Warning: Slow-paced and incomplete chapter. GG AP tests.

Chapter 8

"I'm not going to visit her. That's final," Natsume huffed as he leaned back into his chair. The computer screen glared brightly in the dark as the clock read 4:24 A.M. Nearby, the speaker crackled as the recipient's face smirked on the Skype video screen.

"What a truthful statement," Hotaru sarcastically drawled as she pressed her hands against her lips, preventing a small laugh from escaping. Her eyes closed in amusement before piercing into the screen. "I know you feel guilt. You cannot deny it."

He folded his arms. "I'm not denying it. I feel like an asshole right-" the boy glared at her widening smirk before continuing, "-now, but visiting her…that's out of the question."

"Why is it out of the question?"

He ran a hand through his tangled hair and ruffled it before sighing. "It just is."

Hotaru sighed. "Do you perhaps mean, I don't deserve to see her. I don't even know why I did that. I don't know why I was so scared to show my pitiful fa-"

"Okay, I get it. I'm an idiot. Times one hundred," he huffed grumpily.

A silence befell the two as an owl hooted in the distance. Hotaru, who simply sighed as she pressed two fingers against her temple. And Natsume, who dwelled in frustration and confusion.

Finally, the girl spoke. "Are you still lacking confidence to even see her face?"

Natsume's head shot up in alarm as his body tensed. A few splintering memories pierced into the heart of his mind. He could guess exactly what Hotaru was thinking of. The frustration boiled more furiously than ever in his chest. He gritted his teeth.

She leaned on her hand. "Of course."

A snap. "Talking as if you know me. You're hilarious," he said bitterly.

A flash of hurt reflected on Hotaru's face for mere nanoseconds – he wasn't sure if he caught it. However, the girl calmly cleared her throat and stared into her webcam. "I admit, I do not know you that well," she began. "Of the utmost truth, however, I desired to help, but I see that you do not trust me."

"I-"

She interrupted him. "Before I end the call, I would like to mention that I have sent you a plane ticket. Do not get me wrong. Everyone – Ruka, Sumire, Kokoro, Tobita, and I – have one as well. We want to visit Mikan to clear any obstacles in our friendships. If you do not want to come, you are free to discard the ticket. Otherwise, please arrive sharply at fifteen after ten tomorrow, and bring enough clothes to last you for four days. You will have this morning and the rest of the day to reach your conclusion. Good night – or should I say morning – Natsume."

A bloop sound was heard, and Hotaru's face vanished from the screen. Natsume only stared blankly at the screen before closing Skype and shutting off his computer. The room dimmed to darkness as he made his way to his bed. He plopped down. Thinking.

The clock glared 4:48 A.M.

He didn't even realize the sun was now up and grilling his face through the curtains. A groan wisped from his lips, and he sat up, rubbing the back of his neck.

From the corner of his eye, Natsume saw a regal-blue envelope decorated with gold bordering. He edged closer. The envelope displayed long yet skinny cursive writing that elegantly wrote his name and address.

On top of it was a yellow post-it note left by his father.

There's money for you on the kitchen counter. I'll be home late today. Tell me what your friend, Hotaru, sent you when I get back!

-Dad

P.S. Order and share a pizza with me when I get home. Thanks!

Natsume placed aside the post-it note and threw the envelope into the trashcan. He didn't even need to open it. The teen then opened the door, dragged himself to the kitchen, took the money, walked back, and dumped it into his wallet. It was heavy with the money he had collected over the year.

The boy plopped himself into his chair before lifting the cover off of his computer screen. Before he turned it on, he saw his appearance. It blinked back at him. Whenever he moved, it would move. It was his reflection.

His teeth instinctively gnashed on his lips as he could taste a hint of blood. This habit and face would never leave him.

He immediately turned on his computer as the reflection vaporized into a white light.

"I'm home! Natsume?!" The door clicked open. "Did you order pizza?"

"Oh, shoot. I forgot," the teen yelled from upstairs. He logged out of the game and ran downstairs to see his father, slightly haggard from a day's work. "I'll cook something. It's a bit too late to order now."

His father only sighed. "Didn't you read the note I left you?"

"I read it in the morning with the envelope," Natsume said as he opened the refrigerator and picked out ham, green bell peppers, onions, and leftover rice. He then grabbed a ketchup bottle from the side.

"Oh," the man perked up, "what did your friend get you? A card? Postcard?"

"Ticket." He quickly diced the onions and sliced off the top of the green bell peppers. Walking to the sink, he cleaned out the seeds of the peppers.

