Yuki: How was it? Bear my grammar mistakes, all right? Review please. No flames accepted… If I somehow copied someone else's plot of story without knowing… gomen nasai! This's purely based on my idea…

Chapter 2: On The Right Track.

The next morning, she woke up pretty late. It was eight o'clock and she was feeling that it is rude to oversleep at someone's house this late. She turned on the shower and quickly dressed up with a sweater and a pleated mini-skirt.

Once she got out from the room, she had forgotten the direction to the kitchen. She took the left and walked on, until she entered a swimming pool area. Backing away for about three steps, she bumped into someone that made her fell down on the floor, flat.

"Idiot…" Natsume mumbled as he kicked Mikan's leg. "Oi, are you alive?"

She immediately straightened herself and pointed to Natsume. "Y-you jerk! Say something before I bump into you, pervert!"

"Pervert? You didn't lock the door yesterday, idiot…" Natsume turned back and started to walk away from her. "I wish you luck on finding the way to the dining room…" He waved.

"W-wait!!" She catches him up. "Err… s-sorry about that. It's my fault… so… may I follow you to the dining room?"

He stopped walking and looked at her. She felt nervous when he examined her from head to toe. "No wonder you're from Nagoya. Chubu District, am I right? Such unusual taste, strawberries…" He resumed walking, leaving her 5 steps behind.

Petrified with his words, she remembered wearing strawberries… but… it was her underwear. "P-pervert!! Hey, you idiot jerk!" She ran after him, who was walking away really fast even though he was not running. Chasing him here and there, they managed to reach the dining room where Narumi and Reiko were having breakfast. "Daddy!!" She flung into his arms and kissed his cheeks. Natsume glared when she did that. Mikan saw him, but ignoring it.

"Morning, Mikan. Had a nice sleep?" Narumi asked. Mikan gave a huge smile. "That's my girl. Now, take this…" Mikan took a seat and started to eat.

"Idiot…" Natsume mumbled. He sat next to his mom. Seconds later, Ruka came downstairs with a boy in his hand. The boy has a grey hair and looked pretty cute. "Youichi, here…" He opened his arm and the boy named Youichi ran towards his arms. Ruka joined the breakfast, when he sat in front of Mikan. She noticed a rare smile from Natsume, when he patted on Youichi's head.

"H-hey, who's that?" Mikan asked to Natsume. "He's so cute!!"

Reiko replied, "He's Youichi. An elementary student and a brother to Natsume." Mikan gave an 'Oooh…'

Ruka faced Mikan and gave a nod, as a greeting. "Hope you're okay about yesterday's incident?"

Mikan blushed and nodded back. "Yeah, I'm fine now. Thanks."

Reiko and Narumi looked at them and then to each other. She started, "Mi-chan, you've met Ruka already?"

"Em, yeah."

"Eh? Really?" Narumi said and asked, "What happened yesterday? Something wrong, Mikan?" Ruka and Mikan blushed at unison. "You two are blushing… hey… something wrong happened?"

Natsume blurted all the words, "We entered the room, where Ruka used to stay, but we found out that she was changing her clothes. So, she screamed and chased us out. Ruka went in to apologize, and that's it." His words were monotonous.

Reiko choked on the toast she was eating, Ruka almost sputtered his coffee; Mikan bit her finger instead of the bread and Narumi flinched. The concerned friend stood up and patted Reiko's back. "N-N-Natsume… y-you two…" She drank up the tea. "You s-saw her naked?!" Narumi winced when Reiko said those words.

Mikan flushed red, "N-no, Reiko-san! I… I was… I…" Narumi returned back to his seat and looked at his daughter.

"Camisole and underwear. It was strawberries…" Natsume took a bit on the buttered bread. Ruka and Mikan blushed again.

"Y-you jerk!!" Mikan slammed the table and went out of the mansion.

