His Dark, Kind Soul

Author's Notes: My heartfelt thanks to Stardrop55, Vindrell Shin, xxkoffeexx, Sakiru Yume, Blase Contradiction, My Hopeless Romantic, younggem, mountainelements, Caritate and sHirO-kOi for giving a review on Chapter 1. They were very much encouraging. Ü

Chapter 2: Freak School

Present day, Northern Forest, Natsume Hyuuga at age thirteen

"What's the big emergency?" Yuu asked, running up the slope to join the growing crowd.

He had received word that a couple of their classmates were causing some kind of commotion near the gully at the edge of the Northern Forest. Two things had worried him at once. One was that someone from his class had brought about the disturbance, which meant it was probably a friend in danger and that was his responsibility. Two, was the apparent existence of a canyon at the perimeter of the Northern Forest and that it had heretofore been excluded from any Alice Academy map he had ever come across.

"What's going on?" he asked again when he was near his friends.

"Ahh…" Wakako glanced towards the ravine and Yuu turned white.

"What in the—?"

"Yuu, you're here too!" Kitsuneme acknowledged him exuberantly using a megaphone. "Excellent! We can begin."

The assembly cheered.

"What? No! Hold up!" Yuu cried, breaking through the throng to reach the instigators of the escapade. "What do you think you're doing?"

There was no way they could have done it without someone's Alice. Yuu wasn't sure which type was needed to pull it off but he was certain only an Alice could set up a gigantic take-off ramp that soared at least 100 meters to jut towards a chasm located inside the campus. Kitsuneme and Koko were at the very top of the incline and it looked like they were yet again about to embark on something daring and incredibly ill-advised.

"It's very simple actually," Koko began then started to point at his gear. "See, I'm wearing rollerblades—"

"No!" Yuu shouted at once. "There is no way I'm letting you skate down that slope and right into the ravine! It's insane."

Kitsuneme's grin widened. "That's the beauty of it. He's not going into the ravine. By the time he reaches the end of the ramp he'll be going at a speed of at least 120 kilometers per hour. With that speed and judging from the expanse of the gorge, he's bound to clear it."

The crowd cheered again.

"But why are you doing this?" Mikan asked, clearly puzzled and the noise died down.

Yuu rolled his eyes. Clearly, before this, no one had even bothered to ask why the two of them were going through the trouble of hurling themselves to their deaths. They had an answer though.

"To prove that it could be done." Koko held up a very familiar notebook and Yuu groaned. "See, legend has it that eight years ago, Kira Samushiro was being pursued and he was cornered at this very cliff."

"Here we go," Hotaru muttered.

"That's right, ladies and gentlemen!" Kitsuneme spoke in true showmanship. "This very cliff! Now, the great White Wolf could have been captured but— alas!— he escaped yet again. How you may ask? We're about to show you this afternoon."

"Brace yourselves for the show of your lives."

"That's it!" Yuu said vehemently. "This project has gone way too far!"

"Project? No, my dear Iinchou," Kitsuneme said with a crazy smile. "This isn't just about some History report. We're making a statement."

So saying, Koko got ready to throw himself over the edge and start speeding down. He didn't seem to care that he never before displayed a definable skill in skating, ski jumping or rollerblading. Or defying gravity, for that matter. The odds were against him. Eight to one, he wouldn't live through this.

"Here I go," Koko said, a little uncertainly this time.

"Any day now, buddy," Kitsuneme said, tongue in cheek.

"I'm going to get expelled," Yuu muttered to himself. "Someone's going to die on my watch." He was panicking and he anxiously hoped for a miracle—

"What's going on here?" a voice spoke above the din and miraculously the crowd parted to reveal Mr. Narumi who had evidently come to investigate. He was closely followed by Ruka and Natsume, the latter of which looked extremely bored. "What are those two up to?"

"They're making a statement, sir," Mochu smirked.

"Ah, I see," Narumi said vaguely. His eyes traveled to the impressive ramp then he started nodding. "Very well, carry on." Yuu's eyes bulged.

"They're really going to do it," Sumire said in disbelief. "Koko and Kitsuneme are about to commit suicide."

Natsume stared at the pair on top of the ramp and raised an inquiring eyebrow. He scratched his chin with a forefinger. Even without a commentary, he could easily figure out what this was about and that familiar feeling of amusement and irritation began.

