JC: I know I haven't been early with my updates lately and I apologize for that. My main computer got busted and I almost lost all my files. It took a while to get it fixed. But don't you worry because I won't leave a story hanging. I'll finish this till the end. Now that I've given a little background on Serio-sensei (Persona), I'm going to focus more on Nobara and Mikan in this chapter. Of course, I will also highlight Natsume's jealousy, which seems to be growing more dangerously.

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.

Japanese Terms: Yurushite Kudasai (Please forgive me)

Sakura no Hihou

Chapter 13: Koori to Namida

"I guess what Sakamoto did really traumatized her," Tonouchi Akira said when he phoned early morning the next day. At the sound of his voice, Mikan knew he was very worried for Ibaragi Nobara. "She won't come out of her room and she refuses to speak. I don't know what to do anymore."

"Because of the bullying…" Clad in a peach-colored hoodie shirt with long sleeves, white short shorts, and sneakers, Mikan closed her eyes to think of something for a moment. "I'll see if I can help, Tono-nii. I'll head over there right now." She hung up the phone and quickly left her room.

As Mikan went downstairs she managed to bump into Sakurano Shuuichi. The young man was wearing a light green sweater and dark pants. "You seem to be in a hurry, Mikan-san," he said.

"Nii-san, have you heard what happened to Nobara-san?" Mikan questioned, her voice sounding edgy.

Sakurano nodded his head. "Yes, I've heard she was bullied by Sakamoto Yui-san at school," he said, "and now Nobara-san has locked herself up. I feel sorry for her."

"Me too…" Mikan then grabbed hold of Sakurano's hand. "Nii-san, please teleport me to Nobara-san's house. I want to help her."

Seeing the sincerity in her big round eyes, Sakurano smiled down at her and patted her head. "Sure, I'll gladly use my Alice for you," he said.

"Arigato, Nii-san!" Mikan replied cheerfully. Before she knew it she was pulled into Sakurano's arms, which was a major surprise for her. "Ni-Nii-san!" She was blushing furiously.

"Let us go," Sakurano whispered as he activated his Alice. In a matter of seconds, the two of them disappeared from the main mansion and reappeared in the second mansion of the Sakura Clan. "Here we are, Mikan-san," he said, slowly easing away from her.

Mikan was still blushing. "Nii-san, you could have just held my hand. You didn't have to hug me." She looked down on the floor and fiddled with her fingers. "You had no idea how surprised I was."

Sakurano let out a small chuckle and patted her head once again. "I'm sorry about that, Mikan-san," he said. He couldn't resist holding the little girl so much. Call him crazy but his feelings for her were as big as the whole world.

The two of them head to the floor where the main bedrooms were and found Tono standing in front of Nobara's room. Even though he looked very cool wearing a blue shirt with a black jacket on top and blue pants, he looked exhausted. However, his eyes were so focused on the door as though he wanted to destroy it. His face lit up the moment he noticed Mikan and Sakurano. Almost instantly he went to lift the princess and twirled her around. This action pissed off Sakurano and in a serious tone he said, "Please put the princess down."

Tono felt a certain chill in the air. "If you say so, president," he said, swallowing hard, as he placed Mikan down. He could sense jealousy coming out from Sakurano and he knew better than to provoke him further. "Okay, the Ice Princess is inside her room and I can't get in." He also explained to them about how he had been trying to reason with her.

"And Nobara-san doesn't respond, correct?" Sakurano added.

"Unfortunately…" Tono replied with a sigh. "The door's unlocked though, but it's not a good idea to walk right in."

His warning came a little late for Mikan, who carelessly opened the door. What greeted her was a freezing cold wind, which instantly turned her into a human-sized Popsicle stick. Sakurano and Tono let out a gasp in surprise and pulled Mikan back outside. Once Tono closed the door, Mikan used the Fire Alice she got from Sakuya to melt the ice and evaporate the water.

Sakurano sighed in relief. "I'm glad you're all right, Mikan-san."

"I won't try that again if I were you," Tono said, running a hand through his black hair. "The Ice Princess turned her room into a Winter Wonderland. Her emotions have an adverse effect on her Alice. If her emotions become out of control, her Alice can become erratic and spontaneous, becoming active without her will."

"She, along with other members of the Dangerous Ability Class, had been trained to have emotional restraint in order to gain full control of their powers," Sakurano explained. "Nobara-san's Alice is a high-level one. Her emotional discrepancy will only make her Alice wilder. If we don't do something now, the whole academy would be in jeopardy."

