A/N: Lol, first oneshot XD I'll try to fit everything in here. I've always wanted to focus on Ruka and Hotaru by themselves. This is it, a closeup on the besties of the main characters. =D Enjoyy~ (or criticize, whatever.)

Title: Hostile and Terrifying

Pairing: RukaxHotaru

PoV: Ruka

Rated: T for mild language.

Warning: Mild ooc characters up ahead.

–

Aah, another beautiful day. Usagi, Natsume and I are sitting in the cherry tree garden. Not a word passes between my best friend and I. It's better this way. We can think, mull over the day's contents. That's just what I'm doing. At the moment, I'm thinking that I hate the fangirls. Who doesn't? They're horrible. Especially Imai. Even though she technically doesn't count as a fangirl, she's just as horrible as them. Always blackmailing me, taking stupid, embarrassing pictures that she'll sell to anyone or anything around. If they have the money, she'll deliver. She especially sells them to my animal friends. Where they got the money for that, I have no idea. Natsume and I stand up and part with a single, "Bye." I walk to my dorm, which is exactly the same way as Natsume's, but he's going to go meet her now. I won't run into him anytime soon.

I was told that Natsume was keeping something from me on a day when the cherry blossom trees would bloom beautifully. March 16. My birthday. I wouldn't have ever known if Imai hadn't told me. Maybe I would have. I guess I would have. I mean, they couldn't keep it from me forever. Especially Sakura. She can't tell a lie to save her life. I'd noticed tiny tidbits between her and my best friend. Always talking, whispering frantically, like someone could catch them. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm jealous. Who wouldn't be?

My best friend got the girl I wanted. Of course I'm jealous. At first glance, Imai looks like she doesn't give a damn about her best friend being taken from her like that. Upon closer inspection, she's sad and hurt that her best friend wouldn't tell her that she likes Natsume. See, that's the thing about the ice queen – you have to look closely to see her true emotions. Imai had to find out from the idiot Koko-kun. Sure, he's one of my friends, but he's still an idiot. There's no denying that. Anyway, Koko-kun was grinning like an idiot, like he always does, but it seemed more maniacal. I caught Natsume in the hall threatening him before class. I couldn't understand what he was saying, but Koko-kun seemed scared. The grin was all but gone from his face.

And later, I caught Imai with her new baka gun, which doesn't fire automatically (it's a step backward, but, all right), threatening the idiot again. I really couldn't help but feel sorry for Koko-kun. After a while, Imai looked satisfied, but if you looked really closely, she was sad. I turned around and headed towards the garden to skip class, but a certain person pulled me back by my blond hair and put the gun to my temple.

"And where do you think you're going?" The scary-sounding person sounded irritated.

I whimpered and whispered, "Let me go, Imai."

She did as I said, surprisingly, and I turned around on the spot. She grimaced.

"How much did you hear?" The quietly said sentence seemed way too soft to have come from the ice queen.

"I heard nothing but whispers and mutters." It wasn't a lie, and she could see that.

She returned to her normal icy self.

"Good. I'm skipping class with you today."

Wait, what? The notorious Imai Hotaru was going to skip class? That was a first.

We sat in the (ironic, ne?) Sakura tree garden, silently. Imai broke the silence.

"Want to know what happened?"

I was so curious since Natsume threatened Koko-kun.

"Yes."

"Fine. Your little friend stole my idiot."

"Wait, I can't be hearing this right. Natsume... and Sakura? When?"

"Officially today, which happens to be your birthday. Ironic, isn't it?"

This couldn't be happening. My best friend stole my crush on my birthday. What a nice birthday present, Natsume. Thank you. I'd been betrayed by my best friend. That's nice.

"Ha. I must've done something real bad in my past life to make me go through this kind of hell." I sounded hollow.

Luckily, a certain someone happened to break the darkening aura around me as she walked calmly up the path to the garden.

"Himawari no Kimi, Waka Murasaki!"

"Yamanouchi-san! Is that you? You barely go out of the Hime den!"

"I have a summons for Waka Murasaki from Hii-sama. She said she is to bring Himawari no Kimi with her."

Imai-san and I looked at each other then got up. I offered her my hand, but she refused it and got up on her own terms.

"I don't need your help, Nogi."

Oh wow, at least she said a part of my name. Stupid Imai.

As we were walking to the Hime den, Imai struck up a conversation with Yamanouchi-san.

"So, Shizune-san, how's your husband?"

