Disclaimer: Nope, no, definitely not, I don't own Gakuen Alice.
Chapter 9
"I'm so glad, Miss Sakura. Thank you for accepting my request," piped the king. He clapped his hands together and beamed. "Oooh! Let's get you all set up, shall we?"
It was then that a boy with his arms filled with scrolls, papers, and books bustled in. his eye-glasses were askew on his nose, and he looked not much older, if not younger, than Mikan. He bowed at the waist towards the king, effectively sending several papers from his arms to the ground.
"Your Majesty, the shipment of new arrows has come," muttered the boy.
"Thank you, Squire Yuu. Sorry, Miss Sakura, but it seems business takes me away from you. The duties of a king never cease!" the king sighed as he dramatically threw a hand over his forehead, and clutched the other over his heart. Narumi came next to him and made a pose similar to his.
"I feel your pain, Ioran!"
"The old geezers have finally gone insane," said Natsume, earning glares from the 'geezers'.
"When weren't they insane, again?" asked Hotaru idly.
"Natsume, why don't you, Ruka, Hotaru, and Koko show Miss Sakura around and get what she needs?" said the king. It was not a question, but a demand.
Natsume grumbled something incomprehensible, but he shot a look at Mikan and seemed to study her once again. Ioran took Mikan's hand, laid a small kiss upon her knuckles (Mikan's eyes widen slightly), and took his leave. The group of men followed.
Mikan looked around shyly. She was now left with the original four who had brought her here, plus the new boy Yuu. Yuu was bending down to pick up the papers he had dropped, and in the process dropped more papers. Mikan leaned down and collected the papers for him, earning a kind smile. She beamed back. He gave her a small bow without dropping anything, and then scurried out.
She turned back to her four abductors. Ruka an Koko smiled encouragingly at her while Hotaru and Natsume stared blankly.
"That hair of yours sure is something," Koko mused before whistling. "I thought you'd just thrown out rope at first. Took me a minute to realize it was hair."
Mikan held in a laugh. Her hair was supposed to be like a rope.
"Well, thank you, I guess," she murmured.
"Oh, I meant it as a compliment, not to be rude. I think it's cool it doesn't cut."
"Yes," interrupted Hotaru. "It doesn't cut. Perhaps it could be useful in the future." Her eyes gleamed with thought.
"Hotaru, please be kind to Miss Sakura. I-," Ruka started before stopping with a look from the lavender-eyed girl.
"Careful about what you say to Princess Hotaru, Mikan, or she'll have you beheaded, and sell tickets to the execution," Koko warned mockingly. Hotaru promptly hit him over the head with a metal-laced glove she had pulled from her purse. Koko let out a string of jumbled curses.
"Princess?" Mikan interrupted Koko mid-swearword.
"Oh. Yeah, Hotaru is Natsume's half-sister. They have different mothers. There are actually quite a few royal children, nearly all of them from different mothers. The king admits he was quite a scoundrel in his youth. All the children have black hair, probably from the king, and stunning eyes. They say the young king was a sucker for eyes," explained Koko matter-of-factly.
"Koko and I are dukes," added Ruka.
"This is all going over her head," broke in Hotaru. She was right. Parts of what they were telling Mikan made no sense. She shook her head to clear it and shrugged her shoulders sheepishly.
"Sorry, but you could say I grew up in an isolated area. I have very little knowledge of anything."
"You're saying you're stupid," stated Natsume.
"I am not!" she fumed. Why did glaring come so easy in this boy's presence?
"Yes, you are. You're just too stupid to realize it," he replied.
"She's saying she's… naïve," decided Ruka. Mikan shot him a grateful smile. He seemed startled but then smiled back.
"Something's been bothering me," Natsume said suddenly. He walked towards Mikan. She held her ground. "We asked you to show us what was in your bag, and you showed us your hair, but…" He snatched the strap of her back and pulled it over her head and away from her before she had registered he'd moved. "What else is in here?"
Despite Mikan's protest, he opened the bag and reached inside. He looked in and moved things around.
"Food, books, some oil stuff, a bag of flowers, and…" He stopped, smirking, before closing the bag and tossing it back to the brunette. "I guess you check out… Polka-dots."
Mikan was confused at the title, before remembering something she had packed: an extra pair of bloomers, adorned with a pattern of polka-dots.
"You… you… you pervert!" she cried before smacking him for the second time that blow whipped his head to the side and re-reddened his cheek from her earlier slap. He snatched her wrists in his hand before giving her an absolutely furious and slightly surprised scowl.
"What the hell! Guys like me don't need to be perverts to polka-dotted little girls like you!"
"Natsume!" rebuked Ruka. Natsume snorted and stalked out of the tent-room. Koko, who had been clutching his sides laughing, patted the fuming Mikan on the back.
"I can't believe that jerk! He's so vain, and arrogant, and, and…" she cried.
"Yes he is. You may be the first of the female population not related to him to finally realize it," spoke Hotaru.
"Oh, it seems Hotaru likes you, Mikan," exclaimed Koko, which earned him another hit from Hotaru's metal-laced glove.
"Yes, and, again, please forgive Natsume. He's not exactly the warmest person," whispered Ruka, leaning down next to her. His ocean-blues orbs swam with understanding.
"Natsume is warm when Hell is cold," declared the bruised Koko.
"What was that, Koko?" asked Natsume, who had reappeared behind the grinning boy. In his arms was a large pack, and on his face a scowl.
"What the- Natsume! Don't sneak up on me like that!" Koko cried before Natsume gave him a blow from his fist to the head. "First your sister, now you! The cruelty of royalty doth never cease!"
Natsume ignored him. He tossed the pack to Mikan, who barely managed to catch it. It was tall, bulky, and there was a large piece of rolled fabric at the top. She looked confusedly at it.
Natsume sounded frustrated as he explained, "Your tent and all the rigging is inside, along with a few rations, I think, and a canteen. That bit at the top is the blanket."
"Oh, Natsume, you act like you dislike her, but you were so quick to get her the things she needs to stay," called Koko. He put up his hands in surrender as Natsume approached him, but still received another head injury.
"It's just something we don't have to do later," growled Natsume, daring anyone to make another mocking comment.
Mikan wasn't paying attention at this point. She was snooping through the pack. There was a canvas sheet, some poles that looked like they snapped together, some small cloth bags full of jerky, and a leather canteen.
"Well, Miss Sakura," Ruka started, bringing her back to reality, "What would you like to see first?"
"Um, I don't really…" she began but was interrupted by the rumbling of her stomach.
Ruka chuckled. "How about we get you something to eat?"
Mikan nodded sheepishly.
Koko became dramatic, kneeling in front of Mikan and taking her hand. "How could I let My Lady Fair starve so? Do with me as you will! Throw me to the dogs! Burn me at the stake!" His words were thrown off by the flashing smile on his face. Mikan couldn't help but giggle.
Koko, keeping her hand in his, marched towards the entrance of the tent. The others followed, rolling their eyes. Mikan stopped and tugged her hand free. She set down the pack and piled her hair in her arms to shove it back into her bag at her side. When she turned back, the pack had been picked up by Ruka, who smiled. She smiled back.
"Sorry, I forgot about the long hair for a moment," apologized Koko.
"It's okay," Mikan chirped. And with that, they departed.
Author's Notes:
Hello! Hope you like this chapter! I know some of you want NxM moments: Be patient. I prefer stories where love isn't immediate, but develops. I haven't decided whether or not to have a RukaxMikanxNatsume love triangle yet, and if I do, it may be pretty minor. Also, I'd just like to add I've been re-reading Gakuen Alice. I just got to the ending. I need tissues!
