A/N: Thanks for the demands, people! It made me feel worthy of your time. Haha! I'll put the thank you for reviewing portion every other chapter. So it means I'll put one right now. Hehe!

Thanks for Reviewing Portion:

Qezilu—of course, you can call me peppy-chan. Hehe.. Thanks!

Whatever07—oh really? Just PM me your e-add, kay?

When-Plushies-Attack—Haha! Yep. I really love cropping/cutting, etc. Here's the next chapter.

ih o w a l o n—you're welcome. I missed y'all readers too. :) yeah, I know. I really like Hotaru, too.

chiyuusaku—nice try! :p aww.. so sweet of you. :)

FallenRaindrops—haha! Nope! It's not Tsubasa. But my original plan was him.

insaneoneX—I can't wait myself. Hehe!

meeshee len—you're welcome. Haha! hala. Glad na makabayan au ca arun magspeak sa ato dialect. XP Go Einsters! Hehe.

dominiqueanne—well, here it is! :D

StarAngel02—here's the next chapter. :)

lytes—well, thanks for blaming sakuan. Haha! Me? Demanding? Whatever do you mean? :p

PeachxxBlossom—nice try! But I guess you won't get the chocolate fudge. Better luck next time. Hehe!

sakura206—Hehe. niceladysakura. Not you, sakura206. but I guess you didn't review too. Hmp! But we're still good, aight? :)

Irumi Kanzaki—nope. It wasn't him. Hehe.

Hikari Natsume—aww. It's nice to know that. (",)

Well, that's about it. I consecrate this chapter to all of you reviewers. And the readers too! I love you guys! You're all my afflatus! C:


Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice isn't mine.

My Heart

+x+x+

Chapter 7: Afternoon Escapade

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Mikan." a younger teen with silver locks coldly said. "How's it going, sis? Your new boy friend?" referring to Natsume.

"What are you doing here in the Junior High Department, Youichi? And no. He's not my boy friend. He's a nightmare come true, actually." Mikan replied.

"Then, why are you holding his hand?"

It dawned to her that she was tightly grasping Natsume's wrist. She hastily let go of Natsume. Her face was bright pink.

Natsume, feeling out of place, introduced himself to Youichi.

"Natsume Hyuuga. Your sister's partner, by the way." As he offered his hand to the young fellow.

Youichi shoved his hand aside.

"My mom told me not to talk to strangers." Youichi gave him a sideway glance and turned to Mikan again.

'Nice move, Youichi.' Mikan happily thought.

"Anyway, Mum told me to give this to you since you left early this morning. But I guess you already ate."

Youichi was holding a brown paper bag. He got its contents out. In it were roasted beef and a blueberry cheesecake. Mikan's favorite homemade food, made especially by their Mum. Youichi abruptly took a seat and began eating.

"What are you doing?" Mikan asked.

"What else? I'm destroying the evidence of being the favorite child," was Youichi's emotionless response.

"Why, you fetid little scalawag!" Mikan angrily reached for Youchi but for some divine intervention, Natsume held her back.

"I'll be claiming my tour now, Polka Dots." Natsume said while Mikan was wriggling her way out of Natsume's grip.

"Unhand me, you pervert!" Mikan shouted ominously. She was already an effigy of bovine lass gone berserk.

While she was busy making a fiasco, Youichi was already through gobbling up Mikan's supposed-to-be-lunch, and gave a thumbs up to Natsume. He was slowly creeping out of harm's way and was already several meters away from his sister and her partner.

"Thanks a lot, Natsume. And you're okay." Youchi shouted to Natsume as he ran for his dear life.

Mikan was dumbfounded for the sudden connivance of her brother and her partner.

"You tricked me!" as Mikan freed herself from Natsume's hold.

"Your brother's sweet." Natsume simply flouted. 'He's kinda like me.'

"Yeah right. He's as sweet as you." Mikan mordantly remarked as she dusted her shirt.

"Whatever."

"Whatever to you too." Mikan pouted. "Anyway, I guess I'll be playing the role of a good guide now and show you around school. Come, let's not dawdle around." Mikan smiled at Natsume as she held on to Natsume's arm.

'There's nothing I can do.'

Natsume was shocked to see Mikan's mood change from stormy to sunny. It's such a cataclysm. Deep down, he was jovial that he was somehow worthy of that empyrean smile. But, Mikan holding on to his arm was just too much. So he tried dissolving the mood by affronting.

"Stop being so clingy. Your germs might transfer their residence to me, idiot."

"Eh? Oh shush. If I'd known better, you're enjoying every moment of it. You even chose me to guide you." Mikan teased.

"Dream on, moron. You're just the least ugly among your bunch."

'I really meant the other way around.'

But Mikan was just as stubborn as Natsume was so arrogant. She didn't let go.

"That's one of the new guys I told you about, Shi. Isn't he hot?"

"Mikan's so lucky!"