The father raised his eyebrow. "Ticket?"

"Yeah. It's nothing."

"To where?" he asked eagerly. "To a concert? Dance? Restaurant?"

Natsume simply turned on the stove and dumped the content one by one into a saucer pan.

"You're not answering me."

"It's a plane ticket," he mumbled as he sprinkled salt and poured ketchup on. "Do you want cheese?"

"Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. But wait, a plane ticket? Is it from this online friend of yours?" he asked, suddenly alert. "Oh yeah, I've see that name before. Hotaru Imai. The very polite girl, right?"

"What about it?"

"Are you dating that girl?"

Natsume rolled his eyes. "No. There's nothing like that between us."

"Why did she give you a plane ticket?"

He paused in the middle of turning the knob for the oven. "To visit a friend," he said as plainly as he could.

His father raised one eyebrow. "A friend."

"Yeah."

"Are you planning to ask me for permission?"

"No."

"Why?"

Natsume sighed as he placed his hand on his forehead. "You're asking too many questions."

"Why?" His father repeated.

The oven bell rang as Natsume gently took out the stuffed green peppers. He placed the tray onto the table, and with two forks, he gingerly lifted one onto his father's plate. "New friend joined our group."

"And you guys all want to visit him?" The man noticed something flash in his son's eyes. "Or visit her."

"I told you, it's nothing."

"You don't want to visit the new friend for some odd reason. Since you're unwilling to answer, I'll guess that the girl is not a good person-"

"No!" Natsume slammed his fork on the table before blinking. His cheeks slightly flushed as he sat down again and gobbled down his meal. "Ish nuh-fing."

His father watched in amusement. "So she is a good person."

"Yuh," he mumbled as he ate faster.

"Then why not visit her? Have you and the others already video-chatted this new girl?"

The boy twitched. His eyes flickered to the side as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. "One of us did."

"Something obviously happened," his father chuckled. "Why not resolve it when you visit her? It's always nice to have a face-to-face talk.

"I'm telling you, it's nothing." Natsume then turned to his father. "Why are you so comfortable with me going with people I've met online?" He gazed at him quizzically while picking up a glass of water.

"I met Hotaru's uncle today."

Natsume immediately choked. "W-what," he sputtered.

"Funny thing is her uncle is the CEO of the company I'm working at. She visited her uncle today, and I immediately recognized her face from the video-chats. She was telling me about you guys."

The boy sat frozen.

His father continued cheerily, "I've never met a girl as stoic and prim as her before. She's one of a kind, I'm telling you."

He slightly recovered. "Father, can you do dishes?"

"Sure. But Natsume," he looked at him in the eye, "you seriously don't want to go?"

A pause.

The father sighed, "You'll end up regretting it for sure if you hesitate like that. But who knows what would happen?" He started biting into the bell pepper. "This is really good by the way."

"Night, father." Natsume walked up the stairs and hopped back into his room, letting out a deep sigh before digging into the trash can and taking out the envelope.

-BLOOP-

-BLOOP BLOOP BLOOP-

Hotaru, a refined seventeen year old girl, loved to stay on schedule. She liked to look her best, even during a situation of utter urgency, and it always occurred after a good meal, a good shower, and a good night's sleep – a good night's sleep meaning a full eight-hour blackout.

It was 3:29 A.M., and Hotaru had only slept for three hours so far. Her violet eyes flickered open in the darkness as her ears twitched to each notification her phone rang out. The screen of her phone brightened the entire room after each message.

A small aura of immense darkness enclosed the space around her as she checked who the perpetrator was.

Natsume: oi

Natsume: are you awake

Natsume: adsfaw

Natsume: Hot

Natsume: ar

Natsume: u

Natsume: the ticket

Natsume: it's not in here

Hotaru scoffed as she rubbed the sleep away from her eyes. She yawned as she slowly typed a response.

Hotaru: That is too bad then.

Hotaru: We will visit Mikan without you.

Natsume: what

Natsume: seriously

Natsume: what was this envelope for

Hotaru: You can ponder about it.

Hotaru: I shall go back to sleep.

Nastume: I heard u

Natsume: saying u would give me

Natsume: a ticket

Hotaru: Not everything in life is free.

Nastume: …

Hotaru: Good night.

Natsume: WAIT

-Nastume is typing…-

Hotaru signed out of Skype and turned off the notifications before going back into bed. However, before she fell asleep, she let out a small, mysterious smile.

Super incomplete. I was planning to make this longer. But I gotta study for some exams. Thanks for the wait, guys! I'll try to do more later this month.