Chapter I

Hyuuga Natsume

I smiled at myself as I saw the familiar scene in front of me. I'm finally home. It had been two years since I left the place I grew up. Though I could not remember any of my childhood memories it's still felt nostalgic to be finally here.

Two years ago, I found myself in the hospital, and I couldn't remember anything about myself or how did I end up in that situation. I lost everything that day, well not all, after all I still have my family and my best friend, Hotaru Imai, who was now waiting for me with a small smile etched on her face at the doorway of my home. "What are you still standing there for, baka?" she said her face still stoic as ever.

Hotaru is very beautiful, not that she would ever admit to herself, she let her raven hair grew to shoulder length after I persuaded her to let it grow. She has a porcelain skin and her face was adorned by her beautiful pair of amethyst eyes. In contrast to her, I have a fair skin, long wavy hair that was now up to waist length, and a set of brown eyes. Every time I tell Hotaru how I envy her beauty she would hit me with her infamous Baka Gun and say something like, "When are you going to see yourself, baka?" and I still don't get it.

As I entered the house I was immediately pulled into a hug by my ever energetic mother. "Honey, I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Mom." I said as she let go of me so that my father could take his turn.

"Welcome home, sweetheart." My dad said as he ruffled my hair with a cocky grin in his face. I got my looks from my mom, same brunette hair and brown eyes. But she was way beautiful than me with her timeless face. Dad has a blonde hair that he still kept messy, he tends to be very childish and at times be serious. It seems that both my parents never seemed to age.

"Mikan, who's this guy in the picture?" Hotaru asked while showing me the photo frame she was holding, we were currently unpacking my things since tomorrow I would be attending school. I took it and stared at it for a while, trying to think. It was a picture of me, maybe two years ago, and a guy with raven hair and azure eyes, he was wearing a thick rimmed glasses and his hair was a bit messy. I felt that familiar pain in my chest as I start to think about my past. Hotaru noticed that I was slightly hyper ventilating already that she took the photo from me. "Mikan breathe, never mind that photo. You don't have to hurt yourself trying to remember. So calm down." I tried, and after a few minutes I started breathing normally again.

"Thanks." I said smiling, trying to assure her that I was alright. Hotaru tends to go overboard sometimes.

"I shouldn't have asked about that." She muttered under her breathe but still audible for me to hear. She moved to put the photo in one of my drawers. I looked at my left hand, in my ring finger was a silver ring adorned with a small red stone, a small reminder of my past.

"Mikan, were finished unpacking. I'll be going now." She said as she moved to the door. "Don't you ever dare be late for tomorrow. I'll pick you up. Ja ne." and with that she was gone.

When I lost my memory, my parents decided that we should leave Japan and stay in the United States. Hotaru went with me, and she told me a lot about my past self, except for two year interval before I lost my memory since she wasn't there with me that time, apparently I was studying at another school. She told me about my other friends, Anna Umenomiya, Nonoko Osagawara and Sumire Shoda, I met them when they visited me last summer, and they told me that we were once in a band called the Tangerine Dream. We were supposedly famous until I got into an accident which led to my amnesia. I smiled at the thought as I played my band's song on my iPod.

"Class, we have a new student," my new homeroom adviser, Narumi Anjou said. I was waiting outside. "Please welcome Miss Mikan Yukihara." And with that I stepped into the classroom.

"Yukihara?"

"The Mikan Yukihara?"

"Wow! She's more beautiful in person." I could feel my cheeks burn.

I bowed a little and said while smiling, "Hi, everyone. My name is Mikan Yukihara. Hope we could all be friends." Then I heard a loud thud from the back of the room, and I saw a raven haired guy with piercing crimson eyes standing. He was tall and handsome, but for some unknown reasons he was glaring at me. He started walking towards me and when we were face to face he suddenly turned towards the door and slammed the door behind him.

That guy, he seemed so familiar. I didn't notice a tear had already fallen to my cheeks as I stared at the closed door where he left.

"That was weird," Sumire Shoda said, but I like to always call her Permy because of her curly short hair. We were all eating lunch in the cafeteria. "That was the first time I saw Natsume-kun like that."

"That's right!" Anna, my pink-haired friend nodded in agreement.

"Do you know him, Mikan?" asked Nonoko, Anna's 'twin', though she had a long dark blue hair.

I shrugged, "No, I don't."

"Hotaru, what do you think?" Permy asked. Apparently Hotaru was busy eating her crab meat. "You're the manager right?" I looked towards Hotaru. Manager?

"So," she said indifferently. "Still none of my business."

"Manager?" I asked, all four was now looking at me. "What do you mean by that?"

"Hotaru is the manager of the hottest band in town," Anna said.

"No, in all Japan." Nonoko added.

"Band? What Band?" I was still clueless.