"Oh, Akira's okay... he's having a bit of trouble with the Non-Alice organization, though."

"And the kids?"

"Growing up rather quickly."

"Good to hear."

Wait... Either I was deaf, or Yamanouchi-san said the name "Akira". She couldn't possibly mean...

"Oh, and by the way, Nogi, Her name is not Yamanouchi-san, it's Tonouchi-san."

My jaw dropped so low that if I were in a manga like one of Natsume's, it would be on the floor.

Holy crap.

–

At the Hime den...

"Ah, Waka Murasaki, Himawari no Kimi, welcome."

"Hii-sama.", Imai and I said simultaneously.

"It seems we have a problem. We need the both of you to help us."

Nervously, I asked, "What with, Hii-sama?"

"This", she said truimphantly and took the curtain off a bulky object to reveal... a tiny chick.

"It's so cute!", I cooed, taken by the tiny adorable little thing.

Click! Click! Click!

I slowly turned my head to the side to find Imai with a camera in her hand, smiling faintly.

"Victory is mine", she said indifferently.

I glared daggers at her, which didn't affect the ice queen at all.

"So what do you want us to do with it, Hii-sama?"

"Grow it a little larger. It's just an experiment. Like we did with Piyo-san, but a little less. Nogi-san, you are here to calm it down while Imai-san mutates it with... oh, why don't you just explain it, Imai-san?"

"With pleasure," she said.

She knocked down the fourth wall and said, "Invention number 629473: The Mutation Interface. With this gadget, you can mutate anyone and anything. It is strongly suggested that you use this outside, though, and not get too close to the object being mutated... otherwise you could end up being part of it."

Holy crap, how am I supposed to calm it down then? You can't calm down a poor scared little piyo-chan from a distance! A vein appearing on my temple, I voiced this to Imai.

"Shut up, Nogi, you're only here so the chick doesn't run everywhere."

"You know what, you shut up! You never consider how anyone else feels! It's always, 'me, me, me, me, me' and never anyone else!"

"Uh... maybe you guys should go outside...", Tonouchi-san said, and pushed me and Imai out.

We resumed our conversation.

"Nogi, you know nothing. Absolutely nothing. I used to consider how a certain idiot felt, but then, no, I got betrayed. She won't talk to me, you know that?"
"Oh please," I sneered, "You could just blackmail her into talking to you if you wanted to. But no, you just want to be pitied."

"I can't blackmail her because she's my best friend! What's wrong with you? Would you be able to blackmail Hyuuga?!"

"Yeah, well, I'm not a blackmailer like SOMEONE over here!"

I blinked, and realized we were having an all-out fight. Once again, Imai had released her emotions.

There were tears in her eyes, tears that would never have been there if I hadn't opened my stupid mouth. Goddamnit!

"I'm sorry", I muttered. I looked back at Imai to see that her tears were gone, the redness ebbing away from her usually pale face. It was a nice contrast. She looked like she was blushing. Was she?

"I love her so much, but she's becoming so distant now. It's like she thinks I don't understand or something. I've been in her shoes before. She knows that better than anyone. God, what did I do to deserve this?"

"Hmm, let me see", I started in mock concentration, "You blackmailed me for 6 years, treated your best friend like crap for the same amount of time, created many versions of the baka gun, shall I go on?"

"Go to Hell, Nogi."

"Gladly, if it means not seeing your face."

She looked away, clearly pissed off.

"Fine then, maybe I will instead."

"You can't possibly be thinking-?!"

"Maybe I am, but you wouldn't care."

"No. Shut up, you're not allowed to talk like that in front of me."

"Don't tell me to shut up, Ruka, you don't know how I feel!"

"LIKE HELL I DON'T, HOTARU!", I roared, "LIKE HELL I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU FEEL! HE TOOK MY CRUSH RIGHT FROM UNDER MY NOSE ON MY BIRTHDAY! WHAT THE HELL!!! SIX YEARS! SIX YEARS I'VE BEEN WAITING AND HOPING TO ASK HER! BUT NO, HE HAS TO GO AND FALL IN LOVE WITH HER!" I was absolutely furious.

She stared at me, glaring silently. Then in a monotonous voice, she asked...

"Lightning Question, Nogi. If you and I were in a relationship, who'd wear the pants and why, go."

"Huh, wait, I'm not ready, what?! You and me?! No way! Well, if we were, it'd be you, because you're so goddamn strict! I doubt I'd have any female friends anymore."

