Ashynote - WARNING This one is so random I had to think through whether or not I'll post it. Either way, enjoy! And The Echo Harp's Chapter 3 will be up soon. (:

The Imaismic Effect

1
Whackball

You are one hundred percent convinced (and nothing can sway your resolve) that Hotaru Imai was as close to perfection as ever blatantly possible.

Brains, beauty, (tenfold, man-whipping, militia-inspired) guts, and that indescribable aura that wraps around her like a royal robe made to fit her snugly—everything she was made her an incredible force to be reckoned with. Even you are having a hard time around her, and that's saying something, as you're a trained Dangerous Ability.

You smile, because even Rui is jealous of Cool Blue Sky's beauty.

You smile even brighter because she is your Cool Blue Sky.

Well, that's not technically true, because she thinks you're this whackball crack addict. But you don't care.

She'll still be your Cool Blue Sky.

2
Channels, Lagoons

More than once and against your better judgment, you let your pride go down seven levels below hell and degraded yourself, descending to the worst possible level for you: reduced to crouching behind bushes and stealing away glances at lunch time inside the cafeteria to do some investigation of your own. It was not enough for you to just stand still at a distance and reach out the wind to hear her conversations, even though you know your Alice can do just that, perhaps even more.

You've discovered a lot of things about her already.

You are aware of the things that make her rather singular, like the way she thinks at lightning speed or her ability to make shrewd guesses. She has imperfections, of course you know that, but these were too damn minimal to make even the slightest scratch on the impossibly-shiny surface of her personality. And she knew this very well, too. In fact you know she knows herself enough already to ensure a clear decision-making personality.

She had lots of quirks to her, as well, to which you are getting more and more attracted to each day, as you stalk her. A few of these were: 1) no one can never get one piece of her crab roe without getting punished hard; 2) that person will never see daylight if he happens to be one of the few not-so-lucky lucky ones who manage to do so without the generic Imaismic torture; 3) no one can ever see past her poker face, because each twitch of the eyebrow and each upturning of the corners of her mouth are more likely to be sings of annoyances than reflections of her soul. Even her eyes tell you nothing, except that she's annoyed at you, too.

That doesn't make you like her any less, though. You're a persistent, arrogant cat; you won't let anything get in your way. Naturally you were trained to think like that.

Although you weren't exactly trained to think that this was the Hotaru Imai.

"Stop stalking me, Matsudaira."

Followed by a huge fly-swatting machine.

Which then led to your current predicament, dripping wet after having (thankfully) landed in the small lagoon in the Northern Forest.

You smile.

You think Imai purposefully made sure you landed to safety in that exact lagoon.

So you named it the CBS Lagoon.

You can't help thinking it sounds like a channel...

So you changed it again to CBS channel.

3
Jealousy Has Lousy In It

Sometimes you're nothing short of jealous about the Black Cat. He's just too close to her.

Much, much too close to your Cool Blue Sky.

You mean, he always with her!

You can't help it, you're jealous!

(Of the wrong person, too, you realize a few days later.)

Sometimes you just want to send him a piercing bout of air to cut through his body just so you could rid yourself of the awkward jealousy—it wasn't really the kind of thing you were used to feeling.

In fact, you never really felt much until Cool Blue Sky.

Then you see the incompatibility between the two when you see the look on Natsume's face when he sees that girl. The loud, annoying, and beautiful one, with the high pigtails that make you want to—

—never mind.

Just the loud, annoying, beautiful one, with the high pigtails.

Of course, she wasn't as beautiful as your Hotaru, but she comes second on your list.

It wouldn't hurt that you kind of like her, too. In fact, you think most of the dangerous abilities like her. She was always so nice…

She's the kind of girl that makes you want to think of courtship, not dating.

You wouldn't let the black cat know that, though.

4
Egg Reverence

Something about Hotaru Imai just makes you want to really stalk her.

And stalk her you most certainly (and gladly) do.

You smile wolfishly at yourself at the situation you are currently in, disguised as a parrot (with the help of Rui's curse alice; you had to coerce him to get to curse you into a parrot), planning to drop "inconspicuously" onto Hotaru's shoulders. Then she'll take care of you for sure, and then you'll stay with her.

Maybe for as long as you choose.

Oh, you shiver with delight at the thought!

And then you drop, slowly from the sky, closer and closer to her shoulders…

Yes…yes…YE—!

—no.

She steps aside and you dive headlong into hard earth.

Rui is laughing at you, you can hear it in the wind. You also hear Tono's half-groaning snorty smirk and Nobara's little giggle.

Annoyed, you try to swear but all that comes out is a nice, loud, fat squawk.

"P-kaaaaw!"

You wonder vaguely why you seem to sound more like a chicken than a parrot.

Suddenly you see her feet inches from your face and she picks you up.

You feel as if you could die already with the contentment of her carrying you in her arms.

Sweet, sweet, cool blue skies.

You did not expect the blue-eyed blonde to take a liking to you. You thought she was going to keep you for good!

You feel sad. Terrible. Worse.

Even more so when you see her holding the blonde's hand.

Seems you've overlooked the only enemy you had.

Again, you curse and yet something else comes out your mouth.

"Pck-p-kaaaaaaw!"

Hotaru and the Enemy looked at you. Then she smiled (your veins melted at the sight and you felt like your heart was torn away from you) then she takes a nest and nestles you in it.

You think to yourself…aw, that's sweet of you, Cool Blue Sky.

—And then something is itching to get out of your body…

You break into feverish sweat—it hurts, like hell. You can tell it's something big, and randomly you think you just literally tore your heart out.

But you weren't actually expecting it to come out of your body!

And then—

—whoosh.

It's out.

You turn and look at the brown mess under you and then—

"P-kaaaaaaw!"

—you swear to yourself never to underestimate a mother hen's capacity to produce eggs.

You also swear to yourself to always revere eggs.

Always. And forever.

"P-kaaaaw…"

Haha. Soooo random, inspired by C. Corone's Those Dangerous Abilities.

~Ash.

5
?

"There, now…good chicken," cooed Ruka. Snatching the sullen chicken off the nest he saw one big fat lump of an egg.

It was violet.

And then Ruka saw Hotaru turn ice-cold (more than usual), then threw the chicken out the window.

He looked absolutely scandalized. "What did you do that for?" he said. "I'm not thinking of having a girlfriend who cares enough to throw out my pets!"

A sudden burst of air gave him the truth.

His eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Hayate Matsudaira," he breathed out in a low, raspy voice. He climbed down the window, bringing along all kinds of animals with him as he went.

Hotaru, left alone in Ruka's room, was the happiest woman that day.

Seems my blackmailing taught him something.

She heard a satisfyingly loud scream.

She smiled.

:D