Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice does not belong to me.


Prologue

Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

The clocked ticked along every single second of the day, as much as I hated it being so. I never really liked clocks, because aside from reminding us people about how much time we were wasting again, what else did it really do? Time flowed along, never stopping to wait. Whether you were happy, sad, injured or dying, time didn't care.

Time minded its own business, and that was perhaps the only thing I liked about it. And it was something that I really hoped the boy in front of me had in him too.

He wasn't particularly bad looking, and was in fact of a superior breed, looking at his perfect green eyes and sculpted nose. However, he might as well have gotten his brain from a baboon, because the boy certainly didn't know what rejection was even when it was staring him in the face.

"I really don't have the time," I sighed in frustration as I stacked up the books on the counter and shoved them onto the trolley. "I have a job, and this being a bookstore, it's open almost every single day. We're always busy." I looked at him pointedly as I stood up to grab hold of the trolley. Normally, I hated being the one to shelve the books, and had my co-worker do the job for me, but right now I was desperate.

Oh yes, definitely desperate, I thought to myself as I watched him raise an eyebrow at me, smiling obnoxiously. "Come on, Mikan," he simpered, "You can't possibly want to stick with your," He scrunched up his face, as if just the thought of the word disgusted Mr Rich Boy right here, "job when you can be out partying with me."

"Yes, that is exactly what I've been trying to communicate to your miniscule brain for the past twenty minutes."

He opened his mouth, dumbfounded, and I mentally slapped myself. My boss had pretty much given me free rein over what I wished to do in my job, because as much complaining as I did, I was a hardworking and dedicated worker.

Somehow, I didn't think that free rein allowed me to shoot my mouth off in front of customers, or even just potential ones, although I doubted that the boy before me could harness enough brainpower to even finish a book by Dr. Seuss.

"Well, look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said," I lied through gritted teeth as I looked him straight in the eye, "and I'll be really glad if you don't mention it to my boss -"

"What's miniscule?"

I stopped short, my mouth hanging open. Moron, I thought derisively as I sniffed. "It's nothing. So you can go now."

"So you'll be coming with me on Friday?" He asked hopefully as he leaned over the counter, too close for my comfort.

I was about to open my mouth to say "No, you sucker," and hopefully give him a suckerpunch to wake him up a little, but a deeper voice cut into our conversation with an amused tilt to it.

"You really do have a tiny brain, huh."

My head snapped to the side so fast that I thought I would get whiplash. Well, well. Look who was here. After five whole weeks of steadfastly ignoring my existence ever since he started patronizing the bookstore, Natsume Hyuuga was now standing merely a metre away from me, actually looking me in the eyes as he smirked.

It wasn't like I was offended that Natsume had failed to acknowledge me in any way, even though I served him every single time he was in the store. Well, actually, he hadn't needed any serving. He just walked over to whatever shelf he was interested in, drew out a book at the speed of light, paid for it and left. There simply hadn't been any reason for him to talk to me -

Not like I was feeling slighted anyway.

It was just, Natsume Hyuuga was the resident heart-throb and bad boy of the high school I studied in, so I really wasn't expecting him to just come strolling in a bookstore and picking out books like Pride and Prejudice, you know? But he did.

I was a girl who wasn't blind or immune to a boy's charms, and Natsume had a truckload of it. Of course I was dying to even just say hello to him. Of course I was squealing inside when I first watched him step through the doors of the bookstore, the bell jingling in his wake like he was some sort of angel.

Then I guess it would make a lot of sense to say that I was disillusioned and a hell lot of pissed when he barely even looked at me and was out of the shop in minutes.

"Uh, I, uh?" The poor boy stuttered as he cowered before Natsume's towering height. I blinked, and he was gone.

It seemed as if the boy could run faster than a typhoon when he was up against superior forces. I scoffed, and the boy remaining – the annoying boy who had ignored my existence for five weeks, five whole weeks – chuckled quietly to himself.

I tried to glare at him, but found myself failing miserably the moment I melt his eyes. They were the most exotic shade of red, a colour that probably wouldn't look good on anyone else, but surprisingly, red eyes made him look like a god instead of a freak.

I slapped my hand over my eyes to prevent myself from freaking out any further. It was simply too degrading and embarrassing to be caught ogling him like that.

It was silent for a while, to the point that I almost thought he'd left, but then his voice rang out, eerily clear in the silent, empty bookstore. "Get me a book, will you?"

I opened a crack between my fingers and regarded him disdainfully. Oh, now you need my help! "You never seemed to need help in the past..."

The corner of Natsume's lips tilted a little. "Well, I need it now."

I stared at him.

"Your service is terrible."

"What?" I almost shouted as I jumped up from my seat. "My service is terrible? I've been waiting for you to ask for help ever since you stepped in through that door," I jabbed my thumb at the entrance without even turning to look at it, "five weeks ago and my service is terrible? I think your lack of a need for service is terrible!"

Oh my God, I just utterly embarrassed myself. I cowered back into my seat, shying away from his humoured gaze. "Well what book do you wish to find, dearest customer?" I asked tonelessly as I stared down at the darkwood table, steepling my fingers together in an attempt to look professional.

You didn't just shout at a customer, Mikan. You didn't just shout at a regular customer just because he's hot and he obviously doesn't think you are. You didn't. Everything's going to be fine.

When I finally looked up to yell at him again for not saying anything, Natsume was grinning.

"Dear John," he replied, "by Nicholas Sparks."


A/N: I am actually fully aware that I shouldn't be publishing a new story when Prophecy is still ongoing and I haven't updated Timeless at all, but Timeless is kind of on the backburner for the moment, so I feel that I can cope with two...stories? Ahaha? Anyway, this story isn't going to be long – I hope – and it's dedicated to all of you who have read and given support to my stories, because you're my motivation to keep writing!

Yeah I hope you enjoy this, and just a heads up – I'm heading out of the country for a week, and I'm leaving this Sunday, so I'm not sure whether there'll be another update before I leave. I'll try, but no promises! Enjoy this, everyone, and feel free to give me constructive criticism! :)