Koko and Kitsuneme exchanged a resolute nod. "For Kira."

"For the Wolf."

"For crying out loud!" Yuu shouted desperately but it was to no avail. Without fear, Koko leaned forward and began his speedy descent to 120 kilometers per hour.

Five years ago, Alice Academy, Natsume Hyuuga at age eight

Natsume and Kira entered the locker room in silence. Kira placed his duffel bag on the floor then started the long process of removing all the controlling devices he was made to wear during his missions. The kid watched him then after a while got bored and wandered over to the benches to wait for him to finish.

Half an hour ago they had left Davies' office together after the teacher had informed them that they would henceforth be "partners" on the team. Kira gave the teacher a long, calculating look that Natsume didn't quite understand. If Kira wasn't pleased being grouped with him, well, the feeling was mutual. After all, who would want to team up with a disheveled troublemaker with more sparkling decorations than a Christmas tree? He cringed as he watched Kira remove his arm cover then two ankle weights that banged against the floor.

"So you're new, huh? When did you come in?" Kira asked conversationally as he started taking off some earrings. Natsume didn't answer so he went on, "How are you liking the Academy so far?" Natsume turned away to rest his arms on the windowsill and stare outside. His guardian paused then continued to remove controlling devices as he spoke. "They tell me you're a pyrokinetic. Are you any good?" When he chose to ignore that last question, something cold and hard suddenly hit him squarely on the nape. He turned around crossly to see what was thrown but only found water on the floor.

Kira was smiling. "Can you talk?"

"Yeah."

"So why don't you?"

"I've got nothing to say."

Kira chuckled. "Usually, when someone asks you a question, you've got something to say back." Natsume didn't respond. Kira smirked. "Tell you what, we'll turn it into a game. I'll ask a question and you answer then you can ask me a question and I'll answer. Deal?"

"Do I look like I'm five?"

"No, you look like you're eight but right now you're acting like you're about three," Kira said dryly. He removed his breastplate then laid it on the counter with a clang. "Look, you're going to have to get used to me because we're stuck together. So how about a little give and take?"

"Fine."

"So…" Kira mulled over his first question. "Do you have family?"

"I have a sister. How long have you been here?"

"Since I was six. Do you know why they brought you here?"

"To teach me, they said. What's your Alice?"

"It's called the Ice Alice. Most girls like to call it the Winter Alice. It means the same thing, however. I control ice, frost or snow."

"Are you any good?"

It made Kira smile. "Good enough. But anyway, it's not your turn to ask." He paused, carefully considering his next question. "How did they find you Natsume?"

Natsume sucked in his breath. "I…I burned down my hometown."

Kira whistled. "You must have caused some ruckus."

"Quite," Natsume said with clenched teeth. He wasn't fond of the memory and Kira realized it at once so he braced himself for an attack. The kid's eyes flashed. "Do you kill people?"

This time it was Kira who sucked in his breath. There was no way to answer this eight-year-old truthfully without being callous. But then, he had the feeling Natsume Hyuuga wasn't interested in any sugarcoating anyway.

He laughed. "You're shrewd kid, shrewd and way too nasty for your age. This game is over." He stepped to the other side of the locker room where the showers were.

"You didn't answer the question," Natsume called after him.

"Then let's just say you win the game."

"I'd rather have an answer."

Kira paused then just before he turned the knob to get the shower running, he called back, "What do you think?"

The water started flowing so whether Kira continued or Natsume replied, there wasn't much chance of either of them hearing the other.

Several heads turned as they made their way to one of the tables at the quadrangle. A couple of students huddled together to whisper about the newcomer. Some of them even gestured or pointedly stared. But no one came forward to ask. It was just as Kira had expected and he let all the talk continue knowing for certain that none of them would come close to guessing his true connection with the kid. The more they talked, the more rumors would spread; and the more gossip that was out there, the more disguised Natsume would be.

To keep appearances that nothing was out of the ordinary, Kira waved at some of his classmates or stopped briefly for conversation. It was quite normal for him to be waylaid by club matters, a question about a certain subject or simply a greeting or two from friends. For his part, Natsume tried his best to lay low. He kept his head bowed, with his gaze attached mostly to the ground and only looked up once in a while to glare at someone in random. Instead of scaring people off, the glower had an adverse result, for such a dark look on such a young kid had a very endearing effect on their already intrigued audience. Kira quickly noted all this as they made their way to a table.

