JC: Again with the late update. I'm so sorry, readers. There's been so much to do lately and I can't exactly sit down and write all day. Let's see how the boys will handle their jealousy as they see the girl they love paying too much attention to Ruka. What exactly happened between Mikan and Ruka in the previous chapter? Why was Mikan speaking in a different manner and looking for the middle school principal? There are a lot of questions here, but I'm sorry to say that I can't reveal everything in just a snap.

Author's Additional Note: The Sakura Family and the Hyuuga family are mostly composed of original characters taken from the Anime and Manga. Keep in mind that the Sakura Clan is rich and very influential. They are a world-renowned family, so it's no wonder they are admired by people. Many characters in this story will be treated as celebrities or royalty. Some OCs will pop up later on to fill in the spaces.

Sakura no Hihou

Chapter 11: Danretsu

Yuka picked up Kayuki, the white stuffed bear, and cuddled her against her shoulder to look at her husband sincerely. "I can't sleep knowing that Mikan is still in a coma," she said, her eyes showing the anxiousness she felt. "And the story… It's a lot different than we'd imagined."

The elementary school principal made no attempt to move from his spot. He lay in bed, his handsome face a picture of puzzlement, as though he was in a world he couldn't make sense of. "I think we're going to have a different ending for this one," he said. "But I'm pretty sure it's no happy ending."

She nodded her head. "And there's no happy ending for Natsume-kun if the curse is not lifted," she muttered under her breath.

Yukihira let out a sigh. "Don't think like that," he said, looking disgruntled as he stared at her. "Think positive! We're going to find a way. I'm sure of it!" He gave her a wide smile, which made her feel better.

Kayuki pulled away from Yuka and jumped on the bed to point at a picture of Mikan on top of the bedside drawer. Yuka and Yukihira could see that Kayuki was also worried about Mikan.

"Don't worry, Kayuki-chan," Yuka cooed to the bear. "Mikan is just in a deep sleep. She'll wake up soon." She noticed Yukihira giving her the thumb up for being positive and smiled at him. She kissed the bear's little cheek and sat down on the bed.

"You know, Kuro Neko-chan is not the only one in trouble with the curse," Yukihira said, placing both hands behind his head, as he stared at the ceiling. "Kayuki-chan's creator is not doing so well too, though it really amazes me to see Kaname's will to live on. I know he won't give in to the curse because of our little Mikan. That guy loves Mikan to bits, right, Kayuki-chan?"

The white bear nodded, and Yuka placed her in the middle of the bed. "Well, Shuuichi-kun's like that too," Yuka said, thinking back of how Sakurano held Mikan's hand back at the hospital. "There are a lot of boys who care for her. It kind of makes you wonder who she will end up with."

"It can't be Kuro Neko-chan, well, for now at least."

"As long as the curse remains, a Sakura can never be together with a Hyuuga. It's a taboo, and we have yet to find out how it really came to be."

"As far as I'm concerned, the Koizumi Clan became part of the Sakura Clan many, many years ago, and there had not been a conflict between the two clans ever since the incident with the curse. It's ironic that no one in the Koizumi Clan can ever remove the curse that one of their ancestors bestowed upon us."

Yuka folded her arms over her chest. "They did try to remove the curse before, but a lot of them died in the process," she said, shivering at the thought. "The two of us have succeeded, but we almost died."

Yukihira sat up and pulled his wife into his arms. "It was worth the effort," he said, stroking his fingers through her silky hair. "We gave Serio another chance in life."

"Serio-kun…" Yuka eased away to look at her husband. "He was one of the worst victims of the curse, but he was the first one to survive."

Confused and more than a little jumpy, Ruka tried to make sense of what just happened. The brunette in his arms actually kissed him on the lips before she lost consciousness. What was that about? Under a normal situation, he would be jumping for joy for having the opportunity to kiss his crush, but Mikan acted a little weird a while ago. His body also felt strange too. It was like something invaded his body when she kissed him. Lifting her up carefully, Ruka figured that he should take Mikan back to the hospital. But before he could move one step, someone came up from behind him. He quickly peered over his shoulders to look at the person.

