A/N: Does anybody know what's the name of the Mikan-look-alike robot that Hotaru invented? Amatsu… or something? Please tell me…!!!
Sumire shifted her weight from one foot to another, green eyes studying her classmate with such careful intensity that Natsume started to feel uncomfortable.
"Aren't you supposed to side with Ruuka-kun?" she blurted out all of a sudden.
Natsume paused in the act of throwing the apple core to the trash can to consider it. "Well… I suppose so…" he admitted with a shrug.
"You suppose so…?" Sumire asked incredulously. She walked towards him and poked his forehead with a pointy finger. "I can't believe you just said that!"
Natsume brushed off her hand. "He's bound to thank me for this in the near future." he muttered absently. "I'm doing a good deed!"
"I don't call manipulating Hotaru to freak at him a good deed." She walked around him, trying to intimidate. "You drugged her for Pete's sake!"
"I didn't manipulate anything… per se. I just…" Natsume trailed off and uncharacteristically shifted his gaze for a while. "…just tipped Imai off a bit…"
Sumire wanted to smile at this unusual display of uncertainty but refrained. "It's the same thing, Natsume and you know it."
He seemed to regain his ego at the slight teasing tone in her voice and went alive with vigor. "Besides…!" he exclaimed, standing up now. "YOU were the one who sabotaged his plan… not me!"
Sumire recalled the moment she gave Hotaru the bee repellant lotion and smiled.
"As a favor…" she pressed, a smirk playing on her lips. "I don't want you to lose your perfect streak of ice-cold perfection by being seen talking with Hotaru Imai."
He glared. "She's bound to know though."
"Of course." At this, Sumire smiled smugly. "I told her."
Natsume's glare intensified, but Sumire didn't even flinch when she saw the fire burning behind his eyes. "You what?"
"I told her." she repeated in that same tone of voice. "C'mon… I don't think she would break your ignore-and-make-way relationship just because she knows that you're not against her… growing familiarity with your best friend."
"This has absolutely nothing to do with her." he seethed.
"Yes, yes… we've went over that already. I just—"
"I'm doing this for Ruuka." Natsume looked away. "He's taken too much of the burden from me. He at least deserves…" he appeared to be searching for the right term, than gave up and just said, "something…"
Sumire grinned. It was nice to know that even Natsume valued the little tie we call friendship.
Hotaru pursed her lips together, left eye tightly closed as the other concentrated like it never concentrated before.
She managed to lose Mikan on her way there, but the incessant calls told her that they didn't have that much distance between them, and if this didn't work because of that stupid little girl, Hotaru swore she wou-
"RUUKA!!!" The brunette jumped off a bush directly opposite Hotaru and bumped right into the boy she had been targeting. "Have you seen Hotaru-chan around?"
A telltale blush crossed the bridge of Ruuka's nose as he scratched his cheek nervously. "What a coincidence…" he muttered hoarsely, and Hotaru found her eyes narrowing at the little glances he was giving her idiot of a friend. "I was looking for her too…"
Mikan considerably brightened. Well, how about we look together!" She hopped closer and was about to link her arm with Ruuka's when an explosion came out of nowhere and the next thing she knew the very person she was looking for was standing in front of her watching with satisfaction as Ruuka writhed and screeched at the ground.
They were back in the barn… where it all started. The only difference was that Mikan was with them and Ruuka was the one stuck on the hay.
"That was mean, Hotaru-chan." Mikan pouted. She was crouched beside Hotaru. "If I knew that this is what you were doing back there, I would've stopped you."
"Well, you were too stupid." Hotaru snapped in annoyance. Mikan hadn't ceased in bothering her ever since they settled down. Before even… now that she thought about it. "Deal with it."
Ruuka groaned in his makeshift chair and they turned at the same moment.
"Leave." Hotaru directed this to the only other female in the room.
Mikan turned to her friend in confusion, then in defiance. "I won't leave Ruuka alone with you, especially after seeing that you are capable of doing such mean things to him." To elaborate, Mikan crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out aggressively.
"Leave."
Mikan reconsidered, then…
"You're on your own now, buddy." She dashed away.
Ruuka whimpered.
...
Seconds passed with no words being exchanged.
Ruuka looked up from his hands and looked at her. She looked pretty, he had to admit, staring threateningly at him like that but— he did a double take. Was that affection in her eyes…?
Ruuka mentally slapped himself. Don't be so stupid.
Hotaru uncrossed her arms and sat down on the ground to join him. "Sumire told me everything."
"Sumire…?" his head snapped up. "What does she have to do with everything?"
"Apparently… she's Natsume's accomplice." She paused. "She made it clear that you didn't have anything to do with… practically everything." She paused again. "I still hate you though."
Ruuka visibly relaxed. "When did she tell you?" he asked.
She relaxed as well and stretched out on the ground. "About an hour ago… just before you met Mikan…"
The blonde's brows met together. "Then… why am I injured…?"
Hotaru turned her face away, then she muttered… hoarsely… "I just… I don't know. Something came over me."
Ruuka's mind played the little scene in his head again, to find out what could've triggered Hotaru to fire a psychotic chicken to peck at his head, and soon, a knowing smile crossed his lips. Teasing, yes, but genuine.
"Let's go back." he suggested, to which the young genius nodded.
Fine. Ruuka admitted. He liked her and he didn't mind if he had weird ways of showing that maybe she liked him too. But this was going way too far.
She didn't have to put his picture —where one certain metallic chicken was drilling a hole at his head— online!
A/N: I'll admit, the last line was corny. But I really want to end this thing. And miracle of miracles! I reached over two pages! XD Please review...
