Chapter 3 part 2 The Pied Piper.

Phone games are proven effective to tame her down. She made little noises, though most of them don't make sense, just mumblings from her mild reactions on what she is playing. She never really realized they were in the manor until he pulled over and shut the engine off. He went inside first, walking straight inside after handling on his car keys to their butler. He went directly on the living room where he was met by a blonde guy with a pretty lady beside him.

"Ruka." He said as he gave him a mock punch in his shoulder. He suddenly took a flight out of the country the day Natsume found the book.

"Sorry. An emergency came last week; I needed to go to London."

"An emergency-?" Natsume echoed as he looked towards the girl Ruka is standing beside. She looks decent in her dress, but Natsume can never be fooled of her innocent looks. She was his former classmate who happens to be the only daughter of the Imai clan. She is the Hotaru Imai.

"Shut up Hyuuga, or you'd see your Oh-so horrid pictures in the net before sunset." The girl said in an equally cold voice.

"Ehem." Mikan cleared her throat, she felt unnoticed anyway. The three people give her their attention in a matter of second.

"Oh! And I'm guessing from the chairman's description that you're Mikan. Nice to meet you, I'm Ruka, Ruka Nogi." He said as he shook her hands.

"Woaah!—you wrote the 'selection of the animals in the Saff—"

"Yes he did, and I'm Hotaru" the ice queen cut her statement as they shook their hands. A line ran in her mind, 'cute girls should always be friend together' and smiles formed in her lips.

And she answered back, "Oh! And I'm Mikan." freeing her hand in the process.

"Mikan Sakura, the sunshine of Gakuen Alice. Heard 'bout you from my brother Subaru he works there."

She didn't reply for a few moments, she was starstrucked- "Wait,! You're Hotaru Imai? The one who invented the networking site ? Congratulations I heard it hit 600 million users last month."

"ye—" Hotaru started but she was cut off by Hyuuga when he said,

"Sakura. Grandpa's waiting."

"Oops got 'a go." And she waved her hands and leaps toward the stairs. The three people stood there watching her as she disappeared from their sights.

"Idiot." He murmured as he gave of his famous smirk. A blinding flash of a dslr camera lighten up. Typical of the Hotaru Imai. Where did that camera even come from?

It took her 1 hour, 46 minutes, and 12 seconds to finish her storytelling with grandpa. The old man had been recovering past since her last visit. That afternoon, he had come to sit in his wheelchair, and she learned he's having therapy to regain his capability to walk. As soon as she was through her grandpa moment she was back at his car. Off back towards the shop.

"You should have seen grandpa's expression with grandma's comment on the illustration he gave for the Pied piper."

He give her a questioning look that made her tell him what she saw.

"At first I thought he was paralyzed, but then, I realized he was ecstatic about it when he laughed loudly all of the sudden."

"The Pied Piper right?"

"Yeah. But I told him the original story; he was sort of bored with the common one."

"Retell it." he instructed as she looked at him in disbelief, he didn't sit with them while she read for grandpa and now he was asking him to retell the whole story.

"Why don't you read it by yourself?" she asked, faking her annoyance.

He gave her a glance and answered her. "Too long."

"And?" she added.

He smirked and said, "Your's summarized."

She sighed in return; he's invincible in throwing harsh words in conversation. She made a peek outside the window and said.

"It started in the town of Hamelin; the village was overrun by rats. The Mayor, desperate to get rid of the rats seeks the help of a man who's just by then is new in their place. I personally even think he was just a passerby who happens to hear about the pest news. He's a man wearing Pied clothing…. Pied, means a patch of colors…" she stated as she tore another memo sheet. This time, she folded it as a plane.

"He offers to get rid of the town's pest—its vermin, the rats, I mean... and the townsmen in return promised to pay him a huge amount of money just to get rid of them… so the man complied, he played his magical pipe and lead all the rats towards the Weser River. He literally draws all the rats out! But when he came for the payment, the people refused to pay him up. They were saying that it was an easy thing to do.. And that their promised amount wouldn't match of what he'd done." She then successfully flied the paper plane inside his car; he gave her his evil stare, which she brushed off optimistically.

"Since the villagers wouldn't pay up, Mr. Pied Piper- decided not just to rid Hamelin of rats, but also its children. 130 kids followed him to the river. It was a total tragedy." She took a pause and look at him

"But—Oh! One did survive in that version. A lame child didn't get to follow since he's very weak. But the rest vanished without a trace."

"How about the variations?" Natsume asked the brunet beside him.

She smiled and answered happily, "It was better for those who have happy ending tastes…. But it seemed unrealistic. You see, in the variation, Mr. Pied Piper brings back the children after he was paid off with a bigger amount. I was like…. Seriously? How could you drown and immerse children and keep them alive at the same time?"