It was a woman with long wavy dark hair pulled back by a hairclip. She was clad in an exquisite midnight-blue kimono and held a fan in her right hand. "It seems like I was a little too late," she said. "How is she?"

Ruka gazed down at Mikan and sighed. "Middle school principal… I have no idea what's going on with Sakura," he said as he turned to the woman. "She was talking differently and she suddenly kissed me, and now she's unconscious."

The principal remained calm. "I see… She has done her part, so she deserves some rest." She reached out for Mikan's temple and put a small smile on her face. "I thought she was going to choose Andou-kun, but she ended up with you. Nogi-kun, it's the inevitable. You now hold a responsibility you must fulfill for the sake of the Sakura and Hyuuga Clan."

The boy blinked in confusion. "Sakura mentioned something like that as well," he said. "Just what exactly do you mean by that?"

Hii-sama turned around and looked at the night sky. "Now is not the time to talk about it. It's very late. Please do me the favor of returning her to the hospital." She took a few steps forward before she spoke up again. "Come to my office tomorrow after class. I will tell you everything you need to know."

"Everything I need to know?" Ruka repeated, looking more confused. Despite the questions in his head, he didn't bother asking them anymore as he saw the principal walking away. He proceeded to the hospital and when he got to the entrance, Mikan regained consciousness once again. "Sakura, you're awake! How are you feeling?"

Feeling a little lightheaded, Mikan held her temple. "I'm fine…I guess…" she muttered. She looked around and popped a question at Ruka. "Did you carry me all the way here, Ruka-pyon?"

Ruka blushed a little as he nodded his head. "I-It's not like I-I had a choice." He cursed himself for stuttering. "You were walking around in the middle of the night when you were supposed to be lying in bed. You had me worried when you suddenly lost consciousness."

"I'm sorry for the trouble, Ruka-pyon," she said as Ruka got her back on her feet. "You must have been really surprised when I kissed you, huh? I'm really sorry for involving you with the clans' problem."

Thinking back of the kiss, Ruka couldn't help blushing again. "S-Sakura…about that kiss…" He turned his gaze away from her. "I take it that it wasn't just a kiss, right?"

Mikan nodded her head in reply.

"What exactly did you do to me? Hii-sama seems to know about it, but she said that she would tell me all about it tomorrow. I don't think I can wait that long for answers."

"I'm sorry…" Mikan clasped her hands together. "But it's much better to let Hii-sama explain things to you. Just remember now that you're involved in our family, you must struggle till the end." She bowed her head at Ruka and bid him goodnight. After that, she quickly took off and went straight to her room, where she saw Natsume sleeping soundly.

She sat down on the bed and continued to gaze at Natsume. Her eyes narrowed the minute she saw the small black marks on his face. Much to her relief, the curse did not cause him pain as of that moment. "Natsume, I don't have enough power to remove the curse right now, but I'll eventually get stronger," she said, hugging both her legs against her chest. "I want you to stay strong until that day comes." She lay down in bed, ready to get some sleep.

Mikan was sure that she could save everyone in the clan. Learning from her ancestor had been a great experience for her. However, the technique taught to her was very risky. It could very well be a one way ticket to death. If her loved ones found out about it, they will surely do something to stop her. Natsume, most especially, would really object to the technique and say that he would rather die than putting her life at risk. For Natsume, who was dedicated to his job as a bodyguard, failure of protecting his master would be the greatest mistake ever. Not that he was unaware of the punishments.

Mikan called her mother and father on the phone the next morning, and explained what happened to her. She simply told them that she and Natsume got sucked into the book, saw the past lives of their ancestors, and she said somewhat unhappily that lifting the curse would be a difficult task for her and she was the only one who could do it. There were a lot of things she could not tell her parents yet. Her spirit world journey was to be kept a secret, as she promised her ancestor, Princess Sakuya.

"How long have you been awake, polka-dots?"

She let out a gasp as he heard that voice. "Hey there, Natsume," she said, turning her head at him. "The morning is just great—perfect for a day in school, don't you agree?" She spoke in her usually cheery tone.

