The fourth chapter. On my opinion, the story goes downhill from here. But feel free to read on, review, and check out my other stories.


10th Grade = 15 Years Old

"So why was I electrocuted last week?" Hotaru asked Natsume as they walked to their classroom, glad to finally be close to her best friend.

"Oh. One of your psycho stalkers threw something at me to try and keep us separated. I don't think he made a move though." Natsume replied.

"That doesn't make sense. If they're trying to keep you away, why was I thrown across the room? Shouldn't it have been you?" She stopped at in the middle of the hallway and he swore under his breath, he had forgotten that he wasn't talking to a fool like Mikan.

"Well I can avoid anyone but not even Hotaru Imai can stay away from my roguish good looks and obvious charm." He told her, eyes serious. She snorted in disbelief.

"You're as charming as a rock, you creep." She said in a monotone, putting her hand up to his forehead and pushing back the falling hair.

He continued walking until they reached the front of their classroom doorway and said, "Hey don't touch this. It's just the right amount of mess, any messier and it'll look like sex hair."

Hotaru gave a small smile and threw herself at him in an effort to destroy his hairdo. He roughly lifted her bridal-style, bouncing her and making her shriek.

"You leave your hair like that right after you shower! It dries on the way going to class." She told him, trying to free herself from his grasp and reach his hair.

"No, stop! Stop…" He said and finally let go of her. She dropped down gracefully, confused that he had stopped fighting her. Hotaru followed his gaze to the classroom's glass door where her boyfriend and her best friend laughed at a joke, almost seeming like they were the couple.

"I wish you hadn't." She told him with a frown. Natsume looked at her, mirroring the pain she felt. When he opened the door, their faces were masks void of any emotion.

"Hyuuga, have you ever thought that you loved two people at once?" She whispered, walking into the class.

"Yes."

"It just hurts a lot more, doesn't it?"

"Yes." He replied, again. She nodded, went to her seat and opened her laptop to work. As always, they didn't speak throughout the day. In front of their classmates they were Imai and Hyuuga, two acquaintances that simply dated each other's best friends.

Natsume's POV

When I returned to my room I cursed at Ruka and Mikan. Their heartlessness and stupidity. He probably thought that Hotaru was as cold hearted as before and I wished he would look inside and see her real feelings so that he can understand her like I do. My god, and Mikan. She's still such a baka, I bet she didn't know that Hotaru and I were getting hurt. My hand moved at its own accord, pen on paper. I slowly wrote what I felt. Beautiful Hotaru, hiding in her lab. Her safe place with a press of a button. I jumped from my 5th floor balcony to my childhood friend's 4th floor one. Checking that he wasn't there, I walked to his bed and put the note down. I left it unsigned.

Normal POV

Hotaru, having returned to her room, walked into her lab. While working on an invention, a figure entered through the secret door and sat to her side, waiting patiently for her to finish. Without the scrutinizing eyes of her peers, she smiled at him genuinely.

"Always a silent black cat, Natsu." She spoke, softly.

"And you're..well..not a bright sunflower but maybe after I take you out, you will be" He replied.

"Oh really? What if I don't want you to?" She countered, still concentrated on her robot video fly. He was quiet and when she looked up, he had stood up. Before she could make a move to run away, he grabbed her by the hip and threw her over his shoulder. Despite her begging, Natsume refused to put her down until they reached the bus to town.


To make him suffer and feel completely uncomfortable, Hotaru dragged him to a lingerie store and asked an opinion for every corset, thong, and see-through nightgown before even thinking of trying it on. An hour later, Hotaru freed him from the embarrassment and agreed to dinner, happy with her purchases. Despite her cold and minimalistic personality, Hotaru always chose the lacy bra's and even kept a few thongs and corsets in her closet.
They walked to their favorite restaurant, an Italian bistro that had every flavor of gelato imaginable. They nodded at the waiter, walked to their table and waited for the meals that they ordered every time. The two caught the last bus back to the academy, Hotaru still finishing her mint chocolate gelato cup.

They walked up in silence to the special star quarters, enjoying each other's presence. When Hotaru unlocked her door, she turned back and gave her best friend a hug.

"Thank you for today. Don't think too much about my underwear, Natsu. You won't be seeing that silk thong anytime soon." She winked. When the door closed behind her, Hotaru grinned to herself and walked to her lab. She was feeling incredibly energetic and decided that it be put to use. She would finish her video fly by tomorrow.

When the door closed behind her, Natsume grinned to himself before realizing that his room was right beside hers. No, he would not be thinking about the underwear. He scowled and shook the unholy thoughts of the red lace and leather from his head, he couldn't think of that when only a wall separated them. When his head was straight, he walked to his bed. On it was his poem, with a note attached

I think you forgot this in my room – Ruka

He looked at the poem and went to slip it under Hotaru's room.

The Next Day

When he opened her door, Natsume found Hotaru still asleep on her bed. On her stomach, mouth open, arms and legs splayed out. But despite this, he still thought she looked pretty damn cute, especially since she held his poem in her right hand.

"Oi! Taru! Wake up from your wet dream, we're late for class." He threw a pillow at her, then went to her kitchen to make coffee. "And don't go back to sleep, Taru."

She groaned and gave him the finger but ten minutes later, they were walking to class alongside their best friends.

Like in 5th grade, Mikan was unfortunate enough to accidentally show her underwear to her boyfriend. In the background Ruka and Hotaru were stifling laughter at Mikan's crying face, walking hand-in-hand.

"Still wearing prints, Polka? Or should I say rabbits? You should really dress more like Hotaru," Natsume said and turned to speak to Hotaru. "Why don't you drag her to an underwear store instead? Introduce her to one of your little g-strings."

"Wh-what?" Mikan managed to stutter out. Ruka who had gone stiff and stopped walking, looked at his besfriend, cheeks red and eyes a mix of confusion and anger. Hotaru just rolled her eyes, removed her hand from Ruka's suddenly painfully strong grip and explained,

"I was asleep on my desk when Natsume came to pick me up, he prepared my clothes so that I wouldn't be late. It seems that he looked through my underwear drawer a little too long." Then she continued to walk alongside Natsume, leaving the two shocked teenagers. She didn't bother to mention the lingerie shopping spree, it would have been hard to explain.

"And they called me the pervert." Natsume sniffed, pretending to be offended.

Ruka and Mikan quickly gathered their composure and ran after their friends.

"Sorry about that, I guess we weren't thinking," Ruka apologized while laughing nervously. He and Mikan shared a worried gland. But the other two had not noticed and continued on to school, talking politely. In front of Ruka and Mikan, they were Hotaru and Natsume, two close friends that simply lived beside each other.

He made a comical remark and she granted them all a half smile. When Ruka and Mikan looked away, she flashed him a wicked grin before returning to her emotionless, Hotaru self. But she still remembered what caused the smile that tugged at her lips.

Flashback

Before she went to bed, Hotaru noticed a piece of paper underneath her doorway.

I wish I could replace you

And make her feel okay

I know that she's in agony

I'm begging you today

Do you know that she cries at night?

I should know because I'm there

She really tries to hide the tears

She needs someone who cares

She's beautiful, don't hurt her

She's beautiful but that's not all

She's beautiful but she has feelings

She's beautiful but you're killing her

So stop if you love her

She isn't just a doll

Because I'll make sure you regret the day

When you finally make her fall.

And though she already knew who had written the poem about her,

- Natsu

She was glad that he had signed it.

End flashback


TO BE CONTINUED