Hello Everyone.

I know it's been decades I haven't update and I would like to thank to those who waited for the upcoming chapters but wait no more cause here comes the updates, and yes, its plural, means I have more than one chapter in my hand, but two! But the second one still in draft mode so don't worry, once I receive 3 or more reviews, next chapter will magically appear, well, literally. –MKS.

Enjoy!

Oh, DISCLAIMER: GAKUEN ALICE IS NOT MINE, just this story.

Never the rose without the prick.

Chapter 7.

Natsume immediately start the engine once he got in the car. He tried to find any traces, smoke or something to follow Kyou but he got none. He stopped his car in the middle of the road and bang his head to the steering wheel.

Stupid, he thought, I didn't know where he went.

He took out his phone and dialed Aoi's number. She picked up.

"Where is Sakura's hou-" before he could finish his question, Aoi said, "behind you."

Then she hung up.

Natsume look over his shoulder to see what his sister meant. Instead of a house, he only saw two yellow dots. Wait, it getting bigger and bigger.

It was actually a car's headlights and it approaches his. He looked at his rear mirror and saw Aoi waving at him from the passenger seat of the approaching car. His brows kitted and the car stopped to his left.

The window opened and revealed two lads Aoi pointed and introduced to him. He immediately remembered; the driver was Mikan's brother and the other one was the baby-faced, the one Aoi despised the most.

"Follow me." The driver commanded, and Natsume did so.

Few minutes later, they spotted a car rested on the side of the road. They heard shrieks. A girl, Mikan, opened the door and stumble before she made a run for the thick trees nearby the park. Natsume pick up his speed and lurched forward before Mikan's brother. He stopped his car and got out to find Mikan. Aoi only few steps behind him.

Natsume suddenly stop and look around. He was lost.

Then he heard his sister's voice. "Brother, this way." He turned and found his sister, holding a pair of pink coloured heeled shoes. He knew it was Mikan's. He hurried off after his sister and grabbing the shoes.

True enough, they found her. Crying and wounded. Seeing her hugging her knees shows her vulnerability and fragileness.

Aoi hugged Mikan before she stand up again. She tucked at Natsume's tux and Natsume let her took off his tuxedo jacket and wrapped Mikan in it. Mikan cried harder in Aoi's tight embrace. He just stood there, relieve rushed over as he watch her safely in his sister's arm, until Mikan stop crying.

Mikan lift her head and locked her eyes with him. Then she eyed her own shoes. He threw her shoes to the ground and said, "Don't expect me to help you wear this like a cinderella."

Aoi hmpf-ed and kick his leg. Mikan chuckled. Aoi took the shoes and gave it to Mikan.

He felt even better when he heard her laugh. He almost smiled, ALMOST, when he heard his sister gasping.

"Mikan-san, you're bleeding badly." She looked around. "Don't worry, Aoi, they are only scratches. They'll stop bleeding soon." But Aoi wasn't listening, she muttered, " and I don't have anything to stop it from bleeding."

Aoi looked up to her brother, "except….." she trailed off. Mikan follow her gaze. Their gazes stuck at Natsume's shirt.

"No." He simply said when he realized Aoi wanted to take off his shirt that covered only his body. "But brother, she's bleeding!" she exclaimed and pointing at Mikan.

Natsume stayed put ad did not say anything. Aoi huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, can you help me, at least?" Natsume looked at his sister. She stand up and kneel to picked Mikan, holding her on the shoulder. "Can you walk, Mikan-san?"

"You're so sweet, Aoi." Mikan nodded to her and try to walk few steps, the pain getting lesser now. When she walk pass Natsume, she whispered, "unlike you." She snickered.

Natsume smirked. He let go Aoi's arm from Mikan shoulder, earning and "Eh?" from his sister and lift Mikan bridal-styled. Mikan smiled and dug her face onto his chest.

He whispered, "I don't recall the function of wearing shoes," he looked down to her and continued, "Perhaps, you could tell me?" he raised one eyebrow, and Mikan's smile turned upside down.

She frowned, "very funny."

Mikan fell asleep while Natsume and his sister Aoi tried to find the way out of the thick trees there.

When they found it, they saw three figures. Mikan's brother, Seiji, Baby-faced boy, Yuri and Kyou. Kyou looked as if he was beaten up. He looked so limp from afar.

Then, Seiji shouts to his face and punch him on the stomach.

So he was beaten up.

Yuri seemed as if he's been on call with someone. And he turned to their direction as they approach the three lads.

Aoi took the nerve to ask, "Is everything alright?" No one answered for the first ten seconds then Seiji sigh and nodded. "We better send Mikan home, she looked restless." Yuri suggested. "Mikan-san wounded too." Aoi added.

"You're right, she better get some medical check at home and get some sleep too." Seiji agreed and sigh as he brushed his hair to the back using his fingers. "What about him?" Natsume asked, his eyes locked to the limped Kyou on the ground. "His bodyguards will be here soon, so we don't have to worry. We just got to send Mikan home." Seiji ended the conversation as he brush away strands of her hair from her face.

Natsume handed Mikan to Seiji, and he felt pang of jealousy as Seiji kissed her forehead.