Natsume got off the bed, walked over to hers, and pinned her down by grabbing her shoulders. "You really have the knack of making people worry," he said in a cold tone. "You were in a coma and now you act like everything's okay. Don't you feel distressed by the fact that you were asleep for a few days?"

"Well, let me tell you where I stand on this, Natsume," she said, sounding incredibly serious and haughty, which was untypical of her. "Getting distressed about it won't do me any good. I'm the type of person who forgets her troubles easily and moves on with a positive mind. I'm sure you know very well that I don't like staying gloom, unlike a certain pervert I know." She smiled mischievously at him.

He released his grasps on her as he rolled his eyes. "Whatever… I see that you're mouth is working fine," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're back to being annoying again. I think I like it better when you were asleep." Of course, he wasn't serious about that part.

Mikan puffed up her cheeks. "Gee…Thanks for letting me know that you care," she sarcastically said. There was no one on the planet more cold and moody than Natsume. "Anyway, I already called up my parents to let them know that I'm fine. I'm sure they'll tell Narumi-sensei and the others too. Oh, by the way, is it true that Hotaru really came to visit me?"

Natsume shrugged. "Yeah… What about it?" he answered with a grunt.

"She must have been so worried about me," Mikan said, her eyes shimmering with glee as she imagined Hotaru bearing gifts and flowers for her. "I should make it up to her. Hmm… I know, I'll buy her a gift or bake her cookies. What do you think, Natsume? What should I do for her?"

"How about shut up and do nothing?"

"Hmph… You're no fun," Mikan said glumly.

"And you're no treat for me either. Why don't you just stop talking about that stupid inventor and focus on more important things?"

"Don't badmouth Hotaru!" she yelled at him.

Just then, the door opened, prompting the two kids to turn their heads toward the door. The unexpected guest was Sonou Kaname, a middle school Special Star student who was a victim of the curse. His green eyes were completely glued to Mikan as tears came falling. "Mikan-chan…" He quickly approached Mikan and embraced her tightly. "Mikan-chan, it's a miracle…"

Clenching his fists, Natsume turned his head away from them. The mere sight of another man hugging the princess was thrashing him inside.

"Kaname-san, what 'miracle' are you talking about?" Mikan curiously asked.

Kaname eased away and as soon as he locked his eyes on hers, he caressed her cheeks with both hands. "The curse is gone," he said. "I don't know how, but it's gone now. The doctors have confirmed it too. Isn't that great, Mikan-chan?"

Mikan gave off one grateful smile. "I'm happy for you, Kaname-san," she said, hugging her cousin, as she closed her eyes. She thanked Princess Sakuya silently in her head, knowing that she couldn't have removed the curse without her teachings. "Now that you're curse free, you don't have to be cooped up in this hospital anymore, right?"

"I'll be able to join you and the others from now on. I can also use my Alice whenever I want to." Kaname faced the brunette and placed a hand on her head. "The best of all, I'll be able to spend more time with you, Mikan-chan."

Natsume's eyebrow twitched at that statement. Jealousy was completely stirring his heart.

"I'm really happy for you, Kaname-san," she said.

"Good afternoon, Hii-sama," Ruka said, sounding tired. He did not get enough sleep last night because he kept thinking about the kiss and the responsibility Mikan bestowed upon him. He had a long day at school. "I'm here as you have requested." It was his first time being in the middle school principal's office. The place did not look like an office at all. It was more like a Japanese imperial court room.

The principal was standing on the other side of the room, dressed in another elegant kimono. "I find it amusing that you've managed to get here despite being chased by those fan girls," she said, fanning herself gracefully. "It must be so hard to be popular."

Ruka sighed. "Um… Shouldn't we start talking about—"

"Do you know who Sonou Kaname is, Nogi-kun?" she cut him off.

"Sonou Kaname? He's the son of the CEO of a toy company who has the ability to bring stuffed animals to life," Ruka promptly said. He had heard a lot about Kaname from Mikan and some girls. "I believe he's also cursed like Hyuuga Natsume."

Hii-sama smirked. "Not anymore… The curse in his body has been lifted. He will no longer suffer in pain."

