aRiKa: hi'ya

yAn-yAn: hey, aren't cha supposed to be studying?

aRiKa: yes, but i got bored. so i snuck my way and made this chapter. ^^

yAn-yAn: sigh, our typical aRiKa-chan.

aRiKa: disclaimer please!

Aya: aRiKa-chan doesn't own Gakuen Alice.

*cHaPtEr 7: Hot Springs? What are we supposed to do?*

The four then returned to the inn they were staying.

*Mikan's POV*

"Hi'ya guys." I said, waving.

"Hi'ya Mikan-chan...EH? How come you're not chained to Natsume-kun?" Nonoko said

"Uhmm,..long story. And oh, by the way, here's the key to the handcuffs." I said, giving her the key.

"Where'd you get it?" she asked

"I got it from Narumi-sensei, but don't ask how." I said.

They unlocked their handcuffs.

"Ne, guys." Chiu said.

"Nani?" we all said

"E-etto, can we go to an onsen? I really miss going on those." she said.

"Sure thing, no problem." I said

"Hey, how about us?" the boys said.

"Uhmm...you can't go with us." Aya said.

"Aww...why not?" they whined.

"Well,...just because!" she said, haven't thought of an excuse yet.

I giggled. "C'mon guys, I've been begging to find a way to lessen my fatigue."

"See ya later, boys." we said teasingly, as we made our way to the onsen.

The boys then whined. When we were far ahead, I noticed Natsume smirked, on the tree, probably ignoring our talk….or so I think.

*Natsume's POV*

"What the heck are you doing?" I said, arrogantly.

"Following their orders. You know how they can be." Ruka said

I almost forgot that they're scared of the girls, 'cause one time they disobeyed them, they walked home with bruises, and wounds. I smirked at the thought of that.

"Wanna follow them?" I said

They became interested, at the mere thought of it.

"So much, but still scared." Koko, Kitsuneme and Mochu said, at the same time.

"I dunno, maybe they'll kill us now, for sure." Ruka said, rather scared. He's probably thinking about what Imai might do to him.

"Yeah, me too." Iinchou said, agreeing with Ruka.

"Oh c'mon, it's not like they're gonna see us there." Koko said

"It's not like it's not possible for us to go there. I mean, we also can go to an onsen. It isn't against the law. 'Sides, don't you feel tensed? I mean, isn't your body heavy from the trip?" Mochu asked.

He does have a point there.

"Well, I guess you're right. Okay, I guess we'll go." Ruka and Iinchou said at the same time.

"So what are you waiting for, ladies? C'mon!" Kitsuneme said.

*Moments later…*

*Normal POV*

Narumi was looking over the place for the group.

"Geez, where are those silly kids?" he thought to himself. He's been looking for them ever since they got the key from him.

Then he saw the group of girls roaming, not handcuffed anymore.

"So they unlocked it? I knew how they did, except for one. How did Mikan-chan and Natsume-kun broke free of the chains? Could they did the second way?... Nah, that's impossible. They both hate each other's guts…or do they? Oh well, might as well just chain them again, but maybe later." Narumi thought to himself and left.

"Wai! I can't wait to go to a hot spring!" Chiu said, enthusiastically.

"Yeah, me too. Been so long since I went to one." Mikan said

They made their way to the bathhouse.

The bathhouse was simple and rustic, it gives off that authentic Japanese air. They entered and Chiu immediately made her way to the clerk.

"Yes, how we may help you?" the lady asked

"I'm Chiu Suzumiya, I'm the one who called earlier." Chiu said

"Oh? You're the one who wanted to rent a room for a few hours?" the lady said

"Yep, since we still need to go back to the inn we're staying." Chiu replied.

"Inn? Are you talking about the famous Sakura Inn?" the lady asked.

"Yep. My grandparents owns it." Mikan said

"Young mistress! It's been so long since I saw you." the lady asked.

"Anika? Is that you?" Mikan said

"Yep." Anika said with a smile.

"Who's she, Mikan-chan?" Nonoko asked.

"Minna, this is Anika Miyazuki, a childhood friend of mine." Mikan said

"Nice to be acquainted with the friends of the young mistress." Anika said as she bowed.

"Young mistress? Why does she call you young mistress?" Anna asked

"Uhmm…you see, when Anika was a child, she had a heart disease. She needed transplant, but Miyuki-san, her mother, doesn't have enough money. So I asked my parents to help her, and the transplant was successful. And here she is now, healthy and lively. She had eternal gratitude, so she treats me as a young mistress." Mikan explained.

"Oh? Is that so?" Sumire asked

Mikan and Anika nodded.

"Ne, young mistress. Where's Hotaru-sama?" Anika asked

"Right here." Hotaru said.

"Hotaru-sama!" Anika said as she ran to Hotaru's direction, but unluckily, was hit with her Baka gun.

"Mou, Hotaru-chan! You didn't have to be mean to Anika-chan." Mikan said, but Hotaru ignored her.

"Well, shall we proceed to the hot spring now?" Aya asked.