"He doesn't have the right to be with my pretty Mikan!"

"Dream on, chum! She's mine!"

Askances were given to them by jealous busybodies. They didn't take heed of the meaningful stares though.

They were already walking along the corridors passing walls with huge paintings of the late founders of the academy. She told him the concise history of their school and how it got its name. Natsume's only reply to Mikan's tirade was, "Boring." It was self-explanatory. Natsume didn't like to listen to old news. For him, why should he care? They're dead anyway. But loquacious that she is, it never hindered her.

They had gone to the library where Mikan was reprimanded by the librarian when she accidentally shouted seeing a mouse climbing the high chandelier. She wasn't appalled. No. But she found it droll to see the pigmy rodent climbing up so high.

They went to the museum where there were archaic artifacts and replicas of ancient people and Natsume said that she looked like the statue of a Neanderthal. Mikan was so pissed that she almost threw a nearby vase that dated 432 B. C. but calmed herself.

They went to where Mikan led them.

They went to the soccer field where Natsume was secretly interested to play in. Mikan, unknowingly, was enjoying every bit of their tour. Despite the occasional badinage of her and her companion, he was fun to be with. Oddly, she felt comfortable around him.

"And the last stop of our tour is my personal favorite," Mikan cheerily chirped, "Ta-dah!" They were standing right in front of an enormous tree with a trunk as big as ten regular trees joined together and it had pink blossoms that swayed in the wind like ballerinas as they fell to the ground. It was like snow—pink-colored snow.

Mikan went with the rhythm of the dancing petals. She took of her shoes and danced. She danced with a chimerical partner like she didn't have someone with her that moment. She tried to get away from the nagging feeling in her chest. She temporarily forgot her thoughts about anything else—or in that matter, anyone else. Her smile was so serene. Everything was so perfect if her abandoned companion didn't contravene.

"What are you doing? You look like a clown. Oh wait. You are a clown." He remarked.

"It's what you call dancing," Mikan rolled her eyes. "Dance with me, Natsume! I dare you."

"No way. Judging from your performance, you dance with two left feet."

Instead of being angry, Mikan laughed. She actually laughed!

"Psycho alert. You're one crazy kid."

"Why are you calling me a kid? We're in the same class, you know."

"You're so immature."

"It's better than acting like an antediluvian geezer like you." Mikan, already weary of her solo dancing plopped down the soft green grass. She signaled Natsume to sit next to her but Natsume aversely sat. As if he had a choice. She proceeded, "This is my sanctuary when I feel the world and the heavens are against me. This tree condoles with me."

"Like I care, Polka Dots."

"Pervert! I have a name and it's Mikan. Can't you ever utter that?" Mikan cutely pouted.

"I did this morning."

"Really? I don't remember." Mikan put her index finger on her chin, as if she was thinking hard.

Meanwhile, in the nearby bushes

"We've been following them all afternoon. Aren't you tired?" Ruka asked.

"No. This is a budding romance. I gotta capture it on video." Hotaru simply said.

Ruka grumbled that maybe it's better if he picked Mikan as his partner.

"Care to repeat that, Nogi?" a single click of her Baka gun silenced Ruka.

'I should've known better.'

"It's nice to see her smile again after that." Hotaru muttered. She gave a small smile.

Ruka was astounded to see Hotaru Imai smile. In their hours of spying, it was the first time she smiled—just when she talked about Mikan. He couldn't help but be red all over.

"What happened to you?"

"N-n-nothing, Ho-hotaru!"

"You're in your stuttering mode again, idiot. It's annoying." Hotaru was staring directly at him—at his eyes, in particular. And Ruka was gazing at her, too. It all seemed that the world stopped moving. Cold emotionless lilac eyes were looking at cool cerulean orbs.

"Breathtaking." Ruka said out-of-the-blue.

'I feel so lost in his eyes.'

She had to break the eye contact or else she can't finish her video of the two.

'That was awkward. But in a nice way.' Ruka repeatedly thought of how Hotaru's eyes looked like, like a broken record. He was still in his thoughts when a flash appeared.

"I was thinking on having a sideline, selling blackmail pictures. You'll be my first ever model. I know this will sell millions." Hotaru was holding a camera as she stoically explained.

"But why?"

"That's the price you have to pay for making me feel so awkward." as she turned her not-so-pink face to look at her subjects of the 'budding romance.'

'It was worth it.'

RIIIIING!

The sound from the bell tower means it was already three in the afternoon and it also means, end of classes.

"Oh no!" a shout was made by a stentorian girl.

To be continued..


A/N: Am I ever gonna learn? Haha! I'm always cutting and cutting and cutting. When will this madness end?

I don't think I'll be updating soon. I feel so… So gloomy. It reflects in my writing, ne?

In fact, I don't feel like continuing.

Sorry if I disappointed/I'll disappoint you guys!

xoxo

-ashe

P.S. I still love y'all!