Dedication: For Hilaire's b-day. Happy Birthday, Evette! Since I know you're not a fan of Natsume x Mikan (and that you forever pair the crimson-eyed boy with a very scary girl named Hotaru :P), I decided to do a HotaRuka fic, just for you (although, it might seem a little otherwise for a bit)!

Everyone wish her a happy birthday! :D

Summary: Because he knew she was different. Scary, yes. Sneaky, of course. Stoic, so obviously. But she was something else, something no other con artist he knew could ever pull off: blunt. Blunt like hell and spicy taco sauce.

Disclaimer: My name is not Higuchi Tachibana and I do not speak Japanese. Therefore, I'm pretty sure everyone can put two and two together and know that I don't own Gakuen Alice; never had, never will. Oh, and I also don't own Taco Bell, but I do have this obsession of putting my favourite fast food restaurants in GA stories. It's a strange mix. :P

It was originally meant to be a one-shot, but then it got long and detailed and I loved it too much to stop it, so now it's a small story.

Yeah, and although some remain in character, some do not. ;)

Enjoy! :D

Caught

The streets of Tokyo were busy that morning, working men and women scurrying quickly on the sidewalks, bumping and pushing through crowds, flowing like a rapid river between many rocks. It was a typical Monday-after-a-party-filled-weekend day, where everyone was hurrying to make it somewhere—whether it be work or school—before they were late.

A teenage boy with bright blond hair was amongst the crowd, blending in with the other sixteen-year-old kids who were heading into the square to grab a bite before school started.

No one noticed that he was alone. No one noticed that his uniform didn't exactly resemble one from any of the schools in the area. No one noticed a lot of things about the boy, the only thing that people registered after glancing at him was that he was an attractive blond on his way to school.

So no one noticed that, when he brushed up against a petite brunette, he took more than just a smile.

He slipped the girl's wallet—a thick, pink leather fold—into the side pocket of his jacket, and dispersed from the crowd, feeling slightly guilty. The brunette girl had seemed nice, but it was in his blood to steal, and it was in his blood to get over the regret of taking what wasn't his.

The boy had inherited only one of those two qualities.

Threading though the crowd again, he thought about going straight home to drop off another pick-up, but decided against it. His father and mother were planning a con at a local hotel convention and wouldn't be back at their apartment until dawn, and his brother was probably working the other side of town.

I've got time. The boy then remembered the wallet he just picked. And now I've got money.

~/~

Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz.

Sitting in a small coffee house on one corner of Central Town, the blond boy flipped open his cell phone as it vibrated. "Hello?"

"Ruka," came a deep voice from the other side of the line. There was a loud chatter in the background and he could hear the playing of rock music. Ruka didn't have to guess twice where his brother was.

"A bar, Natsume?" He sighed and slunk farther back into the hard chair. "You know Dad doesn't like it when you go there. You get too carried away."

The two brothers were born barely a year apart, but they still differed considerably. Ruka's hair was so fair that it was almost a light white and his eyes were the colour of a clear ocean, whereas Natsume had dark raven locks and crimson irises that were both intimidating and alluring.

But it wasn't just their looks that contrasted. If anything, their personalities were what made them opposites, added to the fact that one enjoyed their lifestyle while the other did not.

Ruka ran his fingers over the pink wallet in his hands. A five dollar bill was all he used so far, and practically all he was planning to. The brunette girl he had taken it from probably didn't deserve it—maybe he would return the rest if he saw her again. He glanced at the student card tucked under the first flap along with a flattering picture of a cute heart-shaped face:

Mikan Sakura
Class 2B, tenth grade
Alice Academy

Huh. The blond sighed as his brother's voice brought him back to reality and reminded him of the impossibility.

"I'm not drinking, if that's what you're worrying about," Natsume gruffed lightly over the blaring music.

"It's not that," Ruka insisted, "It's the fact that you practically almost come home with a wife every single time you go."

"Wife?" There was a scoff. "Not even close."

"Right," Ruka said impassively, "You just con the girl and then break her heart. I guess marrying her would be a much better ordeal."

"Please, Ruka." He could almost see his brother rolling his red eyes. "I'd just get the divorce done after and she'd lose even more. It's better this way."

"You're a saint."

On the other side of the line, there was someone shouting and a girl's whining. He couldn't exactly make out what Natsume said, but it sure got the girl to shut up. "What did you say?" Natsume yelled into the phone. "It's loud here."