"Sure." Anika said

So they made their way to their room, and came out with white towels wrapped around their bodies. They now went to the hot springs. It was unoccupied, so they used the one on the right, the one by the sakura tree.

Little do they know that the boys arrived shortly after them, and are on the other side of the bamboo fence. The girls' and boys' hot springs are separated by a tall bamboo fence, since it would be so wrong for both genders to share one hot spring.

"So, girls, ready to know what really happened?" Mikan asked.

"Hai!" the girls said.

The boys heard this and got interested. So they were listening with what the girls were talking about.

"Okay, here goes. The chain was removed, not because of the key." Mikan started

"Eh? Then how…." Chiu said

"We went to the sakura tree, where Natsu-kun and I promised. I began to dig the place where we buried our memory capsule, to check if it was still there. Then something awkwardly familiar dropped from Natsume's pocket. I picked it up, and asked if it was his. He then asked what the heck I did to it. I told him I just saw it on the ground, and that it's familiar. Then for some reason unexplainable, he then started digging at the spot I was digging, until he reached the memory capsule and he opened it. I grew angry because he doesn't have the right to open it, or so I thought. Then out of the blue, he asked me if I'm Mimi. I just grew silent. I asked him why he would ask. He said for me to just answer the question. I still didn't answer, and then he grabbed my necklace. I told him to give it back while trying to retrieve it back, but he's too tall so I couldn't reach it. He asked me if it's really mine. I said yes, and asked him again to give it back. He asked me to prove it. I growled at him, it doesn't concern him so why would I bother tell him. He just said to answer the question. Thinking he would return my necklace after answering the question, I told him it was from my childhood friend. Then he asked me again if I was Mimi. I told if I ever say yes, what would you do?. He just went closer to me, and we k-k-ki.." Mikan said as she blushed crimson red.

"Kiss?" Aya said.

Mikan then blushed more.

"EH?" the girls, except Hotaru, said

*Meanwhile….*

*On the other side of the fence*

Natsume blushed at the scene, remembering it.

"What the heck? Dude, why didn't you tell us?" Mochu asked.

"Hn" Natsume said, still blushing.

"Oh come on, dude. How long did you think you could keep your little secret?" Koko said

"You don't have to know." Natsume said, as he drank a cup of mild sake.

"Oh really? Or is it for us not to tease you?" Kitsuneme said. Then he smelled something burning: his hair. He quickly ducked into the hot spring.

"Drop it already!" Natsume growled and then the group grew silent.

*On the girls' side of the hot spring*

"Ne, Mikan-chan, why didn't you tell us?" Aya asked

"I just did, and how could I? It was tad embarrassing." Mikan said

"So that's how you broke free." Chiu said, smiling.

"Yeah, but I find it weird, since Narumi-sensei never bothered to mention it." Mikan said, thinking.

"Maybe it's because he found it impossible for somebody to do it." Aya said

"Probably." Mikan said

"Err…guys, I need to say something." Sumire, Anna, Nonoko, and Hotaru said.

"What is it?" Mikan said

"I think I'm starting to like Koko/Yuu/Kitsu/Nogi" Sumire/Anna/Nonoko/Hotaru said all at the same time.

"So?" Chiu said.

"Help us with it." the four maidens in love said.

"Sure, why not? I was expecting for you to fall in love this season anyway." Mikan said

"Hontou? Arigato gozaimasu!" the maidens said, smiling, yes, even Hotaru.

"One of you says anything, will get hit by my Baka Gun 3000, with gyro stabilizers, and multi shots." Hotaru said.

The girls shuddered.

"Well, it's already 8 pm. So shall we?" Chiu said

The girls nodded.

They went to the changing room by the spring.

When they got out, Mikan was wearing a pink yukata with cherry blossoms, Hotaru was wearing a purple yukata with small white flowers, Anna was wearing a peach pink yukata with light blue delphinium flowers, Nonoko was wearing a baby blue yukata with baby pink angel flowers, Sumire was wearing a light green yukata with dandelions, Chiu was wearing a white yukata with various colors of flowers, and Aya was wearing a light brown yukata with red roses.

The boys also went out of the spring, and changed into their yukatas too.

After they changed, they gathered their clothes and returned to the inn they're staying.

aRiKa: that was chapter 7, minna.

yAn-yAn: please forgive aRiKa for uploading this only now. Her schedule was hectic, so she just finds time to write this chapter.

aNn-cHaN: *is busy writing her fanfic*

aRiKa: please don't forget to read Ann-chan's fanfic. Her penname is runoann31. She has only written one story, entitled "Princess Runo Misaki". It's a Bakugan fanfic, it's up to its ninth chapter now. I'm positively loving every bit of it. ^_^

yAn-yAn: aRiKa-chan wants to thank you for the reviews, alerts, and faves, and for those silent readers. :D

aNn-cHaN: please don't forget to rate and review. ^^

aRiKa, yAn-yAn, and aNn-cHaN: Merry Christmas!