Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice and its characters are owned by its creator, Tachibana Higuchi. Only the story idea and some original characters are mine.

Chapter 5: The Meeting with Hotaru Imai

"O- Onii-sama?" Mikan tilted her head to one side as she asked in confusion. What does that mean? She asked herself.

So many things have happened since she has arrived in the city. She just almost got herself killed and was saved and now she got herself a master. And now, that master is asking her to call him "older brother".

"Does that mean that Master wants me to be his little sister?" she asked. She pondered this for a while and thought that perhaps it won't be so bad. She had an older brother before, but she doesn't know where he is anymore. Her memories of him are very few and hazy, so she can't really remember him that much.

Will I be a good imouto to Master? I wonder why he wants me to be his little sister. Perhaps Master lost his little sister and he misses her so much, that's why he's asking me to be his little sister for now. Those were the thoughts that have been running through her mind as she pondered her situation.

"That's only when we're outside. In here, you're still my servant."

And, without warning, Natsume leaned down and pressed his palms to the wall right behind Mikan, trapping her between his arms. Mikan looked up to him in confusion.

"Wha- what do you mean?" Her eyes widened as she saw him leaning lower down to her face. She pressed her eyes shut as she felt his hot breath on her face. Gods, what is he doing? She thought in panic.

"That means I can still do whatever I want with you when we're alone," he whispered in a raspy voice. "Polka." he ended with a smirk.

At this, Mikan's eyes flew open. Her face was all red from blushing profusely, and she was already glaring at the man just inches from as she tried to punch him in order to escape from his arms. Unluckily for her, Natsume was much stronger and before she could hit his chest, he grasped both of her wrists as he looked directly into her eyes. Mikan just glared at him.

"Let me go." She spat.

"It seems we're forgetting a few things here. Who's the master again?" he asked as a sly smile curved his lips.

"You- you are." Mikan assented as she bowed her head to not meet his eyes.

Natsume grasped both her wrists above her head in one hand as he used his other hand to tilt her face up again to meet his eyes. Her glare was not as strong as it did just a few moments earlier.

"Good. At least you remember your place. Now be a good girl, Polka." He simply said as he let her go and headed to the bathroom.

Mikan just slid down to the floor with her back to the wall as she took a deep breath. She was unaware she was holding her breath all through that. She sighed as she looked up to the ceiling, as if asking it to open up and ask the heaven to just take her. She closed her eyes as she sighed for the second time.

Looks like I ended up with pervert for a Master, after all. This is going to be difficult for me. And why was my heart beating so fat just now? Gods, why did you bring me here? Why does it have to be him who is my master? Oh, gods, I'm going to need all the help you could give me. Please, help me find my real mother soon.

Tsubasa Andou's attention was never on the meeting in the least bit. All throughout the meeting, as he sat there with his chin on his knuckle, pretending to listen, his mind was wandering off back to the conversation he just had with Natsume Hyuuga.

You would just have to see her for yourself. This person is important. She's not just some actress I picked out of my whim. After just arriving from abroad, she needs the time to adjust.

So Hyuuga says. Why did this "actress" arrive from abroad all of a sudden? What made Hyuuga pick her as the replacement? Why can't she act until after a month? To adjust, so he says. That is a pretty lame excuse he has come up with, to be honest. He is hiding something, I know it. Just what is he planning? And most importantly, just who is this "actress", really?

This person is important.

That sentence from Hyuuga had him intrigued the most. This is rather strange to hear from a person like Natsume. Based on how he has known the young director, he never considers anyone important. Even when he was working with the most popular actors in the industry, he treats them all the same. He never considers a single one of them "important". There was never a special treatment.

So what's with all the fuss for this actress?

Then the image of the woman hidden beneath a coat on Natsume's back from the photo his investigator sent him flashed through his mind. His eyes widened as he came upon a realization.

Could it possibly be?

No, it can't be. He would never put that person in that position. He has succeeded in hiding her for years, why expose her to the public now? And to star in his drama series, that would only gain her more attention.

But, the timing is just too convenient. That mysterious woman appears one day and Natsume comes up with an actress the next day, at the last minute.

