月の雪花
Author's Note: Enjoy the story and R&R.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to or of the Rockman EXE series.
Pairing: Netto x Tohru.
Summary:
Hikari Netto copes with a friend's confession during a trip to Amerope.
"I like you."
"What?"
"Wait, no…That's not enough. I-I love you."
The words entered his ears sharply, time and silence frozen into one moment. He tried to gather his thoughts, but he was drawing a blank.
Prior to those infinitely nebulous words, the teenager had concentrated solely on enjoying his vacation. For his outstanding work in aiding the Net Police as a Net Saviour of Japan, Hikari Netto and a friend of his choice had been awarded a week's worth of paid vacation in Amerope.
The accommodations were fancy and relaxing, yet had lost their luster the second he hit the bed.
I like you. No, I love you. I like you. No, I love you. I like you. No, I love you… The same phrases repeated themselves in his head. It was an endless chatter that wound down to an unavoidable conclusion: Hikawa Tohru loved Netto.
"I wish Rockman were here. He'd know what to do," Netto murmured to himself, remembering he left his Navi with his parents the morning of his flight. "Why couldn't anyone else have come along? Why did it have to be him?"
Even though he was telling himself this, Netto could not escape the truth. He had welcomed his friend's company with open arms. Everyone else had refused his offer, stating they were too busy or too sick to travel with him. Now, he understood their true reasons for turning him down.
They had known all along. It was as simple as that. They knew that Tohru was interested. They knew and that is why they refused.
He follows me. We play, and he smiled so much when we ate together at the school fair! Why was I so stupid?
The gold ceiling of the hotel above the bed, decorated with singing angels and harpists on clouds, did little to quell his troubled mind.
So this is what people call love. Not love for a parent or love for pet, but love for another person. Is that all he sees? Me? Does he think I'm hot?
That's when Netto realized how little he actually knew.
He's a stranger. Ever since we met. I barely know anything about him for real. He's just…there, and I've accepted he'll always be there, so I've never looked deeper past the details on the surface. And in the end, I'm my stubborn self. Trying to understand something I shouldn't even care about! I should just skip over this as if it never happened! What the hell is wrong with me?
The answer was immediate, and it sent a shiver up his spine.
I lost my temper over a few words. I was afraid he was judging me. Afraid of being loved. So loud…I yelled so loud that everyone at the skating rink heard me.
He shouted into his pillow.
"Stay away from me! I'm not like that!" Netto recalled the distress in his own scream.
He pushed him. Pushed him down onto the ice. He heard Tohru yelp as his hands collided with his body, and Tohru scraped a knee when he fell. There was blood. Tohru had a sad expression. Tears. Neither said anything afterward, while other people gathered around to see what was going on.
Tohru didn't attempt to get up. No one offered to help him up either.
Eyes cut through them. Cut apart Netto's foul deed.
But the eyes that affected me most were his. Netto felt mad, weak, and traumatized all at once.
They shouldn't have had to offer. As his friend, he should have offered Tohru his help.
Instead, he abandoned him there. Ran from the shock and silence to more shock and more silence.
Was I wrong? I was scared! Isn't that reason enough?
Reason enough?
You pushed him!
Four hours ago?
Saving the world from Darkloids wasn't half the stress this was.
Everything went badly.
I don't…want to be hated…
