Prologue
Natsume Hyuuga stood at the entrance of Alice Academy and sighed. It was his first day at this new school and already he hated being here. He missed his old school, the school his mother had walked him home from every day. But now he was away from every thing that reminded him of her and it left him cold. She had passed on less than a year ago, just before his tenth birthday.
His father had already remarried, moving him to the city and so now he had a new woman trying to force herself into the spot in his heart that had grown ever more numb as the months passed.
"Isn't even cold in the ground yet," he muttered angrily to nobody in particular. He kicked a rock near his shoe before stumbling forward.
"Oops sorry," a cheerful girl said, grinning widely before trying to help him up again whilst he tried to shake her off, "I'm Mikan Sakura who are you?"
"None of your business," he replied moodily, "now go away."
Her face fell into a frown. "You're mean," she stated factually, poking him in the chest.
He scowled and pulled at one of her long pigtails.
"Ow!" she cried out, "let me go or I'll call my Daddy," she finished threateningly.
"So," he said, pushing her forward as he let go of her hair.
"He was in a motorcycle gang," she said proudly, "he's tough."
Natsume turned around slightly panicked, following the annoying girl's finger as she pointed to her father. The man she had gestured to had fixed his hair with a very girly hair clip that probably belonged to his daughter and was using a lollipop as a microphone as he sung a love song to the woman standing opposite him.
Natsume was embarrassed for him.
Mistaking his disgust for sheer terror Mikan smiled triumphantly. "So you just leave me alone."
"You don't have to worry about that," he said rolling his eyes.
But as he watched the girl run back to her parents, sliding her tiny hands into each of theirs he felt a tug of jealousy.
"Hey Natsume, play nice," came a voice from behind him.
Natsume didn't need to turn around to know who was calling out to him.
"Go away Andou, you bastard," Natsume snarled.
"You sure have a big mouth on you for such a little guy," the older boy said pinching his cheek.
Natsume glared at him angrily. "I already have your bitch mother trying to act like mine, I don't need you trying to be my dad," he said nastily.
Tsubasa's face darkened as he stepped into Natsume's shadow, "Listen here you brat," he growled, "my mother is just trying to make an effort with you, god knows why. I know your mother just died so I'll let that one slide but if you say anything like that about my mother again you'll live to regret it."
Natsume snorted and pushed the elder boy away from him.
"I don't want to have anything to do with her, or you."