If you guys wanna see a HanaxYuki picture I made, I have a link in my bio to where I posted it.

Chapter 24: Her Heart

He could feel his own heart beating so quickly that he would have hyperventilated by now. His whole body was frozen in fear as the possible outcomes of the things he just said flashed across his mind. But no matter what, he wasn't going to take it back. Yes, he was taking a risk to get his heart broken a second time. Yes, he was being brave and reckless at the same time. But the one thing he learned from his heartbreak with Honda-san…would be to cherish the moment and be brave enough to say what you feel. If not, then you'll lose the one you love. And he was not gonna let that happen again.

Even so, he stayed as still as a statue, still holding her body close, afraid to pull back and see what lies in her eyes.

Hanajima felt so confused. There was a stirring in her gut, a fluttering in her chest, and a burning sensation on her cheeks. Her eyebrows furrowed but the thought never came to her mind that she was standing in the middle of the dance floor, still in the arms of the Prince.

"I've been watching you…from afar for a long time now…" he tried to explain, his soft melodic voice ringing in her ear like the music surrounding them but more…intense…

"I think…that's how I fell in love with you…"

That's when he mustered up the strength to pull back and smile to her. "You don't have to answer me right away. I know this must be a surprise…I really didn't plan it either…"

"…" she wanted to say something…but what could she say, really? Thank you?

"Ah—H-Hanajima…" somebody spoke hesitantly, breaking the silence.

They both looked to the direction of the voice and found that it was Arisa in a pirate suit with an eye-patch over one of her widened eyes. Hanajima visibly stiffened and quickly stepped away from the angel.

But before Yuki could reach out to hold her hand again, somebody tapped on his shoulder. He turned around and saw that it was one of his fan girls who seemed to be struggling with her modesty. "Uhm—w-w-would you like to dance with me?"

"Uhm…" he turned to find that Hana had already stepped back into the shadows with Arisa. She was trying very hard to avoid his eyes and fight back the fluttering feeling in her gut. Disappointed, Yuki put up his fake smile and turned back to the woman in question. "Alright."

The girl was positively beaming and the night proceeded with more and more girls being added to the waiting list to dance with the him. And while the angel danced around the dance floor with different kinds of women and smiling the same fake smile, the devil was simply standing at the darker recesses of the decorated gym, glaring at anyone who dared to come close and ask to dance with her, threatening them with her dempa.

"Well, this is really a surprise." Arisa said, looking at Hanajima—her old friend's grand costume. Even if the normal Hana did come to the Halloween ball, she would have done so in a much scarier costume—like a witch in a cloak or something.

Hana turned to her friend with a blank stare and for a moment looked exasperated. "There was a disaster that forced me to come."

"Eh? Sounds really bad." She sympathized.

"Thank you." Hana simply said, turning back to the dance floor to watch the white prince posting his fake smile everywhere. The fluttering didn't stop even until then. Her hand rose to rest on her stomach. In the back of her mind, she knew what this meant. But she just couldn't bring herself to believe or accept it.

"But you know those wings aren't half bad. They're actually pretty cool." She said, trying to make her friend feel even a little relaxed in her uncharacteristic outfit.

A smirk appeared on her lips but the devil did not turn this time. "I've had them since I was born." She joked in a deadpan manner that made Arisa chuckle.

"Hana-chan…" a soft voice called.

The two turned their heads to find Tohru coming to them in a fluffy pink princess dress with her own little crown decorating that pretty head of hers.

"You look really pretty." Tohru said, smiling her best smile despite the small feeling inside of her.

"Tohru-kun is so much prettier." Hana complimented back.

"Yeah, you look just like a fairy princess or something." Arisa half complimented—half insulted. She really didn't like perky pink stuff—especially when it's fluffy. But since it was Tohru, she'd make an exemption.

Tohru blushed and smiled wider, "Arigatou…Ayame-san did this for me."

"Yuki-kun's brother did…?" So, what was the point of forcing her to come in that stupid dress if he was just going to have Tohru wear his dress too? Wasn't one model enough for that guy?

Tohru froze at Hana's words. "Yuki-'kun'?" she whispered to herself.

Hana quickly became aware of the sudden change of Tohru's aura and became concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Eh? Oh, nothing. I guess I'm getting hungry. I'll go get some punch." She excused.

The two friends stared at her as she went away. It was then that Arisa spoke, "She's hungry but she's gonna get punch?"

"Something's wrong with her." Hana said blankly, concern lacing her every deadpan toned word.