"The curse has been lifted? But how is that possible? How about Natsume? Is he cured too?"

"No… The Black Cat is still cursed," she said, closing her fan. "Removing the curse from his body is lot trickier."

"Wait a minute… Who removed the curse from Sonou-senpai's body?"

"The princess, who else?"

Ruka's eyes grew wide in surprise. "Sakura did?"

"That's right. The young princess risked her life to save Kaname-kun by sucking the curse from his body."

"By sucking the curse, you mean she transferred the curse into her own body?!"

The principal nodded her head. "The curse was the reason why she was in so much pain last night," she explained. "She could have died if it weren't for you, Nogi-kun."

"How do I fit in all of this?" Ruka thought back of the kiss and the strange sensation he felt in his body, and came up with a conclusion. "The curse was transferred to me…?"

"Yes, the curse now resides in you but fret not, Nogi-kun, because the curse will not cause you any harm. You will not suffer like Kaname-kun or the Black Cat. The curse solely affects members of the Sakura and Hyuuga Clans." She noticed him turning pale as she continued her explanation. "You will only act as the carrier of this curse until it is properly contained, which will inevitably take a while."

Ruka leaned his back against the wall as he felt weak on the knees. "This is a little too much for me to handle," he said, placing a hand over his temple. "I actually carry the same curse that causes everyone in your family misery."

"I know you're just confused and afraid, but please bear in mind that your cooperation is needed to save the clans. You do care for the princess and your best friend, correct?"

He simply nodded his head in reply.

"Then do everything in your power to help them," Hii-sama said, "especially the princess…"

"So now that I'm the carrier, what should I do?"

Hii-sama opened her fan and placed it over her mouth. "Things would be a lot easier for me if the carrier was Andou-kun instead of you, but I cannot do anything about it now." She closed her fan and pointed it at Ruka. "You will undergo intense training under my direct orders."

Ruka felt like sinking into a hole. "W-Why do I have to train?" he asked nervously.

"You need to master your Alice in order to be useful to the princess."

"My Alice? I already have full control over my Animal Pheromone Alice."

"I was not talking about your Animal Pheromone Alice, Nogi-kun," she said, walking toward him. "The curse wasn't the only thing the princess gave you. She also gave you a new Alice, which is surprisingly compatible with you." She tilted his chin up with her fan and gave him a cold stare. "Let the training begin." With that said, Ruka swallowed hard in nervousness.

Natsume sighed, impatience building ever higher as he pinned the princess against her own bedroom wall. The two of them were out of the hospital. Their family threw a little party for Mikan and Kaname as soon as they were discharged from the hospital. There were a lot of questions from people, who were only concerned for Mikan's welfare, but Mikan only managed to answer a few. It was a good thing that Sakurano told everyone to lay off the questioning first because she needed rest. However, Natsume was not going to sit still and be quiet. The mere fact that Kaname was no longer cursed bothered him. How in the world did the curse just disappear from his body? He knew Mikan had something to do with it. He demanded for an answer from her, but the princess simply stated that she did not cure Kaname.

Moving away from her, Natsume crossed his arms across his chest and glared at her. She seemed to be hiding something, but her innocent face told him otherwise. He wished he was cured as well. The curse inside him was far more dangerous than Kaname's. "You seriously have no idea, huh?" he asked her again, and she nodded. "Fine, I won't ask anymore. Now that Sonou is out, I bet you're going to spend a lot of time with him." His voice sounded hoarse when he finished his sentence.

Mikan nodded her head cheerfully. "Kaname-san and I have a lot of catching up to do," she said. "We're going to visit Bear-san tomorrow before school."

"That stupid bear? Tch… I hate that thing. It's more annoying than that white bear of yours."

"The only annoying thing here is your attitude," Mikan said with a pout. "I don't know what your problem is, but Kayuki-chan and Bear-san are really, really nice. I always have fun playing with them."