Something's definitely going on here.

He then excused himself from the meeting and went outside, fishing for his mobile phone from his coat pocket as he dialed the number of his investigator.

"Tighten the surveillance on Natsume Hyuuga. If another person comes out of his penthouse with him, put that person under strict surveillance as well." He ordered to the person on the line and flipped the phone shut as he stalked out of his office, and out of the building to his car, and drove home.

Mikan looked up as Natsume emerged minutes later from the bathroom, wearing only a pair of form-fitting jeans as he toweled his black hair. He then went to his closet and extracted a paper bag and tossed it to Mikan.

"Get dressed. We're going outside." He simply said as he returned to his closet and chose a gray v-neck shirt and a black coat.

"Why? I'm already dressed." She said as she peered into the paper bag and pulled out a white blouse with a broad collar trimmed with two green strips of cloth and a red ribbon at the base of the v-shaped neckline in front of the blouse. She held it up before her.

What strange clothes, she thought.

"You can't go outside wearing that. Hurry up and change." He said as he surveyed her woven skirt and top. This will only attract a lot of attention. Good thing I kept that spare school uniform in here, he thought as he turned his back and stooped to pick up his white loafers.

"Neh, Master, where are we going?" she asked as she held up a green plaited skirt and put it down to search further in the paper bag.

"Just hurry up and get dressed. Quit asking questions."

"But –"

"Just get – " Natsume stopped midsentence as he turned around and saw Mikan on the floor in only her panties, pulling her woven top over her head. When she got it off, her eyes grew wide as she saw him looking down on her naked self. She immediately clutched her woven top to her chest as she sputtered,

"I- idiot! Why did you turn around? You.. you..P – pervert!" she exclaimed with her whole face red as a tomato and her hands firmly clutching the piece of clothing in front of her chest.

Natsume just turned his back around again, a slight blush creeping up to his face.

"You're the idiot. Who told you to undress here and not in the bathroom?"

He barely even finished when he heard the slam of his bathroom door. That girl. There was not even much to see anyway. He thought as he went to his bedside table and got his car keys.

Mikan sat stiff as a board at his car's passenger seat, her hands firmly clutching the edge of her skirt as she looked outside of his car window. She can't believe the man beside her just saw her half-naked moments earlier. It was the first time anyone other than her Miu has seen her naked before.

I've lost my dignity. I'm not pure anymore. Now I won't ever get married. No man would accept a woman like me, She kept telling herself. Tears were now threatening to fall from the corners of her eyes.

She wasn't naked that time, actually. She was still wearing her panties, and a white strip of cloth that served as her bra was still on her chest. It was simply just the first time that she felt so exposed in front of a man she barely knew.

Natsume was looking at her at the corner of his eye as he drove.

"You're over reacting. I did not even see anything." He said, as he waited for a reaction from the woman beside him. The uniform fits her perfectly. Except perhaps for the skirt, which seemed a little too short. It was even shorter than the woven skirt she was wearing before.

Looking at her right now, with her long auburn hair falling loosely down her back and the sailor fuku she was wearing, people would surely automatically assume she is a high school student. Now that he thinks about it, he does not even know how old she is already. By the looks of her body, she would be around eighteen, but with her face, it is so easy to mistake her for around twelve or fourteen years old. He makes a mental note to ask her age later.

"You- you really didn't see anything?" she asked hesitantly as she peered up to him.

"There wasn't anything to see in the first place anyway." He muttered as he smirked, not taking his eyes off the road.

Mikan heard this and glared at him, while a slight blush was creeping up to her face yet again. Patience, Mikan. Patience. This is your Master you're talking to. She repeatedly told herself as she clenched her fists tighter and as she tried to force a smile on her face.

"How old are you anyway? Twelve?" he said, taunting her further. He really is enjoying teasing this girl. He chanced a glance at her as he rounded a corner, and found the girl already fuming.

He really did it this time, she thought. "I'm not twelve! I turned nineteen this year!" she exclaimed as she turned in her seat to face him. Her cheeks were a deep shade of red, and her mouth was in a beautiful pout as she glared at the man in front of her.

