HOWALON AS BAIT
Disclaimer: if I did you wouldn't be reading this as a fan fiction, get it?
This is my first hiccup fanfiction e- hiccup -ver!!!
Lets -hiccup- parteei! -hiccup -hiccup- (grins lopsidedly while holding on to your leg on my belly)
Enjoy- hiccup -!
Confetti!
Chapter 1. Introduction
The noisy bustle of people coming home from work as always exhilarated Mikan. She closed her eyes for a moment and thought that all people surrounding and crushing her where just as exhilarated and excited as she was in coming home. Of course why shouldn't she be? The were coming home from their weekend spent with her grandpa, she grinned foolishly, god, any moment from now someone would really hit the back of her head for the good it will do. She let go of a deep breath. She just can't wait to arrive home. Maybe I should go buy some ice cream…they always liked ice cream in any flavor. Then she thought of the taste of howalon, of its feathery soft feeling of it melting in her mouth, and the taste, oh the taste!, and the feeling of having eaten it. She heaved a big sigh, although the stupid grin wasn't erased from her face. Too bad the city doesn't sell it, only the Alice Academy does.
At having remembered that place totally dampened her good humor, if only she doesn't remember everything about that place….
Just as she was about to cross the road to an ice cream parlor, someone did hit the back of her head. Scowling, she turned to look at the culprit. Having thought of that earlier doesn't mean it have to come true, that person would have their---
"Hotaru! I just don't believe it! Why are you here?" she thought for a moment then grinned sheepishly, "Of course, how stupid can I be?"
She attempted to hug her longtime bestfriend but succeeded in getting her groceries in a neat pile on the ground. "Oh…" she looked hopelessly at them.
"Obviously, stupid enough. Good to see you too, Mikan." Hotaru said in a voice that always got Ruka frustrated, while she bent down to help her with a few.
"Why'd you do that, you meanie?" placing some biscuits back into the grocery bag.
"Why were you grinning like some maniac?" she retorted and looked at Mikan pointedly.
Waving a bag of sausages at her, she remarked, "As you are grinning now."
"I can't help it you know."
"You always never can."
"What a shameful thing to say to me!" she pouted, grabbing the sausages, she slammed it at Hotaru's back.
Violet eyes narrowed at the thought of getting her suit washed many times to hopefully erase any remaining scent of sausages on that single, tiny place. Focusing the threat in her eyes at Mikan, she said in a controlled voice.
"See?"
Mikan giggled nervously; unsure of what Hotaru was thinking…Is that a threat in her lovely violet eyes? But Hotaru isn't that bad, is she?!
It was true that several heads had turned in the little spectacle they made, both bent down huddled over a bag of groceries in the sidewalk, but it was also true that they had attracted the attention of a man seated in the passenger's seat of an expensive-looking black car across the busy street. The said man hadn't yet recovered from the shock of seeing the too-familiar image of the two women, particularly of one of them. A voice, laced with uncertainty interrupted his musings.
"Sir, sorry to interrupt," 'Like hell you really are, you should be dead by now, you dolt' "But an officer is approaching this way, should I…"
Natsume's eyes, ruby-red, the only thing that revealed he at least felt something, gleamed in the darkness. Which caused the poor driver to shudder at the thought of his sir ever showing his anger. Maybe I better resign from this job tomorrow, but my wife…and he'll ask me why…I couldn't tell him he scares me, he'll be insulted and worse---
"Go ahead; nothing's keeping me interested anyway."
The driver sighed, glad to get his sight back on the road, it would keep his mind off his employer for a while…
Natsume hidden well in the darkness at the back of the car gave a little smile to himself. His driver was, to say the least, intimidated by him. Well, why not? It would do him good. No annoying employee being friendly to him, feeling close as his sister would say. He glanced out the window, the smile gone out of his face. Looking at the darkness outside, he tried to picture himself surrounded by such. And grimaced. He had known that kind of darkness, once, and would never like to be back there. Someone had shown him a semblance of light, and there he had found himself happy, now and then smiling.
He should never have left her…
His thoughts went back to a few minutes earlier, back in the busy city street where the sight of one woman, who looked very much alike…he shook his head. He had delayed looking for her for 6 long years; why not delay it for another year? The image of those women went back to his head; something's nagging him about the two, the taller one had black hair, and the other one had brown hair. What was the probability of two females being best of friends having black and brown hair?
No… no, it's impossible, it was just too easy. He was here for a certain business, not this kind of business. It was too much to contemplate…and the thought of seeing her again it was too tempting by half. He could look for her, really look for her here. And if I won't find her here then I'll just go to other cities, countries if necessary. Yes, maybe he better start here, after all, there was another reason he had to look for her, and this was not about his heart...
The sound of horns blaring heralded the fact that he was back in his house, in this house that he had been living in on and off for four years. 'How ironic, if she is hiding from me, she had done well indeed, staying somewhere where I was also living and not finding about it years after...'
"Come inside Hotaru. Sorry if it's all a mess but I haven't gotten much time to clean lately."