Narumi heaved a sigh. Reiko apologized to Narumi about her son's action. "No, it's not your fault. She's kind of emotional when it comes to this matter. I'll look after her. By the way, she'll be all right after she saw your present, Reiko. I'll excuse myself…" He stood up while bringing a piece of bread out of the house.

Natsume continued eating, as if nothing has happened. Ruka frowned a little bit and said, "I told you yesterday that--"

"She started it. We met near my room. She picked the fight, not me." He said calmly.

Reiko heard what Natsume said and felt like scolding him. Narumi talked to her yesterday that she had to be fierce once in a while, to teach the children. She took a breath and pinched Natsume's ear. "Young boy… Look at me."

Shocked with what his mother was doing right in front of Ruka, he turned back, rubbing his left ear. "What's your problem?!"

"Don't raise your voice to me, young lad!" His mother was abnormally angry today. It was his first time. "You'll go up to Mikan after her father's done. Here…" She handed him a bag filled with serafuku uniforms. "Confront her, and say that you're sorry."

Natsume glared at her and then to the bag. "I only said what really happened. It's not my problem she was in that state yesterday!!"

"Yeah, but you don't know girls from Nagoya. They're naïve unlike the Tokyo girls. They're sensitive to those things. She came from a decent family. An innocent girl like her is different from the girls here. So…" She grabbed Natsume's hand and placed the bag to him. Narumi came back to the table. "Narumi, how's she doing?"

"Hehe, she's pretty hungry. She gobbled up the bread at the Glass House. Upset for a while, but it'll be okay an hour later." Narumi answered. Reiko told Natsume to go, and he did. "Where's he going?"

"Em, I'll tell you later." Reiko smiled and drank up her coffee.

Natsume cursed under his breath for doing this kind of job, an order to console her. Ruka joined him, who walked side-by-side. "Why're you following me?"

"Em… I want to introduce myself properly to her. It was kind of brief yesterday." Ruka commented. "She's different compared to the girls in our city, right?"

"Hn…" Natsume only said that until he reached the Glass House. There, he saw Mikan, squatting down while admiring the strawberries growing prettily. "Ei, idiot strawberries! Looking for suitable prints for your underwear?" He teased.

She winced when she heard the voice. Mikan turned her head to the right and saw him. "Pervert, what are you doing here!!? " He flung the bag to her, she catches it. "Huh?" Mikan looked inside the bag. It was a school uniform. "Huh?? You actually--"

"My mom asked me to give it to you. I won't be dumb enough to buy you one, silly!" He cuts in. Ruka elbowed his arm slightly, warning over his harsh words. Mikan only mumbled.

"Hi, I'm Ruka Nougi. You can call me Ruka." He offered his hand. Mikan accepted it.

"Hello, I'm Mikan Sakura. Nice meeting you, Ruka!" She turned to Natsume. "Well, aren't you going to introduce yourself??"

"You knew me already, there's no point doing one."

"Jeez, you don't need to be so cold towards me!" Mikan totally forgot about the underwear incident, which made her angry. "Oh hey. You two mind showing me around Tokyo? I need a part-time job…"

Ruka blinked. "Huh? Work? You?" He pointed to Mikan. She nodded. "Really? Em… how about a cake shop?"

"Only a cake shop?" Mikan asked. Ruka nodded. "No way… I'll be just like Makino…"

Ruka walked up to her. "We'll show you around Tokyo. Right, Natsume?" He gave an awkward smile to Natsume, which made him agree. "Come, let's go…"

Mikan gave a smile and walked forward first. Natsume felt curious about her presence with her dad in his mansion. "Oi, strawberries? What are you doing in my house?"

They reached the gate and went out. "You want to know why am i staying at your house?" He nodded. "Who asked you to leave yesterday; you could've heard the whole story…"

"Oi, I'm losing my patience here. Tell me!"