"I thought you enjoy happy endings." He asked.

"Well…. I honestly don't know. Maybe, it's because I tend to like what's on the Hallow Rose."

And there was silence again, she busied herself, just mindlessly looking at her surrounding, and it reached the cars meter gauge.

"We're moving 180 khp? Are you trying to kill the two of us?" she screamed in protest. She was then well aware she's wearing her seatbelt, she double checked just in case. Lesson learned, when you're riding with Natsume, Buckle up.

He just smirked and said, "Coming from someone who doesn't drives"

"I do drive before." She said in contrary to him. He looked at her like she has 3 heads. Who was she trying to fool? Not to mention she was never a good liar.

"Okay…, but—you see, I stopped after successfully killing all my mother's orchid in her garden after I ran my car over our lawn." She shivered at that memory, it just seemed like yesterday for her. She forcefully gained her Plant Terminator forcefully in a matter of 3 minutes.

"Now that's more believable." She smiled when he said that, a familiar face flashing on her mind. She suddenly missed Yoichi. It was his trade mark line whenever she messes up.

"You sound like my brother." That's when she realized how she could bear sitting beside Natsume. It was because she was too used with Yoichi's presence. They were pretty similar, only Hyuuga is some kinda sort of worse.

"Polka dots have a brother. Interesting. Was he dumb too?" she rub her temple with the polka dot nickname but screamed with the word dumb.

"Of course not! Actually he's way to smart. That's my problem."

"So you agree you're dumb?" he joked, but she didn't notice. She was too occupied by the term 'dumb'.

"No!" she screamed at him, irritation written on her small face.

"Intriguing." He commented.

Getting pissed of really hard she pulled out a picture of her family. The one they had took before his brother left for college a year and a half ago. It was tucked safely behind her cards. It was something she treasured dearly with all her heart.

"This is my mom,….

My dad,…..

And my evil younger brother." she said each name while pointing on the person in the picture, not that he can clearly see it since he was driving.

"He's turning 21 this year, though I rarely see him since he had been in a boarding school." She bit her lip and hid her sadness with her fake smile.

"Where?" he asked, trying to see the picture clearly but failed miserably.

"Yale, and don't ask me about the course. I'd only feel worse." She need sympathy, a silent sympathy.

But even though he waited for her to continue on what she was about to say.

"You see. You're lucky you're an only child.." she shifted her position and rested her back more on the leather cover of the car's chair, "you never need to compete for attention, unlike like me." Paused as she slips on the picture back to her wallet and placing it inside her orange backpack.

"He's all better than me. First, he drives, and I don't. Second, he's academically bettter that I do. And third, he's 10 times more popular in his school days than I am." And she laughed a little. That made him took another glance at her.

She laughed harder and said, "But you know what the funny thing is, he said he was jealous of me 'cause mom and dad cares for me more than they do for him. As if he can see how anxious mom gets when he's out late, or how happy and proud they were—I mean, we were when he won that science championship 3 months ago."

"Yoichi?" Natsume asked

"You know my brother?" she asked in shock. How would that be possible.

"Never thought you were relatives." He didn't elaborate no more on the subject but it was his company who awarded that competition, they were looking for the next future inventors and Yoichi is one hell of a potential. He's a genius.

"But we're both Sakuras!... See that's what I mean. He's way too cool to be my brother, maybe I a m adopted."

She than faced him and asked, "How about you? How's your mom and dad?"

"They took a plane flight and never came back." His voice was smooth as silk, no traces of emotion spilled even a bit.

There was an eerie silence; that is the time she learned that it was a taboo topic. And she was very sorry for opening it up.

"Sorry." She whispered, he heard it and he knew that. But the damage was done.

He decided to lighten the mood a little as he said, "Don't feel bad." as he tapped on his car's dashboard. But she was still covered with guilt. She could feel her throat suddenly dried up. She was then very anxious of his expression. She desperately tried to change the topic. That is when she gets a glimpse of a 7 eleven store signage.

"Would you stop by that stall?" hoping to change the topic.

"The green one?" he asked as he give of a little frown. He hasn't been in there, though he had passed on it for no one knows how many times.

"Yeah." She said, smiling again.

And he pulled over the driveway. His cars head slightly slanted on the actual parking lane. Mikan let loose of her seatbelt and excitedly faced him.

"Come on! My treat." And she tapped on his shoulder. It felt weird for the two of them but they decided to pay no special attention in to it, stupid electric reaction. She then pouted a little as she thought he wouldn't come, but a few minutes more, he was holding on his car door's knob.

And the two of them went down. She was happy like hell.

He followed her silently as she made way towards the food section. He gave her a questioning look as she took hold of a plastic and a tong.