Hotaru stepped inside, and scanned the whole room. It was big enough for them to live in, not unduly cold even without the heater on, it was nearing the cold season. Dirty? She doubted there was a speck of dust in this place, everything was so neat. Nothing was out of place. It was so much like Mikan, even in their younger years she had strived hard to keep herself clean and her surroundings although the first was much harder to achieve for her. An image of Mikan running after a garbage can flashed in her mind, distracting her for a moment. It was all a long time ago.
"Why are you just standing there? Sit here Hotaru, let's eat. Ah…sorry but I only got noodles. I can't really treat you with my distasteful cooking, can I?"
"Of course, you can Mikan. Anytime."
"Don't be silly Hotaru."
"If I'm silly then what are you?"
"HOTARUUUU!"
"Stop yelling, others will hear you. You make it sound as if…"
"Well, I'll let it go for now. Let's eat."
Hotaru continued her assessing look at Mikan while idly putting food into her mouth. She had a feeling that Mikan was putting on an extra effort to look cheerful tonight. She must be worried… she glanced at the clock hanging over a green and pink drawer, labeled with the words Mitsume's and Mikan's. She allowed a small smile to appear, and then glanced at her bestfriend. She was eating voraciously.
"Are you worried?"
"Why of course I am!" she sniffed, "Have you ever tried waiting and growing worried why they haven't arrived yet?", she argued while continuously stuffing food into her mouth.
"I suggest you call--
She was cut off from what she was going to say when the phone rang and saw Mikan dash madly for it.
"GRANDPA!" Mikan asked a little bit overexcitedly. She was nearly shouting at the phone.
"Lower your voice! Stop screeching at me, Mikan!" Her grandfather chastised at her from the other end of the line.
"Am I? Sorry, Grandpa." Mikan smiled widely. "Thank God you called. I was about ready to call for the police. You should have called sooner. Oh, and why aren't they here yet? Don't tell me they already have gone—
"Mikan! You're babbling! Listen to me, okay."
"Sorry again, Grandpa. I'm just really excited." She said unrepentantly.
"Really, Mikan. No need to fret. Your friend, Ruka, just got talked into staying here a little longer because of his animal healing business, and I just wouldn't allow my grandchild, your mother and his son to go back there with no male companion. So there, I guess they wouldn't be back until a week after at the least."
"Grandpa, if you really like to spend some more time with us why don't you just go with them in returning here. I really do miss you, Grandpa."
"Mikan, I and city life don't mix well together. Sorry Mikan, I miss you too. You friend wants—
She vaguely heard her Grandpa curse because the receiver was snatched immediately from him, someone shouting, 'You old man'
"Hello, Mikan." A healthy young man's voice spoke to her.
"Hi, Ruka. Is everything going on finely?" Mikan glanced at Hotaru, who was now done with eating and watching a particularly uninteresting show on the TV. She lowered her voice, thinking that Hotaru must feel very bad indeed especially now that the divorce with her former husband, Ruka, is nearing its close, she was very concerned because she knows that Hotaru still loved Ruka. It was all so very tragic. She sighed, if only the two would admit they were both wrong, that they still love each other then—
"Mikan, hello? Are you still there?"
"What? Oh, sorry Ruka. I was thinking about other things. So, what is this job of yours? Grandpa told me it is what detained you. If you must know, I miss my mom and Mitsume, and I want them back."
"It's nothing. Just a major problem here about berserking cattle, uncontrollable livestock and warring chickens." He was smiling over the phone.
"….", actually, she did not get his meaning. Suddenly, an idea went into her head. Shall she tell him?, but if she won't, he will get angry, she chewed on her lower lip for awhile while listening to him babbling over the phone of what they all did during that day.
"Ruka… would you like to talk to Hotaru?" sensing him stiffen over that statement, she babbled on nervously, "She's here with me now. I think I will let her sleep here. I haven't seen her for a while now, she has been so busy. And she has grown even more beau—
"Yes." Did he just snarl the answer?
"Huh?"
Ruka cleared his throat. "Yes, I would. Thank you, Mikan."
"Thank God. I have just been hoping for that answer do you know. She seems to be kind of lonely nowadays, she seems so—
"Mikan, please. Can I— ", he seemed to have taken a very deep breath and let it out; "Can I talk to her now. It's about the, ah…, our divorce..."
She was very disappointed, she knew her friends too well, and Ruka, humph!, why couldn't he just tell her bestfriend what he really wanted to say? She called Hotaru and motioned for her to answer the phone with a pouting face. Hotaru's face expressed a little, a little, confusion. Maybe she was making vague motions with her hand that the genius Imai cannot understand. She opted for the easiest way.
"Hotaru, someone wants to talk to you." She said in exasperation, they really do fit well together, why can't Ruka see that?
"Is it Hikaru?" Hikaru is their son. Hotaru did not wait for her answer. She was a good mother, if quite indulgent. She moved aside as she gave her the phone, and saw the expectant look got wiped away as Hotaru realized who was actually talking to her.
O
I gave them kids!!! Do you like it? Ha? Ha?
--shoves face forcefully in front of yours, my breath smells of…..mentos!!!--
Well? Well? Do you? Do you? Ha? Ha?
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Don't forget one good turn…lets you avoid those who beg.