Sorry for not posting this chapter quicker. It is longer (and took longer) than the last ones as it has the content for two chapters in one.

I have now found my story-plan in my locker at school so I am back on track... I got a bit diverted... none of the last 6 chapters (including this one) should have happened according to my little green book!

Thanks to for putting this on their favourite stories list (as well as many others), and all the reviewers. 16 would be very good for the next chapter!

The Meepsta :) :)

Hotaru unfolded the paper and began to read...

To N...

Chapter 9- The cat-mail postal service.

To N

Seriously. It is stupid I even need to waste a tree writing this note. Don't waste energy worrying about me, I'm absolutely fine. Honestly. You can borrow Hotaru's lie detector if you want to prove it. I have just had a little bad news. I will not be coming to school for a few days, or maybe a week or so. I don't know yet. It is up to the school to decide. Running out of space.

M

PS: Don't tell the others this. I don't want them to know anything. I just wrote this so that you would not worry. OK?

Hotaru scanned the note with her deep amethyst eyes. The writer's style was so alien to her, but yet so very familiar, every word giving that the impression that 'M' was not 'absolutely fine' after all. It only made sense to assume that the M at the signed at the bottom stood for her best friend, Mikan, and the N at the top stood for Natsume. And of course, 'the others' referred to herself and Ruka. It all made sense in the context. No other person, possibly Ruka, was close enough to Natsume to send him a letter, and no other Baka in Alice Academy would think of such a stupid idea for a postal service. Cat-mail? Hopeless... and extremely unreliable. Who knows how long this note had been delayed while the kitty went to find some tasty tuna?

Suddenly, Hotaru grasped the importance and reality of the letter. Mikan had managed to involve herself in a 'Situation' again, but this time is was not necessarily her fault. Mikan trusted the irresponsible fire-caster, not the 'best friend' Hotaru.

The characteristically cold Ice-Queen suddenly felt so many emotions. Rejection of trust... from her best friend, the only person she deeply cared about. Helplessness... that even the strongest and most dangerous person could be so weak. How is she not able to aid the person she cares about most when they both subconsciously depend on each other so much? The answer was simple: she was the cold blackmailer she was famous for, devoid of any human emotion. An empty human shell.

She would go and talk to Mikan, seek her hidden location, even if protected by the strongest barrier Alice in the world. Even if she died trying. She had almost done it before.

"I'm glad you enjoyed looking around my room..." came an impassive voice from just behind her.

Damn.

She could feel the tickle of his breath on the back of her neck where her jet-black hair had slightly parted. She immediately knew who it was, only one person could sneak up so close to the Ice-Queen without her noticing. If it was Ruka, his pet bunny would have reached her first and attached himself to her arm (he was getting to be quite fond of her nowadays), and Mikan... it was obvious why it wasn't her! She would have alerted Hotaru half a mile away, bumping into everything on sight, making a terrible din and alerting the whole academy to her presence. Plus, Mikan would never have crept up on Hotaru, would just have given her a huge hug. The image made a slight smile appear on her lips before turning into one of her usual pouts. It just had to be that meddling fire-caster... hang on... just who was the meddling one here?

"Did you find anything interesting to blackmail me with?" The voice alerted Hotaru to her senses, causing her to jump a little in surprise, and turn around. Red irises. Raven hair. Natsume Hyuunga. Triple damn. She heard a slight amused chuckle at her response, turned her back on the fire-caster, and briskly headed towards the door. She was determined not to lose any more of what she had gained. At least she still had the timetable in her overcoat pocket... not a complete loss...

The infuriating voice spoke again. "Oh...and by the way... before you leave... can you give that timetable back? I have 24hr CCTV cameras focusing on my desk, you know, and I enjoyed the whole show from my sitting-room laptop. Remember, you gave the cameras to me for my birthday present last year. Foolproof, you said. I'm glad to know they work."

It just had to be one of her inventions that let her down in the end. Maybe she was too smart for her own good, as the fan-girls often say. She ungraciously shoved the scrap of paper into his open palm, and with purrfect timing, hissed:

"You have cat-mail."

She noticed how her hissing tone was very similar to the kitten's, when she had attempted to tickle the creature under the ears. A very bad move. Nearly took her hand off. Natsume looked shocked, maybe that cat was a little useful after all...