Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

-o-

Just the Guy

Prologue

"Mikan! Hurry up! We're gonna be late!" Sumire shouted from downstairs.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I shouted back in response. I grabbed my watch from my desk and literally ran downstairs.

"Seriously Mikan, you made us wait for almost half an hour for this?" Sumire said, pointing at my blue V-neck shirt, black skinny jeans, and my all-time favorite black Chucks.

I gave her a questioning look. "What's wrong with my outfit? It's Christmas Eve for Christsake! We're headed to the church, not to some rockstar's after party." I told her, rolling my eyes at her ridiculously skimpy outfit.

"Granny alert! That's exactly my point. It's Christmas! You should at least try to dress up a bit. There'll be a lot of people in the church. You might meet your Romeo in there. Don't you want to impress him at least?" Sumire said.

At this I laughed so hard that tears started falling from the corners of my eyes. "What? What's with the hideous laugh?" she inquired.

I wiped the tear streaks on my cheeks before answering "You've got to be kidding me. I've got no intention of impressing anyone but myself. And meeting Romeo? Permy, you know my type. I've got insanely high standards so I highly doubt that my perfect man would be there."

She scoffed before answering, "Mikan, Mikan, Mikan. You've read too much books and watched far too many chick flicks for your own good. It's getting to your head. Wake up! If this goes on like this you'll end up living on your own, old and aging with no one but your ten stinking cats. We're eighteen. It's about time you find your own guy. "

Again, I laughed. "You're overreacting, Permy. Eighteen is still young. I'll find my guy soon. There's no need to rush. Why are you so psyched about the mass anyway?"

Sumire was about to argue when a series of honks from a pissed Hotaru was heard outside. "Oh shit, the mass, we're late!"

We rushed to the garage and found Hotaru on the passenger seat. She was clearly not pleased with our tardiness. "If you don't want to attend mass then just say so. I prefer to be at home than be in that cramped up place anyway."

"Sorry, we were caught up in a serious discussion about Mikan's dream boy."

"Oh, Sumire. Are we not through with this discussion yet? Just let it go."

"Don't you agree with me, Hotaru? Mikan is seriously caught up with her delusions. It's time to break free from your childish imaginations. Do you really think your red-eyed, black-haired, tall, muscular guy with pale white skin exists? You're looking for a vampire, not a human"

"Correction: It's crimson-eyed, the color of fresh blood, deeper and somewhat brighter than red. His hair isn't just the ordinary black. It's the color of raven, dark as night. He's tall, with slender legs. And he's not your macho-type. He's got a fit body that says 'You're perfectly safe with me' not the scary 'I lift 500-pound weights everyday' kind of build. His skin isn't that pale. It's ivory, flawless and sparkly. His face is like something perfectly sculpted from marble, with well-defined features." I was at a daze, imagining the person in my head. I sighed dreamily. The mere thought of him coming to life makes me feel all giddy inside. Sadly, my flight to cloud nine was disturbed by a series of laughs from my best friends.

"Mikan, you are seriously insane," Hotaru said. "If you want to prove Shouda wrong then you shouldn't have corrected her. Elaborating your dream guy wasn't of great help too, you know. You only proved that you are one delusional freak."

"Don't be mean, Hotaru. So okay, maybe I am a delusional freak. So what? You guys will still be my friends anyway. It won't change a thing, right?" There was no response. I looked at Hotaru and Sumire from the rearview mirror but they won't meet my gaze. "Ugh, you've got to be kidding me." Then we broke into fits of laughter.

-o-

When we reached the church, it was already past the homily. Hotaru shot me a death glare and I sent her an apologetic look. We sat at the back. Luckily, there were still a couple of vacant seats. I looked around and found Ruka, Hotaru's boyfriend, two rows before us. He looked charming as ever in his purple button-up shirt and jeans. Beside him were two other guys. One was Koko, Sumire's childhood friend and lover. The other guy was someone I've never met. From where I was seating, I could only see his back and none of his face. He was standing there with his hands on his pockets. There was something different in the way he stood. It was as if he owned the world. There was a hint of arrogance in it. If it was because of his strong-looking arms or his lean form, I do not know. I was sure of one thing though, he piqued my interest.

I spent all the remaining time left of the eve's mass thinking of that guy. There's something familiar about him. In the duration of the mass, I saw him glance sideways twice which gave me a hint of his face. It was fair and glowing, almost like he's wearing make-up but he's not. Weird, I know. He also whispered something to Koko. Koko then glanced at me, with that huge smile on his face, and winked. After doing so, he earned a light punch on the shoulder from the mystery guy beside him. Ruka then glanced at our direction and I saw that light tint of pink creep up on his face when his eyes met Hotaru's. I swear, Ruka's head-over-heels in-love with my bestfriend.

The mass finally ended. We headed out of the church for the annual fireworks display sponsored by the church in celebration of Christmas Eve. Not long before we stepped out of the gigantic church door, Ruka approached us.

Ruka gave Hotaru a peck on the cheeks and said a couple of inaudible words to her (which I guessed to be something that goes along the lines of 'You look beautiful' or 'I missed you', or whatever cheesy words there may be) in which she acknowledge with a smile, before turning towards us and said, "Hey there Mikan, Sumire. Didn't see you guys until a few minutes before the mass ended. What took you so long? It was sad not being able to sit with you guys during the Eve mass."

Hotaru spoke before either of us could answer. "Well, they were arguing about Mikan's love life, or the lack of it. Apparently, Shouda here wants her to ditch her Dream Guy delusions and just go out with some other guy."

Ruka smiled before saying, "There's no need to hurry. Love comes, it is not sought. All you need to do is look around and who knows, maybe he's just around the corner." He emphasized on the words just around the corner. And as if on cue, the mystery guy appeared with Koko alongside him.

"Speak of the devil and the devil doth appear." Hotaru said with an eyeroll.

"Permy! Didn't see you all day." Koko said, before planting a kiss on forehead and giving a bouquet of big red roses. "Merry Christmas, Sumire." Sumire squealed in delight, hugged him tight, and planted a soft kiss on his lips. It should've grossed the hell out of us but since we've been friends for as long as I can remember and they've been dating for like a year or two already, we got used to it.

"So what're you guys talking about?" Koko asked.

This time, Sumire answered "It's about Mi-" I cut her off, not wanting my Dream Guy image to spread any further. "Oh it's nothing you need to know about." I told him before glaring at Sumire and flashing a sweet innocent smile at Koko in hopes of changing the topic to something a little less personal.

"So," Ruka started, saving me from further embarrassment, "Guys, I want you to meet my best friend, fresh from the airport." They all glanced at the mystery guy. Oh yeah, I totally forgot he's still here. I glanced up at him just in time to see a smirk form on his face. It took him only two steps with his slender long legs and suddenly he's right in front of me. Suddenly, I was filled with a musky scent. And surprisingly, I liked it. He stared at me with those crimson orbs of his. For that I was given a clear view of his features: his long eyelashes that hit his high cheekbones whenever he blinks; his straight, beautiful nose; and his fair white skin which seems to glow under the pale moonlight. All of it seems so surreal, too good to be true.

Without breaking eye contact, he grabbed my right hand and planted a soft kiss on it. I felt my cheeks grow warm and my heart skip a beat. What the hell? Then he spoke with a voice so sweet yet velvety at the same time. "Merry Christmas. I'm Natsume Hyuuga." Then he smiled. And my heart felt like it's in a rollercoaster ride.

I think I'm in love.

-o-

Author's Note: So how do you find it? Too OOC? This is my first ever fic, so constructive criticisms are highly appreciated! Thanks guys! Oh, and Merry Christmas in advance! :D