Duh, Ruka thought, but said aloud, "Nothing."

Natsume knew his younger brother enough to not fall for any of his lies. "Like you're any better. I bet you took a small con today." Ruka said nothing and Natsume continued, "Who was the unsuspecting target this time? Another big-shot? Or don't tell me, you chose a random school girl—they're easiest and you know they only carry small amounts with them."

"We don't need any of it, so there's no point," he answered.

"There's always a point, Ruka. There's always a point."

Raking a hand through his blond hair, Ruka glanced around the coffee shop. It was filled with regular people—people who worked, but not in the way he did. People who earned, but in much purer ways than his own.

And people who didn't have to worry about having to move in the middle of the night whenever things got too obvious, who didn't have to watch their backs for tails or hope they didn't get caught.

People he wished he could be.

No, Natsume. There's not.

"What did you call me for?" he asked finally, turning back to the coffee he had purchased with money that wasn't his own.

"Oh, I just wanted to let you know that Mom and Dad checked in and gained, and so they've decided to give us a small break." The tone in Natsume's voice was one Ruka knew too well, one he had learned only led up to trouble. "Get ready, brother. For the time being, we're official citizens of Japan."

~/~

Being a con artist meant that there were infinite possibilities. It meant that anything you wanted, you could have; anything you put your mind to would work out. Ever since Ruka was a kid, his parents taught him to will and retrieve, and that was how everything in his life was. He was never denied anything he desired.

Except a home.

They lived in America, Thailand and Italy. Traveled England, Ireland and France. There wasn't a popular city they hadn't been to, hit, and collected from. Ruka could practically say he'd been everywhere.

But he never had a permanent house to stay in or a place he could call his personal domain. Sure, sometimes they bought houses and apartments and yachts big enough to fit a million people, but they never stayed long. That was the downside of being a con artist.

Or, at least, it was considered a downside by Ruka.

So when he left the café after his chat with Natsume, it wasn't a surprise that he had a smile on his face. At the news that his parents had to decided to take a short break and stay in Tokyo City after a huge gain from the royals convention, that he would for the first time in his life attend a regular school with regular kids and regular classes (which Natsume only thought was lame), Ruka was excited.

So excited that he decided to make another quick pick before returning to the house as a gift of appreciation.

Only he wasn't so careful.

Taking a moment to glance at his watch, he couldn't help but think it was perfect timing. It was around the time where all students were having lunch, and business men and woman were taking their breaks—in other words, the streets would be crowded and targets would be easy.

He broke through the rush easily. As soon as he stepped out of the café, Ruka blended in with the crowd as if he had been a part of it all along. Taking a few turns, soon he found a perfect target along with a previous hit.

The girl he had stolen from that morning—Mikan Sakura, he remembered—was walking in a small group of girls in pleated skirts and neatly pressed shirts. Private school girls. Typical.

She was chattering away to a girl with short black hair and the strangest amethyst eyes who walked silently beside her. That's how he found his target—it just clicked. Instinct kicked in and his stride found purpose, his movements quick and every bit intentional as he bumped slightly between the two girls, offering a smile and apology before moving on his way.

A squeal came from a curly pink-haired girl, followed by a compliment from the one with long, navy blue hair as soon as they thought he couldn't hear them. Ruka smiled to himself, barely registering another girl's indifferent voice saying, "Give me a second. I'll meet you at the store."

"Okay," a cheery voice chirped, but Ruka didn't really hear that either. He was already long ways away, a grin on his face, heading in the direction of his apartment, not hearing the steps that were quickly following his. Not registering the slight sound of a click, like a machine's loading.

Not seeing the girl who was following him until something hard and forceful made contact with the back of his head, and he went stumbling into a side alleyway.

"What the..?" Ruka rubbed the targeted spot of his scalp, getting ready to push himself off the ground when saw the figure standing in front of him with a gun-like object in her hands. Then his blue eyes widened and he prayed he was just dreaming, that this was all just a bad—

BAKA!

"Ow!" he yelped. Well, at least he knew it wasn't a dream. "The hell, what is wrong with you, woman?"

The girl in front of him had a gleam in his eyes—a gleam he knew all too well, a gleam that he had seen way too many times in his own brother.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure you know what's wrong with me, Ruka Nogi."