"Let's go home, brother." Aoi suggested. Natsume nodded. Aoi lean closer and pout, "you never kissed my forehead, you're a bad brother. I wish I can have a Seiji-liked brother." She started to pick her speed toward Natsume's car when she felt a strong grip on her wrist.

"Brother?" she turned to face him, for one moment she imagined her brother kissing her forehead but the bubble pop when she felt his hand on her shoulder and a slight pain.

"Your shoulder, it's bleeding, kiddo." He pointed out. He looked at his palm. His palm was stained with red marks. "I…I didn't know. Oh my, but how did I -" she stopped talking when Yuri approaching them.

"Hyuuga!"

Both Natsume and Aoi faced him.

"Mikan told me, you're injured." He tried to look at the said wound. Obviously he wasn't talking to Natsume. "I..I'm fine." Aoi insisted. "Seiji told me to bring you both along to the Sakura's house, at least your wounded will be less pain when treated there, and you don't have to wait till morning to get to the hospital." He suggested. His voice full of concerned.

"Do you like my sister?" Natsume suddenly butted into the conversation. "What?" Both Aoi and Yuri asked in surprised, at the same time. "You guys looked perfect." He added.

"No. we're not!" both Aoi and Yuri denied at the same time.

"Soulmate, even." He smirk when he saw both of them blush, so bright that he could see it even if the street lamps are dim.

"Hyuuga, come with us!"

The three of them stop talking when they heard Seiji shouting to them. Natsume nodded and told Aoi to get inside the car. She just hmpf-ed and obliged.

At the Sakura's house, Mikan and Aoi get cleaned up, medical checked and bathed. Aoi borrow one of Mikan's pajama for the night. Seiji was on the phone with his parents while Yuri served Natsume ad Aoi teas. After Aoi's done with the treatment and bath, she got down and sat beside her brother.

"How about you, aren't you supposed to be home by now?" Natsume directs the question to Yuri.

He laughed and sips the tea before he answered. "My parents never mind. I could sleep here too and let they know tomorrow morning that I'm still safe and at Sakura's." Natsume silent for awhile. Digesting what he had said. "Are your family close to the Sakura?" Aoi butted in. "We're more than close. We're cousin."

Aoi and Natsume had the same thought. No wonder he called her by first name basis unlike what he called them both as Hyuuga.

They heard shouts from the other side of the room, where Seiji was on the phone and an audible thud when the phone hung up.

Mikan came down and joined the late night talk. Natsume asked Seiji what's the relationship between Mikan and Kyou.

While, Mikan and Aoi snuggle up together on the sofa of the other side, Seiji begin to tell.

"It's about debt." He started and Natsume looked up. "The kind of thing like in movie?" he shot. Yuri and Seiji exchange glances. Yuri spoke up, "pardon?" Natsume looked at him. "Well, yeah, I guess. Our great grandfather was in great debt with Kyou's great grandfather . Our great grandfather come up with an amazing idea of building business and ask for help from his bestfriend, Kyou's great grandfather.

After some years, their business really going well until one particular day, a burglar got in the office and steal all the important documents, the clients and the officials contact number, incoming stock business, it was a mess. The burglar somehow made all the clients and the official mad and rebel. Kyou's great grandfather put the blame on our great grandfather.

He told him that he shouldn't help him building up this business together and he wasn't suppose to help him by lending lot sum of money for him on the first place. They went bankrupt and Kyou's great grandfather's family refuse to help, unlike ours.

So, to make it up to Kyou's great grandfather, our great grandfather wrote a will saying the second daughter down the blood of Sakura must marry to the oldest son of Kyou family line."

Seiji took a short break, sipping the tea till it's all out of his cup. He looked at Natsume, who seemed to be deep in thought, and digesting the whole story.

Finally he spoke, after few minutes of long silence, "so, she's the second daughter down the line? And Kyou happens to be the oldest son from his family side?" his brows knitted.

Natsume watched as Yuri refill Seiji's cup. Then he looked at Seiji.

"Actually Mikan is the fourth daughter down the line. Our grandmother was the second but on Kyou's family side, they are no sons, just twin daughters. And then, our auntie, was the third, and there is a son on Kyou's family side, but she got into a bad car accident when she was 13 and died few weeks later. So Mikan eventually become the second daughter, and Kyou happens to be the oldest son from his family side." When Seiji finished talking, Mikan and Aoi came into the view. Took their places beside their own respective brothers.

"I like his second brother, and I wished he was their oldest son instead of Kyou." Yuri pipe in. "That bastard." Seiji muttered.

"Can your parents do something? How about settling the debt or something?" Natsume asked. Hoping Seiji would say yes.

"No."

Natsume's heart fell.

"Nothing. Our parents can do nothing about it."

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Well, That's it for now.

I'm making some changes, one is that, from now on, normal POV will be used as I don't want confusion going on, aren't I kind to my readers? And second is that…..story plot might be changing from time to time but still, it's about racing. Ok, I'm going to start on the next chapter but maybe it'll appear next week. 80812. See you, and thank you, please leave some reviews. I'm begging. Literally.

Love, MKS.