"So where's the newbie?"

"That'd be him," Kira said as the guy who had spoken took a seat across Natsume. The stranger gave Natsume a welcoming smile, which he returned with a scowl.

"Not a cheerful one, is he?"

"Definitely not."

"Don't talk like I'm not here," Natsume bit out.

"Oh, and he has a temper."

"Nasty and black," Kira averred then turned to his ward, "Natsume, this is Kunimitsu Kogure, one of my best friends. You could learn a lot hanging out with him."

"Hello, Natsume."

"What's your Alice?" he asked at once.

"Not much for small talk, are you?"

"I'm eight. I'm not much for anything."

"That's not what they told us," Kunimitsu returned easily. "Pyrokinetics are pretty rare. There's only been a handful in the last two decades."

"Stop looking at him like he's on display," Kira advised.

Kunimitsu laughed.

"Seriously, he bites."

"I'm not for show," Natsume grumbled making Kunimitsu laugh harder.

"Hey Kira, I think this kid really is mini-you."

"It convinces me that Davies has a sense of humor," he said with irony. "Kunimitsu has a Metal Control Alice. As fortune would have it, it's not one of the elementals as you and I have but he's still pretty strong."

"Show me."

Kunimitsu pursed his lips. "And he's impatient."

"One of his best traits."

"You guys are jerks," Natsume grumbled.

The two of them laughing unrestrainedly in the quadrangle would have been a normal sight if not for Natsume's presence, which lent mystery to their amusement. It wasn't everyday that an Elementary student got to sit with two of the most sought-after boys in school. In fact, if memory served, this would be a first.

Natsume's black hair and red eyes contrasted sharply against Kira's silver and blue ones, then stood out all the more against Kunimitsu's fair features. The high school boys were of equal height, their strengths evenly matched. While Kira had a scholarly look about him, Kunimitsu seemed more of the athletic type. Their lunch conversation came quick and easy, a testament of a long and steadfast friendship. The scowling youth was a fine complement to their pair though he hardly said anything to join in the fun.

"It's just one date. Come on, Akagi."

At those words, Kira and Kunimitsu turned in time to watch a tall, slender girl make her way down the path towards them. She was carrying a pile of books and though the young man next to her tried to take some of her load, she gracefully maneuvered it out of his reach.

"I already told you, Yohei. I'm just not interested."

Even by Natsume's young standards, the girl was very pretty. She had long, auburn hair that fell past her waist and at the moment it was pulled up by two pencils in a messy bun. Some strands fell loose about her, framing her face in an artless design. Her manner was unassuming but she still had a presence about her that signified a willful nature.

She walked up to them then without hesitation she occupied the place across Kira as though she sat there everyday. She laid all her books on the table, quickly selected three then opened the thickest one. Unruffled by the smooth dismissal, her admirer slid onto the bench next to her, forcing Kunimitsu to slide down a bit.

"Why not?"

"I'm much too busy to get into—"

"You could change your mind!" Yohei cut in. "We could hang out a few times, have some fun together. You'll see I'm a decent guy."

"I'm sure you are," the girl said briskly, "But I'm just not…" She trailed off when the guy reached behind his back and suddenly produced a bouquet of wildflowers and laid it on the table with fanfare. Natsume blinked.

"Too much?" Yohei prodded. He reached behind his back again. "Or maybe orchids is more of your thing…" And he immediately brought out a potted plant.

"Stop that."

Changing tack, the guy turned to the two high school boys this time and wheedled. "Samushiro, get your best friend to go out with me!"

Kira pursed his lips. "I don't think you're Kunimitsu's type."

"Very funny. Talk to Akagi."

"Can't help you there, mate," Kira said unsympathetically, "Marie won't go out with me either." Yohei turned to Kunimitsu for assistance but he raised a hand to forestall him.

"Don't look at me. I have half the chance that Kira does."

"Akagi, please," Yohei wheedled again then he began reaching behind his back to pull out tulips, daisies, chrysanthemums and hydrangeas which he laid down on the table in a floral display.

"Goodness Yohei!" Marie Akagi finally burst out, "Pull yourself together! I am not the only girl in the Alice Academy and neither am I the last one you'll ever meet."