"We would have to make it, and then pay it in the counter." She then pulled out a cheese flavored sausage and stuck it in the bread.

"Weird." He mumbled, but watched as she got the second bread. He smirked as she almost dropped it in the floor. She sighed in relief when she saved it before it totally fall down.

As if sensing his entertainment, she asked him a favor, "Hold it for a while and….. What do you want to drink?" she asked her as he took hold of the sausages.

"Anything but soda." He answered; he was never really fond of sodas.

"How about water?" then she took a styro cup for gulps and filled it with Fanta. She had always been fond of the orange flavors, maybe because her name meant tangerines.

"I'm cool with it." he said as he watched her clutched with the soda in her hand and tried to open the see through fridge with one hand. She took a bluish bottled one. And slammed it close.

"Follow me." She then walked towards the lady in the counter, she stopped all of the sudden in front of the chocolate and biscuit containers making him almost clash into her.

"Oops! Sorry." She then desperately tried to grab a pack of pocky but failed miserably, Natsume took it for her since he has a free hand.

"Thanks, it's for Nonoko, I owed her a shift in the shop." She then continued her way towards the counter. There stood a cute blonde lady, ready to assist costumers.

"Hi, good evening sir, how can I help you?" The girl said as she bats her eyelashes towards the raven haired lad, and the auburn haired girl snickered a little as he tighten his grip on the sausages. No doubt the lady in the counter fancied him.

He placed the sausage sandwich on the counter and slipped his hands in his pocket. He glared at the brunet, who can't help grinning from the fact that the blonde lady was hitting on him.

"We'd like to take these." Mikan said as she smiled at the blonde girl and she punched the food code in the computer.

"Would you dine in or is it for take away?" The lady in the counter again asked towards Natsume. Mikan was supposed to say 'for dine in' but he beat her in response.

"Take away." He said in his deep man's voice as he glared at Mikan. The brunet could tell that the blonde lady in the counter's heart would have probably skipped a beat after he spoke.

"O-okay." She then wrapped the sausages and water bottle in a paper bag. She never saw the total amount of price. He threw bills on the lady and rudely said;

"Keep the change" and he was out of the stall. A scowl clearly written on his face. He was pissed off.

"Sorry about that, he just gets a little grumpy." She then imitated how Natsume scowl when he's pissed off. The little girl smiled as she answered Mikan,

"Sure." And the lady then smiled more.

She then carried the paper bag and ran towards the parking lot where the black Lamborghini was parked near the driveway. She saw him standing edgily beside it. She ran carelessly towards him tripping on a stone mildly, he wonder how she survived her entire life when she tends to attract accidents like a magnet.

"Hey! That was supposed to be my treat." She said as she steadied herself beside him

"Shut up." he answered her, she knew he wasn't over the blonde girl incident.

"Woah—chill mate." Mikan said and then pulled out a sausage on the paper bag she was holding; she then opened the mayo at ketchup and spread it on top of the sausage.

"Here." And he took it.

She waited for him to actually take a bite but he didn't. Instead, he stared at the sausage in the bread like it's something that would fight back when he bites on it.

"Take a bite." She commanded, pouting a little giving her a very cute look.

He didn't take a bite, instead he pulled out a part of the sandwich and munched it quietly. he acted like how a girly girl with eat a sausage.

"You suck." She said. Giving off her lovely giggles. She meant it as a joke, but he didn't take it like that. He glared at her in return.

"Sorry, it's just that,…. I have never seen someone eat it like you do." She took hold of the cars side mirror as she tried her very best to hold his laugher.

"Demonstrate." He ordered in return as he pointed towards the paper bag she's grasping into.

She then took grab of her bread and filled it with ketchup; she dumped the mayo elsewhere and took a deep bite on her sausage. Still with her mouth full, she said in a barely audible way.

"thhhiesssh hhowh yaaah eaat thish" she said as she covered her mouth and laughing some more. She was having fun doing that, and there was no doubt he did too.

"You've got to be kidding me." He said, and he did the one thing Mikan never thought he actually would.

"Yoouh shmiled!" she exclaimed. All humor clearly gone and amusement boosting out in her system.

"You're delusional. We better get going." She swallowed the food in her mouth in a hurry and took a huge gulp on her soda.

"But you did smiled!," she screamed at him. He just smirked at her in return. They were in their own private moment, no cars passing by, no stray cat lurking around the street, and no blonde girl hitting on him.

He opened his car's door and duck in, but before he actually get inside he said, "Get in the car or I'd leave you in here." And she smiled hugely, getting inside like an idiot.

And they had the ride of their life.

A/N: is not really a website, so don't bother trying it out in Google. The idea came from 3 idiots, it's a great movie.

Question: what cake flavor do you like?