Alright, so here you guys will get to know more about Natsume's past, but not in details. Those will be left for future Mikan-Natsume conversations. Hope you like this chapter and thank you in advance for all your support!

Normal POV

As Natsume walked briskly along the deserted pavement, his stray thought came back to disturb him. An overwhelming sense of curiosity was eating away at his mind, while his conscience just couldn't take the burden that he may have hurt her more than he realized. He figured the best thing would be to find her alone, apologize and be hopeful that she would disclose the reasons behind her outburst. The last belief was a long shot, he knew that convincing Mikan to actually open up, would require her to trust him, the chances of which have approached zero since today's incident.

More than anything, the girl was refreshing, her emotions usually fell on the verges of the spectrum, yet they were always honest and heartfelt. That girl probably would not be able to fake her feelings even if her life depended on it, and this is exactly why today's incident had such an impact on Natsume, knowing that he must have hurt her at a level very deep to have rendered such an outcome. The exact moment when she turned as he grabbed her wrists, he saw something distinctly shatter in her eyes, she no longer remembered even her own inhibitions, who she was talking to, or what she was even saying. By that time, a defense mechanism that is embedded in her very bones had taken over, numbing her senses and directing her anger towards the only instinct that it was aware of, to escape that situation at any cost.

The dormitories zoomed into view, appearing old, dreary, and kind of sinister looking. However, Natsume held nothing but fondness for these colossal structures; they embodied and held the memories and people that Natsume treasured the most: his friends. It was within these walls that they fought each other's demons, accepted their own imperfections, and most important of all, learned to rely on each other. For each of them, their friendships were the pillars, the very foundations on which their life stands. They found among each other, a bond that recognized the similar kindred spirit in each of them. Koko, Kitsuneme, Ruka, Yuu and Natsume, together grew to be the family that each of them in some sense or the other lacked.

As Natsume turned the knob of the common room, he could feel himself let out a relieved sigh at having gone through the day successfully. Crossing the room, in long, brisk steps, he deposited himself in one of the large, brown, armchairs unceremoniously, swinging his legs over the armrest. Ruka popped his head from under the science-fiction he was so engrossed in to glance at Natsume, and smirked at the dark-haired boy.

Ruka's POV

It must be exhausting to put up an act for so long. I still don't completely understand why he continues to do so. His incessant demand to always remain under these several layers of facade has stripped him of the ease to just be himself. I know that despite never admitting it, he missed the simplicity of the life he left behind when he started college, when he didn't have to act that nothing ever touched him. He insisted on creating this image, he thought that it would help alleviate the responsibilities that have been dumped on him since childhood, but has only managed to catch up with him in college. His strained relationship with this father doesn't help the situation an ounce. Despite walking with the enigmatic swagger in his footsteps and the careless shrug on his shoulders, he fooled no one, especially not his friends, who knew that all of this: his family; their expectations were very much important to him, and to a certain level, dictated his life.

Normal POV

"You know, you sure are doing a lot of thinking lately. It's quite unlike you..." Koko quirked, amused to see Natsume so absorbed in his own thoughts.

It was almost as if Natsume didn't even hear what Koko had said. His face held absolutely no expression of recognizing Koko's question. The creases on Koko's forehead increased as his frown deepened. It was very unlike Natsume to not retort; he usually had snarky comments at the tip of his tongue to throw at leisure. "Hey man, you okay? Is everything fine back home?" Koko's worried voice rang out, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room.

At this, Natsume snapped out of his reverie, staring with a perplexed look at Koko. "Yeah, I'm fine. What gave you that idea?" Asked Natsume.

"Well, firstly because you didn't pay any attention to my question, and secondly, you didn't reply. I mean, seriously dude, what are you hiding?" Asked Koko animatedly, swirling his arms around for dramatic effects.

Natsume smiled; an actual smile, not those smirks that he keeps throwing around at everyone, but a genuine smile, the kind you observe in the faces of children when they are caught trying to steal chocolates. "It's nothing dude, seriously, it's just something that happened today. Caught my attention a bit, that's all." Explained Natsume.

"But we do have to go home this weekend. We can't avoid it this time; we have managed to deflect it for as long as possible." Yuu's voice rang out in the room, sober and concrete. A unanimous sigh reverberated throughout the room in quite acceptance, as all five of them contemplated what it would be like to go back home after a month and a half.