Resigned, Yohei stood up at last then swept an arm over the flowers making it vanish in a puff. He walked away looking quite gloomy. When he was gone, Marie turned to her two friends and quelled them with a single look.

"I'll thank you two to stop telling people I won't date either of you."

"Saying you wouldn't even look at the loser that I am makes you untouchable," Kira explained with a grin.

"And all the more popular," Kunimitsu added.

"Not helping."

"Why won't you go out with him?" Kira asked casually. "He wasn't a bad choice." Marie stared at him for a brief moment then decided not to answer. She returned her attention to her book so Kira glanced at Natsume instead. "Kid, pop quiz. Do you remember everything I told you?"

"Yup."

"So what Yohei just did with the flowers… illusion or material?"

"Material."

"Which would make him?"

"A Special Ability type."

"But if it had been an illusion…"

"Then he'd be a Latent Ability, in which case, he'd be one of the normal kids."

Kira frowned. "Five points deduction for that last bit. Didn't I tell you to forget what Hisashi said? Special Ability types are just like the rest of us."

"Only weirder."

"Now stop that," he reproached. "Remember this Natsume: if things had been just a little different, you'd be one of them too."

"Fine."

Marie watched this exchange before hissing at Kunimitsu. "Kira in training?"

"The likeness is amazing," Kunimitsu answered. He was about to say more but then his eyes suddenly went over Kira's shoulder and he came to his feet shouting, "Look out!"

It seemed like second nature to him. Kira stood up and swept his arm in the air, casting frost. Instantly a wall of ice erupted from the ground and whatever it was that Kunimitsu had warned them against crashed against the barrier like a rain of bullets. After that, everything seemed to happen all at once. Kira gave a low long whistle, Marie stood up and backed away from the table and a green barricade rose up around them encasing their spot with her on the other side. Then one of the metal benches came flying over the blockade but Kunimitsu had already anticipated that. He leapt onto their table, caught the bench in his Alice then tossed it effortlessly against the completed fortification. Beyond this green illusory wall, Natsume could see students continue their lunch as though all this wasn't happening right in front of them.

Natsume slowly came to his feet but Kunimitsu immediately clamped a hand on his shoulder to stop him from walking anywhere. He did it in time because four people suddenly appeared. Two of them were obviously their attackers but the other pair stood on either side of Kira like a prearranged guard. On his right was a Goliath in an Alice uniform and on his left was a petite blonde.

"Just give the word captain."

"Stand down Mahiro," Kira said sharply. "You too, Kurt." He then looked back at the thin, sallow-faced student in front of him and his gaze hardened. "At the quadrangle, in the middle of the day? That's bad form Kouji."

"Shut up," the first boy snapped. "I want the kid, Samushiro"

"Davies said you would."

"He was promised to us!"

"He's on my team now," Kira said coldly. "Serio will not have a hand in his training. Not while I have a say in it."

"Then we'll just have to remove you."

"You can try. But then, you've been trying for four years."

The boy flicked his hand ever so slightly and immediately a swarm of locusts erupted behind him and headed straight for them. Natsume raised his arms to shield himself but he was the only one who did so. The others didn't move, not even Kira though it was so obviously his Alice at work for one by one the locusts froze in mid-flight and crashed to the earth like icicles. Natsume was amazed for Kira hadn't moved a muscle to achieve that feat.

"Pull back Kouji," he spoke brusquely. "We have no quarrel to settle."

"You challenge us by taking the boy."

Kira slid a glance at him and in that split second Natsume saw the apparent changes in his guardian's deportment. There was no trace of the laughter and easy manner he had just a few minutes ago. It had been completely replaced by a bitter, cold-blooded gaze befitting his Alice.

"Choose your team Hyuuga."

"I—I'm—" he stammered. Was this a joke? Why pretend to give him a choice? It must be a trick somehow, one of those tests Samushiro insisted on constantly giving him.

"Do it quickly!"

"I'm staying with the Wolf," he said at last, though uncertainly. It was subtle but he saw again something different in those around him. The Giant had straightened. The girl took two steps back and came to stand with him. Kunimitsu squeezed his shoulder.

"Good man," Kira uttered. "You heard him. He's one of us now."

Kunimitsu nodded. "And you know what that means?"

"We fight for him," the Giant muttered.

"Welcome to the club," the girl snickered.

