Thanks for the reviews and sorry for the wait (again)! I'm getting slack, I know, but school ends Thursday next week! I promise I'll update more often then! :D!

Don't pay to much attention to the name of this chapter, because its more or less just the only name I could think of :) Enjoy, hear's chapter 7!

Shopping was now at the top of Mikan's to-do list, which was good, due to the fact they'd finally arrived at the clothing store. Fortunately no other problems were raised on the rest of their trip.

"Ah, Mikan-chan! Why don't you buy a dress?" Anna asked, holding up a soft pink dress that looked about Mikan's size. "What about this one? I bet pink suits you best."

Mikan shuddered at the mental image of her wearing a dress like that. Sure, dresses were fine, but pink lacy dresses with puffy frills and sparkles? Not in this lifetime. "Err, I'm good. I'm just getting pajamas, exercise clothes and maybe something to where while I skip." She shrugged. "Why would I need a dress like that, anyway? It's not like we're going to a ball."

"You're not?" Nonoko asked, popping out with a silver dress similar to the pink one. "How come?" She asked, pouting.

"Eh?" She asked, perplexed. "What do you mean?"

"The masquerade ball," Anna said, raising an eyebrow. "For Christmas, you know. We have a party and a ball. In elementary school you don't need to pick a dress because you get given costumes, but now we get to pick our own!" Anna and Nonoko squealed, searching for more dresses.

Mikan sweat dropped, shaking her head. "Oh joy." She muttered sarcastically, strolling over to the dress section after she picked out a pair of winter pajamas and summer pajamas. Instantly, one dress caught her eye, drawing her too it. "Hmm..." Examining the dress, she noted the smooth black silk before pulling it off the rack and checking the price tag to find it cost 2,500 rabbits. "Couldn't hurt..."

"So you do plan on going?" Natsume asked, strolling up with Youichi, Ruka and Tobita.

Mikan shrugged, moving over to some more casual clothes after placing the black silk dress back on the rack. "Nope. I just like the material is all. I was going to cut it up and make it into something more useful." Natsume didn't buy it, but the others did. "Disappointed?" she asked, smirking.

He smirked. "Overjoyed. I couldn't picture an ugly like you getting dressed up to go dancing at a ball, anyway. You'd be better off hiding out inside your dorm-sized-forest."

Mikan's smirked dropped, and she walked away from him after grabbing a white singlet. By the time she'd finished, she'd spent 10,000 rabbits on two pairs of pajamas', a pair a denim short shorts and knee length cotton stretch pants and two white shirts. Simple and easy. Although the entire time she had that dress stuck in her head. Screw it. She thought angrily, glaring at Natsume across the store.

Nonoko and Anna finished shortly after, grabbing Mikan and rushing into the next store along, that just so happened to be a shoe store. Strange. "Ah, Mikan-chan didn't buy a dress!" Anna said, saddening. "Aren't you coming to the ball?"

Mikan made a blanch sort of noise, shaking her head. "Natsume was right. An ugly like me would only lower to good mood at an event like that." She stated, hiding her displeasure. She'd never been to a ball, little own a masquerade ball, and she'd love to try it. "Anyway, I've got better things to do. I could be playing video games or something."

Anna and Nonoko gave up, going to select some shoes. Yet again, a pair of shoes drew Mikan to them, and she snatched them up, checking the 1,000 rabbit price before rushing over to the counter to buy them before someone noticed. She succeeded, stuffing them into her clothing bag before browsing the store to purchase suitable runners.

Natsume had watched her purchase the shoes, and instantly felt a pang of guilt for putting her off the ball. Frowning, he walked out of the shoe store. Mikan still had the dress in her head, now matched with the while stiletto's. The dress was black with a white belt around the mid section, no sleeves, and looked like it'd brush just above her knees. Stupid Natsume, he's such a jerk. She thought menacingly, purchasing her jogging shoes along with a pair of black slipper-boots.

Nonoko and Anna bought shoes that matched their dresses but were nice and cheap. Obviously, they couldn't afford anything to flashy. Natsume, Tobita, Ruka and Youichi were sitting outside, obviously growing tired of waiting for the girls to quit shopping. Spotting Natsume, Mikan instantly noted the bag he was holding.

