Disclaimer: I have never, still do not, and shall never own Gakuen Alice (Higuchi Tachibana) nor "Message of Regret" (Kagamine Rin).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHOKOLATTE! –insert hearts xinfinity– JOIN US "OLDIES" NOW, YOU 14 YEAR OLD. LMFAO, I uploaded this at 11:59PM on your birthday. I STILL MADE IT IN TIME.

At a small port on the fringe of a town
Alone a girl stands still.

With hair the color of a raven, a girl stood alone at a port. Throwing away her life from before, she decided to repent for all of her sins. She had lost something important at the end and was finally snapped out of her evilness.

It has been here in this sea from old times
The secret legend.

She had heard of a legend from the townspeople.

"Place a parchment with your wish written in a small bottle, and"
"If it's freed to the sea, then someday,"
"Your wish shall bear a fruit."

Without anything else to hold onto, she had gotten herself a bottle and written a wish in it. Every day, she would stand at the port and stare out to sea. She didn't know what was holding her back from placing it in the water, but all she would do was look at the horizon and reminisce. Though the memories brought back pain and regret, she would endure, for it was what she deserved after doing such things.

Drifting away,
A small bottle of glass
A message with a wish placed in
Beyond the horizon
Quietly disappearing away

Maybe she was waiting for the right moment. Nobody knew. The townspeople never talked to her much either, as she was reticent and sometimes wouldn't even bother to answer their greetings.

You always, for me
Did anything though.

Unknown to them, she was going back through her memories. She remembered when her brother would pull her alongside with him and they would laugh happily. There were also those times when her father caught them, and he was put into a room for three days and three nights without food or water.

I, being selfish all the time, only
Gave you troubles.

And yet, when she grew up, she never did anything for him. He was always at her beck and call, but all she did was look at him as a servant, ordering him around all day long. He was the closest person to her, and she would never be able to pay back her debt.

You, who would hear my wish,
Are no longer here, so
I am getting the sea to deliver my wish.

Even when she told him to kill her rival in love, he still listened. He never questioned her command, and he would comfort her in her times of sadness. When she wished to bring chaos upon the world, he was always by her side. When all of the neighboring kingdoms had come together to take her down, he saved her…at the expense of his own life.

Drifting away
A little wish
Tears and a slight regret
Realizing a sin is always
After everything ended

The vivid image of his death day was burnt into her mind so deeply that she would never ever forget it. Withdrawing from her coat the note that he had passed into her hands when they last met, she gently opened it to see the wrinkled words.

"I wish Hotaru to be happy…forever."

She had tried hard to smile for him, but sometimes her face was just frozen into an emotionless expression.

Drifting away
A small bottle of glass
A message with wish placed in
Beyond the horizon
Quietly disappearing away

One day as she stood on the port, she hastily wiped her eyes that started to tear up. Her fingers were wrapped securely around the bottle as she squat down and put it on the surface of the salt water. Pushing ever so slightly, it began to float away from land until it was merely a speck in the distance.

Drifting away
A little wish
Tears and a slight regret

It floated, so surely her wish would be heard. Surely, it would be granted. She prayed.

"If I could be born again…"

Five years passed, and she was now 27 years old. No longer was she the haughty woman who would think that everything was hers. She had taken only a bit of money with her, but it was still quite a lot. After she had used it all up sparingly in three years, she took on a job. She would go out of her small house frequently though only to work at her job, stand by the sea, or shopping when all of her resources were completely exhausted. Her furniture was sparse, only consisting of necessities. Though any outsider would have thought that she was miserable, they were wrong. She was happy. Of course, she always wanted to atone for her sins, but she was happy that she received a second chance to live.

Every day, she would wake up at 6:00AM, dress herself, eat a bit, and head off to work at her job as a fisherman. Then at 2:00PM, they would let her off, and she would be able to head off to the port. She would usually reminisce about the things that she regretted when she had just been let off of death, but now only the good memories returned to her as she stood there.

One day as she was standing there alone wearing a hood, another figure came up beside her. She turned her head ever so slightly, and she couldn't help but release a gasp. Her eyes widened, and she mutely turned away from the man. His hair was blond, and he had cerulean eyes. She was sure that Nogi Ruka had come to haunt her.