And then they all attacked. Their opponents went first and another swarm of insects engulfed the glen. Kira called out a snowstorm, Kunimitsu tossed a table and then there was chaos. Natsume was shoved back from the center of it, the girl shielded him with her own body but he fought his way to see what was going on.

"Mahiro, take Natsume and go."

The girl nodded and she suddenly pulled him to his feet then grasped him by the shoulders. He felt his feet leave the earth, there was a strange tug at his spine and he knew he was being carted off. He didn't like it, not in the middle of a fight.

Acting on pure instinct, Natsume held out his hand palm out and fired. He got his two cents in, taking Kira, Kunimitsu and their opponents by surprise and throwing the Giant off his feet. The others leapt out of the way. Mahiro was so startled by the attack that she momentarily released him then reached out in panic to grab his collar again. Natsume's fire hit the green walls and it immediately dissolved, the illusion abruptly broken.

The place shifted and changed and Natsume found himself back at the quadrangle, his body still ablaze and a couple of people cried out at the sight of him. His fire raged on and Mahiro muttered, "Ouch" before eventually letting go of him to spare her already blistered fingers. Then the blaze caught on the ground and began a trail causing momentary alarm—

The next thing Natsume heard was a loud hissing sound and he was suddenly doused by thick white gas that snuffed out the fire. He brushed the residue off his face then glared at Kira who stood about three meters away, aiming a small fire extinguisher at him. Kira successfully engulfed Natsume in the vapor and for a while he could barely be seen through the dry chemical.

"Nothing to see here, folks," Mahiro said, ushering away a couple of traumatized students. "Just your usual skirmish. Perfectly normal. Move along now… you there! What are you looking at? Never seen a kid on fire before? Keep walking!"

Natsume glanced around. There were no sign of the green walls, the table Kunimitsu tossed or the bench that had crashed to the ground. There were no insects, no snowstorm and their two adversaries had successfully blended with the crowd. It was surreal.

When the gas finally dissipated, Kira stalked over and grinned at a fuming Natsume. "I think we need to start your practical training right away."

"This is such a freak school," he growled back.

"That's right." Kira's smile broadened. "Welcome to the Alice Academy."

Thereafter, Natsume was introduced to two other members of the Dangerous Ability Class. The first was Mahiro, a sophomore who had the ability to travel from one place to another. She was the one who tried to get Natsume out of the firing line and got her fingers singed in the process. She didn't seem to bear a grudge against him though. On the contrary, she had tumbled into love with him on sight.

"Oh, Kira! He's absolutely perfect!" Mahiro had gushed, "So cute!" Kunimitsu stifled a laugh at the scathing look on Natsume's face. It was hardly welcoming but was very endearing and it worked its magic on Mahiro who continued to coo. "He totally fits the bill! We're a complete family now!"

"Easy Mahiro," Kunimitsu warned. "He doesn't like strangers." Unmindful, Mahiro proceeded to throw her arms around Natsume and pinch his cheek.

The other member of their bizarre team was Kurt, an Alice from Germany who was responsible for the illusory green walls at the quadrangle. He was in the same class as Mahiro but their temperaments contrasted sharply. Mahiro was bubbly and glib. Kurt was her anti-thesis, aloof and stern. A brawny giant standing six-four and a half, he could have easily picked Natsume up and snapped him like a twig. Secretly, Natsume thought that was his true dangerous ability.

"You're small," were the words he had uttered in welcome.

"I'm eight," Natsume had grumbled back to which Kurt grunted then said nothing at all.

And so that was their team, true to that ironic five-man rule: Kira Samushiro, the Wolf, the leader; Kunimitsu Kogure, Ironsmith, his best friend; Mahiro Yotsuga, Sheridan, the tough female; Kurt Segur, Stone Griffin, the giant; and Natsume Hyuuga— to his chagrin— the dwarf.

"We've been waiting so long to have a little man with us," Mahiro said cheerfully.

"I am not a dwarf."

"Sure you're not," she replied indulgently and he growled.

Armed with only a fire extinguisher and potholders, Kira then set out on the long and rigorous process of training him. Everyone on the team had a say in his instruction and Kira fixed Natsume's schedule in such a way that he was either in his own class or off with one of them. He was never left alone and though Kira never bothered to explain this precaution, Natsume was keen enough to understand that he was being guarded.

