A/N: This chapter is a little confusing to read but funny as hell. Hopefully, you'll like this new side of Natsume's. Also, sorry for the late update. I'm working on my college application and whatnot. I wanna study BA Lit. and hope to be an actual author someday and your reviews will help a lot so, please give me lots! I'm expecting many for this chap! Love you all! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice.

Three.

Ch 3 – Grab that Moosey!

Donning on Browyn's navy blue overalls and an off shoulder boat neck black crop top, I swagger with an extra bounce in my step towards the office building. On my way in, I grab a toolbox and a ladder from the janitor's closet.

Might as well get started on the moose mission. Wondering about how to push Natsume's buttons further, I grabbed the equipment and strode over to Natsume's office. Seeing as he isn't here yet, I left the door half open so that I'm not mistaken for a thief.

I stared at the animal wall and they stared right back at me. Sighing, I positioned the ladder by the dog head. Kicking off my Azzedine Alaia black lace up heels, and taking a deep breath, I slowly started climbing the ladder.

45 long minutes later:

Elk, Rhino, Elephant and most of the zoo wall is down and only a few remain. Such as the humungous Moose gawking back at me from the centre of the wall. I decided to get the enormous head off and that's it. I'm done for the day! The rest of the zoo can wait.

Using the screwdriver I started unscrewing the animal's head off one by one. When only one screw remained, I walked a few steps down the ladder to prevent myself from falling down.

Again, I started unscrewing the last bolt and once it was off, I pulled and tugged at the moose head trying to get it off the wall when suddenly, I wobble on the steps, and just as I'm about to fall down, I pushed myself forward and clutched at the side rails.

"Whoa! Damn it Moosey, you're gonna get me fired here!" I said angrily, composing myself before tugging at the moose's antlers but no luck whatever. It doesn't budge an inch. "What the hell is wrong with you?! *Groans*, Can't you come off as easily as your other animal friends?!" I commented, looping my arms around his neck and pulling hard.

"Ugh!" Again I grip both its antlers and push my long ponytail back and tug hard at the moose head when suddenly the ladder rocks and I reel backwards on the ladder, and tumble right into... "Ah! Aaah!"

Natsume Hyuuga's very strapping and very warm arms. Well at least it's better than breaking my neck in my boss's office, right?

He grunts softly as I fall right into the sanctuary of his sturdy arms. One hand wraps itself around my lower back while the other hand holds both my legs together by the backside of my thighs.

This is—this is really embarrassing, never mind that I might have hurt him too. His arms are firm but gentle, and I gasp inwardly when his fingers move a little over my waist, lightly grazing my exposed naked skin just ending below my crop top.

'Pull yourself together Mikan! He's just adjusting his grip on you.' I said to myself, trying to calm the heck down but the spot where he touched me burns a little. I feel tingly. My hand rests against his chest, my face just near his jaw.

I can feel his heart quietly hammer against my hand and I blush slightly, feeling my own heartbeat quicken at the near death incident. Or is it because of his body being so close to mine? Or how absolutely sweet he smells, regardless of his sour puss not to mention arrogant personality?!

I can't believe how right and totally safe being in his arms feels, in spite of the utter wrongness of the situation. God, I feel like an idiot...

I blinked up at him in perplexity, feeling suddenly out of place yet, not wanting him to let me down. I wanted to snuggle up to him, cradle him this very second.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his tone as cold as ever. When I looked up, oh god, his eyes were screaming bloody murder. "What the hell were you doing?!"

His deep voice resonates off the walls. His eyes are brooding and dark. I didn't feel like answering directly at his unfriendly tone. "What did it look like I was doing?! Wall art?!" He scoffed at the same time I did. "No, it looked exactly like what you were actually doing, Ms. Mikan."

"My assistant teetering idiotically on a ladder then falling right into my arms like a scene from a classic soap opera. Maybe, you should consider dramatizing as a career option next. It would save me the time and money at least!"

I scoffed. "Wow, now that would be upsetting for your delicate body. How are you taking it? Sure you'll not drop me?!" I teased mockingly with a glare in my eyes. "I think you'd already know the answer to that question." He replied simply.

And without another word, he carried me over to his desk, placing me on it.

"Are you okay?" He asked again, his red eyes a lot less annoyed now, and filled with another, unexpected emotion: Concern. "I'm fine." I replied blushing lightly as to how close I was to him.

