A/N: Possible OOC.

03 Amethysts

The gate opened and Mikan stood with her head held down embarrassingly. She stood there, not taking a single step inside the school ground. She closed her legs together and twiddled with her fingers. The aura she's seeing right now before her eyes was not a good sign.

"That's one hour detention after school for you, Sakura." A cold voice sternly came.

Mikan looked up and her browns gazes met with a pair of amethyst ones looking directly at her. Hotaru used her last name. That means she didn't like what Mikan had done. Mikan pouted. "But Hotaru, I promised to pick You-chan up after school!" she whined. "I can't be stuck in detention after class!"

"Then next time, put it inside that pea brain of yours to arrive early for class. Not two hours late!" Hotaru scolded her. She had placed her hands on her hips and was tapping her foot on the ground. Honestly, she couldn't keep covering her up. It felt so wrong even if that baka was her best friend. People would be telling they're abusing their powers.

"What's your reason this time?"

Mikan played with the end of her skirt. She looked nervously at her best friend. "Errr.. You-chan forgot his student ID card so I went back to deliver it to him." She saw Hotaru's eyes scarily bulged at her. Mikan gulped and swore her liver just shrunk three times smaller in a very terrifying manner.

"You went back to that god forsaken place!?" Hotaru bellowed.

Mikan felt now her entire body was shrinking to a tiny size. If it was possible, she felt like a midget now under Hotaru's furious gaze. She took a step back. "It's inevitable. You-chan goes there now," she squeaked. Man she's so scared right now. Even defending herself seemed like a really bad idea right now.

"And why the effing hell are you dumb enough to enroll him into that place?" she growled.

Mikan took another step back guiltily. "Otou-san insisted so I had no choice. I couldn't do anything about it. He still thinks it's a great school despite what had happened." She paused and silently added, "And uncle was very thrilled to have him there."

Hotaru placed her hands on her chest and scoffed audibly. "Of course that old man thrilled to have him there. Youichi is your father's kid. Obviously he can't say no. But that old man would kick Youichi out too soon."

"Hotaru! Don't be so mean. He won't kick You-chan out!" Mikan stomped her feet, cheeks puffing out.

Hotaru stared at her, hoping that the brunette did not forget what had happened to them both. "He kicked you out." Her gaze turned forlorn. "He kicked us all out."

Mikan's gaze softened. "Hotaru," she whispered softly. She too, didn't forget what happened years ago. But that didn't mean they should still dwell on the past. Look what they had gone through and they already went this far. And many good things that they didn't expect, happened. If they had stayed there, none of these good things would ever occurred to them.

Mikan watched her best friend silently. Hotaru still held a grudge it seemed. Though years had passed and that used-to-be-a-solid-thick grudge had now lessened and changed to a mild one, a grudge is still a grudge.

Hotaru's short raven hair bobbed as she shook her head. She ran a hand through her pixie cut hair out of habit. She's pushing the ugly thoughts away and looked at her best friend. Now facing the real problem here. "Did anyone see you?"

Ah shit.

Mikan cursed inside her head. A size of a mountain rocked had just fall on top of her head. Unknowingly, she picked up her old habit again when she's nervous.

Hotaru quickly caught up with Mikan's action when she started twiddling again; this time with her shirt. Hotaru groaned. "Who saw you, Mikan?" Her voice raised higher, "God, who?!"

Mikan fliched and her timid voice came. "I asked Anna-chan for help. I asked her to get the card to You-chan."

Hotaru's eyes bulged once again. "Umenomiya? She's the vice-president of that damn academy, Mikan!" The steam rapidly went out from her head. She started pacing back and forth, once in awhile tossing panic glances at Mikan. "She works with that blonde Nogi in the council! What if she opened her mouth to that ugly gay foreigner!? That guy is a member of Eye Candy!"

"Yeaah, speaking of that…"Mikan's trailed words got Hotaru's attention snapped at her. Hotaru had stopped pacing and now fully looking at her, like really looking at her. Oh boy, this isn't good. Mikan inched back. Hotaru took a step forward. "Speaking of what, Mikan?" Her voice was dangerously low. The cannibal mood was on.