"Good answer", she said, a smile creeping to the corners of her mouth.

"But, Imai, where the hell did that random question spring from?"

Her defense mechanism jolted into action. "None of your business, Nogi." and she walked away from me.

"It is my business", I muttered.

–

God, I'm whipped. She's not even my girlfriend, and I'm whipped to the point that I seem like a girl. All that happened about three days ago. I lie on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I'm not tired. I don't care. All I care about is that Natsume took her, the girl I'd been crushing on for 6 whole years, since she came to the Academy. Oh well, I guess it's my fault I didn't make a move sooner. The tune of "caramelldansen" rings and I search all over my dorm, making a mess in the process. As soon as I find the source of the ringing, I press the talk button and tentatively say, "Hello?"

"Nogi. Hii-sama is asking you to come here. The invention is complete."

"What the... whose phone is this?"

"This is a special model I made to contact you."

"... Okay, but why caramelldansen for the ringtone?"

"... So I could take a video of this conversation."

I look out of my dorm window to see a person with black hair up to her shoulders holding a videocamera standing on a tree branch. I let out a moan and think to myself, It couldn't get any worse. I open my window all the way (it's very big) and jump onto the tree branch on the other side of Imai's.

"Let's go?"

"How the hell did you do that? I thought you were a wimpy coward." All this said in a monotonous voice.

"I have my secrets." Truth be told, I was scared as hell when I jumped out.

We crawl down from the tree and hope Hii-sama won't kick our butts when we get to the Hime den. Or, at least, I hope that.

–

Arriving at the Hime den, we approach Hii-sama and bow. Imai whips out her Mutation Interface which is a flat rectangle with a tiny antenna and a small badge that is separate from it. Piyo-chan is trembling. My animal pheromone alice kicks into action, and Piyo-chan doesn't tremble any longer. Instead, she (yes, she!) dances around, twirling, and I can't bear the thought of that tiny little baby being experimented upon. The device in Imai's hands starts humming. I have to act fast. The device crackles and I jump in front of Piyo-chan. Imai's eyes widen and she immediately drops the device on the ground, jumping on it and breaking it in the process. I stare at her, and Hii-sama giggles. "Aah, I see. Very well, Waka Murasaki. Your punishment is... that you must be locked in a closet with Himiwari no Kimi for three hours~"

You can always count on Hii-sama to make everything a whole lot better. (I'm being sarcastic.)

–

In the Dark Closet...

"Nogi, move!"

"I can't, it's too small of a space!"

"Well, do something!"

"What do you expect me to do?!"

Yes, that's right, Imai and I are stuck in a dark, cramped closet in a very... ahem, compromising position. I think I must've killed someone by cruel torture in my past life to deserve this. It's not that the closet is cluttered, it's just small. And I think Hii-sama knows this.

"Oi, Nogi, how's about you get your hand out of my–"

"WHOAH, WHOAH!! Wait, why don't YOU get YOUR hand out of my–?!"

"Nogi, that's not my hand, you idiot."

My eyes widen. WHAT THE-! I start moving around and freaking out, and about five minutes later, Imai and I end up in an even more compromising position than before.

Imai sighed. "I guess we're just going to have to deal with this for another... what is it now, two hours and fifty-three minutes?"

"T-t-t-two hours?!!!! WHAT THE SHIT!!!!"

"Nogi, are you going to stop acting like an idiotic spazz, or do I have to hit you with my baka gun?" She waved the metal object in the air. Holy hell I do not want to be hit with that thing. So I say to her, "Yes, ma'am."
We move into a more... polite position, seated next to each other on the cold ground. I realize Imai's in a skirt and I blush. I take off my jacket and silently hand it to her. She drapes it over her lap. As if I'd be as provocative as to look.

"So, Nogi, why do you hate me so much?"
"I'd think that was obvious. Since you came to this academy, you've been blackmailing the shit out of me. Why do you hate me?"

"Because... well... I don't really have a reason to now, but I knew you liked my idiot. So I decided to, as you so beautifully put it, 'blackmail the shit out of you'. Guess I don't have a reason to do that anymore."

"So... I have a question for you. And you have to answer, Imai, no matter how bad you think it is. And you can't say, 'you first' either. Do you or do you not like me? Answer honestly."

She narrows her eyes. "What kind of question is that?"

"A very good one. Now answer."

She looks into my eyes (we found a light switch earlier... don't ask.) and says, flat-out, "No."