"Crimson Nightmare." Permy said dreamily. "They're like our counter parts. Though since we never revealed ourselves to public no one knew us. Hyuuga Natsume is their lead vocalist as well as the guitarist, Nogi Ruka –,"

"Wait!" I said, "Hotaru's boyfriend?" and I saw a small red taint in my best friend's face.

"Yup," Nonoko said. "Hotaru is so lucky! Anyway, he is the lead guitars, Yuu Tobita on the keyboards, the Twins, Kokoro and Kitsuneme Yome, bass and drums respectively."

"They are all good-looking too. Especially Natsume-kun!" I could feel that Permy has a crush on him.

Then I saw four boys entered the cafeteria. A blonde guy with blue eyes were leading the others, one of them have a light brown hair wearing glasses, and two identical guys with dirty blonde hair. They must be the guys they were talking about.

"Hotaru," the blonde guy greeted my best friend and I saw her tensed a little.

"Ruka," she said as she moved a little to me so that he could sit beside her. The others sat on the vacant sits.

"You must be Mikan?" Ruka asked as he extended his hand to shake mine's.

I smiled, "Yes, and you must be Ruka? I heard a lot about you from Hotaru. It's good that I finally be able to meet you, Ruka-pyon." He blushed a little.

"By the way, I'm sorry about Natsume's attitude earlier." He said.

"It's nothing," I said, "He must have a reason."

"Now that you mention it," the one with the glasses said, "I haven't seen Natsume-kun since this morning." Then he turned towards me, "I'm Yuu, but you could call me Inchou like everyone does."

"I'm Kokoro, call me Koko," one of the dirty-blonde haired guys said, "And this is my twin, Kitsuneme."

"Stupid Koko," his twin said. "Kitsu is fine."

Just then the cafeteria door opened and we heard a flirty laugh. It was Hyuuga with a girl, must be his girlfriend, though I could see that he was not enjoying her company. We saw them sat at a table across us and as soon as they settled they began making out. Disgusting.

"Another toy," Kitsu said.

"Huh?"

"Natsume isn't serious with any of the girls he hangs out with," Ruka explained as he looked at his friend frowning.

"Poor girls," I said also frowning at the scene in front of me.

"They're already…bitches to start with," said Yuu.

"Yup," Koko nodded, "You should see how they literary kiss the ground Natsume steps on. It's really funny."

"Natsume-kun wasn't like that back then, right?" Permy said as she took a sip from her cola.

"What do you mean, Permy?" I asked.

"Four years ago, Natsume-kun transferred out of the academy. And believe me the Natsume-kun back then hates girls, especially fan girls. But when he returned he was like this, and that was also the time Crimson Nightmare was formed," she said.

"Must have been broken hearted by a girl," Koko said with a cocky grin in his face.

"You don't know what happened?" I asked the boys.

Ruka shrugged, "Though he's my best friend, he never told me. But I think he kept a picture of the girl somewhere on his room or maybe even in his wallet. That guy is ridiculous at times."

"He must be in pain when the girl left him," I commented, all of them looked at me, "I mean, if he changed into something he is not just to ease some of the pain he felt, then he must have really love the girl. I would like to meet her someday, the girl who broke Hyuuga-kun's heart. She must be really stupid."

They all laughed, and I looked at them, confused. "That's the first time I heard something like that from you, Mikan." Hotaru said with her small smile.

Then we heard a shriek from the table across us. "NO! Natsume, please!"

"We're through," he simply said as he went to us. The girl ran away, must be in the comfort rooms to cry her eyes out. That conceited jerk.

Then he suddenly sat beside me, which shocked all of us, considering his attitude towards me earlier. He was staring at me now, as if amused. I frowned at him. What is this guy thinking?

"You're already through playing with your toy," I asked him as I glared at this jerk.

He nodded slightly, "Want to be next?" he asked as if he was asking the most normal question. I'll kill this obnoxious jerk one day, but then I got the prettiest idea.

I smiled, "Sure." Then I stood up. I could feel all eyes behind my back. He stood too. Then he turned me to face him. I knew he was going to kiss me, but I was quick enough to punch him in the face. There were gasps. I must have punched harder than I meant because there was blood in his mouth which he wiped with the back of his hand. "Don't kiss me with that mouth you licked bitches with."

He grinned, "Whatever, Polka." He then went past me.

Polka? But then I realized, "You- you perverted, arrogant fox!"

"Next time choose something sexier, Polka," he said with a smirk in his face, then his eyes wandered to my left hand, he grabbed it. "So, you already have a boyfriend, huh?"

"Maybe," I said sadly, "I don't know. I don't remember anything."

"What do you mean?" he was interested, and that made me curious.

"I had amnesia two years ago," I said, and then I stared at his crimson eyes, and could see all the emotions he was trying to hide. Pain and relief.

Then he smirked again, "Then I'll just have to steal you away from him, huh?"

"Huh?" But he was already walking away. Hyuuga Natsume, I wondered what he was before. And I was determined to find out.