"I'll go check it out." Arisa said, putting a reassuring hand on Hana's shoulder. "You stay here."

Hana's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. As if Uotani heard her silent query, the pirate grinned knowingly and walked off to Tohru's direction, leaving the gothic girl confused and all alone.

"Um—Hanajima-san?" a boy asked from behind her.

Hana turned and glared at him, letting her dempa rise so that he may see that she wanted him to leave her alone. Damn that Ayame Souma for making her wear such an eye-catching costume!

The boy—dressed like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland—shivered in fear of the girl and quickly turned to leave, muttering to himself, "But she danced with Souma-kun, didn't she? Lucky Souma-kun…"

Hana sighed and turned back to the dance floor. He was still surrounded by them, still wearing that fake smile. Really, it was amazing that he could keep it up for so long.

"I love you."

He said those words.

As simple as that.

Was it always so simple?

Somehow she had expected something more grandeur from the prince.

But then again…he wasn't only a prince. He was also a high school student, a president, an idol, an icon, an intangible being that made itself tangible. It was remarkable, the transformation he underwent before her eyes from simply the prince to Yuki-kun.

She blinked and looked away. Why her? Why of all people…he said those words to her? Was that the reason why Yuki's been doing so many strange things lately? How come she didn't notice him watching her? When did it start and why? What about Tohru?

This was getting complicated again. She'd better leave. After all, she'd done what that sneaky Ayame wanted; she'd gone to the ball in his costume. As soon as she left, she could go home and sleep it off and simply…dismiss everything as a dream—or better yet—a nightmare.

She looked around while walking to the door, trying to see where Arisa and Tohru went so she could big them farewell, but then saw another boy coming towards her. Damn, not another one. She could just apologize to them tomorrow. For now, she needed to escape.

And out the door she went, not noticing that she had passed by a certain doctor.

When she was already a fair distance away from the gym, ignoring all the amazed stares directed at her, she stopped. Turning to the darker corner of the campus, where a lot of trees obscured and hid what they held within the mini-forest, Hana could feel a familiar aura.

"Tohru-kun?" she whispered, recognizing the mixed jumble of emotions to be hers. She couldn't feel Arisa's aura. Was Tohru alone in there?

Worried for her friend but not exactly showing it, she walked into the darkness calmly, trying to look for her best and dearest friend. "Tohru?" she called again but no one answered and she found herself standing beneath the gentle light of the moon in an abandoned clearing seeing as it was unkempt and the large round fountain behind her was not working.

"Hana-chan?" that wasn't Tohru's voice.

She turned around, only to see a white angel—iie—it was no angel. It was Yuki. What was he doing there?

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I should ask you the same question. Yuki-kun should be in the gym."

A small smile graced his lips, "I'm getting sick of all the attention, really."

A small smile graced her own lips. "I can imagine."

His smile grew into that rare boyish grin and she couldn't help but chuckle at how light hearted he had become. He came closer and she didn't turn away even if her heart fluttered so violently. When he was so close, only a step further and their bodies would have collided, he smiled sincerely…softly…and moved to sit on the fountain's rim.

"You're clothes will get dirty." She warned. It was white after all. Its purity would easily be ruined if he sat on that dirty unused fountain.

Watching him inspect the rim and dust it off a bit before sitting and saying, "I don't mind."

Somehow it held more meaning than it was supposed to.

"Would you like to sit with me?" he offered.

No more. No more of this game. It was getting complicated…the feeling inside of her was getting complicated. "Why?"

He blinked at her for a moment as if asking for her to explain and so she asked again. "Why me…?"

There was a moment of silence between them where all they did was stare at each other and admire the other's unique beauty. "Can anyone actually explain love to its full extent? And if he can…is it truly love, that which he is feeling?"

"Did you feel that way about me…when you asked me to buy cheesecakes with you?"

"I think…yes, I did."

"Are your eyes impaired? Did Yuki-kun hit his head somewhere? Perhaps too much stress?"

He laughed at her words, a gentle melody dancing with the wind that blew through the trees, making her hair mingle with it and making her heart flutter once again. Yuki shook his head, trying to calm himself down despite the banging of his heart in his chest. "I don't really know, Hana-chan. Before everything I used to reach out for was taken away from me…you were nobody…just Honda-san's creepy friend who simply likes black and lace. We hardly ever talked and sometimes I wouldn't even acknowledge your existence."

That was pretty much true, Hana thought. She was the same. They were from different worlds, after all and so they had nothing that tied them together…nothing but Tohru.