Mikan lightly slapped her face twice before clenching her hands. "I'm going in!" she declared with a determined look. "I have the Nullification Alice. I'm sure I can save Nobara-san!"

"Now don't go being reckless again, Mikan," Tono said. "I know your Alice is strong, but with the way the Ice Princess is right now—"

"I can do it!" she cut him off. "Just believe in me, Tono-nii!" Her eyes were burning with passion.

Tono was about to object more when Sakurano placed a hand on his shoulder. "Once she makes up her mind, there's no stopping her," Sakurano said. "Let's just believe in her, Tono."

"Fine then…" Tono said with a deep sigh. He then looked down at Mikan and ruffled her hair up. "Hey, chibi, we'll be right here if you need any help."

"Arigato, Tono-nii!" she replied, and walked to the door. "Here goes nothing!" She turned the knob and opened the door. She was greeted by the icy wind again, but this time she was prepared. She had her Nullification Alice on, so she was safe from being frozen. She entered the room and saw what Tono meant when he said 'Winter Wonderland'. Nobara's room was completely covered in ice. Mikan felt like she was in an ice cave in Antarctica.

Mikan took a deep breath to compose herself. "I can do this," she muttered softly. Taking a step forward, she slipped and fell down on her face. "Oww! That really hurt." She sat up and rubbed her sore face. She felt so silly for not noting the slippery floor.

"You're such a klutz," Tono commented.

"Are you all right, Mikan-san?" Sakurano asked in concern.

"I-I'm fine," she said, laughing the pain off. As she got back to her feet, three bulks of ice emerged from the floor and transformed into persons. Much to Mikan's surprise, they all looked like Nobara—only crystallized. "What's going on?" she questioned.

"These Ice Dolls are personified aspects of Nobara-san." Sakurano pointed to the one on the far left and said, "This one represents happiness," and then he pointed at the middle, "This one is anger," and lastly he pointed at one to the right, "and this is the calmness."

"Personified aspects of Nobara-san?" Mikan repeated.

"This kind of Alice is common in the Ibaragi Line," Sakurano said, as the Ice Dolls started emitting a blue aura. "Nobara-san has Multiple Personalities and she can infuse those personalities inside Ice Dolls, which are created by her Alice of Ice."

Mikan stared in awe. "Wow…That's pretty cool…" She tapped her finger on her cheek and thought back of her conversation with Tono yesterday. She specifically remembered him saying that Nobara rarely uses her second Alice because it was proven to be dangerous. Mikan had never expected to see such an Alice in action. "So, Nii-san, what should I do?"

"Prepare yourself," Sakurano said. "They're about to attack."

"What?! They're going to attack?!" Mikan shrieked. True enough, two dolls darted towards her in great speed. "I don't wanna fight!" She created a force field around her, preventing the dolls from getting any closer.

The other doll jumped high as it created a blue energy ball in its hands. It then released blue beams from the sphere toward Mikan. The force field blocked the attack but it got frozen, making it vulnerable. Not a moment to lose, the two dolls kicked and punched the now frozen force field until it broke to pieces. Mikan was open for an attack.

"Watch out, chibi!" Tono yelled out, as the two dolls fired their ice beam attacks at the brunette. The beams, however, disappeared the moment they came close to Mikan. "Oh, man… It's a good thing she has Nullification."

Sakurano nodded in agreement. "Mikan-san is doing well."

After destroying the Ice Dolls, Mikan searched the room for signs of Nobara. "Where could she be?" she asked herself. She checked the closet, the living room, and the study room, but there was no Nobara. "Wait, I haven't checked the bathroom yet." She went to the bathroom and quivered tremendously at the below zero degree temperature there. Mikan increased the power of Nullification more before she proceeded.

Mikan found Nobara crying inside the bathtub. "Nobara-san?" Her skin was paler than before and her hair was disorderly. It seemed like Nobara has been crying for a long time. "Nobara-san, it's me, Mikan… I came here to see you."

Nobara slowly looked up to see Mikan's face that shone with a smile. Her smile was so warm and radiant that Nobara felt at ease just by seeing it. However, reality struck her as she remembered Sakamoto Yui again. She shook her head rapidly. Her Alice responded to her emotions once again, creating a blizzard inside the bathroom.

Staying calm, Mikan created a barrier around her to protect her from the harshness of the blizzard. "Nobara-san, please calm down," she said, placing a hand on Nobara's shoulder. "I know why you're acting like this. It must have been so hard for you…with all the bullying…Sakamoto-san is doing…"

The blizzard grew stronger, pushing Mikan down to the floor. But that didn't stop the little brunette from getting back on her feet.