~/~

It'd be a lie to say that there weren't very many rules in being a con artist, but it's also be a lie if he said he hadn't memorized them. Having been raised by normal-happy-go-lucky-with-a-side-fact-that-they-were-thieves parents, Ruka was pretty familiar with the rules, so he couldn't help but kick himself for forgetting one of the most important:

Never get distracted.

But he did. A son raised by the some of the best (worst?) workers had failed to watch his back—all because he was starting to feel excited.

Yeah, great good that did, he thought bitterly.

The girl's short hair ruffled in the light wind, so she stepped forward, out of the streets and into the alley. Towards him. Ruka couldn't help scooting back a little.

Her stoic purple eyes betrayed the hint of amusement before going back to being cold and indifferent—something that was only amplified by the contraption she pointed at him.

"You tried to steal my wallet." It wasn't a question or an accusation. It was a statement that dared him to say otherwise.

Lie, his brain told him. Lie through your teeth like you always do. But Ruka knew he was caught red-handed and there didn't seem to be anything that looked like it could deter her, so he just tried to match her attitude. "And if did?"

She raised a perfectly accented eyebrow at him. "I could get you arrested."

"I know," he said, and that was more than the truth.

"I could bust you in front of the whole city."

"I know."

"You'd be thrown in jail—especially with all the bigger cons you've done."

He stared back in surprise. "How do you know about them?"

"I have my ways," was all she said.

"So why won't you?"

"Why won't I what?"

"Why won't you get me arrested?" he asked, knowing full well that it was a stupid question, yet asking it anyways.

At that, she dropped her hand and the gun with it, and Ruka thought that maybe she was just going to let him go, when she said something even worse than getting taken in by the police (he had managed to lie to them before anyways); something much less predictable than the new 380 model of the WroughtCam security system all banks around Japan had installed last Friday: "I have bigger plans for you, Ruka Nogi."

Oh, this can't possibly be any good. Then something occurred to him. "Wait a sec, how do you know my name?"

~/~

"Chill, Natsume. It's no big deal—think of it as a big con. Through a school. A honking huge, private school."

Natsume growled at his friends. "That wastes half a day every day for half a year."

"Technically," Koko piped up, "it's a little more than half a year."

"Excluding weekends and vacays, of course," Kitsuneme said, popping another piece of popcorn into his mouth. Seeing the look on his friend's face, he set the bowl of buttery fluff aside. "Look, Natsume. It's not like Koko and I aren't going to transfer in with you—and you'll have Ruka." He wrinkled his nose. "But if you plan on baiting any girls there, I suggest you don't tell him."

"Yeah," Koko agreed. "I don't know why, but he's been feeling oddly reluctant the past few months. Years, more like. Especially since our parents joined the Underground. I dunno, but he doesn't seem happy."

Happy. Natsume frowned at the word. Truth be told, he never really experienced it himself. Sure he knew how to party, and he definitely knew pleasure, but happy—him and happy didn't really have a good past together.

That was why he suddenly got bored at the bar that morning, ditched the girl he had picked up, and called his two best friends for a movie at their apartment. Sometimes he was glad that his parents' best friends (who were also part of the business) had two sons that usually traveled around with them. Even though Koko and Kitsu could be a little too carefree, they still made great company.

"Ruka's just not into the whole… taking what's not ours sorta thing," Natsume divulged for his brother. "Y'know, after the whole incident with Aoi, he never really cared much about the ancillaries."

The two dirty blond-haired brothers nodded solemnly at the mention of Ruka's first love—and his first solo big heist. They may not talk about it much, but it was clear to everyone that ever since the little girl left, Ruka hated what they did even more. Aoi Igarashi—none of them could ever forget her name.

"He'll get over it," Koko sighed. "He has to—everyone has to let their crushes go eventually."

"Speaking of unreleased crushes," Kitsu started. Koko's eyes widened as they locked with his brother's and he feverishly waved his hands in the air.

"No! Nuh-uh! Aunt Kaoru made us promise not to tell him yet! She's gonna kill us!"

Natsume glared between the boys, sensing that there was something he was missing. "I'm going to kill you guys if you don't tell me what's going on. What did my mother say?" The two boys exchanged looks.

"Dammit, Kitsu! You just had to bring it up! So much for being the wise older brother!"

Kitsu frowned. "He's gonna find out sooner or later that she's—"

"She?" Natsume questioned. "Who?"

