Act 5:

The Double Date

"Is there an end to these countless dates?" Hotaru complained as she plopped down on Mikan's bed. "I mean we all have our own lives. Why can't they understand that?" She added. "Time is gold. These dates are causing me to go behind schedule."

"It's because they want us to get married as soon as we're of legal age?" Mikan replied with uncertainty.

"No." Hotaru glared at Mikan. "Someone out there must have some mental block and couldn't come up with a better chapter," she said sarcastically. "Of course our parents wanted us to get married quickly so that their businesses would get bigger and flourish!"

"Hey, don't get it out on me," Mikan rolled her eyes and sat next to Hotaru. "Refusing to marry is the only option. Your mother never forced you into this," Mikan sighed.

"So it was all Aunt Yuka's fault." Hotaru teased.

"Hey now, don't get carried away," Mikan glowered at her best friend.

"I was just teasing." Hotaru buried her face in one of Mikan's stuffed animal. "Hey, this is new, right?" She commented. Hotaru knew everything that was inside Mikan's room and so did Mikan towards the things inside Hotaru's room.

"Ruka-pyon got that for me yesterday." She smiled.

"So you two had a date?" Hotaru looked at her friend in disbelief. "And what's with the –pyon?"

"What's wrong with it?" Mikan took the penguin away from Hotaru. "I don't have any reason to refuse him," Mikan played with the stuffed animal. She pinched the blue fabric which was supposed to be the skin. "It's because of his bunny. He always carries that bunny everywhere at the Academy. Ruka-hop!" She giggled.

"You are so in love," Hotaru pointed out. "With a guy who has a bunny-complex,"

"Are you kidding me?" Mikan's face turned bright red. She never thought that she was ready to love or fall in love. "He doesn't have a bunny-complex! That's a misuse of the word complex," she defended.

"Am I hungry?" Hotaru crossed her arms and then looked at her friend's brown eyes with seriousness. At that moment, she didn't care about Ruka's nickname or complex. She cared more about her growling stomach.

"I don't know, are you?" Mikan stood up and held her hips. She took a deep breath when Hotaru rolled her eyes. "I'll call for some food," Mikan went to her personal phone. "I am not in love. I just want mom to be happy." Mikan stuck her tongue out. "Also, Ruka-pyon and I are not yet engaged."

"In that case, I'd be happy. I don't want you marrying some guy we just met,"

"Send some crab meat in my room please." Mikan said then hung up. "You don't like me that way right?" Mikan giggled. "I love you but we just can't."

Hotaru threw a pillow on Mikan's face. "You are so gross. Since when did you start to think like that?" She crossed her arms. "Fine, go marry the first guy you see."

"Aww," Mikan laughed harder than she should be. "Don't worry, I promise to let you marry someone first before I plan my wedding."

"I don't see any relevance," Hotaru shoved Mikan away.

"Well, if you marry first, you wouldn't complain about me marrying some guy." Mikan pointed out. There was a knock on the door.

"Whatever," Hotaru opened the door and received the crab meat. She helped herself with her favorite food.

Mikan looked out the window. The sun was already up and the birds were chirping. The time for the date came closer. "Let's just get ready for the date," Mikan opened her wardrobe.

…

Natsume and Ruka decided to take the girls to the Suizokukan Aquarium. They were going to pick them up later at the Yukihira mansion. The boys didn't have to prepare much. Both of them were wearing jeans. Ruka wore an orange-stripped polo in a proper manner and left two of the uppermost buttons unbuttoned. Natsume wore a black shirt as an inner garment and topped it off with a red polo which he did not bother to button at all.

"Are you going to tell Imai-san yet?" Ruka asked as he fed his bunny.

"Maybe later," Natsume shrugged. He didn't look up from his manga. He was lying on his back on the hood of his car. It was sunny but it wasn't too hot.

"I don't think that's nice," Ruka commented as he looked as his friend's face. He couldn't figure out if Natsume was joking or not.

Natsume smirked. "When was I ever nice to anyone?" He asked sarcastically.

"You're nice to me," Ruka grinned as he rested his back on the car's door.

"That's gross," Natsume punched Ruka on the shoulder playfully after he jumped down. "Never say that again,"

Ruka just laughed. "Alright." He gave out a sigh and said. "I don't think Imai-san would mind. She doesn't seem interested either."

"Were you interested?" Natsume raised a brow.

"Not at first," Ruka felt his cheeks grew hot.

"At first…" Natsume muttered and began to read his manga again beside Ruka who still fed his bunny with carrots.

