hey guys! i have a new story though it is just a one-shot^^ please enjoy^^

DISCLAIMER: When I finally had my name as Gakuen Alice's author, I'll stop eating my favorite pineapple

DEDICATION: for 2threeabi, michan27 and behind thy hazel orbs (you know who you are^^)

I haven't experienced loving the person I loathed the most…and neither have I experienced to hate the person I most love….

These feelings are alien to me…..I never knew such emotions existed – love and hate in the same pot, at the least.

I hate him for pulling my pigtails, constantly complaining that nobody could be so childish like me (I'm already 15 years old but who cares if I wanted to wear my hair in pigtails? It's not like he will be the one who will do such hairstyle!)

I hate him for peeking at my underclothing. God! Such a pervert that he was, always teasing me how childish (I'm saying this for the second time around) I was for choosing those polka-dotted patterns. (But again, will he be the one to wear those polka-dotted underclothings? He's undeniably impossible!)

And I hate him more for always teasing me – practically going overboard with his snide remarks resulting with me fuming with rage. I swear, whenever Hotaru would record those moments (which she didn't miss even a fraction of a second, trust me), she would gleefully – yes, gleefully, because she practically enjoys torturing me – rewind those videotapes for me, and I knew I looked like a circus bull during the process.

But nevertheless, I love him.

I love him because he shows those small but sincere smiles at me. He is the type of person who would most likely keep everything to himself, but he still smiles – for me, yes. I happen to notice these before – he doesn't smile when there is anyone around. He would always wait for us to be alone at the little Sakura tree at the field before he displays those little smiles.

I love him for saving me during those unexpected times when no one else is around to do so. He may look like he didn't care, but they didn't knew that he actually did. Again, I saw a different side of him unbeknownst to everybody else.

And I love him the most for protecting me. Yes, he annoys all the hell out of me but he will be there when I'm sad, when I'm sick, and especially when I'm crying my heart out (but still, he would tease me afterwards, saying that my snot would flow nonstop and we will banter like usual in the end, the crying and all now forgotten).

But nevertheless, I hate him.

Sigh. I've been pondering about this bizarre situation I'm in for quite a while now, and just then, Narumi-sensei came bursting in the room, carrying this weird but comfortable aura. I'm not surprised about this since he has the Human Pheromone Alice.

And so classes began…..But my mind was drifting to somewhere else in La-La Land, my sight focused on the blossoming Sakura tree adjacent to my seat. I'm still thinking about this love conundrum until somebody poked me with a sharpened pencil on my side.

I yelped silently, biting my lips to muffle any more sound coming from my mouth. I glanced at my seatmate, obviously annoyed.

"What are you spacing all about there, Polka?" Natsume inquired, irritation visible on his face. I saw him holding the sharpened pencil – wait, no, scratch that out – a newly sharpened pencil. The jerk really planned to torture me.

That perked my ears up and I ,too, found myself annoyed and irritated at the same time. He repeated his question once more and this time, I forced out all of my willpower to stop the course of red from creeping up to my cheeks. Fortunately, I succeeded. How could you expect me to tell him that he was my sole reason for spacing out? I can't just face him and coolly say, "Hey, Natsume, you know I totally hate you but why do I found myself falling in love with you? Care to tell me why?"

No.

Obviously not.

So instead, I scowled at him before replying, "I'm just thinking of a hundred and one ways on how to torture you and make you suffer after all of these years that keep on finding methods on how to get under my skin."

I heard him scoff and he just resumed on reading his manga. I silently breathed a gust of air that I didn't know I've been holding on.

But before I could start listening to Narumi-sensei this time, I heard him say, "Don't worry, Polka, the feeling is mutual." Such a jerk that he is.

Just then, time flew quickly and it was finally time to go back to our dorms.

I walked out of the room and silently made my way to the middle class' dorm. I was left behind by the other girls because I just finished serving my detention from Jinno-sensei for being late again. Life is sooooo sweet.

My pace is slow, savoring the atmosphere of the almost-ending afternoon. The sun was bound to set anytime now, scattering orange and red at the horizon. Then I felt someone walking beside me.

"What now?" I'm irritated at Natsume for disturbing my peaceful walk.

"I just feel like teasing you again…." he paused as he glanced at me, with that ever-so-famous smirk of his that just maid him look more handsome than before (God, what am I thinking?) "…..Ichigo-kara."

I burst with anger and started chasing after him, preparing to chuck him my Biology book. We ran round and round, him evading all my attacks while me mustering all of my remaining strength to hit him with my book (and gradually failing).

We stopped scampering around, both of our own hands on our respective knees, panting like mad.

"I TOTALLY HATE YOU NATSUME HYUUGA!" I shouted with all of my breath.

"I hate you too, Ichigo-kara, isn't that obvious?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Don't worry, all your feelings towards me are inevitably mutual," I hissed under my breath.

"Then…does that mean you love me too?" he asked all of the sudden, seriousness coating his voice, glinting from his crimson eyes.

"Don't toy with me around," I snapped and began walking away. I can't afford hoping for something I knew was impossible to begin with.

He tugged at my wrist, preventing me from walking away. "You don't believe me, do you?" he asked, so full of pain that it made my heart ache.

"How could you expect me to believe you when all the things you said are just playful remarks?"

He let go of my wrist, and began walking away. Every step he takes was full of pain, full of agony.

It hurts me to watch him this way.

"I'm serious about what I said, you know," I saw him stop from his tracks and turn around to face me. "All the feelings you have for me are mutual," I added sheepishly with a smile.

He smiled this time – a smile that was genuine and rare. I almost thought it was the happiest day of my life when he suddenly said, "I can't believe I fell in love with a childish girl that ties her hair in childish pigtails and wears childish underwears." That statement made my eyebrows twitch and any moment now, I swear could've just kicked him out of annoyance.

But before I could have the chance to execute my plan, he came into me leaned in my ear and whispered something that totally made this day the happiest day of my life.

"But all those childish things that you do makes me wanna fall for you over and over again," he finished as he leaned closer to give me a quick kiss on my cheeks.

THE END

so how was it? good or bad?

please review...please please please please (it'll be a good x-mas gift)! and don't forget to read my other story a.k.a. "Rivalry's Chemistry"

tnx guys! :D and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

and i know this story is cheesy and corny...i cant even imagine that i managed to write this! *puts both hands in cheeks for dramatic effect*...and sorry but i dont intend to let natsume kiss mikan on the lips...i wanted this story to be as chaste and innocent as possible but with heavy dose of romance...mwahahaha...dont mind my rattling and babbling here – it's just a post effect of christmas XD