"Well then, can you explain to me, why is it that you were doing the whole thing by yourself?!" He asked, again the concern in his eyes disappearing, as his voice rose a pitch higher.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait just a second. How dare you talk to me like that? Do you see those over there?" I gestured to the rest of the animal populace I'd successfully pulled out of the wall.

"I got all of those down by myself, on my own, no assistance whatsoever mister! So don't go pulling that 'women are weak' card on ME!" I said, poking his chest hard with something I didn't see before in my hand.

We both looked down to see that I'd pulled out the Moose's antler out of its hinges. "Here! If you want further proof of my abilities!" I said shoving the antler into his arms. "Oof!" He jerked back a little as I flung the heavy antler at him.

He sighed a little as I glared at him, still seated on his desk. "I didn't mean it in that way. You're the one who said it yourself, right? Those heads weigh more than a ton! So, why were you removing them by yourself?" He asked, setting the antler down.

"Oh really? It's ok if a man does the same work on his own yet you choose to be an opinionated jackass when a woman does it?!" I yelled out, furious. Natsume wasn't someone I pegged to be a chauvinistic jerk. "I didn't say that! You could've gotten hurt! And... What did you just call me?" He asked, his eyes growing wide.

"An... Opinionated... Jackass!" I replied deliberately in a slow manner, my voice an aggravated timbre. "Who'd have thought?! Natsume Hyuuga who's been included in the Forbes list of the world's wealthiest people, competing against all his rivals to come out on top is actually, in fact, a chauvinistic jerk!"

"Now wait just a second, I never said anything about—" A look of disbelief crossed Natsume's eyes, as he tried his level best to clear the misunderstanding. He'd really only been concerned about her life. She could have died if he'd arrived any later...

"Oh please. Save it for someone who believes you, your majesty! You must be in a devastating state of conflict with your pride, right?! Seeing as your beloved subject declined to lick your shoes and kiss your ass like the rest of your staff!" I accused as he stood tongue tied.

As I jumped off of the desk and walked towards the door, I felt Natsume's eyes on me. "Ms. Mikan?" His voice was small and well, gentle but firm as if he just issued an order. I turned around, crossing my arms against my chest.

"What?!" I asked, glaring at him hard, fully expecting a 10 minutes long speech for an apology. Let's just say the answer I got didn't exactly meet my expectations.

"Can you..." He coughed a little running his eyes up and down my body. "Not wear such revealing garments to work? It's distracting to say the least, and I don't value distractions or anything that effectively slows down work in my office."

I blinked. This man... Is he for real?! He's not even gonna apologize and instead, he is gonna comment on how revealing and distracting my "attire" is? Seriously?!

When I looked up at him, I saw no regret, no laughter, just nothingness in his eyes. He was dead serious. I felt anger pool into my senses like fireworks ready to burst.

"They're called overalls. What else did you expect me to be dressed in when I'm taking down animal heads from your wall?! A leather skirt?! And if it bothers you that much, then pluck your eyes out or something, 'cause I'm not gonna change for something so trivial, you—you—You fucking perverted asshole!"

I yelled and slammed the door in his face, flipping my tresses back as I walked out, my head held high. That man could go to hell for all I care!

(Poor) Natsume's P.O.V:

I don't get it... What did I say?!

She called me an asshole... An asshole! I've never been called that in my life. Hell, I've never been cussed upon up until today.

I don't understand what happened. I was worried about her. She could have died in my office! But instead of saying thank you like a normal employee would, the woman called him an asshole and slammed the door.

Wasn't he supposed to be the boss here?

What the hell is happening in this office?! And what part of revealing did she not understand? It's not like I was saying she was looking like a prostitute. But for some reason, ever since she'd come, all the male employees in my company seem to have grown a second head.

The second I walked in, all I could hear was murmurs of how sexy Mikan Yukihira looked in overalls and how sexy she'd look without it. The murmurs stopped when they found me behind them, glaring a hole through their perverted worthless heads.

I fired two employees this morning thanks to her dressing skills. And instead of nodding and looking embarrassed that I called her out, she gave me sass and asked me to pluck my eyes out instead.

She called me a perverted asshole.

I'm still blinking due to the shock when my phone rings. I blink out of my shock and reached for my phone. Without looking at the screensaver, I swiped my finger over the green button. "Hello?"

Youichi Hijri's voice, silky and silvery, rang into my ears. He was a family friend at this point and I considered him more or less like my younger brother.

"Hey, your father's back in town. And he wanted to see you. Like, right now." He said immediately without keeping up the formalities. I nodded jadedly. For some reason, I don't want to meet my father right now. For some reason, I'm annoyed as fuck.

"Tell him I'm busy." I replied briefly but before I could cut the call, Youichi spoke again. Sometimes I wonder how Aoi found herself a friend as level headed as him. I can talk to the guy better than I can talk to my own father or sister. That's Aoi. My pesky little sister.

"I would, since you sound really messed up for some reason but he insists." He said calmly. I sighed looking out the window, my mind still hung up over my secretary's words.

"I'll be there for lunch. He can take it or leave it!" I replied impatiently. "Whoa! What's got your ass up a stick?" Youichi asked and I wondered if I should tell him. I really needed the advice.

Mikan Yukihira was a work of art, after all.

The kind of brutal art that is beautiful inside and out but you can't figure out a shit out of it. And me? Well, I'm fucked. The woman's practically insane.

If it wasn't for her remarkable profile, (Yes, her file is extraordinary to the point that I almost assumed that she stole or forged it up to get the job.) I would've thought she broke free out of the mental asylum.

But here we are. He looked to the far corner of his office where animal heads sat on the floor, as if mocking him. And then to the antler of the Moose head that she'd brutally flung into his arms.

"Are you free?" I asked running my finger over my desk. I blushed thinking about how she'd been sitting on it and how the spot where she sat was still warm. I could still smell her heady cologne in the air.

It's not like her perfume was deep and strong but it had that unforgettable spicy sweet fragrance to it. The kind that etched into your mind even after fading. Much like the woman who wore it.

Mikan Yukihira was like that. She haunted your mind and infiltrated your thoughts even after she'd left. But no matter how much you utterly despised the woman, you can't deny the fact that the woman was... Something else.

"I feel like I'm the male version of girl gossip whenever you say that." I could feel Youichi smiling and smiled too, sparsely. He was smarter, and way sharper than anyone I'd ever met.

"Yeah well, this one's been riding me up a pole and it's more or less driving me out of my mind." I heard a short laugh on the other line. Hell, even a dog would bark at him just to mock him if it heard THE Natsume Hyuuga saying that.

"Someone's driving YOU out of your mind? That's a first." He said and as much as Natsume had wanted to punch a wall to soothe his frustrations, he had swallowed up his anger.

"You think?! Well, are you free or not?" He asked. Now that he'd gotten the problem out of his lips, he was impatient as hell to finally put an end to it.

"Yeah, sure, I guess. Does that mean I can eat lunch at your place?" Youichi asked with a hint of excitement in his voice. "Stay over if you bloody want to. I honestly don't care." He replied not in the mood for jokes.

"Yeah okay, I see this is serious. See you at lunch then." Youichi's tone was pitiful, something he hated. He hated being pitied. "Like I have a choice!" Natsume replied arrogantly and heard Youichi's colourful laughter on the other line before hanging up.

Lunch at the Hyuuga's.

Natsume cracked his neck, seated on the sofa. Working for 5 hours without a break had proved to be exhausting, shockingly. Working always cheered him up.

But for some reason, today he just couldn't focus on anything he did. His secretary's words swirled in his head, particularly the cuss words.

She'd acted absolutely boorishly with him. Every time he asked for a file or coffee, the woman wouldn't meet his eyes and her brows would always be furrowed into a cold, hard scowl and she would stare at the wall. She didn't talk a damn word all day long to him.

It started to bother him a little when she slammed the coffee tray on his desk, not bothering whatsoever to hand him the mug. He even complimented her to see if it would stop her from acting so absurdly. "It's better than yesterday." He'd said with a neutral face while sipping the coffee.

He expected her to smile annoyingly or burst into giggles like a 3 year old or even call him 'Nat' like usual. Instead, the woman scowled out the window even more annoyed, like he didn't exist.

He must have been the first boss to have complimented his secretary on a coffee. And the first boss to compliment her further when she seemed dissatisfied. "Uhh, good work." He'd said hoping she would stop acting so... Strangely already.

But no. Instead of saying thanks or nodding or meeting his eyes, the woman bent down, picked up the tray and gripped it so hard, her knuckles turned white and turned to leave without a backward glance.

When she left, she slammed the door so hard on his face that Natsume was almost startled by the force and sound of it. He blinked unable to understood what he did to deserve such a treatment.

And why he wasn't able to say anything to it. He was the CEO here, after all. He shouldn't have to tolerate such behaviour. But every time he tried to talk to her, she acted like she was staring up into space or her head was in the clouds.

He sighed in absolute defeat, recalling his prior attempts to talk to her. "Are you listening to me, Ms. Mikan?" He asked and she'd stared blankly at the file in front of her. "Can you speak up at least?" He had asked.

Finally, she'd reached for a pen, (Without meeting his eyes) and started scribbling on the edge of a rough paper (Again, like he didn't fucking exist) "Ms. Mikan!" His patience was beginning to wear thin with her attitude.

She'd got up from her chair at his words so quickly, he was almost afraid she'd fall. But she'd taken the file and walked out without a second glance. Again, slamming the door after her.

Natsume sighed, wondering if his office doors would be able to take more of this. His eyes flew to the paper and just out of curiosity; he picked it up, reading its contents.

He felt somehow worthless and hollow inside when he read the words, 'Asshole', 'I wish this guy would fuck off', 'My boss is a total nut job', and many other crude cuss words about him written on the small paper in neat and beautiful cursive writing.

And for some reason, instead of ripping it and throwing it in the dustbin, he'd kept it in desk drawer. By lunch, he was exhausted. Thoroughly. Work had never tired him. In fact, he was known all over the world for the fact that he could work like a machine.

But today, oh today, he felt like lying dead on his couch or bed. Whichever he found first. Youichi found him the second he'd collapsed on the couch. (He found it first.)

"Tired much?" He asked, handing him a glass of water. Natsume had groaned like a 3 year old asked to stop playing. But for the opposite cause. He had wanted to drink the water desperately but found himself too lazy to get up from his current position.

"Try dead beat." He said, his voice sounded like a woman's. A woman after she'd just finished giving birth to her first baby. That's how he sounded. And he felt just as pathetic about it.

Youichi laughed which further annoyed his already annoyed self. "Who are you and what did you to Aoi's brother?" He asked mockingly to which Natsume didn't respond, secretly wishing for some magical force to stitch his bloody mouth up.

"Did you say brother?" A chirpy voice asked and before he could even lift his eyes, someone jumped on his poor, frail body as Youichi leapt out of the way, his gray eyes amused as hell watching Natsume let out a moan like a wounded animal.

"Uhhh... Ugh..." His body slumped as Aoi hugged him from behind. "Get... OFF... me! Aoi... Please!" He said pushing her off as Aoi got off immediately, letting him sleep on the couch. "What's wrong? What happened?" She asked worriedly.

Youichi laughed as he squatted on the floor, in level with Natsume's eyes. "Haha... Whoever they are, he or she must be something if they got to you this badly."

Natsume glared at him silently. "Who? What's happening?! Are you okay? Are you hurt?!" Aoi asked and a part of him welled up with happiness at how concerned his sister was for him. She almost looked scared. "I'm fine..." He said, ruffling the soft, short hair of his adorable sister.

"Just tired. Awfully tired." He replied, lying on his back, looking to the ceiling as he closed his eyes, taking in deep breaths.

"Now that's a rare sight." His eyes fluttered open at the rich, bottomless sound of his father. He saw that the man had considerably grown older, his hair was growing white around his temples yet he seemed so cheerful.

Beside him was his ever beautiful mother, Kaoru Hyuuga, the envy of most women. He let out a weary sigh and forced himself to sit up. He nodded at his father, out of reverence. The kind of respect that every boy held for his father.

"How are you?" He asked as his father sat down next to him. "Just fine. You, however, almost look sick. Long day at work?" His father, Ioran Hyuuga, asked.

All eyes were on Natsume as the day's events flashed through his eyes, particularly his secretary's peculiar behaviour. He didn't know how he felt. He didn't just feel tired. He felt oddly restless.

Like, although he was exhausted, he had this abnormal desire in him to go back to the office. Natsume wondered why. "No... I'm fine. It's just the heat." He replied, refusing to show any sort of weakness in front of his father and mother.

His mother, however, was the absolute opposite of his father's calm and easy going personality. She was forever on her feet and smiled broadly as she sat next to him.

"Oh Natsume, you should've come with us! The Maldives are astounding!" Kaoru Hyuuga, unbelievably his mother, said.

