Written at age 11. Updated 06.26.12

Don't even. I'm just trying to finish what I've started. 'Try' being the exaggerated word.

Please R&R any thoughts and violent reactions.

5th Grade = 10 years old.

Hotaru

The limousine pulled up into Alice Academy, the school that I would now call home. A sour taste reached my mouth and as I was walkting through the gate, I looked up at a Sakura tree and found a boy wearing a cat mask and bloody clothing. I was about to speak when I saw a spark of electricity shoot through the mask and I watched as his face contorted with pain. When I was about to climb up to help him, the boy jumped. Not at me though, he jumped from tree to tree until he disappeared. I couldn't help but run after him. When I found him, I realized that he had led me the middle of a forest looking towards a glistening blue lake. I quickly ran to him, took out his mask and shoved it in my bag. I would deal with it later, my mechanical abilities would not help heal the boy.

"Oi," he said, my eyes flicked up to meet him. "Who are you?"

"I am Hotaru Imai. Invention Alice. Let me clean your wounds," I replied aiming for his face with my antiseptic. We were silent for a while. His eyes closed and he gasped when I reached for the deepest cuts.

"And who, might I ask, are you?" I whispered to boy, causing his eyes to flutter open.

"He, is Natsume Hyuuga," spoke a voice from above. I looked up to a pale man with dark hair and another mask on. He had even more earrings than Natsume. "I'd be careful with him, little girl, you might just get burnt."

"Persona..." Natsume whispered. I looked down into his red eyes, fear had placed itself in their depths. That man was the reason for the cuts and scars that decorated themselves throughout Natsume's body.

"Don't worry Black Cat, I won't hurt your new pet." Persona said, reaching for a leaf and making it die. "At least not yet."

Quick as a flash he was gone.

Natsume

I looked through the trees, tracing Persona's path until I heard him no more. When I was sure he was gone, I focused my attention on the girl cleaning the cut on my arm. She had short black hair and amethyst eyes: blank, cold, and fixated with her work. But with her cold eyes she was still beautiful, though I would never admit it out loud.

"Hotaru-chan!" I heard someone call out. Our exceedingly feminine teacher was walking towards us.

"Narumi-sensei," she replied, finishing with the last of bandages on my arm.

"There you are! I see you've met Natsume," he spoke, noting my ragged appearance.

"Yes, I have sensei." Hotaru nodded, still focused on my battered body.

"Well, we must bring you to your room and get you, your new uniform."

"Yes, that would be fine. Goodbye, Hyuuga." She got up, hesitatingly pushed my hair back and nodded. She then walked away holding his hand. She had just made the year a little bit more interesting.

The Next Day

"Hotaru Imaii. Invention Alice, three star," she said coldly when Narumi asked her to give a background.

"Hotaru, you can sit on the bench in front of Natsume and Ruka," the gay teacher said when he realized she wouldn't speak another word.

"WHAAAAAAT?" screamed Shouda before trying to attack Hotaru with her cat claws. Within a step, Hotaru had taken out what looked like a bubble blower.

Baka. Baka. Baka. Hotaru shot little balls at Sumire while I set her hair aflame.

"Natsume-kun, why are you hurting me? Can't you see that I'm just mad that SHE is trying to take away my boyfriend?" she asked.

Hotaru

"I'm not you're boyfriend, baka. Go away." Natsume said coldly. I walked to them and looked at the guy beside him. Blonde hair and blue eyes. Cute but the bunny in his arms threw me off.

"Hello, I'm Ruka Nogi," he spoke shyly. Mikan would love him but I would never see Mikan ever again.

"Ohhhhh, Ruka-kun, soooooooo cuuuuuuute!" Girls around the room screamed out. Obviously fangirls.

"Tch, Ruka let's leave," Natsume told his blonde friend.

I walked to my bench and opened the laptop I was holding. Then I looked back.

"Hyuuga," I called.

"What?" He walked back from the doorway.

"I forgot to give you this," I said, showing him his cat mask. His eyes widened and he went closer to my face.

"What have you done to it?" he whispered.

"I disabled the electrical shocking device, Persona will never know," I told him before turning back to my laptop to think of other inventions to make. He looked as if he wanted to say something, then turned to the blonde.

"Thank you, Imai." The blonde boy spoke in behalf of his friend. I turned back and Natsume nodded towards me before walking out of the room. When the door closed behind the two of them I let out the breath I didn't know I had been holding. Both of them had been so good looking, if only Mikan were here so that she could pick one and I could get the other. That's how easy choices used to be for me.

Later That Night

I laid on my bed, a blueprint spread out. I heard the screen door from my balcony slide open and I pulled out my baka gun.

"Even in the darkness, you shine like a sunflower," the masked man said.

