Mysticlife-fh : Ok.. Ok... Don't get mad with me... I'm a little busy. Sorry! Anyway, here it is... You can see for yourself

whether your guesses are right or not:-)

Mikan : Psst... Better watch out with Ruka. He's emotionally unstable...

Ruka : I'M NOT!!! SHE'S LYING!!!!!

Mikan : See?? I told ya..


RUKA'S ANGER

As soon as Natsume entered the building, a person appeared from the hideout.

The person smiled.

"That was close…"

In order to avoid being detected, the person used the roof to enter the building. Within minutes, the person has arrived at her room, or more particularly, the attic.

Mikan Sakura has just finished taking bath when someone knocked the door. It was Yuu.

"Mikan, where have you been? I went to your room an hour ago, but you were not here."

He was wearing a concern expression.

Mikan's mind started to make up reasons.

"Err… Really?? But I was here since dinner. Maybe I dozed off, Yuu." she showed an innocent look to Yuu.

"Oh, that's fine then! No worries." Yuu assure her. They talked for a few minutes before bidding good night at each other.

"Sorry, Yuu!" she said quietly, watching Yuu's figure disappearing from sight.

At first, she decided to go straight to bed. However, the lovely scenery of the starry sky changed her mind. Therefore, she made her way out of the attic to the rooftop. While she was lying down, facing the full-moon, she recalled the incident that occurred few hours ago.

Visions of Yuri, the man with alice of ice appeared in her mind. He was bleeding.

She sighed deeply. She felt somewhat regretted.

"Guess I used too much power there. My alice is not supposed to hurt him."

Her energy was drowning. The peaceful breeze enabled her to relax her mind. Without her knowing it, she fell asleep there and then.

'Voices of people can be heard from afar. Lots of them… There's Anna and Nonoko, and also Permy! Why are all of them appearing in my dream simultaneously???'

'And, why am I feeling so cold??? Where's my blanket??'

Mikan's hands were wandering to search for her blanket, but to no avail. She opened her eyes a little to locate it when she saw something that caused her to jerk awake suddenly.

"Oh,shit!!!"

She was sleeping on the rooftop! And, to make matters worst, she was late for her lesson!!! She looked at the ground. Anna and Nonoko were on their way to school, while Permy was laughing maniacally. Neither of them was unaware of Mikan's existence. It seems like the breakfast period was over!!

She quickly stood up and went to prepare for school as fast as she could. It's not that she was afraid of being punished, that's absolutely normal for prankster like her. But, to get punishment when it was not even two weeks since her arrival, that will caught too much attention. And, unlike her best friend, she hated attention.

Unfortunately, luck was not on her side today. She arrived the exact time Jin-Jin called her name, checking for attendance. When he saw Mikan at the door, his lips formed to an evil smile.

"I see you're making progress, Miss Sakura" teased Mr. Jinno.

Mikan ignored his remarks. She remained standing at the door. She knew exactly what he intended to do.

"Well, you don't have to bother to come in. Your seat is outside, Miss Sakura." He said, referring to the corridor. His eyes were full of hatred.

At behind, Permy was smiling evilly. She was mocking at Mikan.

To everyone's surprise, Mikan suppressed an angelic smile to Mr. Jinno. Without saying anything, she closed the door. Watching the anger face of Jin-jin when she closed the door was totally priceless.

"Did you see it? It's the new girl! She's stunning!!"

"Yup, she's extremely pretty!"

"And, I heard she's the only no-star in this whole academy"

Leo was on his way to the lab when he saw a group of boys were talking excitedly. He decided to ignore them but stopped abruptly when he heard of the word 'no-star'. He listened to their conversation attentively.

"Really?? I've to see her for myself, then! She is at the left-wing corridor, right??"

Leo has heard enough to realize that the girl was Mikan. He took a double-take and went to the left-wing side.

From afar, he could see a girl was leaning on the wall, a book in her hand. Apparently, she was in deep concentration with the book, totally oblivious of the boys' stares and the girls' gossiping around her.

Leo shook his head and sighed. He approached Mikan silently.

"Trying to grab everyone's attention, Mikan??"

Mikan, who was shocked at Leo's sudden greeting, dropped her book when he saw him.

"Oh my gosh! You're scaring me to death!!!" Mikan said quietly.

"Hey, this is not your usual path!" Mikan remembered. "Why are you here??"

Leo who smiled at Mikan who has finally returned to her normal self remembered the purpose of his visit.

"Oh ya! I was going to take my 'usual' path if I don't hear the boys talking about how pretty the brunette on the alleyway is and was planning stupid gross thing on her-"

"Wait a minute! Did you say pretty? Really??" Mikan teased him.

Leo stepped back suddenly, "Oooh… I never say that! Ever! It's just a quote from an idiot!"

Mikan just smirked and raised one of her eye-brows at Leo. She is too familiar with her best friend. He'll never say something good about her. Yet, that characters of him that attracted her to befriend him.