I feel a little sad and a little relieved. I feel sad because... maybe I didn't have to be alone for the rest of my life... and maybe, just maybe, I. Might. Like. Imai. Hotaru. But I also feel relieved. Because I know now, that everything is one-sided. My love for Sakura, my * like * for Imai... Hey, maybe it's because I call them by their last names without honorifics?

"Oi, Imai, how much more time is left?"

"Still one more hour to go."

"Should we try jiggling the doorknob?"

"Be my guest, Nogi."

So I move the doorknob back and forth but to no avail. I let out a sigh. I'm stuck with the ice princess for another hour.

"So, Nogi, I'd like to bounce back your little question from earlier", she said maliciously.

"Oh really?", I state, but on the inside, I'm chilled and sweat beads are running down my back.

"So? What's your answer?"

"Uh... er... uhm... ah... eh..."

"Just spit it out, Nogi, don't give yourself a freaking brain hemorrhage!"

I purse my lips, all the while thinking about how she rejected me and how it's going to be so embarrassing if she knows I like her... so instead, I do the responsible thing. I move close to her, while she retreats a little with wide eyes and I move a little closer... and she's cornered. She has no where to run. I bring my face close to hers, and I can hear her audible heartbeat... oh wait, I think that's mine. No, wait, it's really hers. I close the distance between our faces with a soft kiss. For an ice queen, she's got unbelievably soft lips, and her breath smells like vanilla, and I know at this moment I'm head over heels in love with her, no matter how much or how long I try to deny it.

I finally break the kiss, because we're both gasping for air, and we're locked inside a closet. I take a good look at Imai, with her gorgeous purple eyes, shoulder-length black hair, and I just feel like kissing her again. Apparently, she feels the same way, since she looks at me with a fire in her eyes that could burn a thousand times hotter than Natsume's biggest and hottest flames. Instinctively, I wrap my arms around her waist, and she does the same with my neck, and we're kissing again, but this time, it's more passionate and not as sweet as the first time. The kiss seems to go on forever, and I hear a knock on the door, and I suddenly remember where we are... in a closet. Together. Imai Hotaru and I.

"Yes?" I call, a little annoyed.

"The three hours are up", Tonouchi-san calls, "Hii-sama wants to see you two."

I look at Imai and she looks at me and we both shrug and laugh. She laughed. And suddenly, I feel like calling her by her first name... Not just Imai like I'm annoyed with her, but Hotaru, a sweet firefly. My firefly.

And, annoyed, we both file out of the closet.

–

At the Hime den...

"Ah, I see you two made it through that alive.", Hii-sama said with a wink that sort of disgusted me. "Did you have a good time?"

"It was a punishment, Hii-sama, we weren't supposed to have a good time.", Hotaru said monotonously, which saddened me. The monotone voice, I mean.

"I see. Well, you two can go now, goodbye!"

"Wait, what?!", I yelped. Hotaru and I are both pushed out of the room by Tonouchi-san.

"That was uncalled for", she says in a dangerous tone.

Tonouchi-san ignores her.

And I'm left here to wonder, What now?

But maybe I know. And maybe I'm going to do it right now. So I turn to Hotaru and say to her, "Hey, Hotaru, d'you mind if I ask you another question besides this one?"

She says to me, "Go ahead."

"Would you go out with me this Saturday? I know a nice little restaurant in Central Town..."

"I'm busy on Saturday. But... what about Sunday?"

I smile. Hotaru's a much better liar than Sakura.

–

A/N: HOORAYYY~~~!!! This is my super-secret side project ;3 That I was concealing from everyone until yesterday! It might be a little too fluffy, especially in the end, and it got a little bit awkward when I was writing the kiss scene, because I'm not used to writing in a dude's point of view. But, seriously, that's just cause I'm a dudette. XD I am hoping for many reviews. * hopes * It's a little short, I think, but I still hope that it's good and that you enjoyed it. One thing I have to explain though, and that I know I have to explain, is that last cryptic statement. When Ruka says that Hotaru's a much better liar than Mikan, he means when he asked her if she liked him... and she looked into his eyes and said flat-out no. Ahahahaa, I think we all saw through her beautiful lie when he kissed her! And also, when Ruka says, "You can't possibly be thinking – ?!", he means suicide. =.= Although many of you might have figured that out... And also... If you don't press that beautiful button below that says (in awesome green text, I might add), "Review this story/chapter" I will personally come to your house and take your freakin' kidney. =D

Cheers, mate!

~Joanie~