And those two bears always have fun torturing him whenever Mikan's not looking, he mumbled in his head. Putting the bears aside, he thought back of how Kaname and Mikan interacted during the little party. Kaname wasn't the only guy that bothered him. There was also Sakurano. The two of them gave their full attention to Mikan to the point they seemed like courting her. Of course, Mikan, being the dense girl that she is, had no idea about their intentions, but Natsume could see that Sakurano and Kaname both have feelings for her.

In their family, age was not an issue. Take Sakura Yuka and Yukihira Izumi for example. They both started out as a student and teacher. The head of the family brought them together through an engagement, and they ended up falling for one another in the end. They officially became a couple when Yuka was in her first year of high school. Narumi's mother was five years older than his father, but they fell in love, got married, and had him. Ibaragi Nobara's parents had a coach-athlete relationship at first and their age gap was eight years.

It has been a tradition in the family to be engaged at the age of 15 or 16. Natsume was threatened by the fact that either Kaname or Sakurano would make a suitable fiancé for Mikan. The headmaster would think so as well.

"It's getting late," Mikan said with a yawn. "Let's continue our argument in the morning, okay?" She giggled.

Natsume rolled his eyes. "Whatever… And what do you mean late? It's only 9 o'clock."

"Well, I want to sleep, so there," Mikan said. "Now go back to your mansion and rest up too." She pushed Natsume out of her room and waved goodbye to him. After that, she slammed the door to his face.

Okay, that little stunt irked him, but he decided not to bother her anymore. He was tired too, so rest sounded good to him.

As he walked away from the room, Mikan peeked out to see to check on him. The moment he went downstairs, Mikan locked the room and headed to the closet. "I feel guilty for keeping this from everyone," she said to herself. "But I have to do this." She changed into her uniform before she jumped out of the window. With the new skills she acquired from the past princess, she scaled down the mansion with grace and perfect balance.

Once she landed on the ground, she ran off into the Sakura Forest where she met up with a blonde boy. "Ruka-pyon, hi!" she greeted him. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

Ruka slightly blushed and said, "It's fine…"

"How was your training with Hii-sama?" she asked.

He put on an exasperated look. "Training? It was more like torture. I've never pushed myself that far before." He let out a deep sigh. "But I know I have to do it because of my new Alice."

Mikan bowed her head at him. "Ruka-pyon, I'm really sorry for giving you this burden," she said.

"You don't have to apologize, Sakura," Ruka said, placing both hands on her shoulders, making her look up at him. "I'm quite happy that I can finally do something to help Natsume. I also want his suffering to end, so I promise that I'll do my very best to master my new Alice."

"Arigato, Ruka-pyon." A smile graced her lips. "You really are a good friend." She embraced him softly as she nestled her chin on his shoulder.

Ruke felt his heart skipping a beat and his face flushing red. "Umm…Yeah…" He was stuttering pretty badly. "S-Sakura, d-don't you think w-we should…ah…"

"You are right," Mikan said in a different tone of voice, sounding more feminine and mature. "We should start our training." She eased away and looked into his blue eyes sincerely.

The middle school principal had told him about Princess Sakuya's spirit, which was now residing in Mikan's body. He found it hard to believe that the person in front of him was no longer Mikan. "Princess Sakuya, right?"

Sakuya nodded her head. "It's a pleasure meeting you, Nogi-san," she said. "I believe Hii-sama had already filled you in on the details, am I wrong?"

"No, she told me a lot about you."

At lunch the next day, Ibaragi Nobara found herself standing in front Sakamoto Yui, a popular girl and a real snob, in the cafeteria line. The girl had long violet wavy hair that complimented her mesmerizing blue eyes. Not only was she president of the Andou Tsubasa Fan Club, she was also a Triple Star student with the Alice of Telekinesis. Nobara had been in the same class as her since the fourth grade. They have never been close. Yui considered her as a rival and never liked her one bit.

As Nobara took two pieces of cheesecake, Yui moved a little closer. "Ibaragi-san," she said, "Like, can't you speed things up a bit? You're not the only one here who's hungry, you know."

Nobara gulped. "I-I'm sorry…" she muttered. She quickly took her salad and juice. "I-I'm going now." Unaware that Yui was standing close to her, Nobara turned and accidentally hit Yui with her tray of food.