"Fine!" She stuck out her tongue like a little girl. "Em, my dad… I think his manager embezzled the company's money. My dad was in a bankrupted state… Luckily… he received a call from your mom, knowing about his condition. So, I'll be staying at your house until my dad found a decent job. Don't worry, I will return back to Nagoya after we could regain back our financial status…"

"Whoa…" Ruka said, with a worried look. "So, you're looking for a part-time to help your dad??" She nodded happily. "Such a kind person you are…"

Natsume did not talk after she mentioned about her real problem.

Once they reached a cake shop, Mikan said, "Em, I'll try to get a job here. I'll be waiting here after I'm done." Ruka nodded, and he left to other place with Natsume. "Huh… I'm in Tokyo. It's a really… different place, compared to Nagoya. I'll have to be braver than usual!!" She took a breath and entered the shop.

A waitress came up to her. "Yes, may I help you?"

"Em… I'm here to look for a part-time job…" Mikan scratched her cheek. "If there's a vacant one…"

The waitress thought for a while. She nodded. "Um, yeah. As a cashier. Would you like to?"

"Yeah, but where's the manager of this cake shop?" Mikan asked politely.

She laughed, "I am the manager, sorry. Ayumi Reihana." She patted on her head. "Em, when can you start to work?"

"How about tomorrow after school? Starting at 4pm? I could work until 9pm." asked Mikan.

She nodded. "Yeah, that'll do. Every hour 300 yen, all right?" Mikan nodded happily. The salary was reasonably high compared to the music store in Nagoya. "See you tomorrow, err… What's your name?"

"Oh, sorry! I'm Mikan Sakura! I'm sixteen years old. Nice to meet you, Ayumi-san." She bowed and then walked out of the shop, waiting for Ruka and Natsume. "Yay, I got the job! Tokyo isn't that bad either…" She looked at the bag which was given from Reiko. "She's so kind… I think I should repay her kindness…" Having to wait about 10 minutes, Ruka and Natsume arrived with a box. "At last! My feet were sore…"

Ruka laughed and said, "Sorry. We were busy selecting muffins." He showed her a box of muffins.

"Whoa, muffins!!" Mikan cheered.

"It's not for you, idiot!" Natsume snapped.

"I know that, pervert!" She folded her arms. "Ruka, what occasion is it for?"

"Well, it's just a helping for a sleepover at Natsume's house. All boys' sleepover." Ruka said happily. "Sorry that girls aren't allowed…"

"No, never mind. I'm just curious." Mikan said while smiling so sweetly at them, until both of them turned their heads away from each other. "Oh, guess what? I've got the job!! I'm a cashier!"

Natsume gave a smirk and said, "Is your math good enough? Being a cashier needs quick mathematic skills…" He was hoping her to fight back, but instead, she silenced and was looking serious. "S-seriously, you don't even know maths!? What an idiot, a major one!"

"Err… not that I don't know but weak at it… Should I resign…?" She was practically confused. She had always ignored Jinno-sensei's lecturing! But…

She didn't even start to work and now she's thinking of resigning?? Both Natsume and Ruka thought.

Ruka snickered and suggested that he would help Mikan in mathematics. She jumped for joy and thanked Ruka. Natsume just observed Ruka's behaviour towards Mikan. He was awfully nice to her, which is unusual. He had always been ignorant about girls… but this time? "Ruka. Strawberries. Let's go home. I need a rest…"

"What? It's only 10 o'clock in the morning!!" Mikan whimpered, "A morning walk is good for health!!"

"I have a gymnasium back at home, now hurry up…" Natsume took a step forward towards home. Ruka and Mikan tried to catch him up.

Back at home, Narumi and Reiko were discussing about the work that may be held in England. "No way, really? Why England? It's so far away. I can't meet up with Mikan at all… I could miss her graduation day!"

Reiko was surprised with his acts. Should a parent feel that way when he or she's going overseas, leaving their children behind? So, maybe Natsume was furious about me because I cared about my career more than… my… children… She patted her thigh to attract Youichi's attention. He turned and stared at his mother. "Come here, Youichi…"

"Mommy…" He reached for her and she carried her on her arms, hugging the kid tightly.