"Fine, fine. Whatever. Polka." he said, stressing the embarrassing nickname to tease her further.

"Do not call me …P- Polka! I have a name. It's Mikan! M-I-K-A-N! Mikan!" she insisted, her demeanor not changing a bit.

Natsume just smirked. Oh, he's really enjoying teasing this girl with him, that's for sure. He then rounded another corner and before long, he skidded his car to a halt in front of a small café at the base of an old-looking building.

Mikan turned to her window and looked outside to observe the building.

"Where are we, Master?" she said as she noted the creeping trellises on the red brick wall, the fading letters on the huge picture window, the torn doormat in front of a French door, up to the iron railings of balconies on the upper floors, each with its own cream-curtained window and wooden door.

She did not notice that Natsume already stepped out of the car and was now heading to the door of the café. He looked back once and just looked at her as if telling, "What the hell are you still doing there?", and just went in without looking back once again to check if she indeed followed him.

"W- wait!" Mikan hurriedly exclaimed as she scrambled out of the car and hastily slammed it shut. She then ran inside the small café and looked for him. She found him by a small counter which serves as a miniature bar and cashier, talking to a thin old man who was wearing horn-rimmed glasses wiping off a few white tea cups.

She looked around her to observe her surroundings. There were a few round tables covered with white dainty table cloths. There are thin vases each containing a single lily on each table. The chairs are wooden too, with wrought iron backs painted black. There were a few potted plants in the room, and a few bookshelves lining one side of the wall. Paintings of flowers and places were hung on the walls as well.

The café was almost bare, save for a middle-aged woman sitting by a corner table, sipping a cup of coffee while reading a book, and a slim young man reading a newspaper at yet another corner.

"Oi, Polka. Come here." She heard Natsume call him as she turned around to see him. He was already climbing up the stairs at the back part of the café. She did not notice that there was actually a flight of stairs there.

She immediately followed him, with her eyes still roaming around her surroundings. Soon enough, after climbing at least three flights of stairs, she found herself at a small corridor. The corridor has the same wallpaper as the café – cream colored with fading white stripes and small gardenias. The wallpaper was even more torn at this corridor though.

She followed Natsume walk up to a wooden door at the end of the corridor, and watched him knock three times. He did not wait for a response and simply turned the brass knob and entered. She followed him walk into a well-lit room.

The room was huge, and was well furnished, compared to what she has seen at the café and the corridors she passed. The wallpaper was immaculately white, and she saw white diaphanous curtains fluttering as a gust of wind entered from the open balcony door. The floor was fully covered by a cream carpet. There was a tall grandfather clock at one corner, a huge wooden armoire by a wall, beside a queen-sized four poster bed covered with cream-colored quilts. There was a dresser too, and another door at another corner in the room.

Then she saw the white round table in the middle of the room, heavily laden with breakfast. There behind the round table, sat the most beautiful woman she has ever seen, sipping a cup of tea.

"What do you want now, Hyuuga?" the raven haired woman with the amethyst eyes asked him tonelessly.

"Contact the best make-up artists, fashion experts, and etiquette teachers you know in this industry immediately. I need them now." He ordered, while he shrugged off his coat and sat on a nearby couch.

"Manners, Hyuuga. You haven't even introduced us yet." She said as she eyed the uniform-clad Mikan who was standing awkwardly by the door.

"Ano – " Mikan started.

"That's Mikan, my sister." Natsume interrupted before she could even introduce herself.

Mikan just looked at him with wide eyes. She almost forgot that she was supposed to be his younger sister outside.

"A- ah! That's right. O – onii-sama." She said in a soft voice.

Hotaru just looked at them with bland eyes, never betraying one bit of what she could possibly be thinking.

"Your sister, huh? I never knew you had one."

"Hn."

"Come here, Mikan. Sit down." She said as she directed her to sit at the chair on her right side.

Mikan did as she was told. She sat down, and was met by the enormous amount of food on the table. Croissants, baguettes nad other kinds of bread were piled on baskets on the table. There were other pastries as well, and some pancakes, with creamy butter smeared on top and an abundant amount of maple syrup glazing it over. She almost drooled with the amount of food she was seeing in front of her. Then she heard a grumbling sound.