"What did you buy?" She asked, curious. He must have gone somewhere while they were shopping, but where? And what could he have purchased? She hadn't taken him for the sort to enjoy a shopping trip.

Natsume shrugged. "None of your business, ugly." He replied, standing. "Cafe time. We need food." He said, ignoring her evil glare. The others silently obeyed, walking off, Mikan was between Ruka and Anna, Youichi on her shoulders. Natsume was in front of them, beside Tobita. Mikan willed for Natsume to spontaneously combust, but realized that with his Alice it probably wouldn't do much.

She saw an arts and crafts store, and quickly made everyone halt. She rushed in and bought two buckets of midnight blue wait, and several smaller containers of whatever for wanted. 4,600 rabbits left. The paint weighed a lot, so she had to carry them in the bunny-mobile, which meant she had to drive.

She also made a mental note to remember buying a writing book for classes, in case she choose to attend or found something worthwhile.

--

When the shopping was done, Mikan travelled separately to everyone else again. Natsume caught the bus too, because Mikan took off without even saying good bye to him.

She arrived back at her dorm and unpacked everything, putting all of her clothes away. She pulled out the shoes, examining them. Christmas was a month away, she could buy a dress if she really wanted to… but did she really want to?

Huffing, she placed the shoes in the cupboard and carelessly tossed the other two bags into the closet to be dealt with later. With that all dealt with, she began waiting her walls.

--

Monday morning, Mikan was up and dressed to go to class. On time. She was amazed at herself. Not precisely 'proud', but almost there. She'd not gone to school at all since she was eleven, so she expected she'd be behind in her studies. There was no point in it, anyway. Everything she needed to know could be stolen or copied from another's mind, the same way she stored Alice's.

When she arrived at class Mikan was pleased to find that a few classmates had gotten over the stare-a-thon that occurred every time she appeared. Some, but not many. She'd go to 'Special Ability Class' today. Well, normally she would; but she had other plans.

She'd made a promise to Yusuke to deal with the elementary school principle and the so called 'Danger Ability' class. Yusuke seemed to doubt her ability to persuade him – or threaten him – into listening to her, but she was confident she'd find a way.

Mikan sat down and pulled out her work book, and a manga called 'Special A' that she'd bought yesterday. Narumi entered soon after, smiling and announcing himself to the class. It suddenly occurred to Mikan that he might actually be…

"Are you a transvestite?" She asked in a clear, curious – but, of course icy, - voice that pierced through the calm classroom atmosphere. She hadn't meant to blurt it out, it just slipped off her tongue without her consent. It shouldn't matter, anyway. She meant no harm, didn't plan to offend him or embarrass him. She was merely curious.

Narumi cleared his throat, smiling a little as he's cheeks heated. "No, Mikan-chan. I'm this beautiful by nature." She placed his things on the desk. "Any other questions?"

"Yes," she said, straightening up. "Are you male or female? By nature, of course." She tapped her pacer against her desk, causing the lead to inch out further.

Narumi blushed deeply, muttering something under his breath. "Male." He said, clearly annoyed and embarrassed. "Now that that's all cleared up, let's check the attendance." He said, continuing on to mark the class roll. He tried to ignore the snickers wafting around the room.

Sumire turned around in her chair, casting Mikan a disgusted leer. "Don't think you're cool all of a sudden, Sakura. We all know that you're doing this to get closer to Ruka and Nat—," BAKA! Sounded out of nowhere, and suddenly a fist flew through the air, knock Sumire backwards off her chair. "Ouch!" She cried, rubbing her head. "What the hell are you doing, Imai!?" Sumire demanded.

Mikan glanced up at Hotaru with longing eyes, resisting the overwhelming urge to wrap her arms around Hotaru. She still considered Hotaru her best friend, no matter how many years had passed between their childhoods.

"I randomly fired. It hit the closet idiot, you can't blame me. The gloves have minds of their own." She stated simply, sounded cold and sophisticated. There was a small spark of amusement and pleasure in her eyes though, Mikan saw it.

Narumi pretended to remain oblivious to the disruption as he wrote down common English phrases on the board before commanding the class to write it all down. Mikan stared at the bored, fascinated. She remember when she was ten, and how she used to treat her teacher like the king of the world. She'd never disobey his or her orders in the classroom, it was their sacred kingdom.

But now? There were too many words and too much effort. Why should she have to obey a man who claimed to remain a man while dressing in purple and white frills with luscious blonde hair a female would kill for?

But still, unwilling to cause yet another disruption and claim the classes attention again, she made the decision to copy it her own way. With this conclusion she store to the board, placed a hand on its surface, and then walked back to her seat.

Natsume raised an eyebrow, questions her previous actions. "That was… unusual. Did you have a purpose?"

Mikan shrugged. "SEC Alice, remember? Copy, it's what I do. No need to waste paper now, is there?" despite her comment about wasting paper, she began doodling aimlessly on her open page. When she was done she'd drawn a picture of a monkey, a spear and a banana.

"How are they connected?" Natsume inquired.

Mikan shrugged, again. Definitely becoming habit. "Monkey's eat banana's, right?" she examined the spear, and then drew a stick figure beside it. "The man's going to fight the monkey for the right to devour the banana." She declared, writing it underneath the picture.

"That seems rather pointless." Ruka added, glancing at her scribbles. "I know animals, and I know the monkey would take off without the banana if it meant his life would be spared."

Mikan narrowed her eyes, scribbling on the monkey. When she was done, it was in a giant robot with rocket launchers and laser beams attached to the arms and legs. "Now who do you think would win?" She asked, smugness in her tone.

Ruka chuckled, shaking his head in dismissal. "Tough call." He said, giving the monkey another examination. "I'll put my money on the monkey."

"The robot would never work." Hotaru said, seating herself in front of Mikan on the other side of her desk. "The legs are too skinny for the bulk torso, and the arms would drop off or stiffen to the point where they couldn't move."

Mikan blinked, surprise sweeping over her features. For a moment, all she did was stare. "Ah… I guess you're right." She said cautiously, preparing to make her escape. She hadn't spoken to Hotaru since her first day, when she'd launched herself at her like a missile. What if she wanted answers again? Would she be brave enough to tell her the same things she'd told Natsume?

A blank expression fell over her face, making it obvious to anyone watching that she was thinking deeply on a pressing issue. Why would she tell Natsume everything, when she wouldn't tell Hotaru, her best friend? Where was the sense in it? If she asks, I'll tell her. She decided, focusing on the outside world once more.

"… How've you been?" She asked lowly, watching her words and keeping her voice steady.

Hotaru simply stared at her like she'd gone insane, before a small, unnatural – for Hotaru – smile pulled the corners of her lips up. "Better now." She said in a cold but strangely warm voice.

Mikan unconsciously broke out a ridiculous grin, one she didn't bother trying to repress. "I missed you, Hotaru."

Hotaru nodded in agreement. "I missed you too, baka." She said in an affectionate voice.

--

Mikan was sitting outside of the elementary class 3-A, waiting for Youichi to try and make his way to his Dangerous Ability class. She'd hacked into the system to find the way there after the teachers refused to give her the information. Computer hacking was one of the many skills she'd learnt in the AAO, probably one of the more useful.

She'd had a small, happy smile on her face the entire day after speaking to Hotaru and exchanging stories – although she didn't dare reveal her past in a classroom surrounded by prying ears. She planned to reveal that horror story at a later date, somewhere more private where nobody would hear. She loathed the idea of sympathy from others.

But right now she was busy planning to confront the DA class teacher, and then afterwards the elementary school principle. She'd get rid of the DA class, no matter what it took. She'd fought with the DA class while she was in the AAO, almost killed some but was stopped by Akira. He'd always hated bloodshed.

But, back then she'd assumed they were just scum that wanted to be paid by to school to perform their dirty work. She had no idea that they were forced into that sort of work, and now she deeply regretted all of the deaths and injuries she had caused. She could blame Reo for that, though. Him and his stupid voice pheromones. Thinking of these memories caused her silly smile to drop into a cold scowl.