"I don't understand why she's in the Dangerous Ability class," Natsume had complained one day after Mahiro had jumped him, cuddled him then vanished in the space of five seconds. "Teleporting is a Latent Ability… and so is generating illusions like Kurt."

Kira smiled at his deductions. "You're right those are Latent Abilities but then those aren't their Alices. Mahiro's power is that she crosses worlds and Kurt's ability is to implant images in a person's head, much like hallucinations." Natsume looked confused so Kira took a piece of paper to demonstrate. "A normal teleporting power goes from point A to point B. Mahiro goes from point A to point D."

"What happens to B and C?"

"B and C are other worlds and she lingers there for nanoseconds before reaching her destination."

"What's so dangerous about that? It just makes her a hyperactive tourist."

"Sure, if you like touring parallel universes," Kira said ironically. "I said she crosses worlds Natsume, places off the map, places none of us have ever seen. She could get lost or as we've proven, she could lose someone in there."

"Has she ever left people behind?"

Kira slid over the question. "Kurt's power is that he makes you see things in your head. It's like being hooked to a virtual reality machine, one that you can't turn off on your own." He drew a stick person then a wide V in front of its head. "Normally, a person can see this wide. Kurt can fix it so that all you can see… is this." He drew a circle around the head. "He closes you off."

"So that day at the quad…"

"He's powerful enough to hit all of us at once. He can create a world, share it with several people at a time, then leave them there in a never-ending dream."

"He can make people hurt themselves," Natsume said as something came to light. "Make them hurt and die without a sign because it all happens in their head."

"Exactly."

"They're useful to the Academy, Mahiro and Kurt," Natsume realized. "They can do stuff without leaving clues. They're dangerous."

"As are you and I and Kunimitsu— if we choose to be. But that's why we're here. We're trying to make our talents useful instead of lethal."

"And when we do learn, what then?"

He paused. "Then we're a danger only to ourselves."

Present day, Northern Forest, Natsume Hyuuga at age thirteen

Only to ourselves indeed, Natsume thought as he watched his friend skate down.

A resounding "oohhh" came over the crowd as Koko hurtled over the edge of the ramp. He flew into the air, covering about forty meters across the gorge. For one wild minute, it really did look like he would clear it but then Physics stepped in and he started free falling—

"Ahhhh!!!" Koko screamed. "I'm not gonna make it! I'm not gonna make it!"

"Ah, there goes the hopes and dreams of his young self," Narumi mused as Koko started to descend. He glanced at Mochu but he didn't need to say anything. The boy was already shaking his head and stepping forward.

"That idiot." Mochu stretched out his hands and caught Koko in his Alice. In response, Hotaru stepped onto her flying goose.

"Oh, what a bother," she muttered then rushed out to collect Koko just as Kitsuneme flew in beside him and grabbed his arm.

"See Yuu, that wasn't so bad," Mikan said consolingly. "He only almost died. Koko probably needed this experience to grow."

Yuu smiled weakly. "I'm sure he did, Mikan."

When the daredevil was finally on safe ground and Hotaru finished collecting her ten rabbits, the gang gathered around them just as the crowd dispersed. Koko was breathing heavily. It seemed his heart hadn't gone back to its normal tempo and wouldn't do so for another hour.

"My whole life flashed before my eyes! It was amazing!" He grabbed his accomplice's wrist. "Let's do it again!"

"Yeah, but let me have a go," his friend said gamely.

"Come to think of it," Nonoko began, "Why weren't you the one who skated down the ramp? It wouldn't have been as dangerous. You can fly!"

"Exactly," Kitsuneme said as though exasperated by their shortsightedness. "Kira couldn't fly. We didn't want any extenuating factors jeopardizing the experiment. What? Where's everybody going now?"

"I'm glad you're okay Koko," Anna said, "But you really shouldn't have to go through all this for a History project."

"It's not about the project!" Koko and Kitsuneme said in unison just as the girls took off. When they had gone, Natsume crouched down and surveyed Koko.

"Are you mad at me too?"

Natsume snorted. "Hardly."

"So why are you looking at me like that?"

"I just wanted to say that what you did was wrong." Koko turned away and Kitsuneme hung his head. That is until Natsume enunciated, "Samushiro used a glider."

"He what?!" they said at the same time but yet again the ever mysterious Natsume Hyuuga simply walked away with a grinning Ruka in tow.