"Nobara-san, please stop… Everyone's worried about you—Tono-nii, Nii-san, and I are so worried about you… We can't stand seeing you like this, Nobara-san. So please…please…" Mikan shut her eyes and focused her energy in her body. "Nobara-san…" she muttered her name one more time before she unleashed a great amount of Nullifying energy from her body. All of the ice crystals in the room simply disintegrated into the air in a split second. Nobara's Alice had also been sealed.

Sakurano couldn't believe how much power Mikan released. He felt it the most because of his heightened senses. "Mikan-san had nullified Nobara-san's Alice," he said.

"Seems like it…" Tono replied, who was equally impressed as Sakurano. "Now we can go in."

As the two of them reached the bathroom, they saw Mikan and Nobara hugging each other, with the latter crying desperately.

"Yurushite kudasai," Nobara muttered between her sobs. "I…I…feel so ashamed… I'm so weak. I-I can't even stand up for myself…"

"Don't be ashamed, Nobara-san," Mikan cooed as she gently rubbed Nobara's back. "You're just a very gentle person. You have so much power—enough power to fight against Sakamoto-san, but you didn't. Most people would have gotten back at her for what she did, but you're different, Nobara-san. You don't want to hurt other people with your Alice, even when they have done something wrong. That is kindness and it doesn't make you weak."

Nobara eased away and buried her face in her palms. "No, I am weak… I hate myself…"

"She's finally talking, but I don't like this one bit," Tono said, clenching his fists. "This is all because of that Sakamoto. When the bullying started, the girls in her class started ignoring her. Whenever she tried talking to them, they would either laugh or simply brush her off as if she was a petty beggar on the street. The Ice Princess tried to stand up to Sakamoto once, but that only made things worse for her. Sakamoto physically abused her. I wish I could have been there to protect her. Tch…So much for being her childhood friend and all." He wanted to strangle Sakamoto at that point.

"Often times we can't avoid hating ourselves for the wrong things we've done. We can't avoid feeling sorry for ourselves for not being strong and brave. Whenever I feel down about myself, I try to cheer up and find the good things about myself. Sure, it's not easy to find them. I know a lot of things I dislike about myself. Sometimes, even if you force yourself to find good things, you only find emptiness." Mikan held Nobara's hand and slowly pulled them away from her face. She stared into Nobara's icy-blue eyes and smiled sincerely. "But when you hear someone say they like you for who you are, then you can begin to like yourself. When someone accepts you, you feel like you can like yourself more than before. You can begin to face your fears with courage." She caressed Nobara's cheek, wiping away the tears with her thumb.

Nobara bit her lower lip as lowered her gaze. Closing her eyes tight, she clasped her hands together and trembled. "I've always been a burden to everyone before, especially to Akira-kun," she muttered softly. "And I've never been close with any of my classmates, so I can't blame them for hating me so much." Tears continued to stream down her pretty face.

Tono walked over to her. "Hey, not everyone in your class hates you!" he told her. "How about your fans? Besides, Sakamoto only influenced the others!"

"And I have never gotten along with Sakamoto-san…"

"That's because she's freaking jealous of you," Tono retorted. "You're way better than her! How can you not like yourself if you're this beautiful and talented? Come on, quit moping around. Stop feeling bad about yourself."

She looked up at Tono, her hands shaking in fear. "Gomen, Akira-kun… Gomen… I can't help it."

Mikan let out a sigh. "We can't change the fact about Nobara-san being too emotional," she said, standing up, as she placed her hands on her waist. "But being emotional doesn't make you a weak person either. You don't know how to handle Sakamoto-san anymore. You've become confused and afraid—to the point that your Alice became uncontrollable."

"Mikan-sama…?"

"Nobara-san, if you continue acting like this, then Tono-nii will keep on worrying about you," Mikan said in an upbeat manner, gesturing her finger in front of Nobara's face. "And I'm sure you don't want that, right?"

Nobara shook her head. "I don't want to cause Akira-kun any problems," she said. "I'm already a burden as it is."

"You shouldn't be afraid to ask for his help when you feel troubled," Mikan said, winking an eye. "I'm sure Tono-nii will gladly support you. You can use his support as well if you're going to face Sakamoto-san again."

Nervously fidgeting with her fingers, Nobara imagined herself facing Sakamoto again. She could see herself getting hurt and she certainly didn't want that. "I don't want to face Sakamoto-san again."

