The room is silent, and there is quite an obvious tension between the three people in it.

One is standing with his arms folded, tapping his foot, which is not a nervous habit, thank you very much. Crimson eyes are narrowed in a mixture of irritation, and, darting intermittently to the door, something that is almost guilt. He rakes a hand through messy hair, evidently restless; opens his mouth, then closes it again.

Another is standing some distance away, looking noticeably antsy. He appears quite aware of the obvious tension in the room, evidently hesitant, definitely an unwilling participant. He glances at his friend, expression shifting rapidly from worry to disapproval, and then back again.

The third, on the other hand, is leaning against the wall, perfectly at ease. His appearance is the antithesis to the first: blazer crisp, shirt tucked in, hair neatly combed, shoes impeccably polished. Even long after stepping down as Student Council President, Hijiri Goshima still practically radiates model student.

It's immensely annoying.

"So," a voice finally breaks the silence, "Hyuuga-san, how can I help you?"

The older student smirks. Natsume grits his teeth.

Annoying know-it-all.

"No reason in particular," he says, in a tone of forced calm. "I just wanted to know – you know, what Mikan has been up to, until now. How she's been doing."

"Why don't you ask her, then?" Goshima asks, raising an eyebrow. Natsume shrugs in a show of indifference.

"I wanted an objective opinion."

Ruka snorts, which he quickly disguises as a very violent sneeze as Natsume shoots him a glare.

Goshima laughs. "Well, honestly, nothing much. I mean, she was really into everything. School events, club activities -"

"What was she in?" Ruka questions.

"Volleyball," Goshima answers, disinterestedly. "She was pretty good, actually. And not to mention -" A subtle mischief flickers over his expression - "she was really quite the popular one."

Natsume stiffens, and the atmosphere seems to darken even further. Ruka takes a step away from his best friend.

"Popular?"

Goshima grins. "Oh, yeah. She had a ton of friends. Went out after school almost every day for karaoke or ramen or window shopping. Even the teachers adored her." He pauses. "And, of course, so did the boys."

Natsume flinches, almost imperceptibly, but Goshima catches it and his grin widens. Ruka watches with a mixture of worry and amusement, and shoots his best friend a warning look, like, don't set the curtains on fire, or else, which Natsume pointedly ignores.

"In fact," Goshima continues, deliberately, obviously enjoying himself, "the day of the reunion itself, she got confessed to by a guy."

"Who?" Natsume almost bites out. Ruka takes another step away and wonders briefly why, despite his Fire Alice, the room's temperature is reminiscent of that of a refrigerator.

"Tanaka-san. Nice guy. Smart, too: he was the head of some engineering club or another." Goshima pauses thoughtfully. "And before that -"

"There were others?" Ruka asks in disbelief, speaking for the first time. Goshima's eyes flicker to his briefly.

"Oh, yeah. She was really, really popular. Got confessed to on a weekly basis. Never actually had a boyfriend, but dated a fair bit. She always insisted they were 'friendly' dates, though." Goshima laughs and shakes his head with nostalgic amusement. "Quite the heartbreaker, that Sakura."

"Was she - did she -"

"Ever kiss anyone?" Goshima asks with a mischievous grin. "Well, Natsume-kun -"

He leans forward. Oh, yeah, the bastard was definitely enjoying himself.

"That's none of your business, is it?"

Natsume's glare is absolutely venomous.

Goshima glances at his watch, makes some cheerful excuse about having to run, and then strides off, hands in his pockets, looking positively cheerful. Ruka, being sensible, grabs Natsume's collar before he can run after him.

"I'll burn him," he mutters.

"Oh, no you won't," Ruka says, warningly, "or I'll tell Mikan, I swear."

Natsume merely scowls.

:.:

Later:

"Natsume actually asked Goshima to meet him after class?" Hotaru snickers, half-disbelieving. "I always knew you were an idiot, Hyuuga, but this might have to be an all-time low."

"So, did she actually kiss anyone?" Ruka asks Hotaru, interestedly. Natsume automatically leans forward.

Hotaru smirks. "Once."

And then she lifts up her camera and snaps a photo of Natsume's expression.

"Nah, I'm just kidding."

"Imai, you -!"

Please review, and if you like, do take a look at my other Gakuen Alice fanfics. (: