Author's Note: It's almost the end of Head Over Heels, probably around 3 more chapters including the epilogue? And I have another important af test next Monday, keeeel me T_T

Disclaimer: I will never own Gakuen Alice, except maybe in my dreams.

Head Over Heels

Chapter 26: Clang

Hotaru looked blankly at Mikan, who was hitting her head with her palm.

"What do you mean it's gone?" She asked.

"A tech guy came to replace it, saying something about viruses. I just wasn't paying attention..."

"It's definitely Shina's work." Hotaru nodded. "So... What are you going to do now?"

Mikan shook her head, dejected. She was at a loss now. Whatever hope she had had been completely crushed.

"I bet my Kate Spade bag that the hard disk is with Shina. If I could just sneak into her office or room or something..." She wanted to pull out her hair in frustration. "Or have some kind of spy like in the movies..."

"That's it!" Hotaru burst out, making Mikan's eyes widen. Hotaru rarely showed any expression, and only spoke in a cool, muted tone for the majority of the time. But here she was, exclaiming. Mikan couldn't help but feel another spark of hope.

"We'll get a spy," she declared. "Someone close to her, to find out where she keeps the hard disk and steal it. Well, not steal it, exactly, since she's the thief, not you."

"O...kay..." Mikan hedged. "But who?"

Her best friend just looked at her, her dark eyes boring into Mikan's brown ones. "Think, Mikan. Think. Who do you know who's close to her?"

Ridiculously enough, the only name that popped to Mikan's mind was Luna. She looked around the room for inspiration, her face scrunched up in concentration. She speared a piece of tomato and popped it into her mouth. She chewed so slowly that Hotaru started to look visibly annoyed.

"For God's sake. How did you even get to know Shina in the first place?"

Mikan almost choked on her food and she quickly gulped down a few mouthfuls of water.

"That's it!" Mikan yelled, as though she had just discovered what gravity was. "Reo! Reo Mouri!"

Hotaru nodded, her eyes glinting. "Exactly."

Mikan suddenly put down her chopsticks, a gloomy look darkening her face as the idea of enlisting her bastard ex-boyfriend's help sunk further. "Why would he even want to help me? He chose that bitch over me."

The mere thought of seeing his stupid face again made Mikan want to punch him so hard his veneered teeth fell out. Asking him for a favor would be as though she had forgiven him, and she most definitely had not.

"Now that's where you're wrong," Hotaru told her. "He's obviously still smitten with you. He told you back then, didn't he? He told you how the thing with Shina was just a mistake." Seeing the look of annoyance on Mikan's face starting to grow, Hotaru held up a palm. "I know it's a load of bullshit coming from a cheating bastard. But it's a good chance for you to take advantage of, isn't it, supposing he still has 'feelings' for you?" She put air quotes around the word 'feelings', rolling her eyes.

Mikan pondered over the idea. Getting the asshole's help and subjecting herself to the humiliation or being able to prove her innocence and get Natsume to believe her... Well, was there even a competition there? Her hand clenched around her glass of water, Mikan nodded. "I'll do it. I'll get Reo Asshole Mouri to help. I'll make sure he does."

~o~

Mikan took a deep breath as she pushed open the door of the Starbucks near Reo's workplace. This was where they had agreed to meet when she called him the previous night. She wanted to meet him and get this over and done with as soon as possible. That, plus the fact that she didn't think she could stand facing everyone at the office and being the target of endless questioning, made her call in sick today. Well, to her defence, she did feel kind of sick. Butterflies were swooping around in her stomach, her hands were clammy and she was sweating just at the thought of seeing Reo again. He had sounded so excited at the fact that Mikan called him yesterday and Mikan most definitely did not want him to get any ideas.

Stepping in, she inhaled the aroma of coffee and listened to the chatter of people talking over coffees and sandwiches. It was all so calming that for a moment, Mikan felt a lot better. Then, as she spotted Reo waving excitedly at her from a table at the back, the nauseous feeling was back.

She walked over as confidently as she could, trying not to show how much the sight of him hurt and made her feel sick. She had put on her most businesslike outfit today to make it clear that this whole thing was just a business arrangement and nothing more. Her black Armani suit, borrowed from Hotaru, pointy black pumps and slicked back hair practically screamed 'professional'.

"I missed you, babe. How have you been?" Reo grinned at her. He still looked the same as always, with his impeccably tousled auburn hair that Mikan knew he spent at least an hour on, trying to make it look as though it was effortlessly perfect.

The way he said it made Mikan's blood boil, but she just stayed aloof and gave him a brisk nod. "Good. I've been good." She wanted to throw in a few quips about how life was so much better without him, but she remembered she was trying to ask him for a favor, so she bit her tongue and sucked it up.

"I ordered a skinny vanilla latte for you," Reo told her with a self-satisfied smile as she sat down opposite him. "The usual for you, right?"

"Right," Mikan replied through gritted teeth. "Thank you."

"So what did you want to talk about?" Reo removed his sunglasses and looked at her intensely. "If it's about our relationship, I just want to say this again, Mikan. I love you. I really do. If you would just forgive me, I'll dump Shina right away. You're the one for me, you know that, right?"

