Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice

My Last Love Story by Hotaru Imai

Chapter Six: Hearing You

It seems that talking does help soothe the soul.

After talking to him, I felt so light: like I had been released from the shackles that bounded me to all that sorrow.

He had sat there with me, not uttering out a word. He did not mind being alone with me. He did not mind listening to me. He did not mind that I was so weak.

"Did that make you feel better Hotaru-chan?"

That was the first sentence after my breakdown. If I had a watch on, it would tell me that 10 minutes had passed since the first tear dropped.

This man had stayed with me with no sound of hesitation for ten whole minutes.

I nodded in reply as I sniffed one last time. Wiping away that last stray tear, I stood up from my seat and turned to face him with a faint smile on my face.

"Thank you."

He smiled at me, his bunny sleeping soundly in his lap.

"That is what friends are for after all."

"Then I must be very lucky to have met you, Nogi-san."

He frowned then. I was scared that I had said something wrong. Would I lose him, after all that?

"Call me Ruka. Nogi-san sounds too distant."

Upong hearing that, all the fear swept away. He was just a little kid on the inside.

"Ruka-kun." I said, as if I was trying out the sound.

"That's better. Are you going home now?"

I did not think about that. It must be almost six at this time. If I don't get home in time, then father would not get a decent meal when he arrives.

"That's right. See you, Ruka-kun."

I was about to walk away when I felt a hand grip its fingers around my small wrist. So warm it was.

If it had been a normal person, then they would have screamed out in surprise. But after all I had gone through, I think nothing can surprise me that much.

"I'll walk you. It'll be dangerous for such a beautiful young lady to walk home at this time of day."

I smirked. The playboy image emerges at last.

"Now I do believe that Hyuuga is your friend. Such a womaniser you are Ruka-kun."

"I do not deny that I like to pursue women. But may I add that the only type of women I court are as beautiful as you?"

"You are at it again."

"I guess it is second nature, Hotaru-chan."

"Idiot," I laughed.

He smiled at me and then began to walk to become in line with me.

"You have a very nice laugh."

"That is something I have not heard said to me in years. But I should really get going; no need to walk me. I am not that weak…physically."

With that, I walked off into the distance as I sniffed in the cool air. The weight of my past was lying there on that abandoned old bench. All that pain had left.

And it was all because of Ruka.

My Last Love Story

I sat there on my desk, twirling my pen around my fingers. It has been a week since Ruka arrived. Throughout that whole week, we would always meet beside the lake: that same lake that first built our relationship.

I sat there with a confused frown as I recounted that day's meeting.

He was there before me: as always. I did not know how he would get there before me, but he did. It was like he could call on the powers of the great eagle and fly his way here. But of course, that would not happen in real life: humans have their limit.

"Hotaru-chan." He had called out in greeting.

Today, he was currently gliding around in the lake with his swimming trunks on. I blushed a little from seeing him half naked, but then, I regained my composure and replied with an "Aren't you cold?"

He chuckled as he sunk down into the water. I, however, did not move from my position; he won't drown. And I was right of course. He had come up onto land a few moments later, water dripping off from his body. He bent down to pick up the towel sprawled out onto the grass and then roughly dried himself.

He proceeded towards me, with that smile he always wore.

"Well, it'll help if you could hug me better." He grinned mischievously, putting two arms wide open.

I let out a small smile as I walked straight past him, towards my favourite spot against the largest oak tree beside the lake. I had developed deep feelings toward such a clichéd place. Mikan and Natsume's love story began here. I did not strive for such trivial things. Love was not on my list of things to do.

Killing my brother was at the top though.

"Better luck next time." I said as I sat down against the tree.

"That's the tenth time you've rejected me Hotaru-chan. Cold towards me, are you?" Ruka chuckled as he followed me.

I inwardly laughed. It was true I have rejected his innocent advances on me for the past week, but I really doubt that there was any significance behind them. It was not that Ruka liked me, or anything of the sort: absolutely not. That idea is absolutely absurd.

"You do realise you have the whole school wrapped around your finger?" I asked as he sat down beside me after he fetched his jersey from a hanging tree branch.

I looked up to see him standing in front of me, staring intently.

"What?" I asked, clearly confused and surprised at the sudden intent attention.

Ruka squatted down as he kept on staring at me. That was when things went a little awkward. I was just sitting there with one of the hottest guys at my school staring at me. I mean, girls would kill to be in my position now. I would be killed for them to be in my position.

"Ruka-kun?" I muttered, unsure of what was actually happening.

That seemed like a wake up call for him. His eyes widened as if he had just comprehended what was happening.

"Oh, um. I was just looking at the ant on the tree. Yeah, ant on the tree." He stuttered out as he tried to laugh off what seemed to be the most awkward moment of his life.

I raised an eyebrow at such a pathetic excuse but since I really didn't want to pursue an answer, I merely nodded.

"So, how was school? I didn't see you around much." He asked as he sat down a fair distance from me against the tree. Well, of course he would. I was just the freaky genius girl while he was the popular hotshot. Why, him even being acquainted with me was a miracle.