Several students standing close by gave a collective gasp of shock. Yui fixed Nobara with an icy stare. "I really think, Ibaragi-san, that you are such a clumsy freak!!!" she uttered, wiping the salad dressing off her uniform. "You are so going to pay for this." She took a cup of pudding and threw it at Nobara. However, the Ice Princess simply dodged it and the pudding hit another person instead. Another set of gasps were heard. When Yui and Nobara turned to the person who got hit, they paled the moment they saw it was Tsubasa.

"K-Kage-san," Nobara said, clamping her mouth with two hands. "I-I'm sorry."

Tsubasa wiped the pudding off his face and smiled happily at Nobara. "Hey, why are you saying sorry? You were not the one who threw that pudding at me." His smile faded when he glanced at Yui. "Sakamoto, right? I saw everything and I think you owe me and Ibaragi here an apology."

"Like, wait just a freaking second! Okay, I know I have every reason to apologize to you, Tsubasa-sama, but to her?" She pointed a finger at Nobara. "First of all, she messed up my uniform! I was only, like, trying to get her back."

The Shadow Prince sighed as he walked over to Nobara's side. "Look, it was an accident. Ibaragi didn't mean it."

Yui seemed like she was going to blow her top any second. "Apologizing to her is the last thing I'll ever do," she said, turning her head away. "I am so out of here." She stomped out of the cafeteria with steam coming out of her head.

Nobara looked down at the floor. "I made Sakamoto-san angry again," she said softly.

"When was she not angry at you?" Tsubasa asked with a giggle. He then placed a hand on Nobara's shoulder. "Anyway, I know she goes rival-mode every time you're involved, but don't let her get to you."

"I know… Thank you, Kage-san," Nobara replied with a tiny smile.

Unknown to the two of them, Yui was watching them from the entrance silently. It made her so jealous to see her handsome Tsubasa being so close with Nobara. "Like, what does that bitch have that I haven't got? It's so obvious that I'm a lot prettier than her. Oh, sure, she may be a Special Star and one of the academy's top agents, but I have talents that can knock her off." She walked away from the cafeteria and into the hallways. "Like, I am the perfect girl for my darling Tsubasa-sama. That Ibaragi should know her place and I know exactly what to do."

After class, Tsubasa and Misaki escorted Kaname to the Student Council Building. Most of the Student Council members were already there, namely Subaru, Yuri, Miruku, and Tono, and they were very pleased to see Kaname.

"Kaname-kun, it's good to see you again." Umenomiya Miruku gave Kaname a short hug.

"Good to see you too, Miruku-san," Kaname replied with a smile. "I heard you won the cooking competition. You're still talented as ever when it comes to cooking. Speaking of which, I can't wait to sink my teeth in one of your delicious desserts again."

Miruku giggled. "Why, thank you for the compliment, Kaname-kun." She pulled out a small box of brownies from her pocket and gave it to Kaname. "I baked brownies for you. Be sure to eat them when you get home, okay? By the way, I've made cupcakes for everyone. We're going to enjoy them after the meeting."

Mikan, who just came in, heard what Miruku said and got excited. "I wanna eat Miruku-san's cupcakes too!" she exclaimed. "Kaname-san, you're here already. This is going to be your first meeting after a long time."

"Well, I can't say I'm excited for it, but I'm glad to see everyone again. Wait, Shuuichi-san isn't here yet."

Subaru adjusted his glasses. "He'll be here any minute," he told him.

"So, you're not the little sickly boy anymore, huh?" Tono put Kaname's head into a headlock and started ruffling his hair. "We're all happy for you."

"I'm sorry for being late, everyone," Sakurano said as he stepped into the room together with Secretary Shizune. "I see that Kaname-kun is here."

"Good afternoon, Shuuichi-san," Kaname said, "Yamanouchi-san."

"Good afternoon to you too, Sonou-kun," Shizune promptly replied with a bow.

Sakurano took his place at the table, and everyone took their seats. He glanced around to see if everyone was there. To his surprise, one member was missing. "Where is Nobara-san? It's not like her to be late for a meeting."