"But when I lost to Kyou…when I had nothing to hope for anymore…I saw you…"

"I don't—" she cut in. For some reason her eyes were watering. It must be that Ayame's damned make up. "I don't want to be loved simply as a replacement…" she said.

He smiled warmly, "Of course you're not." He stood up then, patting away dust from his pants. "No one can replace Honda-san's place in my heart. But at the same time, no one can replace yours." He raised his stare then, coming forward so that he may reach out to her and feel her soft skin with his fingertips.

She stiffened upon the feel of his warm hand cupping her cheek but found she could not run away. His stare was too deep and it consumed her entirely. "I like to see Hana-chan everyday and make her smile, and chuckle, and scoff, and be surprised…I love to see Hana-chan when it's me who's making her blush…just like right now."

Shit, she must've been blushing. "I can't believe the Prince can be so arrogant—" She tried to pull away but the hand that cupped her cheek gently maneuvered her to face him again.

"Whatever Hana-chan does…it really makes me happy…I hope you know…you're important to me."

Her heart. It skipped a beat. That must have been lethal or something. Was she going to die now? Her heart skipped a beat. That must mean something deadly, right?

She still had no answer for him and his smile dimmed for a moment. "It's alright. I understand if you don't feel the same. I'm not exactly you're type, now am I?" her type would more likely be Hatori, he thought sadly. He smiled despite that and stared at her for a moment—simple so beautiful…like the moon.

He leaned down until his lips were only inches from hers and her breath caught in her throat. There. It skipped another beat. Was she going to meet the grim reaper now? There is an angel in front of her after all. She could very well be sent to her death any time soon.

"May I kiss you?" he asked.

She couldn't help but scoff. Even until then, he was such a gentleman. He smiled kindly before closing his eyes and leaning forward, strangely enough, she closed her eyes too.

Gasp!

The two jumped at the sound of a small gasp and they looked to the source of the interruption. "H-Honda-san!" "Tohru-kun." They said in unison.

Hana's heart wrenched at the sight of Tohru's aura; confusion, jealousy, anger, bitterness, regret, sorrow. Why? Because of her? Because she still had feelings for the prince? Uncharacteristically, her grip on her skirt tightened and her heart wished she could clutch onto Yuki instead. She still loved him? She already chose Kyou and she still wanted him?

It felt like there was a soft but intense impact to her chest and she didn't know if she should go to the distressed girl or hold onto the angel in front of her.

"Honda-san—what's the matter?" Yuki asked, worry lacing his every word and shining in his eyes.

As he had said, no one can replace Tohru's place in his heart—Hana thought bitterly. But the conflict now was…would she give him up for Tohru's sake like what she always did with everything could have had that Tohru wanted?

Tohru's horrified expression turned to a broken and hurt one as she shook her head in denial. She quickly turned around and ran off, her crown flying from her head onto the leaf covered floor.

Upon instinct, Yuki made to follow her, "Honda-san—" but stopped when he felt a weak tug on his wings. Hana held onto them with trembling cold hands, the wind blowing harsher than before.

"Don't." she said softly. "Please don't…" that was all she could say. But she wanted to say more. Things like…

If you love me…

If you truly are over her…

Please…

Don't follow her…

Don't leave me…

I love…

"I'm sorry, Hana-chan. Honda-san needs me…" Yuki said, his head bowed so that his bangs would shadow his eyes. No matter what, Honda-san was still an important friend of his. And to see her cry was like torture. He needed to know what was wrong and to comfort her when she needs somebody the most.

The feathers of his wings slipped past her fingers just as a single rain drop fell onto the dusty rim of the fountain. Another fell, another and another until the light drizzle turned into harsh, cold rain. By that time, Yuki was already far gone. And she still stood at that same place, unmoving and drenched.

Ironic…

Very ironic…

She knew it was her fault as well…

For being too much of a coward.

He had reached out his hand for her…

But she was too afraid to take it…

And now…

Suddenly, the cold became colder and her legs became weaker. She fell to her knees, a soft thud the only sound that came from her. Then footsteps echoed in the clearing and she found herself imagining it to be Yuki with a worried expression on his face.

The rain stopped beating down on her, but it still resonated around her. She looked up, only to see that it was Hatori who held a black umbrella over their heads. He looked down at her with the same critical blank eyes as hers. His free hand slowly rose to wipe away something wet at the corner of her eye. "The next time you cry, cry out loud. So that I could come as soon as I hear you."

A tear fell from her blank eyes. She had been crying, she realized.