"Get out." I replied coldly. I stood up to face him head on, still holding my gun.

"There is no need for you to greet me in that way," he said, not sounding offended in the least. He chuckled and dodged my shots with ease.

"What do you want?" I finally asked, still looking at him.

"I want to recruit you." He whispered and I felt my anger flash once more as I remembered.

"To your disgusting little slave class?" My anger was not my own, biting too harshly. But he deserved it after all.

"My, my. First day in and you've already done your research. This is why you're of such vital importance to me."

"Leave. Now." I was too frustrated to say any more words, I just wanted him to leave.

"I hope you understand that saying no will just affect the people you love. I can easily reach that best friend of yours. Mikan Sakura, was it?" He whispered and I froze. With my heart beating harder I listened to the last of his words, "You see Ms. Imai, I've done my research as well. I simply will not take no for an answer."

"Fine. What is it that you want me to do?" I finally relented, thinking of the only person I cared about. He could not harm her, she was my baka to hurt.

"Your missions will be easy. Take care of Hyuuga, make sure he doesn't overdo anything. Follow him during his missions and protect him, just don't let him find out I recruited you."

"Okay." I sat back down, placing my face in my hands. A new weariness overtook me.

"If you can, befriend him. Starting tomorrow. Goodnight, my little sunflower," he said before opening my balcony door.

"Go to hell," I whispered to his disappearing figure.

4 Months Later: Natsume

I came into the classroom and saw Hotaru typing away at her laptop, cold and still as a statue.

"Imaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai?" I sing-songed to her. I watched her turn around, surprised. I could finally see a spark of life. Good, she wasn't like me, she wasn't in the darkness.

"Hyugaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?" She whispered back, turning her shock into a joke before going back to her work. After receiving my mission earlier this morning, I was glad to finally hear something that could calm the tenseness coiling in my body. I smirked at her and she messed up my hair like the first time we met. Against my own intentions, we had actually formed what you would call a friendship. She would be waiting in my room, breathless, as I got back from my missions. We spoke few words but the silence was a comfort enough while she cared for my wounds. I was glad to not have been receiving many wounds or missions.

Flashback

"You're...finally...back," she spoke between breaths. She was sweating almost as hard as I was, hair messy.

"Why are you breathing fast?" I asked her, holding out my left hand. The deepest cut stung as she cleaned it.

"I was...I was running to get my medicine so I could get here in time." I nodded at that answer, not pressing for the truth for I wasn't sure if she was lying or not. But I felt her mood shift after that, and then there was only silence.

End Flashback

I saw a flash of yellow and noticed a note with a sunflower on top laying on the windowsill. I saw it more often but before I could make a move to get it, Hotaru had stood up. It must have been for her then.

Hotaru

I reached for the note and already guessed what I would have to do tonight.

Sunflower,

Black Cat will just be delivering a package to an important Japanese client, I have left your mask on your desk. Stay hidden.

Master.

Then I ripped it to pieces and threw it out the window, watching the pieces fly away with the wind. I kept the sunflower, like the many others I've been receiving the past few days, to put in my room. Tonight would be another tiring night. I started my homework immediately.

5 Months Later: Natsume

In the months that I've come to know her, Hotaru Imai had become someone important in my life. Cold and stoic, she had somehow wormed her way to join the ranks as best friend, alongside Ruka. Ruka, sat up from beside me, I woke from my daze. She walked to the bench she occupied alone, nodding at us before sitting down.

"Hyuuga, Nogi." She called us to attention.

"Hn?" I answered.

"There's going to be a new student, my best friend. I believe you'll both like her. I just wanted to warn you before hand that she's kind of a baka," she said before flashing a small smile that made Ruka blush. She simply turned away from us and watched the door open.

"Ohayo mina-san. My name is Mikan Sakura. I'm Hotaru's best friend!" A brunette girl called out to the class. Hotaru shot at her with the baka gun but let Mikan join her on the bench. Chocolate eyes met mine and the beautiful girl smiled.

"Hi! I'm Mikan." She whispered. I managed a weak grunt before covering my face with my manga just so that I wouldn't have to stare at her face.

That's how I fell in like. And for a moment, I forgot the amethyst eyes that were also trained towards me.

Hotaru

I saw another sunflower but made no effort to get it. I know what it will say. I will be required to watch him, guard him, and care for him.

My thoughts wandered to Mikan. I should be happy that Mikan has joined me. I looked at Natsume, he noticed her obvious beauty. I hope that they'll be happy together. I started to forget class as I thought about Mikan and Natsume together more, it just seemed strange to me. And it would be much harder to protect the two of them with her around me so much.

Baka. Baka. Baka. I pushed her away as she was trying to hug me.

TO BE CONTINUED