…

Mikan and Hotaru looked stunning as usual. Mikan wore a pink sleeveless dress that went down above her knee and a dark pink ribbon on her waist complemented her attire. Hotaru wore a dark blue dress that reached her knees and there was a white lace on the hem.

"He's carrying that adorable bunny again," Hotaru whispered to Mikan. "Isn't that a bit weird?"

"Nonsense," Mikan blushed. "I think it's cute."

"Hah!" Hotaru faked her enthusiasm although she made sure Mikan knew she faked it.

"Mind your own date," Mikan resisted the urge to stick her tongue out in front of Hotaru. She just left Hotaru's side and went near Ruka.

When Ruka saw Mikan, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Natsume, on the other hand, showed no awareness on how Hotaru looked.

"You look beautiful." He said shyly when Mikan went to his side.

Natsume and Hotaru were quiet.

"Thank you," She bowed her head.

Ruka didn't know what to do next. He couldn't concentrate much because of her.

"So where are we going?" Mikan asked shyly.

Ruka's brain took a second or two in order to comprehend her question. "To the Suizokukan Aquarium,"

"I heard that place is lovely," Mikan clasped her hands as she entered the back of the car.

"It is," Ruka smiled. After a while they talked about where they could go and what they would see inside the Suizokukan.

Natsume and Hotaru were quiet, but then Hotaru broke the silence between them. "I want to talk to you,"

"Aren't we talking?" Natsume raised a brow.

"Oh, we are," Hotaru rolled her eyes. "Pardon my rudeness," She mocked.

"Actually there's something that I want to talk about," Natsume ignored her reaction.

"I think we want to talk about the same thing," Hotaru looked out the window.

…

The Suizokukan Aquarium was indeed the largest Aquarium in the town. It had a modern design mainly with glass fibers. Statues of the aquatic animals such as dolphins and tortoise were everywhere. The place was a bit crowded since it was a weekend.

"We're here," the driver said as soon as the car came to a stop.

They made a decision after they got out of the car. They would meet later at the restaurant inside the Suizokukan for lunch. Mikan wanted to see the penguins while Hotaru insisted on seeing the sharks.

"I didn't expect girls to find the sharks cute," Natsume stated.

"I don't. I just want to see them whether they really are that ugly." Hotaru replied as they walked away, opposite from Mikan and Ruka.

"About earlier…" Natsume brushed his hair backwards.

…

Mikan felt excited upon seeing the penguins. She wanted to squeal, but it was against her personal and non-written book of ethics. Ladies shouldn't squeal because it is somewhat childish or so she was told. "They're cute," she whispered.

"Un," Ruka nodded, he sweat dropped because the penguins looked at him with enchantment and they went towards his direction. If the barriers weren't there, Ruka would have surely been crushed by the animals' affection.

"Pardon my rudeness," she looked at him. "Can you really talk to them? I hope you don't mind."

Ruka laughed. "Everyone can talk to them," He paused for a while to see Mikan blush. "I can understand them, the same way they could understand me." He gazed at the penguins. They still looked at him with affection and stared enviously at the bunny. It seemed scared.

"I like your Alice," Mikan held the cold steel bar between her and the penguin's man-made habitat. "It must be nice. You wouldn't get lonely so much."

Ruka was taken aback by her comment. "It sure is," he thought for a moment before he spoke again. "Do you get lonely?"

Mikan looked surprised. "Me?" She giggled. "I don't really get lonely. My mother has always been beside me. So did my father." She sighed. "Maybe a little bit," she admitted. "After that incident…"

"I'm sorry," Again, Ruka didn't know what to do. It seemed like he opened up a topic that made Mikan's mood sink. "I didn't mean to…"

"It's alright," her face lit up. "Mother's recovering from the accident."

"Good to know," he smiled.

"Let's go see some puffer fish," Mikan went ahead of Ruka. She tried to pass through the crowd.

"Um, Mikan-chan," He called out.

"Yes?" She turned to him. She smiled sweetly.

"I think they're this way," he gently held her hand. "It seemed like the place is crowded," he said out of the blue. "This will prevent you from getting lost…" His voice trailed off.

Mikan smiled to herself. "Thank you,"

"Why would you like to see the puffer fish anyway?" Ruka asked for the sake of starting a conversation. He led her to the right corner of the penguin cage.

"I really don't know…" Mikan bit her lower lip. "Maybe I just want to see if they really do puff…?"

"That's weird," Ruka laughed.

"I—is it…?" Mikan felt embarrassed. If the comment came from another guy, she would have felt pissed off or irritated. It sure would have been a bloody conversation. Literally.