She looked up to see both her master and the woman she just met looking at her. It seems it was her stomach grumbling.

"A-ah..eto.." she said as she looked down on her lap, embarrassed at the sound of protest from her stomach.

"Go on, help yourself." Hotaru said.

She looked up to find the amethyst-eyed woman, amusement fleeting through her eyes. It was gone before she could even recognize it.

"Re-really?" she asked. Now that she remembered it, she was really hungry. She hasn't even eaten last night.

The woman just nodded.

"Thank you!" she beamed, as she took a piece of bread from the basket.

"Wow! This is really good!" Her eyes practically shone as she gobbled up the piece of bread. You would think she was eating the most delicious food in the world. She continued to eat, forgetting her reservations as she satisfied her hunger.

"Looks like you haven't been feeding your sister well, Hyuuga." She remarked, letting amusement play on her eyes.

"Shut up, Imai." He simply said as he slouched on the couch. Shit. He forgot to give her something to eat. He rarely eats a proper meal that he forgot that other people actually need to eat three times a day. For him, one or two would have been enough.

"How about you? Won't you help yourself?" she said, and then sipped from her cup of tea.

"Shut up."

Mikan heard parts of the conversation while she was eating. She thought she felt some kind of tension building up and thought that she should say something.

"Oh, it's my fault, really. I was so tired last night that I forgot to eat," She said, which is true. "Thank you so much for this wonderful food, Miss – "

"Just call me Hotaru." She said, letting a little smile grace her lips.

"Thank you, Hotaru." She said as she smiled that big smile of hers.

"What was it again that you need, Hyuuga?" Hotaru said as she turned to Natsume who was still sitting on the couch.

"Get the best make-up artists, fashion experts and etiquette teachers you know in this industry. I need them today."

"And my compensation?"

"Darn it, Imai."

"You know my rules."

"Tch."

"How much?"

"Fine. A hundred thousand yen after the work on her is done."

"I almost forgot, we agreed on a hundred and fifty thousand yen when you called, am I right?"

"Hn."

"And what about the expenses?"

"I'll take care of it."

"Good. So that's a hundred and eighty thousand yen, in total."

"Ye- where did the thirty thousand yen come from?"

"When you called. My time is very expensive."

"Fine. Whatever."

And their conversation ended just like that. Hotaru then turned to Mikan, who was just about through eating her breakfast.

"So, Mikan. How long have you been staying with your brother?" she asked, stressing the last word for Natsume's benefit. Mikan does not seem to catch it.

"Well-"

"That's none of your business, Imai. Just do what I told you to do." Natsume cut in, irritation evident on his face.

"Shut up, Hyuuga. I'm talking to Mikan, not you." She curtly addressed him, without taking her eyes off Mikan.

Mikan just looked anxiously to Natsume's direction, but he wouldn't look at her.

"We – well, I just arrived last night. That was the reason why I have been so tired and I was unable to eat." She said carefully. Well, that's still the truth. She doesn't think she could lie to this person in front of her. She likes her already, even when they just met.

"I see. Where did you come from?"

"I –"

"She just arrived from the Philippines last night. She has been staying there for almost five years." Natsume butted in, before Mikan could finish.

"Oh." Hotaru simply said, her bland expression not changing a bit.

"Just do what I asked you to do. We don't have the time." He gruffly said, impatience now lacing his tone.

"Patience, Hyuuga. Patience."

Hotaru then stood up, her black skirt falling down to her knees, and went to a nearby dresser to get her mobile phone. Mikan observed that it was different from what Natsume had. It was, well, bigger, and, odd-looking may be the word to describe it. It has a weird small umbrella at the end of its antennae, with, wait, was that a duck's foot at its base?

Hotaru just pressed a few buttons. Then she waited for a while. When she turned around to face them, she was still wearing that same bland expression.

"They'll arrive in an hour."

"Hn." That was fast. Well, this is Imai, after all.

The End

Author's Note: Sorry for the very late update..School and part-time work is eating me up.. I promise to update as soon as I get my laptop back. :)

So, review, please?