"You can't run away from your problems. You should learn to fight for what is right. Sakamoto-san is the evil villain and you must be the daring heroine. Nobara-san, if you could handle top-class criminals during missions, I'm sure you can handle a mere classmate. I believe in your strength. You are not weak."

Lifting her up bridal style, Tono rubbed his cheek against Nobara's, making her blush like crazy. "The little kid's right, princess," he said, chuckling. "You're one of the strongest girls I know."

Sakurano spoke up too. "I believe in your strength as well, Nobara-san."

Hearing all their words of encouragement made her feel stronger inside. She couldn't help feeling ashamed for causing so much trouble to Mikan, Sakurano, and to her childhood friend, Tono. Nevertheless, she felt blessed for having them with her at that moment. Their words assured her that she wasn't a useless person. The three of them believed in her, so she too had to believe in herself. "Mikan-sama, Shuuichi-san, Akira-kun…" She smiled warmly at Sakurano and Mikan before turning to Tono. "Thank you…" She wrapped her arms around Tono's neck and kissed him on the cheek.

Tono accepted the kiss serenely, though his cheeks were slightly turning red, which didn't go unnoticed by Sakurano. On the other hand, the brunette was simply cheering for the two, feeling grateful that Nobara was back to her old self again.

"Ruka-pyon!"

Standing by the animal barn, Nogi Ruka turned around to see Mikan running towards him. Ruka then let out a big smile and walked towards her. A big grunt sound came out of him as the girl suddenly launched herself at him for a hug. His heart skipped a beat and his cheeks turned red. Still in tight grasp by Mikan, Ruka slowly breathed in and out and managed to say her name with a smile.

As she heard her name, Mikan pulled away from the hug to look up at him. "I have something to tell you," she said excitedly.

Puzzled, Ruka asked, "And what is it?"

Mikan wrapped one arm around his right one and placed her free hand on his shoulder. She then leaned towards his ear, making him blush like an overripe tomato. "All our hard training is really paying off," she said, giggling. "I put my Alice to the test like an hour ago and I have to say that it's a lot stronger than before. I have Nobara-chan to thank for that."

"You mean Ibaragi Nobara—the Ice Princess?" Ruka asked, and she nodded. "But how?"

Backing up, Mikan balled her right hand into a fist and slight raised it to her face level. She then opened her hand and a beautiful icy mist sprays out of it. "Nobara-chan's Alice became unstable because of the bullying at school. She even shut herself in her room and created an icy cavern inside. Thankfully, I've managed to save her." Mikan looked straight at Ruka and smiled. "But I did not just save her. I also learned a new trick, as you can see." She activated Nullification to disperse the mist.

"You're amazing, Sakura," Ruka said in awe. Even though she possessed the spirit of the late Princess Sakuya, Mikan herself was a formidable Alice. "So, are we going to—" He stopped talking as he saw Natsume approaching.

Mikan blinked in confusion. "What are you looking at?" She quickly turned around not realizing that Natsume was already right behind her. She bumped into Natsume's body, causing her to fall backwards. But a pair of hands quickly caught her shoulders and pulled her back. She looked up at Natsume, noting his somewhat unpleased expression, as she was placing her hand on her head, sticking out her tongue in embarrassment. "Gomen, Natsume… I didn't know you were right behind me. Anyway, what brings you to this part of the Sakura Forest?" She said all that in a cheerful tone.

Ruka gulped when Natsume set his fiery eyes on him. It felt like his eyes were piercing right through his soul. He shook off the awful feeling and smiled at his best friend. "I bet you were looking for Sakura, right?"

"You make it sound like I'm worried about this ditzy girl," Natsume said in a ruthless tone before he turned his head away. Mikan was about to retort for the insult, but Natsume quickly cut her off. "Would you mind telling me what are you two doing here?"

Not sure how to respond to Natsume's question, Ruka turned to Mikan for an answer. Lucky for him, Mikan knew exactly what to say, although he wasn't sure if it was favorable for him. "We're on a friendly date," she said, motioning over to Ruka's side and taking hold of his hand. "Narumi-sensei told me about friendly dates, so I guess we could call it that. Isn't that right, Ruka-pyon?" Ruka knew that their secret training was to be kept secret no matter what.

"Yeah, I guess so," Ruka replied awkwardly, feeling chills going up and down his spine. His best friend was sending him some bad vibes. "Natsume, um, do you want to hang out with us? It's perfectly fine with me."