Mikan continued taking steps back and Hotaru, on the other hand, continued her advance. A tiger was eyeing her prey, it seemed. "Well, about the Eye Candy?" Mikan raised her brows. She shakily took another step back when Hotaru already sent her death glares. She bit her lower lip. "Err.. I.. I.. bumped into.. Natsume Hyuuga when I was climbing down the wall gate."

"YOU EFFING WHAT!?" Hotaru fumed.

Mikan blinked and slowly turned around. I need to find a safe place to hide before Hotaru blows up. "Err, yeah maybe I should just head home for now." She lifted up her foot and readied for a sprint when her bag suddenly was grabbed from the back. Her tracks were immediately stopped. She gulped and felt like bile was stuck inside her sore throat.

She sent a silent prayer to the God for her safety and slowly turned around. Hotaru had her eyes blazing at her. And even if it's impossible, Mikan could feel the sudden dark aura that surrounded them, like a black mist. Adding up a black robe and a scythe, she's close enough to be a grim reaper right now. Mikan shuddered at the thought of it. She felt the air suddenly thickened somehow.

"You're not going anywhere till you tell me exactly what happened," Hotaru hissed. She let go Mikan's bag and placed her hands firmly on her chest again. She raised her brows at her impatiently. "Well?" Mikan took it as her cue to start talking. And she did. Slowly. She chose her words carefully this time.

"Okay. Hmm. Yeah so.. Err I bumped into him when I was climbing down the gate. He.. He knew I was breaking in but.. Instead of turn me in, he somehow helped me.." she trailed of. "BUT!" Mikan quickly held her hands to her front, defending herself. "I don't think he recognized me." She halted and cursed. Remembering again that Hyuuga had indeed checked her out, there was a tiny possibility that he might recognized her. She muttered under her breath, "Probably."

Mikan shut her eyes tightly, scared to the Hotaru's respond. She knew Hotaru heard the last part. Hotaru's listening ability was super good it scared her sometimes. Just like how a tiger can listen to its prey's movement many feet away. So she expected a blow up from her. But nothing came. No curses. No yelling and screaming. No scolding. Nothing.

Mikan peeked under her eyelashes and was surprised to look at Hotaru's calm face. Surprisingly, the girl was now back to human form. The scythe and the robe had been thrown away, disappeared into thin air and apparently the grim reaper had decided that today wasn't a good day to take away Mikan Sakura's life. Mikan silently thanked the god for sparing her life another day to live.

"Hotaru?"

"Stay away from that blasted Hyuuga from now on." Her cold voice returned.

That's a warning she's giving me. Mikan gulped.

"Do you understand me, Mikan?" she pressed.

Mikan nodded her head in understatement. When Hotaru finally turned around and started walking towards the school building, Mikan's shoulder sagged in relief. It's finally over. A heavy breath escaped her lips. Man, that was a close death wish she faced there.

She loved Hotaru. She did. So much. And she felt gratitude for her concern and overprotective vibe. But Hotaru could be so damn scary sometimes. It scared her shitless nonetheless.

Mikan silently followed from behind. She stepped into the school ground and ran after her. They finally walked in the same pace together.

"Where are you going, Hotaru?"

"I'm heading for the staffroom."

"Why? Why aren't you going to class?"

"The forms from the committee meeting, I have to hand them in today. Someone forgot to turn them yesterday after school." She glared at Mikan.

Mikan looked away guiltily. "Gomen-ne Hotaru. You-chan arrived yesterday and I was so excited I forgot everything." She smiled sheepishly.

Hotaru sighed and shook her head. She glanced at her dear best friend whom she had befriended for ten years now. "I keep wondering how you managed to do your work properly when you were a kaichou back in the academy."

"You must had tossed all your work to Ogasawara a lot," she snickered.

Mikan pouted at her tease. "That's mean, Hotaru! I did a great job as Alice Academy kaichou. And everyone knew that!"

Hotaru laughed. She intertwined her fingers with Mikan's and as they walked together, their hands swung. Just like when they were kids.

"Of course you did. And everyone love your for that." Hotaru smiled.

TBC.