"Now, why don't you go...- hang on!" Leo has just realized something. He was eyeing Mikan suspiciously. "Don't tell me… you're being punished???"

Mikan rolled her eyes and gave him 'Duh-it-is-obvious-isn't-it?' look. Leo who was startled at first laughed uncontrollably. Mikan folded her arms, glaring at Leo.

"I came late for Jinno's class"

"Mikan Sakura, the famous troublemaker… is being punished by Jin-jin???" Leo tried to stop laughing.

Still smiling, he continued, "He really holds grudge on you, isn't it?" He laughed again.

"Ooh, stop it! Leo, help me out, please!" she requested.

"I'm not sure, Mikan. Because, I was kind of enjoying watching you standing here." he frowned.

Upon seeing Mikan's deadly glare, he smirked. "All right, all right… Just watch and learn"

He walked to the door, pretended to inhale and exhale a few times before knocking the door. When he heard Jinno's voice allowing him to come in, he smartened himself and wore a kind, innocent expression. He winked at Mikan. Then, he opened the door and entered politely. Mikan couldn't help but laughed at his act.

Through the opened door that Leo left on purpose, she could hear clearly the conversation…

"Mr. Kusanagi, what brings you here?"

Everyone's attention turned to Leo. All of them thought of the same thing.

'There has never been anyone who dared to disrupt Jinno's class before. He's DEAD!'

"I'm really sorry, sir!" Leo apologized politely. "But, Mr. Narumi required for Mikan Sakura to his office."

Everyone was holding their breath upon noticing Mr. Jinno's stern face when he heard the name 'Mikan Sakura'.

"No one was allowed to interrupt my class, Mr. Kusanagi. I thought you should have known by now." He eyed Leo.

The boys started to smirk while some girls were gasping, worrying that Leo might get hurt.

"Oh, my! New boy doesn't know who he's messing with..." teased Mochu.

"Yes, sir. I fully-understand how serious you are in teaching the students. There's no doubt that you care about the students' achievement more than any other teachers in this school. However, no matter how hard I tried to rebut, Mr. Narumi is still keep insisting on it. He said that it is an emergency matter." He replied calmly, but with a concerned tone.

Although everyone's eyes were on Leo, Natsume was aware of Jinno's sudden change of mood.

"And, I was feeling guilty either to give priority to my favourite teacher's principle or Mikan Sakura's problem. However, if that's your final say, I shall return to inform Mr. Narumi." He added smoothly.

He bowed his head in respect and started to walk out of the class.

Natsume smirked, 'So, this is the other prankster. He really know how to play with words'

The students' heads started to turn from Leo to Mr. Jinno as though they were watching a tennis match. They were waiting anxiously… What will happen next???

Leo almost reached the door when finally, Jin-jin spoke…

"Fine, fine… Take your friend"

Nearly everyone's jaws dropped. Never, in the history of Alice Academy, Jinno became this soft with the student.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you very much!". When Leo smiled, half of the girls' heart melted.

He disappeared from sight in no time, but Natsume did not miss the smirk formed by his lips a second before he left.

"Koko…" Natsume called the mind-reader.

Koko smirked before answering. "Just like what you're thinking, Natsume. It's a lie. He did that to help Sakura out."

Exactly after Jinno's period ended, Mikan returned to her class. When they saw her, the girls started to surround her. While Anna and Nonoko were worried of Mikan being summoned by Mr. Narumi, most of the girls were curious about Leo. Mikan tried to give the least info as possible about her best friend and made her way to her seat.

Still feeling exhausted of yesterday's event, Mikan landed her head on the table. Natsume went missing again, leaving Ruka who was stroking his bunny softly. He was smiling. Then, something popped up in Mikan's mind.

"Why…" she started.

After hearing Mikan's voice, Ruka stopped smiling. He looked at Mikan, as though waiting for her to continue. Mikan, upon spotting the drastic change of Ruka's expression couldn't stop laughing.

"HAHAHA… Sorry, Ruka-pyon. I can't stand. You're really funny! HAHAHA…."

Ruka's fangirls stared at Mikan, feeling surprised. They knew Ruka too well that they're sure 'FUNNY' is definitely not listed in Ruka's character. It took Mikan a few seconds to calm herself. She was still smiling, though…

"Do you hate me that much, Ruka-pyon? Am I that bad that I don't even deserve the smile you've given every time you look at your bunny?" she said softly.

This question was beyond Ruka's expectation. He tried to conceal his shockness.

"Or…" she continued. "Are we, human beings are not qualified enough to share your happiness?"

Ruka stood up abruptly, causing his chair to fall backwards. This caught everyone's attention. Ruka's face was reddening with anger. He shouted at the top of his voice at Mikan.

"IT'S NOT A MATTER OF QUALIFICATION, BUT WHETHER OR NOT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND EVERY HARDSHIP THAT ONES HAVE TO FACE. THAT'S WHAT IMPORTANT!! WITH THE HEAD OF YOURS, A PRANKSTER WHO KNOWS NOTHING BUT FUN, I DOUBT YOU'LL ABLE TO DO THAT, EVER!!!!" he snarled.