There was a moment of silence as Natsume's blood boil. The mere thought of knowing the fact that they were spending so much time together bugged Natsume. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but smirk at the scene of them holding each other's hand. "A friendly date, huh?" His left eye slowly turned darker and then black marks started appearing on his neck.

Mikan gasped in surprise as she saw the black marks. "Natsume, it's the curse again!" But, as soon as she took his hand, he quickly shoved her away, causing her to fall on her butt. "Hey, what's the matter with you? I only wanted to help."

Through gritted teeth Natsume exclaimed, "Shut up! Leave me alone!" After that outburst, he ran off in a hurry, leaving a distinctly surprised Mikan and Ruka.

"So nice of you to show your pathetic face in front of me, Ibaragi-san," Sakamoto Yui said in an icy tone when Nobara walked to her at her usual spot in the cafeteria.

Fidgeting with her hands, Nobara swallowed hard and gazed down on the floor. She didn't think that confronting Sakamoto would be so nerve-wrecking. It was probably because she was not the straightforward type. She was used to being quiet and reserved. But thanks to Mikan's encouragement, she swore she wouldn't back down. She would stand up for herself and show Sakamoto that she wasn't a pushover. "Sakamoto-san, I know you don't like me very much," she started, sounding a bit edgy. "But I don't want to be your enemy. I want us to become friends."

Flipping her violet hair elegantly, Sakamoto slowly stood up. "You want us to be friends?" She gave out a light sarcastic laugh. "We should talk in a more private place, Ibaragi-san," she said, turning around and starting toward the exit.

When Nobara entered the empty chemistry lab, two of Sakamoto's friends locked the doors. "W-what is going on?" Nobara asked in surprise.

Sakamoto and her two friends turned to stare at her. "Ibaragi-san," Sakamoto said, breaking the brief silence. "I saw you walking to school with Tsubasa-sama this morning. Didn't I tell you to stay away from him? Gosh, you are so darn stubborn! I guess our punishments weren't good enough, huh?" She sat down on the counter and crossed her arms over her chest.

Nobara swallowed. She took a deep breath and tried to recall everything Mikan told her. I won't run away from this. I have to be strong. She looked at Sakamoto straight in the eye with a serious expression etched on her face. "Y-you mistreat me all the time because you've always been jealous of me," she said, sounding nervous and serious at the same time. "But I've always been good to you."

Sakamoto rolled her eyes. "I don't know why people have to adore you like you're some kind of goddess, especially the boys. Is it because you're a member of the Sakura Clan? Give me a break. I came from a noble lineage too, but people don't give me much of the respect I deserve. I used to be number 1 in class until you came along."

The Ice Princess gathered up her courage and activated her second Alice, the Multiple Personalities Alice, and chose one particular personality to face Sakamoto. Without a word, she walked up to Sakamoto and slapped her across the face.

The other two girls were appalled. "What are you doing, bitch?!" one of them exclaimed. "How dare you do that to Yui?!"

"Oh, put a sock in it," Nobara said. Her voice sounded different and her face showed a more serious and colder expression. "That slap was nothing compared to the things you girls did to me."

Recovering from the shock, Sakamoto raised her hand to slap Nobara. "You insolent wrench!"

Nobara stopped her hand and squeezed it firmly, causing Sakamoto to flinch. "I'm not called the Ice Princess for nothing," she said. "I've been lenient with you all these years. You're lucky that I'm so nice or else you and your friends wouldn't be here anymore." She released Sakamoto's hand as she released an icy mist around the room.

The other two girls started to tremble, while Sakamoto remained angry. "You don't scare me, Ibaragi!!!" She activated her Alice of Telekinesis and lifted the teacher's table with her mind. "Take this!"

Releasing sharp icicles from her hand, Nobara destroyed the table in mid-air. "Do you girls want to know why I'm in the Dangerous Ability Class?" she questioned, releasing more of her energy around the room. Behind the girls appeared two ice dolls that looked exactly like Nobara. "You don't get to be in that class if you're weak, you know." She smirked maliciously.

The three girls freaked out, releasing an ear-splitting shriek, and quickly exited the room as if it was on fire.

The Ice Princess sighed and deactivated her Alice. As her normal personality returned, she smiled to herself. I finally did it. I managed to stand up for myself. It feels wonderful. She glanced at the field through the window and saw Sakamoto and her friends running away from the building like maniacs. But I do feel sorry for them. Still, I want to be friends with them, instead of being enemies.

To be continued…

Omake Chapter 1: My First Valentine

Febuary 14 is Valentines Day—a worldwide celebration of love and romance, marked by giving roses and chocolates or by sending valentines. This day is also known as Saint Valentines Day and it is certainly a boom for greeting card companies, flowers shops, and chocolate shops. Valentines Day is a high point for courtly love.