Natsume's POV

I didn't want the week to end. I never looked forward to my breaks; going home meant facing a world I would be happier to pretend didn't exist. I didn't appreciate reality swinging in to bash him in the face every other month, I would rather remain in my blissful, little ignorant bubble where I can keep telling myself that this is my life, and I do as I please; which is clearly not the case. I'll go back to an immense house, to live with a father who is just as much a stranger as he was nineteen years ago. The ever enveloping silent dinners, the monosyllabic conversations, the awkward encounters on the corridors which left them skirting around each other and shifting their weight on their toes as they paused to acknowledge each other's presence.

It was almost the same with everyone. Despite growing up in the States, each of our families insist on continuing their legacies which could be tracked back to generations ago in Japan. All of us were next in line to take over, either the profession or the business itself, and take the whole prospect to a new level. For all of us, the distinction between what we want and what we need to do has been glaringly apparent, perhaps a little less for me than the rest. Everyone else had been asked to tread down a path set aside specifically for them, whereas I have never even been directed towards one. I still haven't figured out which one's worse though, to think that you have a path set out for you which you may or may not want, or that no one has ever bothered to set you down one.

It was perhaps in one of the most ironic turn of events that I found myself treading the exact same path that my father had established, on my own accord. Hence, it had become practically impossible to ignore the path that now lay before me, and consciously calculated the portion I have already stumbled through and the amount that still lies ahead of me, and whether I would have the passion left in me to go beyond the path that has already been paved and create a course that is distinctively mine, which does not live in the shadows of my father's success. I have been known to live on the verges of the spectrum, only ranging from loving what I do, to being immensely burdened by others and my own expectations on how far I can go.

Normal POV (the girls)

Everyone was worried about Mikan; they have hardly ever seen her so rattled, at an utter loss of both words and action. She sat slumped against the armchair with her posture completely limp against the soft, worn-out fabric. Completely drained of energy, she stared blankly at the closed window, as the rays of the setting sun flickered around the darkened room. In the shade of the curtains, her face was a patchwork of black and white and every possible shade in between, a supposed assumption of the current condition of her heart.

Hotaru stared at Mikan, her frown deepening with every passing minute. No one knew Mikan better than her, and it was because of this exact reason that she found her reactions to be so strange. Mikan had over the years, constructed several layers around herself, attempting to retreat permanently into her own dimensions as days passed by. It had taken months for the entire gang and her brother to pull her out of her reverie. Yet, even now she is cautious, very acutely aware of how she mingles with people outside of her own circle of friends, pronouncing every word carefully, to never initiate a deep, understanding relationship. It had perhaps been easier to do in Japan, where the typical South-Asian culture, had assisted her in being able to keep her distance from people without arousing suspicion.

However, Hotaru knew that the States was a completely different world. Here, if Mikan insisted on distancing herself from the outside world, it is bound to raise the general curiosity surrounding her. If Natsume Hyuuga had already gotten a whip of this, which he probably had, he wouldn't be sated until he found out everything he could about Mikan. As Hotaru glanced at the rest of the group, she saw a similar mark of worry etched on every one of their faces. Hotaru got up and walked to the sofa where Sumire was sitting. Bending down, she whispered, "Do what you have to."

Sumire sat up, gave a curt nod to Hotaru, before turning towards Mikan and bellowing, "MIKAN~! Weren't we supposed to go out tonight? I just want to drink and eat sushi!"

Mikan's head jerked towards Sumire as she registered her name being shouted, with her eyes wide, and alert had her mouth hanging open slightly. "Umm, yeah, sure. Why not? If all of you want to go..." She replied, her voiced laced with hesitation.

"Alright, then. Come on people, get up. Stop moping around. We are going out!" Sumire singsonged.

Everyone got up, moving around in different directions and started rummaging through drawers and boxes. Everyone was grateful for the little distraction; it allowed them some time to gather their thoughts and focus on something other than Mikan's situation.

Normal POV (The boys)

"You know, since each of us has to return to our own personal hell tomorrow, we might as well have some today. What do you say? Wanna go out for a drink?" Quirked Kitsuneme.

A murmur of general approval rang throughout the room. Everyone shuffled from their respective seats, preparing to get ready. They really needed this break.

I'm sure, all of have guessed by now that in the next chapter, you will have the first interaction between the two groups. It will be difficult to try and get a satisfying start to the minor storyline that will run parallel to Mikan and Natsume's story. So, please be patient, and I hope that I will be able to come up with the update quickly.

Thanks Again!