A single bell chimed and the teacher dismissed the class. Students filed out, casting glanced at Mikan before glancing away with fearful eyes. She looked like she was about to murder someone. Of course, there was always that possibility.

Youichi was the last to leave the class, looking enraged but still the cutest child she'd seen. He glanced at her, then away, then back with wide confused eyes. "What are you doing here?" He blurted out on impulse, not bothering with his usual big sister formalities.

"I'm going to class with you, to talk to your teacher. The computer system's information indicated that the room changes every day, and that only the students knew where. So, I'll be attending class with you. Now, shall we leave?" her scowl was gone, but no smile lifted her flawless features.

Youichi's face fell blank. "Nee-san… no. Persona is a bad person, I won't—"

"Youichi," she said in a firm voice full of authority from her AAO days. "Stop acting like you have a choice in the matter." She held out her hand in offering. "If you refuse to take me, I'll go follow Natsume or Yusuke. I'm going, either way. I just wanted to see you." She smirked.

Youichi sighed, taking her hand. He led her down the hallways and outside. They ended up in an admin block, and when the door opened, every set of eyes in the room fell on her and Youichi, two of which were familiar. Yusuke's were filled with joy and confusion, while Natsume's were filled with distaste and something that looked like… fear? No, more likely anger.

Mikan was unfazed as a tall raven haired man wearing a strange white masked stepped towards her. "What business do you have here?" He asked calmly, shooting Youichi a vicious glare. Mikan felt Youichi shudder, instantly becoming enraged.

"I'm here to inform you that Youichi will no longer be attending this class. Neither will any of the other students in this room that are not doing so of their own free will." She said without hesitation, staring him directly in the eye. "If you have a problem with that, I suggest we speak somewhere more private."

The very air seemed to freeze, not a sound could be heard except for Mikan's steady breathing. Youichi pulse beat from his hand to hers, indicating that he was very afraid. Nobody else seemed to be breathing.

Persona smirked. "You're a brave little girl, aren't you?" he said, sarcasm and annoyance obvious in his tone.

"Brave?" she repeated, mimicking his sarcasm but feeling no annoyance. "Bravery in not required when facing a dog. The dog can bark, but it cannot bite without orders from its master." She said calmly, while Persona's face fell into a scowl behind his mask, his lips stiffening. "It may require bravery to confront the master, but even then I doubt it will require much."

"You'll be coming with me." Persona said in a hard, fierce voice that implied violence if she were to disobey.

Mikan smirked. "Hai. Maybe I ask where we're going?" She asked, releasing Youichi's small hand.

"To visit the master." He growled, closing the door shut tightly behind her.

"Very well." Mikan replied, sounding bored. She was all but bored, though. She was anxious, but not fearful. Adrenaline rushed through her veins, causing her to grow more and more excited. It did not show, however.

To the master indeed. She thought sarcastically, smirking.

--

As Persona slammed the door, Youichi's legs failed him and he tumbled over, only to be caught by Natsume's strong arms. "Why did you bring her here?" he demanded, lifting Youichi onto a desk before crouching down so he was staring directly into his eyes.

"She said she'd come no matter what, that if I didn't take her she'd just follow you or Yusuke." He said immediately, obvious guilt in his voice. "I'm sorry, Natsume. I'm sorry He's taking her to the principle, isn't he? What's he going to do to her?"

Natsume glanced away at the window, gritting his teeth angrily. "It's not your fault Youichi, Sakura's just an idiot. She doesn't know her own limits." He snapped, thumping a fist into the desk despite the eyes watching him.

Surprisingly, Youichi nodded in agreement. "She is an idiot." He declared, dropping his face into his palms. "She'll be put in our class now, won't she Onii-san?"

Natsume nodded. "Obviously. Not unless we can stop them, which we can't unless we find a way out of this room." He muttered, sitting himself on the ground while staring at the light bulb. "What's done is done." He declared, closing his eyes as he ran through ways to get her out of the mess she'd dragged herself into.

Damn you, Polka. What have you done?

Thanks for reading! Reviews appreciated!