Wait. I know Hyuuga and he is as popular as anybody that is anybody at this school. Maybe I'm not that unnoticeable? I laughed of that thought. I am not unnoticeable but surely an unwanted presence. That was my conclusion for his distance from me. I didn't mind.

"I was in the science laboratory working with Yuu Tobita. He's my science partner. We were trying to finish our project as soon as possible. He has a piano examination coming up soon so he didn't really have time to go after school or anything." I answered a little too late. Opening up my backpack, I pulled out an exercise book and a pen.

He peered over me to look at the subject neatly printed in my penmanship on the front cover. 'Language' it had read.

"Homework? I never thought you would get homework. You, I hear, are very diligent." He attempted to make a joke to lighten up the atmosphere after such a heavy one. It worked.

"New Language teacher assigned us all an essay question to answer by tomorrow. I seriously don't know how to write this one though. This new teacher, Narumi-sensei, is really different. He just doesn't go by the normal formal rules. Instead of giving us a question on 'Antigone' that we've been studying for the past week, he gives us questions about life. Life I tell you. And my question just had to be "Love comes in many forms. Family and friendship are the two main ones." Discuss this with relevance to your own life. Ruka-kun, you know how much I detest my brother. How can I possibly write about love for my family?"

He had taken my book from me then, along with my pen. He opened up to a new page and wrote out a heading.

"You know Hotaru-chan, I once had this teacher in Paris. She was such a wonderful teacher. I went to an English school back then. She taught me in grade 10 and we were studying this same text, 'Antigone', the first of The Three Theban Plays. It was such a devastating tale, don't you think? Sophocles lived over 2000 years ago yet he still manages to grip us to the end with heartfelt sympathy for Antigone and Haemon and even Creon at the end. Everyone was captivated with such a brilliant text." Ruka smiled softly as he paused for a moment. "Well, everyone but me."

"You?" I exclaimed in surprise.

He nodded as he proceeded to write the words "Family" and "Mother" on the page.

"This teacher of mine. She knew I was struggling, so she called me over one day after school to her office and helped me. She let me see what I didn't even realise existed before. Haemon was not an idiotic guy who committed suicide because he lost someone. He sacrificed himself to let his father see his wrong doings. He sacrificed himself so he could follow Antigone to the underworld. He sacrificed himself for love. Hotaru-chan, you may have lost your brother to the darkness. You may have lost your mother to your brother. But you still have your father, and he is going to accept all that love you have to offer. He loves you."

I nodded my head slowly, my mind in a hurry to comprehend what was happening. I realised that he was right. I lost my mother, I lost my brother, but there was still a father that would always be there for me.

"I think I better go. Father is coming home earlier than normal today. I want to cook him a good dinner."

I stood up and after stuffing in my still unfinished Language homework in my bag; I turned around to say my goodbyes.

I had predicted that he was still sitting soundly against the tree, so when I turned and saw him right there in front of me, I nearly screamed.

"Wha…" I tried to get out some coherent words, but today just wasn't my day for language was it?

"See you later, Hotaru-chan."

Now this is where I went all giddy and had butterflies in my stomach: all because he hugged me. He god forsaken hugged me! And then just swiftly left me there in a daze.

I could have sworn I would have collapsed on the floor if I did not manage to move my arm out to lean against the tree.

What is going on with me?

Now I am sitting here at my desk, staring at the sentence Ruka wrote under his heading. He had scribbled out the two words he had written previously and opted to help me with one sentence.

'Sometimes, what has been there all the time cannot be seen, or heard, or felt and all you have to do is open your heart.'

Fate was the ultimate power in Ancient Greece. In which all mortals were subject to.

'Antigone' made me realise how even now we are subject to it.

I just never imagined that my story would be a modern version of such a tragic tale.

How cruel of you, fate.

Writing this scene brings back so many memories. This was the first milestone of our relationship.

I was having butterflies in my stomach by just the brief contact we had in such a hug. I loved him even then and I never realised it.

I never realised it.

And so I had told him a little too late. That day that he hugged me was a countdown till when I would lose him.

It was the countdown until my Ruka would lose his life.

For such a pathetic existence like me.

My Last Love Story – Chapter End.

Author's Note: Thank you to all that have taken their precious time to review my work! I love all the feedback.

Eufinley: Yeah, I know. I don't know why I wrote that, but it'll help the story flow really well :) Aw, you changed it. But I love the new penname!

Keyheart: Thanks for liking this, and yeah, he does. I was hoping that got through in the summary, but I guess not. No worries though, he won't be leaving soon (:

JustSomeone (Anonymous): Ahahas, yeah, I know. I love Subaru though, he's such a cool character, but I guess I just had to degrade him in this story. And about your question, I guess my lips are sealed! Hahas. Thanks, I do try ;)

Listen2music4ever: I know, but like I said to JustSomeone, I love his character, but somehow, he had to be the villain for this to work. Well, if I answer all these questions now, where would the suspense of this story go? But I guess I can let one thing go, they were planning to get married.

Chapter Dedication: to eufinley. Your reviews are always so sweet, and I love that.

Please leave a review,

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