They stood there silently for a few hours, and then Hotaru had to go. She was hoping that he would leave her to her solace and not stay for long. By coming to this town, she had basically made a pact with herself that she would stand at the port. However, with Ruka there she would not be able to do that in peace.

Her face was mildly red as she walked back to her house. True, she did fall in love with him in the past, but those feelings were long gone. After witnessing him standing there coldly as her brother's head was cleaved off, her love vanished, dissipated into thin air. The reason for the flush was because she was now embarrassed. Five years ago she had sent her servant out to kill the Green princess over jealousy, and now karma had come to take revenge on her.

Even though she knew that it wasn't the proper emotion to feel at that moment, nevertheless she couldn't stop it. Opening the door to her house, she was welcomed by the emptiness.

The next day he was there again. She had stood by herself for around half an hour before he arrived. Doing the same thing as the day before, she headed back to her home.

However, for the next week the pattern repeated. It was unnerving to stand beside the man that she had once loved and killed for; however, she had no intentions of breaking her promise to herself just to run away from her past. Deep down inside she knew that he hated her, and if ever he realized just who she was, he would have no qualms in slaying her on the spot.

On the eighth day their encounter wasn't silent. He started speaking, though she wasn't sure whether it was to her or to himself. "I used to come here with my girlfriend whenever she wanted time away from home. She was beautiful, kind, gentle, more than anything I could wish for. Our parents both blessed us, hoping that we would be able to have a happy life, and it was widely accepted that we would be wed the next year. At that time we were already engaged, and it was the peak of my life. I thought that nothing could go wrong, but I guess that it was too early to say that." His voice seemed rather blissful and dreamy up until this point, but it suddenly became angry and heated. "But then that wretched woman…I can't even bear to say her name! She murdered her! What wrong had Mikan ever done to her to deserve such a fate? Nothing! She never tried to do anything to harm another person intentionally. That woman must have been jealous of Mikan for leading such a life. She didn't have a heart, so she wanted to steal away everyone else's as well. I can't say it any better terms: I hate her for taking away my life."

Every word stabbed Hotaru. Guilt punched her in the stomach, but she still managed to contain her composure. Secretly she thanked the hood for blocking her face from view so that he wouldn't be able to see her resemblance to Natsume, the one he had killed, and so that her pained expression wasn't visible.

"But I guess I could say that I'm happy now in a way. Of course, I'm still vengeful over Mikan's death, but my aunt managed to overthrow that person's kingdom and put her to death. I wanted her to suffer though…for the pain she inflicted upon everyone around her! For all of the victims that had been made because of her own selfish actions!" Hotaru turned to glance at his face again. He was a bit red in the face and scowling.

"I'm sorry; I lost my self-control a bit there." Running his fingers through his hair, he sighed loudly.

She didn't really know what to do. It would be all right if she spoke, but what if he wanted to see what she looked like?

"Thanks for listening."

The words shocked her a bit. As she turned around to look at him, he had already started off to wherever he was staying. Biting her lips, she herself also went back to her house. Even if he did find out and killed her, she was happy and had lived long enough. She would enjoy the rest of her life thoroughly.

The next day she saw him at the port again. His face wore a happier expression this time. "I've been wondering about your reason to come here so often. Were you widowed when your husband went to war or something? Did you lose a family member or a friend?"

She had already decided that she would make the best of her last days. Something told her that he was going to want to see her face. When that moment came, she'd be gone permanently. "…A family member."

He hummed, nodding his head. "I'll be staying until the end of this week. Then I have to return to where my parents are. Thank goodness I have a brother to take over for me…I don't think I could marry anyone else other than Mikan…"

Hotaru sighed. She didn't have much time then. "My brother…he died…protecting me when I was the one who did wrong. His last wish was for me to be happy forever. I may not seem it, but I'm happy to have gotten a second chance to live…"

"What was your brother like?" Ruka, still gazing out towards the sea, asked her with a rather wistful tone of voice.

