3. Pouring Love (Part 2)

LucaxHotaru

He felt like an idiot. Everyone has their days, Mikan may have more of those days then others, but right then he felt like a complete and utter loser. It'd been raining all day. All day long. And he didn't have an umbrella.

What kind of moron doesn't bring an umbrella with him when it's pouring outside? Luca, apparently. What was he doing about it, then? Standing under the awning of the store. Like an idiot.

He hadn't woken up that morning feeling like he needed to bring anything to protect against the rain. It was only a light drizzle back then, but as the day progressed, more and more buckets of water fell. He had no idea that he'd be going to Central Town that day either, but there he was. It was all for something Imai wanted too! He really needed to learn to say no. But Imai did have ways of getting what she desired.

Azure blue eyes followed the crowd of students enjoying their free day away from school. Most everyone had an umbrella. They weren't stupid. He thought about buying one for a minute or two, but the crowd was huge and the rain was coming down like hail.

His thoughts wondered to a certain question. "What would Natsume do?" Then he figured that Natsume had fan girls that would die to share an umbrella with him. Either that or he just wouldn't care.

A sigh escaped his lips and he leaned back against the wall of the shop. The cold inventor had made him get a strange collection of things. He took her list out and reread the neat handwriting again, triple checking that he got everything. He didn't like nor hate running errands for her, but he did it either way since he was scared of the piles of blackmail she most likely had on him.

The most outright bizarre thing she had written down was the last thing listed. Carrots. Carrots? What kind of invention thing whateverness involved carrots? He had no idea, but it reminded him he should buy more carrots for Bunny soon.

…Not in that weather though.

As another ten, fifteen minutes strolled by-he didn't have a watch on either-he realized he was definitely going to have to make a run for it back to the dorms. Bunny was only too lucky not to have been dragged along that day.

He was preparing for his bit of exercise when he spotted a familiar face in the crowd moving towards him. The confusion hit him like a brick.

"I-Imai?" Eyes bluer then the sky on a clear August day widened at the sight of the most apathetic girl in class B holding an umbrella, waiting for him. At least that's what it looked like. Would she just take her stuff and leave? That was a possibility too.

"I'll be taking that. Instead of my paying you, I guess I can share my umbrella until we get back to the dorms. Is that fair with you, Nogi?" Her voice was usual, normal with a hint of ice. Almost like a fall day in November. Neutral weather expect for the chilly breeze.

"Um, but, won't it seem like we're a couple? If we're walking together?"

"Would you rather be soaked through your clothes or have one or two people think we're dating? I highly doubt Natusme or Mikan will see us." After that he decided not to argue. This was Hotaru being nice. Willingly.

The walk back was the most awkward thing in his life. The animal boy was going insane. Seriously. His eyes were stuck to the girl walking beside him. He couldn't turn away. There was something there… something he had never noticed before. She was gorgeous. When she wasn't making him buy things or blackmailing him with embarrassing pictures, that is.

Her eyes were intensely violet in the surrounding gray. Her ears were small, only bits shown through her curtain of very short midnight black hair. He couldn't picture it any other way. The hair length had just always… worked.

Her nose was like a tiny little ski-slope. Her lips showed nothing but the usual. Only ordinary expression, which all but screamed "indifferent." Her dainty hand holding the umbrella shielding them both was smooth porcelain. The way she was always so mature and casual made everything she did so… so graceful.

They came to a stop under the awning of the dorms. Reality hit Luca like a brick. She probably knew he was staring. It was too obvious. Butterflies bombarded his stomach and he quickly looked to his shoes. His idiot level was rising dangerously high again.

"That'll be 2000 yen, Nogi." At her words he snapped his head back up.

"What? I thought you said sharing the umbrella was free!" He should've known that would happen.

Purple irises looked bored, but… amused too, maybe? Who could tell with Hotaru? "It was. That bag of carrots for Bunny isn't."

"Bag of…?" No way. She put the carrots on the list for his Bunny? Was she growing a heart? The butterflies flapped their wings wildly. He could feel his face turning the same shade as their uniform. He kept their gaze, though. He had to. He'd fallen into the vast ocean of violet.

He really had to not remember his umbrella more often.