Tears rolled down on her cheeks. Narumi noticed that she was crying, so he grabbed the tissue box and handed it to her. "I'm sorry, You-chan… I've been neglecting you so much! I'm sorry… But I have so many things to work on! I… couldn't find a time to spend time with you and Natsume. Forgive me, You-chan…"

They did not notice that the three teenagers took the backdoor from the kitchen. They heard everything what Reiko had said. Reiko, Narumi and Youichi stood up and went out to the front door. Mikan was shocked when she heard that. She looked at Natsume who was staring at the floor, while clenching his fists.

"N-Natsume…" Mikan said, while she poked his arm. (She was afraid to touch him.) "A-are you all right?"

He stormed to the stairs. Ruka just gave a nod to Mikan and chased him. "Hey… Natsume…"

Natsume tucked in his pocket and faced Ruka. "Call the guys. I'll be at my room." Ruka blinked once and then nodded. "Thanks…" He continued to walk towards his room.

Back to Mikan, Natsume might be envious in me, because I'm so close to my dad, unlike Reiko and him. Natsume was angered by his mother because she was ignoring her children. "He's such an idiot…" She shook her head. She walked to the third floor and stopped. "N-not again!! I'm lost! This house's too big for me!"

Ruka, who happened to pass by, saw Mikan panicking whether to take the left or right. He smirks when he observed her cute behaviour. "Hey, Mikan. Need a help?"

"Badly!!" She ran after him and begged, "Help me… I need to go back to my room…"

"Ahaha, all right." He patted on her head.

X

Noises were too loud. Mikan could not concentrate on her Math works. She was trying hard to solve them. She tried plugging her ears with headphones linking to the laptop, which was provided by Reiko. But it failed. Natsume's room, which Ruka showed her hours ago, was quite far. But the noises could even reach her room. She stood up, and walked towards the noise.

Once she was confident enough to think that it was Natsume's room, she knocked the door. But, there was no reply. She knocked again. No answer. Maybe the noise was too loud until they can't even hear her knocking. She tried again with her full power. Her fist landed on something soft.

"Oi, what are you trying to do?" Natsume said. She had just punched his abdomens. But, he didn't flinch. "That mere punch won't get you anywhere, strawberries."

She removed her fist and yelled at him, "I'm trying to study, but your radio or whatever it is actually reached my room. It's very impolite of you to--"

A boy with red hair called Natsume, "Hey, Natsu-kun. What's taking…? Hey I see a cute looking girl. No wonder you were taking time! Is she your girlfriend?"

Mikan's face became as red as ever. "No way in hell! Hey, Natsume! Slow down the volume, will you?"

Natsume stared at her. "An idiot like you studies? Dream on… I bet it must've been Mathematics, right??"

She was angry with his words. "W-well, even though I'm not smart, I will work hard!" Two or three guys came and stood behind Natsume. "W-what is it…?"

"Hm… is she going to be in our school, Natsume?" A boyish face asked Natsume, who obviously ignored him. "She's so cute, right? Is she your niece or something?"

This time, he replied. "No, a total stranger. No one in particular."

Mikan folded her arms and started walking away. "I knew it'll be useless to talk to him." She heard him shutting the door and the noise of the radio or whatever it is started to lessen. "Eh? He lowered the volumes down…" She smiled and returned to her room

Her first day of school was… late. She woke up at 7am. After having shower and dressed up in the serafuku, which Reiko had presented her, she walked down. This time, she remembered how to go to the dining room. Her uniform might be a little bit showy. It's a very mini-skirt, all right. A pleated one.

After walking for three minutes, she managed to reach the dining room. "At last!!" She rushed towards the table. "I thought I've forgotten about the directions!" Ruka, who was drinking his orange juice, reddened to see Mikan in a serafuku. He had not thought that she would look so pretty in it. "Ruka, thanks for lecturing me yesterday. It kind of helped me."