"He was kind, worried about me, gave me happiness, did everything that I asked of him…but I never realized what was important until I lost it…" She struggled to keep her voice calm, but she still managed to do so.

Smiling sadly, he sighed. "That's the case most of the time. Most people don't realize until it's too late, and when they do, they're only able to feel remorse and despair."

Nodding, she knew that that was true. Tears slowly slid down her cheeks as she laughed shakily. "Once I repent, I'll be happy…so happy, and I'll be able to see him again…"

Ruka could only look at her cloaked form sadly. Her voice conveyed her love, and he, someone who had lost a loved one as well, sympathized with her feelings. If only he knew…if only he knew just who she was…

The next few days were the same. They would see each other at the port and talk to each other about the past, reminiscing the good times and speaking words of comfort. If Hotaru wasn't Hotaru, they probably would have been the best of friends.

One day, Ruka suddenly said, "Today's my last day. I have to return tonight."

"Ah…" It's time.

"When I come here next time, maybe we can talk to each other again like this. It was really nice to have you as company to talk to. Talking about what happened does make one feel better, huh?"

When Hotaru remained silent, he took it as a sign that she was sad he was leaving. "Don't worry; I'll come back. I'm Nogi Ruka. What's your name?"

Pushing all of her hesitation and regrets to the back of her mind and heart, she reached up to her hood and slowly began to push it back. "I'm…" She turned around to show him her face, causing him to take on an expression of raged horror. "Imai Hotaru."

Whatever he felt when he talked to her earlier vanished. Though he could see the tears flowing from her violet-crimson eyes, the anger, the sorrow, the despair, the agony, everything he felt when he witnessed Mikan's death…they all came rushing back to him. Blinded with fury, he reached into his coat and withdrew a knife.

"I see now!" His eyes were unfocused as he unsheathed the blade. "I see!" Strangled laughter shook his body as he nearly lost his balance. "You sacrificed your brother just so you could continue to live. You selfish bitch…How much more pain must you cause others because of your own selfish desires!?"

She was sobbing now, unable to take it anymore. Were they tears of joy? Fear? Sadness? Maybe they were mixed up with everything, but that didn't matter. Clenching her fists, she awaited her moment of repentance.

"I'll kill you as many times as I need to!" Ruka shouted heatedly while raising the knife. "I'll kill you a hundred, a thousand, a million times if need be! Disappear, you hindrance! Damn your existence… If only you were never born, if only, if only...yet you dare say that you feel regret for your brother's death? What about Mikan and Hayate? What about all of the people you injured in the heart and soul? The families that lived in the Yellow Kingdom…the families that you destroyed and ripped apart…" Panting, he glared at her with all of the hatred he could muster. "Damn you, you heartless bastard."

With that he plunged the knife into her chest and pushed her into the sea. Ruka collapsed onto his knees on the port. He stared at his hands with desperate eyes before looking up to the sky. "Mikan…Mikan…I love you! Mikan!"

Her body willed her to swim to the surface to breathe, but all she did was stay still, losing the battle against death from both lack of air and blood loss. When she resurfaced, the water was red, and her lips were turning blue. Before she completely died, she thought that she saw raven hair and crimson-violet eyes staring down at her. One sound was louder than the crashing waves around her.

Her body was stiff as rigor mortis set in. As water seeped into her body, Hotaru slowly sunk beneath the surface.

I'll be waiting in the next life…Hotaru…

Once again, happy birthday, shokolatte-chii! Imagine that there's a trail of hearts after the exclamation mark.

The bolded text up there is what was in the note. The italicized text (last line of the story) is what the you-know-who says to her.

So, this is the end. It's more of an epilogue, but due to my…connection with the song (it struck me as deep…really deep), I wanted to continue the story according the series of songs. Yes, I wandered away from the story of the song after it ended, but hey, we all love character death, right? Angst and craziness is good for the heart and soul. And at Soumyee, I ended up not writing several chapters, but I did rewrite this. It was supposed to be only 700 words, but I ended up thinking that I needed to put more words, hah. And I already sent the previous copy to shokolatte-chii, so I wanted to surprise her by rewriting it completely different from what it was before. I digress. Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading.