best friend.
Ruka passed his hand over his blond hair, groping for words.
"T-told her what?" he mumbled, trying to fight the obvious reddening of his cheeks.
Hotaru noticed the tinge of pink-rose in his face and was pleased. She had never in her life seen another pathetic pinched face other than his, and it thrilled her to use this subject sometime in the future.
It would teach those animals who they're messing with, and it shall be forged in their minds that Hotaru Imai definitely does not belong to the kind breed.
"You know exactly what." Hotaru sat on her box again, rejoicing the runabout of the events.
Ruka gave Hotaru yet another momentary look for his orbs shifted at the ground when her eyes met them.
There was a moment of silence, with uneasiness clinging to it.
Hotaru was about to transfer her piercing gaze to the animals when Ruka spoke suddenly.
"Fate just doesn't give us enough time to talk." Ruka smiled again and it somehow composed himself. "Besides, I'm too much an idiot to tell her." He ran his fingers to brush his lengthy bangs, reminding himself to have a haircut soon.
Hotaru noticed his biting of words and thought she was probably doing the same when she was quarreling with her brother.
She took cards from her pocket and studied them. She was lucky enough to acquire these.
They were expensive passes to a private slot and not everyone gets a chance to watch from there, mainly because the private slots are always sold out due to the visitors of the academy.
She sighed as she noticed that they were already wet, though only one was dented. These tickets took her time, effort and money and all of those would be put into waste if she will just throw these away.
Keeping the destroyed one, she waved the two tickets in front of Ruka.
"Hey," she called; her word came out as if broken.
Ruka stared at her with unbelief in his face. He recognized those cards right away.
He heard Hotaru speak once more: "I'm going to give these to that idiot. If she invites you, don't be stupid and accept it." And she kept those tickets in her other pocket.
Ruka doubted he had heard right.
Was she making fun of him as a comeback? Those tickets are expensive. Why is she giving those to them? Not that he's complaining but…
He looked at Hotaru with questioning eyes, half-hoping that she would stick out her tongue and tell him he was a moron to believe her immediately. But another half of a minute passed without her doing anything to humiliate him.
Something is absolutely wrong.
"Why?" Ruka untied his tongue.
"You'll end up having a date with him if I give you the tickets." She continued, indicating Ruka's best friend who is none other than Natsume Hyuuga.
Ruka felt that he just swallowed something that stayed in his throat. He reddened all of a sudden, thinking what the class would say if he offers Mikan a seat in a private box.
Not mentioning the flare that would, for sure, appear in his best friend's eyes the moment Ruka offers the tickets to the girl they both love.
"But what about Natsume?" Ruka asked, feeling strewn like the hay on the floor.
Hotaru understood.
This is such a dilemma.
"I'm sure," Hotaru started, "that the idiot would give you the other ticket."
There was another pause.
Ruka thought that even if she gives his best friend the other ticket, Natsume would just snub it.
It was too kind for Ruka's liking. Hotaru wouldn't just buy those tickets to help him get through this problem. Nothing just made sense.
He was still hoping that she would stick out her tongue, but most of him wanted to believe it's true. She did have that sincere look on her face…
"T-thank you," Ruka stammered, forcing himself to look at her.
Hotaru replied with a nod.
"Make sure you tell her."
She knew that Ruka finds the unexpected mood shift as suspicious, but not even Mikan would know if ever she asked her that.
Ponpokopi no Bebenben!
Am I cutting the chapters fine? Anyway, I better prepare the notes. Fufufufu!
(1) What? How can Hotaru's parents enter the academy? We all know that parents aren't allowed inside. Explain explain explain! Anou-sa, you have to wait for the following chapters to know how this was possible because even I myself don't know the reason why Hotaru-sama's parents can visit her there. Ahahaha...
(2) It seems OOC of Hotaru-sama to want her parents' presence in the contest she's joining, but that's not what she really wanted to happen anyway. She just wanted her parents to get along with her elder brother (WHAT IS HIS DARN NAME AGAIN?) before he completely leaves the academy. Uh...you'll understand why in the following chapters.
Stay tuned! I'm going to do my best to persuade you all to like the RukaxHotaru pairing...Mwahahahahaha! coughs, coughs Man, I'm not cut out for this...