"Oh, you know," Koko asserted nervously. "Just a girl I used to, um, like is—"

"No." Crimson eyes widened as he realized who they were talking about. "No way. She isn't—"

"She is."

"You know we couldn't stop her, Natsume! She wanted to join the fun!"

"We're sorry!"

"Oh God, you have got to be kidding me."

~/~

"Oh please, Nogi, like you're actually stupid enough to think that any Underground person doesn't know you?"

Even though the girl had tucked her little gun thing back into her pocket and allowed him to get off the hard ground, Ruka didn't feel any better. Of course, she was right. Even though he had changed his last name from the infamous Hyuuga to Nogi to avoid pretences like this one, he should've known that everyone in the stupid game they were playing would've have caught notice of that as well.

Sometimes it sucked being a part of one of the Listed families.

"Guess not," Ruka said finally, leaning against the brick wall beside them. "So what's your name then? And judging from the fact you know about the Under, I'm suspecting you're a con artist as well?"

She only shrugged.

"What's your major?" he asked, sounding just like the regular-school-boy-asking-a-regular-school-girl-a-class-question that he was supposed to be, whether people could hear them or not.

"You could say I run about a bunch of different things," she answered passively. Before Ruka could comment, she added, "You don't need to tell me yours." She flashed a brief and wicked smile. "I already know what you do."

'Cause that's not creepy at all. "So what are your big plans?"

Even though he was eager to get home and away from this girl, even though part of him just wanted to tell her off and say that he didn't want anything to do with the Lists anymore, Ruka tried to pretend nothing was bothering him. Because that's what he had been trained all his life to do.

"If you're not turning me in, then what can I give you? I should probably mention I left my diamonds and rubies elsewhere."

"I don't want your money." She paused then said, "If I did, there's another method I could use to get it."

Ruka fought the urge to shiver. The girl didn't even seem to bother hiding anything from him—then again, she wasn't telling him much either. "So what is it that you want then?" he asked again, keeping his tone level and cool like her attitude didn't bother him at all.

"Toss me it first, Nogi," she stated, holding her hand out expectantly. "Don't think for a second I forgot you still had my wallet."

Well, that trick's outta the window, he thought as he tossed the thick leather bind to the girl. I guess she's not an amateur, after all.

As soon as she checked the contents and tucked it into her pocket, she turned away from him and started walking out of the alley. Before Ruka even had a chance to foolishly consider that she would let him off the hook, she called back over her shoulder, "What are you waiting for? You're buying me Taco Bell."

Ruka sighed but had no choice to oblige (keep in mind, this chick still had a gun!). Maybe he would've ran or tried to escape (because he had been the target of far worse weapons before and still managed to get away), but at that moment, he was too tired to try.

Too tired of conning people he didn't even know. Too tired of trying to hide when most of the time he didn't even know what he was hiding from. Too tired of picking on innocent (or not so innocent) people because of some stupid game that con artists had created just because they were bored.

And much too tired of pretending not to care.

Perhaps that was why the girl slowed her pace slightly for him to catch up, because she knew. Perhaps she was just as tired of playing a game that would never end until the rest of the players dropped off the face of the earth.

But probably, most likely, it was so she could turn around and snap a picture with a camera she had pulled out of nowhere (more specifically, her pocket).

"Hey!" Ruka protested, blinking against the blinding flash.

The girl merely cocked her head to the side and kept moving. "Now you know, Nogi."

"Know what?" he grumbled, irritated.

"Now you know what my major is: blackmail. Because from this point on, your officially caught. You're my new slave."

Note: Chapter 1, posted! How was it? Don't worry, the next chap will be up very soon, 'cause I just can't seem to stop writing this supposed one-shot. And this chap may be a little serious, but that's only because Ruka is still extremely regretful. It will get better, I promise. :)

And yeah, family relations aren't exactly the same as in the manga (just so you know, Aoi is not at all related to Natsume and Ruka. I used Natsume's mom's maiden name, Igarashi, though, because I thought it was pretty cool). I'll try to make relations obvious during the chapters, but if not, then just send me a message saying you don't understand. So if some people are or aren't related in ways they usually are, then you can't say I didn't warn ya, alright? :P

I hope you liked it anyways!

Once again, Happy Birthday to Hilaire! :D

Review? ;)