Mikan looked speechlessly at him. Was he always this shameless?

"You would abandon your child? And the woman you got pregnant?" she demanded.

Reo rolled his eyes heavenwards. "Whatever. She can raise him, put him in an orphanage, whatever. I don't really care. And I'm only with Shina now because you don't want me, Mikan. I'm only going along with the flow, trying to placate her. But like I said, if you would take me back, I'll stop all contact with her."

Even though she hated Shina, she couldn't help but feel sorry for her, and angry on her behalf. Which kind of irresponsible bastard would just abandon his unborn child like that? Well, Reo Mouri, apparently.

"No, I'm not here to discuss this," Mikan said as calmly as she could. "I need a favor from you." She took a sip from her latte and eyed him. He toyed with the earring in his ear and raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I'll help you in any way I can. You're my girl, aren't you?"

Mikan wanted to shout "who the hell is your girl, you heartless creep?!" into his face and pour her coffee over his head, but why waste good coffee and an excellent opportunity to get what she wanted? She may not be the brightest, but she definitely wasn't dumb either.

"I'm certain Shina set me up," she told Reo. "She published an article in the papers under my name, but I most definitely didn't write that article. Now I'm in trouble over it."

A shocked expression passed over Reo's face. "You mean you'll get into trouble with your company and stuff?"

"Yeah." Mikan nodded, putting on her best damsel-in-distress face. "If the person mentioned decides to sue the company." Truthfully, that wasn't what Mikan was worried about. If she lost her job, so be it. She could always get another one. She loved working at the Tokyo Chronicles, that was for sure, but there were always other jobs out there. There was, however, only one Natsume Hyuuga, and she couldn't lose him. She couldn't tell Reo that, though. She knew how narcissistic and self-absorbed the man was. If he knew she was trying to use him to get another man, he would never agree to help.

It also helped that she knew for a fact he didn't know what article she was talking about. Never once had he picked up a book or the newspaper in all the time Mikan had known him. He was always the kind to pick up a mirror or hairspray instead of literary materials. Mikan had always been kind of irritated at him for that back when they were still dating, but now she was only grateful beyond words that her bastard ex was such an uncultured brute.

"You know how much I love my job," she went on, making her voice tremble as best as she could. She bit on her lip hard, trying to induce tears. "All my friends... the work... I couldn't bear being without them. And I couldn't bear being judged for something I most definitely didn't write."

She could see that Reo was wavering, so she went on, and even reached out to touch his clasped hands. "Please, Reo. You're the only one who can help me clear my name now. If you help me, you'd be my... hero."

It physically pained Mikan to say that, but she kept a straight face and looked earnestly at Reo.

"Aww, babe. You know I'd do anything to help you. What do I have to do?" Reo rubbed his thumb over Mikan's hand adoringly, and she tried to stifle the urge to flinch.

"You're close to Shina. Do you know where she keeps all her important work stuff?" Mikan prodded.

Reo furrowed his brows, thinking. "She has an office in her apartment. She never lets anyone into it without her permission, and she even has locks and safes and things like that. I would think that's where she keeps it."

"Can you help me find a hard disk? Shina stole it from my computer, and all the information I need to clear my name is there," Mikan said, unable to contain her excitement. "It's about this size, and grey in color, if that helps. Anyway, I'm sure she doesn't have too many hard disks lying around, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find... She doesn't look like the computer type, know what I mean?"

"A hard disk? I don't know... It would be a difficult job. I don't even know for sure where it is, or if it's under lock and key, how to get to it without her noticing..."

Mikan gritted her teeth in frustration. She knew it was a difficult job, but it was her last resort. She needed this to work.

"Please, Reo," she tried again. "Just try? I don't know... Maybe you could try spiking her drink or something?"

Mikan felt guilty for suggesting such a thing, but she thought about how she and her sister had humiliated her over and over again, and she stifled the feeling. Anyway, it wasn't as if she wanted Reo to put poison in her drink, for God's sake. Just something to make her woozy or unconscious or something. How bad could it be?

A Cheshire-like grin spread over his lips. "Well... I suppose I could try and get her drunk. She's really bad with alcohol, and she gets all confused and obedient when she's had too much to drink. And the best part is, she doesn't remember anything the next day."

"Perfect." Mikan breathed a sigh of relief. "So you would help me find it?"

"Of course." Reo flashed a smile, revealing a row of perfectly white and straight teeth.

"Could you try and get it to me in three days?" Mikan asked animatedly. "I really need it as soon as possible."

"Of course, babe." Reo smiled.

"Thank you so much. I can never thank you enough, Reo. Really."

"You didn't think I would agree to help without getting anything in return, did you?" The copper-haired man asked laughingly, taking a gulp of his coffee.

Mikan's smile dropped right off her face. Of course. This was Reo Mouri. The selfish, narcissistic bastard would never agree to help anyone without it benefiting himself.

"What do you want?"

"You'd agree to anything?" Reo continued smiling that infuriating smile, twisting the silver ring on his necklace around a finger.

"Anything," Mikan said firmly. Anything at all, to get Natsume to believe her.

"Well, then." Reo leaned forward, and the ring clanged against the tabletop. "Marry me."