"Yeah, she's usually here before me," Tono commented.

Leaning her cheek on her hand, Misaki stared down on the table. "She's not coming today," she said, catching everyone's attention. "I bumped into her a while ago. She told me that she's suffering from a major headache and couldn't come. The weird part was the fact her uniform was a little wet."

"Maybe she got into a little accident," Tono said. "The Ice Princess can have her clumsy moments too."

Sakurano cleared his throat. "All right… Nobara-san is excused for today. Now let's begin our meeting."

The meeting went on for one and a half hour. The agenda was about the usual school stuff and concerns, in addition of the upcoming Alice Exhibition Contest which will be held at the end of the month. When the meeting was adjourned, the council members were treated to Miruku's desserts and drinks. After that, Mikan quickly bid goodbye to the other members and hurried out of the building to meet with someone.

"It's about time you got out," a very cold and unruly voice spoke up, prompting Mikan to turn to him. "I was getting tired of waiting here."

"Natsume, haven't you ever heard of 'patience is a virtue'?" Mikan placed her hands on her waist. "Besides, didn't I tell you not to wait for me anymore? I know you're my bodyguard and all, but someone else is going to escort me home today."

The flame-caster raised a brow. "And who may that be?" He certainly hoped it wasn't a boy.

"That would be me."

Peering over his shoulder to see the unexpected person, Natsume frowned and narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing here, Ruka?" he asked his best friend, who seemed to be in a joyful mood.

"I'm here to see, Sakura," Ruka answered, walking over to Mikan. "So, Sakura, are you ready for our dinner date?"

Natsume's jaw almost dropped if it weren't for his good control over his expressions. "A dinner date? What the heck is that about?"

Mikan was the one who answered him. "Ruka-pyon is just taking me out to dinner at Central Town." She entwined her arm with Ruka's. "It's a private dinner, so that means you can't come, Natsume." She winked an eye at him.

Dinner Date? Private Dinner with Ruka? Natsume couldn't believe what he was hearing. His best friend and his princess were going on a date that he didn't know about beforehand. "Wait a minute… Whether you like it or not, I'm still coming. Have you forgotten that I'm your bodyguard? I have to keep an eye on you all the time." And he can't possibly let Ruka have his way with Mikan, knowing that Ruka had a major crush on her.

Ruka knew that Natsume did not like the idea of them having a date, but he and Sakura had important matters to attend to. "Natsume, don't worry. I'll keep an eye on Sakura for you," he assured him. "Plus, it's just a harmless dinner. What could go wrong?"

"Yeah, it's not like the Anti-Alice Organization would just barge in," Mikan added, giggling. "Besides, the academy's security has been tighter ever since their break-ins. Ruka-pyon and I will be all right by ourselves. If you're worried about getting in trouble, then rest assured. I've already told Miharu-san that I'm going out with Ruka-pyon."

That was another surprising fact. Mikan actually talked to the Hyuuga Clan leader without him ever knowing. "Fine then…" Natsume said with a shrug. "Do what you want…" With that, he spun around his heels and walked away.

"I'll see you later, Natsume!" Mikan said cheerfully before turning to Ruka. "Okay, let's go!" With her arm still around Ruka's, she started dragging him off, causing the young blonde to blush madly.

Standing by the entrance to the Student Council Building, Kaname clutched his chest and lowered his gaze to the ground. He wanted to walk home with Mikan until he saw her with Ruka. The sight of them being so close made his heart ache a little. On the other hand, Sakurano was also feeling the same thing when he saw them from the window on the second floor.

To be continued…

JC: The little green monster called jealousy has been sighted. Kaname, Sakurano, and Natsume are feeling uneasy seeing their Mikan together with Ruka. The animal-lover is really getting a bigger role in the story now. He's been given the responsibility. I bet you're all wondering what his new Alice is, huh? I'm not going to tell you yet. Remember, Mikan and Sakuya are in one body and they can switch whenever they want. For the next chapter, I'll tackle more on Nobara and Serio-sensei. Please review. No flaming.

Next Chapter: "Yakimochi" (Jealousy)