When I was growing up, Valentines Day meant nothing to me. In February, I felt no special love from my parents. They used to show me so much care. But something dreadful happened to me. Before my sixth birthday, black marks have unexpectedly appeared all over my body. Because of this, my mother became very protective of me. She always made it a point to tell me she loves me with all her heart. However, I soon realized that deep down she was actually disgusted of me. When I was eight, my dear mother killed herself. Thus, my father turned into a cold man, as he blamed me for his wife's death. Since then, I've grown to become a cold and hardhearted boy. No one from my family wanted to be with me because of the curse. I spent two years relying on no one but myself. It was painful to be alone. My world was full of nothing but darkness.

But someone special came into my life—some whose smile shone like the sun. She became my light, my source of joy and hope. She pulled me out of the darkness and showed me the beauty of life. She taught me to love again and to open up to others. It was because of her that I became I better person.

"The sight of you being alone worries me a lot..." Her voice was so tender. I remember looking up at those lovely pair of amber orbs for the first time when I was ten years old. "Aren't you lonely?"

Sakura Yuka—that was her name. I could never ever forget that fateful day. But she wasn't the only person who helped me with my problems. There was also Imai Subaru, who happens to be my best friend now. He was the first to get close to Yuka-san and I kind of envied their closeness. Whenever Yuka-san was not around, I would usually torment Imai just for my own entertainment. But, even though we didn't get along at first, we ended up as great friends thanks to Yuka-san.

Yuka-san would go to great heights just to protect me. As she discovered that I was simply a carrier of the curse, she quickly helped me mend my broken relationship with my father. Of course, I refused to do so at first, but Yuka-san made me realize the importance of family. Yuka-san had done so much for me, so I wanted to repay her somehow.

I waited for February 14 the way children did for Christmas. For someone who had never celebrated Valentines Day, I was quite excited. When the day came, I've received a lot of chocolates from the girls at school. Well, Imai received about the same amount as I did, but I find his annoyed expression rather amusing. Some chocolates revealed French vanilla creams, decadent coconut and slick licorice. Others were pure chocolate truffles and milk chocolate hearts. When I got home, I gave some chocolates to the maids and butler. After that, I went straight to the main mansion to visit Yuka-san.

She was waiting for me at her huge room. Sitting at the table by the window, eating a slice of chocolate cake, Yuka looked very pleased as she admired the Sakura-shaped chocolate cookies on the platter. I felt lucky to see such an expression. She greeted me with the biggest heart-shaped box of chocolates I had ever seen. She gave me a hug, a kiss, and a Valentine's card. I remember blushing beet red because of that. I spent the night at Yuka-san's room and slept right next to her on the king-sized bed. Once again I felt lucky to be with her. It was the best Valentine Day I've ever had.

I was dateless on Valentines Day four years ago. Yuka was busy with her modeling career and I had no interest in other girls. Truth to be known, my first love was Yuka-san. I find it hard to fall in love with another girl. Yuka-san was so special to me. But a certain six-year old girl sure lightened up my spirits on that day. In the place of Yuka, the little princess named Mikan came up to me and gave me her homemade chocolate truffles. The chocolates were deformed and it tasted very bitter, but I was touched by the girl's effort.

"Nii-san, otou-san told me that I should give chocolates to the important guys in my life," she said that in a very cheerful tone. "I love nii-san very much. That's why I baked chocolates for you. I'm sorry if it's not that good."

The taste wasn't to my liking, but it was the thought that counts. I felt honored that I was loved by such a gentle girl with a smile like Yuka-san's. Well, no surprises there because Mikan-san was Yuka-san's daughter. Instead of going on a date with Yuka-san on that day, I spent Valentines with Mikan-san. It was the first Valentines I had with the princess and I could never forget it.

The End

JC: I finally introduced the first side-story. I'm sorry but I'm really fond of Sakurano and Mikan as a couple. Age is not a factor anymore. Take Yuka and Yukihira for example—age didn't stop them from loving each other. I had to write about Nobara too, because I can't leave her hanging. Nobara will play a valuable role soon, so I had to make her and Mikan close. The curse is pushing Natsume's jealousy to a point that he might hurt somebody. What will happen next? Find out in the next chapter. Please leave some good feedbacks. No flaming please.

Next Chapter: "Sakura no Mizo Shiru Sekai" (The World Only Sakura Knows)