"I like that," he led her towards a glass tunnel. It was beautiful. It felt like fishes really swam beside, above and beneath them. There were sting rays, angel fishes and the like. There were even sea turtles. The only problem was that Mikan and Ruka were being stared at by the sea creatures. Mikan couldn't help it but laugh.

"This is a little bit embarrassing," Ruka chuckled nervously.

"I find it amusing," Mikan rummaged her pouch. "Despite that fact… here," She handed Ruka a bottle. "We made it. It could suppress any Alice for the time being. Of course there are no side effects or what so ever."

"Thank you," Ruka drank the liquid. "This is not a love potion is it?" He joked.

"I told you it's an Alice suppressant," Mikan laughed. "Besides, I don't think I need to give you one—" Mikan stopped herself. Wrong move, it seemed like her statement meant he already fell in love with her or that she could make him fall in love with her without the use of a love potion. She looked at Ruka who still acted normally.

"It worked," he looked around. The animals were ignoring him. He obviously avoided that conversation for her. Ruka was indeed a considerate person.

"Of course it will work," Mikan beamed. "Father made that," she said proudly.

Ruka tried not to act too happy seeing Mikan's lively expression. She looked cuter that way.

…

Mikan and Ruka were already at the Suizokukan restaurant when Hotaru came through the double doors of the place. Natsume saw them beside the wall located at the far corner of the restaurant.

"How was the trip?" Mikan asked as soon as Hotaru sat in front of her.

"It was okay," Hotaru's eyes was still void of emotions.

"I can see that…" Mikan stared at her best friend then at Natsume. She couldn't see any trace of anger or awkwardness, so Hotaru must be telling the truth despite of her facial expression. She was always like that anyway.

"Yours?" Hotaru looked at the menu.

"It was fun. We saw some dolphins and I got to pet one or two," Mikan grinned as she remembered the dolphins. She was allowed to swim with them, but she didn't bring any extra clothes so she decided to go back there in the near future.

"Good for you," Hotaru looked at the waitress. "Crustacean Sticks please,"

"Could I take the rest of the orders?" The waitress looked at the other three who had yet to decide. After a few minutes, everyone gave their orders.

"Baked Scallops,"

"Tuscan Grilled Trout"

"Grilled Glazed Salmon,"

"Would that be all?" The waitress asked. Everyone nodded.

"Shall we go somewhere together after?" Mikan asked.

"I'm okay with that," Hotaru tucked her short hair behind her ear.

"Alright," Ruka agreed.

"I'm thinking of watching the sunset? I mean, after the whale show, which ends around three o'clock, we could go to a nearby beach…" Mikan played with the napkin.

"The beach sounds good,"

The three discussed the possible beach in which they could catch the sunset. Natsume just grunted and stayed quiet. He fondled with the silver fork instead.

"What is it Natsume? Aren't you a fan of beaches?" Mikan looked up at him.

"I don't really care," He shrugged.

"Why wouldn't you?" Mikan still looked at him. Natsume didn't back off. It was like they were having a staring contest. Hotaru and Ruka felt the electricity being exchanged by Natsume and Mikan. Hotaru continued staring at them as if she couldn't care less while Ruka was not sure whether he should call them off.

"Why would I?" He asked back.

"For starters, you're going on a date," Mikan pointed out like she wanted to slap that fact on his face. He should care because he was on a date Hotaru—her most precious best friend.

Natsume smirked. "Oh really?"

Something inside Mikan was ready to snap but she remained calm. She was not about to break her composure just for the jerk beside her friend. "Yes," she replied firmly.

"Please don't talk about me like I am not here." Hotaru nodded at the waitress. The appetizers were being served.

"Sorry," Mikan apologized.

"Let's just eat," Ruka suggested for the sake of preventing the rising tension between Mikan and Natsume.

…

"That was a magnificent show," Mikan clasped her hands. They just arrived at the Sunahama beach and they decided to leave their shoes and sandals in the car. The yellow sand felt soft under their feet as they paved the path towards the other end of the beach.

"Indeed," Ruka nodded. He felt relieved she was acting all spirited again. He was still worried when they talked about what happened to her father.

"The sunset will be starting soon," Hotaru held Mikan's hand. "We should find a perfect spot,"

"Un," Mikan nodded.

They decided to sit on the sand nearby a rock. The view of the sunset would be perfect there because they could see the vast horizon and the setting sun itself at the center. The wind blew coldly and the girls shivered. Ruka was apologetic since he didn't bring a jacket. Natsume told Ruka to take of his polo instead. It could help the girls since both of them were wearing sleeveless. It left Ruka wearing just only his white shirt and Natsume in his black shirt.