Some of the girls were taken aback of Ruka's words of anger. They've never seen Ruka this harsh before. Mikan, whose bangs have been covering her eyes, remained silent.

Ruka snorted in tense. He started to walk towards the door. All he wanted to do now is to calm down.

"Then, show it…"

Ruka stopped. He turned to face her. He was startled when he saw Mikan's eyes. Her eyes were not watery. Instead, they showed him the feeling of pain, full of suffering. Yet, she still managed to give him a small smile.

"If I'm that pathetic troublemaker whose life is all about enjoy, why don't you show me how to understand. Tell me how to do it. Tell me…" she said calmly.

"It's you yourself who forbid us from being friendly with you, don't just find thousands of excuses and put the blame on someone else. At least, I tried…"

With that, she left the class. Ruka returned to his seat, ignoring the stares and whispers. Mikan's word are soft, but has caused him the pain similar to 1000 needles. Yet, why was he feeling so angry with her??

'Maybe, that's because everything she said… is true…'

The next day, everyone attended school. Even Natsume decided to stay in the class. As always, Mikan was the last to enter the class. She greeted Yuu, Anna and Nonoko cheerfully.

'Looks like Mikan is as happy as usual' Yuu felt relief. After yesterday's argument, he was worried for her.

She took her seat and decided to try her luck on Natsume, whom she knew will turn her down.

"Good morning, Natsume!"

She sniggered when Natsume ignored her. She shifted her eyes to watch Ruka, who was wearing a stern look.

"Morning, Ruka-pyon"

Everyone's eyes were suddenly on Ruka-pyon. They were waiting impatiently for his reply. Hotaru Imai was holding her donkey-like camera, ready to capture Ruka's angry face.

Meanwhile, Ruka was stunned. He thought Mikan was still hurt with his insult yesterday. He never expected her to recover so quickly.

Without him realizing it, he mumbled "Morning" back to Mikan. Everyone's eyes were wide in shock. Hotaru dropped her head in despair.

As though just realized what he just did, Ruka blushed furiously. He tried to explain to Natsume who was surprised as well…

"No, Natsume… it's not-"

"Do what you wish, Ruka" he said, returning to his original self.

Ruka's fangirls started to feel jealous at Mikan. And, sure enough, Mikan was being dragged away by Sumire. She accused Mikan of using spells on Ruka. However, being Mikan, nothing could wavered her calmness.

Buzzes were beginning to fade away when suddenly…

"WHAT????"

It was Sumire. Her shriek covered the whole school area. She was looking at Mikan, her eyes in terror.

Mikan, whose hand now on her waist, smirked. "You don't want me to repeat that, Permy!"

"NO! IT CAN'T BE!!!! WHAT'S TODAY'S DATE????" She hastily grabbed the calendar and looked at it, while most of the students were staring at her peculiarly.

Seeing Sumire's panic voice, Mikan smiled. This time, she spoke loud enough for the whole class to hear.

"You heard me. It's exactly two weeks since my arrival, Shouda. Today's the end of our deal."

Mikan folded her arms and smiled triumphantly, "So, what's my alice?"

The students, including Sumire herself has forgotten about the deal. Unfortunately, Mikan is not one of them. Half of the class couldn't believe their eyes. Sumire Shouda never showed this kind of attitude before. She was in panic.

Sumire opened her mouth several times to answer, but each time she closed it back. Eventually, she sighed in defeat.

"Well then, I guess I win." Mikan smiled. She placed her finger under the chin, as though thinking of something.

"Let me see… what should I ask you to do??"

Everyone was waiting anxiously.

"Ah, I got it!" Mikan snapped her finger. Then, she bent down to whisper something to Sumire.

It's impossible for anyone else to hear apart from both of them. Yuu and the others searched for the boy with remote-hearing alice to know what was Mikan's order. Unfortunately, the boy went to toilet. They sighed in disappointment.

When Mikan finished giving her order to Sumire, everyone was aware of Permy's dumbstruck expression. She stared at Mikan in disbelieve.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING??" she shouted.

Mikan smiled and shrugged. "It's up to you, Sumire. Choices in your hand."

Before she was able to say anything, Mr. Misaki has entered the class. Everyone returned to their seats. However, none of them paid attention to their Biology lesson. Even Yuu, the best student failed to concentrate.

'What is Mikan's order?'

Mysticlife-fh : At first, I was thinking of making this fanfic a short story as this is my 1st trial. But then, ideas kept popping

up in my mind. And now, I'm not sure anymore... So, what do you guys think?? Help me out in making

decision, will ya !!!

Mikan : Oh yes, you're allowed to guess. But that doesn't mean we'll answer!! Keep guessing !!!! wink

Permy : Find out what that prankster asked me to do in the next chapter...