Natsume scrunched as he replied: "Yeah, no thanks. I wouldn't have wanted to be the obvious 3rd wheel between you both." He replied as images of his parents doing things popped in his mind, disgusting him. "Ahem. You are staying for lunch, yes?" His father asked aptly.

"Do I have a choice?" He asked with a thin smile. "I would say you do, since someone in the office was driving you out of your miiiind." Youichi added, cutting in on the conversation out of nowhere. Natsume rolled his eyes, although the back of his neck heated up when he thought of his secretary and her antics since she joined.

"Who?" Aoi asked in between before Natsume could reply. And again, before he could react, Youichi beat him to it. "Apparently someone in the office is the reason for the state of your son. But, probably considering Natsume, a new recruit just didn't print out the files properly or came late to work." Youichi said casually.

Natsume scoffed, laughing mockingly. "See that's where you're wrong. She's an exceptional employee. She's efficient to a fault." He said as Aoi widened her eyes. "Holy crap! Did he just compliment somebody?" She asked as Natsume rolled his eyes.

"What's the problem then?" Youichi asked, his parents listening with an amused interest as Natsume's anger flared. "She PERSISTS on annoying me!" He said.

"While the work she does is unparalleled and she's probably the best employee I've had, her attitude is beyond exasperating. I feel like banging my head on a wall." He let out his frustrations in one fell sweep, startling everyone.

"Err... How so?" Youichi asked, amused as hell but he didn't want to anger Natsume either. The man seemed ready to explode should someone press the right buttons.

"One, she insists on fiddling around my stuff in the office! Two, she insists again on conversing with me ONLY in military dialect! Three, she talks back to me like she's the one who owns the office, not me! Four, she relies on her "sources" to do her work which are related to me. Did you know, she added 7 cubes to my coffee just cause she heard that I preferred a sweet tooth?!" Natsume was literally yelling now at his unsuspecting brother.

"And the worst part is, when I asked her to take that atrocity out of my office, she dropped the freaking coffee on my..." Natsume stopped himself, biting his lips at the painful memory and also because Aoi was present.

Biting back what he was gonna say, instead he added: "…Pants… And laughed at my face later. Today was even worse!" He said grumbling with a bad-tempered impatience.

"She almost killed herself this morning! And when I saved her by chance, instead of thanking me, she became all feminist and called me an opinionated jackass and a perverted asshole!" He shouted, breathing heavily, his red eyes lighting up like fireworks on a starless night.

It was a very different sight for the Hyuuga family considering their son was as calm as a koala. He never shouted or yelled or whined and definitely not about a woman no less.

"All day long, she didn't speak a word to me and refused to meet my eyes! When I tried to talk to her about it, she gave me the cold shoulder and acted like I didn't even exist, staring at the wall! I COMPLIMENTED A FUCKING COFFEE! ME! I didn't even compliment my team for getting us that Milan project!"

"But no! Instead of doing anything a normal person would do, she picked up the tray and slammed my own door in my face! When I tried to talk to her again about it, she pretended to be lost in her dreams and when I called her out, she started scribbling cuss words about me on a rough paper. When I called her again, she got up and left. Slamming the damn door again!"

"Tell me, how am I supposed to NOT be out of my mind when there's a budding lunatic in my office as my secretary?!" He asked Youichi, his red eyes making him look like a murder hungry demon.

Youichi back away, shifting in his seat almost afraid. Natsume, as if realizing he was frightening the poor boy, calmed down, feeling so much later after getting all his frustrations out in the open.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to lash out at you." He said, rubbing his temple. "I don't think I'm gonna join you for lunch after all. You guys go ahead. I'll be in my room if you need me." Natsume said, smiling wearily and apologetically to Youichi and Aoi before leaving the living room.

Deadly silence prolonged in the living room at what just took place in the always peaceful Hyuuga household. Everybody blinked, unable to understand what just took place.

"WHOA." Aoi was the first one to speak.

"I second that WHOA." Youichi said after her, grinning widely. "I definitely gotta meet this woman." He said to which Aoi giggled, nodding along.

"Well, shall we discuss it over lunch?" Kaoru Hyuuga said, as the Aoi and Youichi nodded excitedly. "Bon appétit."

Hey guys! I love you all for the constant comments and views for my stories! Check out my new story "Bride and the Beast" too. It's a little different from the usual, and Mikan is more imperfect than perfect which makes her even more adorable to the eye. But I'll let you decide that. Thanks for liking this story!