Chapter Six

Talks Between Girls

Through mountains high and valleys low
The ocean, through the desert, snow
We'll say goodbye to the friends we know
This is our Exodus _ Exodus 04, Utada Hikaru

I sigh as I slide my noodles around my plate; I'm too depressed to be hungry and I'm pretty sure that it's noticeable. I feel Hotaru, Subaru, and the cook Anna's eyes on me; to appear normal I take a big bite of my food and force it down my throat.

"You seem so mopey!" says Anna, scooping my noodles off of my plate and onto hers, she and I had become fast friends since I moved into the Imai residence, we bonded over both being from meager homes, I give up the ghost and nod slowly.

"I had a hard day," I tell her, watching her slurp down my noodles. Like me Anna was taken in by the Imais, she was a wonderful cook and she was sweeter than sugar. She had come from a broken family also, her mother abandoned her when she was four and her father couldn't afford to keep her, so she was shunted from foster home to foster home, where she had been mistreated and neglected.

"Tell me about it," she said, swallowing and dabbing at her mouth with a linen napkin. I can still feel the Imai sibling's eyes on me, they're curious too, though it's probably only curiosity, neither of them seems capable of worry.

"For one I met this absolute jerk, and for two he turned out to be my crush's lover," I cradle my cheek in my hand and sigh, life just sucks.

I see Hotaru cock her eyebrow and Subaru tilt his head, I don't like having an audience, but Anna isn't the type of person to let anything drop, this is further proven when she asks:

"Who's your crush?"

"He used to be my crush; now that I know he's gay I have to give up," I take a few of my noodles back off of Anna's plate and place them in my mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

"Who used to be your crush?" Anna asks, I sigh, I love Anna to death, but she's so freaking nosy.

"Nogi-senpai, he's with this guy named Natsume Hyuuga," I respond. I hear a low chuckle from the other side of the table, and it startles me a little, is Hotaru Imai actually chuckling. I stare at her as her chuckles die out, her shoulders are still shaking though, and her mouth is curled into a dry smile.

"You assume too much Mikan, that isn't good," she says, and I notice that Anna is chuckling too. Subaru is silent, but there's a tiny smile on his face.

"Natsume and Ruka aren't gay," says Anna, trying hard to stifle her giggles, she pauses and takes a deep breath, picking up her glass of water and taking a sip.

"Well, I don't know about Natsume, he could be gay, he's never shown any interest in a girl, but he's certainly not gay for Ruka, they're foster brothers," She takes another sip of water, unaware of how much my heart has just lifted.

"But I hope Natsume's not gay," she sighs dreamily, cradling her pretty heart-shaped face in between her hands, her curly pink hair fluffs out around her.

"At least, I hope he's not for Sumire's sake, she's been after him for years,"

"For your sake too," says Hotaru as she pushes her half full plate away from her, she's never been one to eat much.

My heart is still dancing happily in my chest.

"So, you mean I might still have a chance with Nogi-senpai?" I ask Anna hopefully. She giggles again and pats my head; the simple action almost brings tears to my eyes. It's been forever since I've felt such affection, my father used to pat me like that.

"Sure," she says brightly

"Why not?"