"W-well, you're w-welcome…" He started to stutter. "Nice uniform there."

Mikan smiled in reply. "Where's Natsume, Reiko-san and daddy? How about Youichi?"

Ruka pointed to the ceiling. "Sleeping, I guess. I've heard they stayed late at night discussing about a project. Natsume's in the kitchen. Youichi went out already, since the elementary students have an early activity today."

Mikan took a seat in front of him, while nodding. "I see. Hey, I wanted to know… What time does the school starts?"

"Oh, 8 o'clock." Mikan winced; she thought the school will start at 7.30am. "Oh, you're from Nagoya. Hehe, in Tokyo, the school starts at 8 am, Mikan. Sorry or not informing you."

She flapped her hand. "Nah… It's all right. Well, once in a while, it's quite all right to wake up early." Mikan thought of something. "Hey, do you want to taste my very own Miso soup recipe? It belonged to my late gramps."

Ruka was surprised. He had never tasted Miso soup before. He is a foreigner, actually. "Oh…? Well, I would love to, but… is there any time?"

"Oh, of course! It takes only 10 minutes! Wait, I'll get the ingredients…" She entered the kitchen and found Natsume… "C-cooking! Y-you're c-cooking!!" She rudely pointed to Natsume and the pan he was frying.

He narrowed his eyes, "So what? A human needs to cook, idiot!" He blushed slightly when he saw her in the school uniform. He resumed on frying the omelette.

"G-god! You're scary!" She walked up to him. "Hm… not bad, though."

"I don't need your comment." Natsume picked up the pan and placed the omelette on a plate and brought it to the dining table. "Such a troublesome idiot…"

Mikan took a peek inside the refrigerator. Every ingredient's inside the fridge, so she took out one by one and started to cook. It took her about 7 minutes and the last ingredient, which is the seaweed was added inside. After stirring for a minute, she poured the soup in 5 bowls.

She walked towards the table and gave one to Ruka. He tasted it and… "Hmm… nice! This's my first Miso soup!"

"Really?" She brightened up. To his left, she saw Natsume, eating the omelette. "Hey, Natsume? Do you want--"

"No."

"Aww! Hey, it's really nice!" Mikan insisted. She took a spoon of soup and said, "Here, taste it!" Ruka stared at disbelief. Mikan was too brave to do that in front of Natsume.

Narumi walked towards the dining table and was overwhelmed with Mikan and Natsume's situation. "Dear… what are you doing? Spooning a guy? That's just wrong…"

"Ehh… why not?" Mikan whined, while she sipped on the spoon she had just offered to Natsume. "Kokoro Yome-kun accepted it… To think about Kitsuneme…"

Narumi placed a hand on his head and smiled dryly. "Mi-chan… Koko and Kitsu are your childhood buddies. It's all right for them. But, usually it's an act for a pair of lovebirds or married couple. And of course, feeding the sick."

"Mmm… weird rules…" Mikan eyes at her dad. "Anyway, dad? You want one?" She placed a bowl on the table after he said 'yes'. "Anyway, Ruka? If you want to have more, it's in the fridge. Just warm it up, okay?" Ruka nodded. "I'll go to school first. The headmistress called me to go to her office for a while." She excused herself and kissed her dad's cheek. Mikan walked out of the mansion and went to school.

Natsume, however, stared at the bowl on the tray. He bent over and took one. He drank it up, leaving Ruka ogling at him. "What?"

"Y-you just…"

"Kind of good… but needs a little pinch of salt…" Natsume muttered. Narumi couldn't help but smile at Natsume. "I'm leaving… Hey, you there." He shifted his amber eyes on Narumi.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Tell my mom… that I'm sorry about being rude to her." He left the house after that.

Ruka, just stared as he left. "Man, he's changed!"

"People are strange, sometimes." Narumi said to Ruka.