"I'm sorry for using your polo," Mikan rested her head on Ruka's shoulder.

"It's alright," he could hear his heart on his ear.

Natsume looked at his friend and his date. He grunted and placed his hands inside his pockets. He decided to stand at the back. Mikan sat in between Hotaru and Ruka. Her friend sat straight, but then gave up and slouched a bit. Hotaru held her legs on her chest and placed her chin in between her knees. She didn't care that she wore a dress. Her sitting position showed her black cycling short which were inches above her knees.

Mikan looked ahead of her. It was as if the sun descended into the ocean and lost its light. The waves splashed along the shore. The scenery calmed and relaxed everyone.

"We should be going," Natsume walked ahead of them.

'So arrogant! He just left Hotaru.' Mikan thought to herself. Ruka helped both of the girls up and they went back.

…

"So how was the date?" Yuka ask Mikan when she entered her daughter's room.

"It was nice," Mikan stopped brushing her hair. She just got out of the shower.

"How nice?" Yuka watched Mikan carefully.

"Ruka-pyon and Hyuuga-san took us to the Aquarium. We split up then met for lunch…" Mikan thought for a second. "We watched a whale show and then went to the beach." Mikan tried to summarize everything. She didn't want to complain about Natsume. He was arrogant whenever they were together. She pitied Hotaru for being on a date with Him. Natsume got on her nerves that lunch time and on the beach.

'Why him? I should be thinking how Ruka showed me a wonderful time.' Mikan thought. She wanted to slap herself but she couldn't. Yuka was still watching her intently.

"Was there holding hands?" Her mother was straight to the point.

"A little bit," Mikan bit her lip. "It was crowded; Ruka-pyon did it so I won't get lost."

Yuka grinned. "Was there any kissing?" Her eyes twinkled.

"Mom!" Mikan blushed. "There was definitely no kissing—"

"Not even on the cheeks?" Yuka asked hopefully as she intercepted the flustered Mikan.

"No!" Mikan closed her eyes and brushed her hair. She calmed herself.

"How disappointing," Yuka frowned then smiled again. "Ruka-kun is a very shy boy," She concluded, "and a gentleman too. Don't you just love that?"

"Uh, sure I do," Mikan said without any malice. She liked guys who were nice and not to mention a gentleman.

"Mikan, you're growing up so fast," Yuka hugged her daughter. "Please act like your age, have a boyfriend or two…"

"Mom," Mikan blushed then muttered. "I can't have a boyfriend or two if you already arranged me to marry someone."

"If I didn't do it, would you date guys?"

"I don't know, maybe?" Mikan was flustered. "Why should I date guys if I already have you and Hotaru?"

"True, but we won't stay with you forever, Hotaru-can's going to marry eventually and I'd be with your father… then where would you be and with whom?"

"It's too early," Mikan shook her head.

"I know," Yuka kissed Mikan's head. "Do live a little, act like your age and have some fun. I'm still capable of handling the company."

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Mikan knew Yuka told what she really wants and she had a firm resolve about it.

"I am sure, so please be my little baby girl again. You don't have to act so tough and mature."

"M—mom…" Mikan's lips quivered. She couldn't help but cry.

"I'll even let you go to Gakuen Alice," Yuka smirked. "Then you would be with Hotaru-chan and Ruka-kun,"

Mikan sniffled and whispered. "About that…" Yuka looked at her daughter confusingly. "I'm already a student there and I go by the name Mikan Sakura…" She braced herself and closed her eyes. Yuka would certainly freak out. She would definitely—

Yuka's eyes twinkled and clasp her hand together. "It's like in the movies… Why didn't you tell me? What's your disguise? Can anyone tell? Oooh, I love disguises. When I was in the Academy…" Yuka went on and on with her detective story how she disguised herself to follow Izumi. Mikan just sweat dropped and felt relieved that Yuka wasn't mad.

"So you stalked dad?" Mikan gave her mother a seriously-look.

"N—no," Yuka looked away.

"Stalker," Mikan placed her brush down and headed to her bed.

"I am not a stalker!" Yuka protested. She turned the lights off and then plopped beside Mikan.

"What are you doing you stalker?" Mikan pushed Yuka away.

"I'm sleeping with my daughter," she hugged Mikan tightly. "Since you're growing up, I'm going to stalk you forever." She kissed Mikan on the cheeks.

Mikan just sighed and hugged her mother back. "Still, don't stalk me,"

"It's no fun stalking your dad anymore. He's always at the graveyard." Yuka muttered.

"That's just plain creepy."

"I know, Izumi is so creepy."

…