Chapter 1

It's okay… it has always been this way. I just have to get used to it again, just like usual. After all, this family… I don't fit in. I've to try harder to get them to accept me and then one day, perhaps, they would show me their true smile.

"Mikan! Would you hurry up a little! No one's going to wait for you forever!" A short, hot-headed teenager shouted a few meters from the gasping brunette.

"I'm sorry sister!" Swiping away the sweat on her forehead, she rushed to catch up with the impatient red head.

"Why do I have to wait for you every single time? You should act your age soon! I can't believe you're actually older than me by two years!" The younger of the two scoffed at her pathetic elder sister as she strutted towards school.

"I can't help it. You're just too mature Asako." Mikan smiled goofily as she finally caught up with her. It was a typical sight and a usual routine for the two sisters.

Asako just sighed and continued walking. 'Why do I have a goon for a sister?' She thought as Mikan laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of her head. She rolled her eyes in annoyance. 'We are not the slightest similar, that's a good thing!'

Mikan sighed. Why does she have to screw up early in the morning? It's hard enough to please her sister when she's in one of her moods. Sometimes, it's just so awkward around her, like there's nothing she could do to help.

"Asako! Have a good day!" she waved at her sister's departing silhouette and retreated in silence. "Okay! Now that's that. I should get going too!" Smiling, the brunette tied her hair into pigtails and skipped to her classroom in the opposite direction. She wondered why her sister always told her not to tie her hair in this fashion. However, when her sister was not looking, she would always take the chance to tie it into her favorite split style.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped into her classroom. "Good morning!" she felt free in the class as everyone greeted her back with warm smiles. Well, most of them at least. Her best friend, Imai Hotaru just looked up and went back to her book. Talk about best friend. But in the bottom of her heart, Mikan knew that Hotaru cared much about her. The simple gesture of acknowledgement proved that Mikan was worth her time to even look up. If given others, the stoic girl wouldn't even give them half her time, much more look at them. And thus, she was labeled as 'ice queen'.

"Hi Hotaru!" Mikan tried again to grab a response from her best friend. But only silence ensued. She sighed and gave up. Hotaru will still be Hotaru.

Shrugging it off, Mikan went to her seat at the back of the class. There lay another who didn't bother to even acknowledge her.

With a manga book sprawled on his face and his legs on the desk, he was none other than the infamous Natsume Hyuuga. Considered the most handsome in the school, he has his own fan club dedicated to him, much to his chagrin. His jet-black hair and crimson eyes that shine like rubies in the dark were considered one of his best assets by many girls. Not to mention he was tall, lean and mature for his age, and a bad-boy to the boot. He was the perfect image of a mysterious, aloof yet prince-like character right out from a book. But he was never proud of it, instead, it brought him unnecessary attention of the girls in school, short to say, he loathed his looks. To him, it was like a curse instead.

He felt someone sitting beside him and presumed it was the brunette. He still remembers the first day they had met. It had truly left an impression on him.

It was the beginning of the first day of third year in middle school. Natsume had loathed this day. It meant the beginning of the torture yet again. And worst, it was raining and he had not brought an umbrella. Curses.

As he ran through the rain, his bag shielding his head from the pounding rain, he noticed a figure below the sakura tree. With the wind blowing hard against his eyes, he could only make out a tinge of brown hair. Upon closer look, he realized it was a girl and worst still, she was crying in the rain under the tree. Hadn't anyone taught her not to shelter under a tree when it's raining?

Much as Natsume would like to get going and ignore her, he just couldn't leave her there for some reason. Somehow, she looked so…lost and lonely. He just couldn't leave her alone. It was against his conscience for once.

He approached unsurely and noticing that she did not notice his approach, he decided to break the silence.

"Oi…"

The brunette looked up with her tear-streaked eyes and seemed shocked to notice someone there.

"Hi there! Is there something I can help you with?" she smiled sadly, even as the tears kept flowing.

'What a troublesome one.' The lad thought as she tried to maintain a façade through her tears.

"Stop that. You're the one who look like you need help." He held out his bag above her head, trying to stop the rain from coming down on her.

"Ah. Thanks…this is not what it seems. I, no, you, well… it's just, I, I, I…" tears started streaming from her face again and Natsume sighed. Why had he bothered to help in the first place?

"You're not making sense. Whatever happened happened. So just stop this… this waterfall from your eyes. I personally can't stand girls crying in front of me. And you look ugly crying like that. Stop now."

Much to his surprise, she looked up towards him and smiled, breathtakingly. "I'm fine" she whispered, even though she looked so obviously fragile.

Before he could stop himself, he dropped his bag and held her into his embrace. 'What am I doing?' He thought as his arms wind around her, pressing her against his body. The girl in his arms did not seem to resist him, but just leaned onto him like a breakable porcelain doll, and continued crying, whimpering 'I'm sorry' into his ear over and over again.

"Don't cry… little girl…"

It was just a brief moment in the rain with her, but her crying face kept replaying in his mind. In the end, he never got to know the reasons for her tears. And afterwards, when they met in the classroom again, realizing that they were classmates, she acted like nothing had happened and even had the guts to say 'I don't remember' when he asked her about it.

He eventually concluded that she was one crazy girl.

"Hi Natsume." She smiled at him as he slowly removed the manga from his face. Her smile was as breathtaking as ever, but no way in hell was he going to tell her that. He only replied with a brief nod and went back to his slumber, occasionally taking peeks at the brunette beside him.

Mikan looked at the boy beside her and resist the urge to smile at him. He had no idea how grateful she was towards him on that rainy day. But she did not have the guts to tell him any of her problems; after all, it's rude to dump your problem on a stranger the first time of your meeting. What kind of impression would that make?

But she knew that he was not what the rumors had said about him. She knew he was not the cold-blooded, rude and aloof brat, but the warm-hearted, yet distant boy that had approached her. She wanted to know more about him, so much more, but for now, she had enough problems of her own to do anything about her own interest.

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