CHANGES & KISSES

Chapter 5

Natsume was lying on his bed lifting the bracelet against the light. He stared at the two hearts wherein the names Mikan and Natsume were scripted at the back of each heart.

What the hell was I thinking! Why did I buy this bracelet for that idiot? And why the hell did I even asked the store clerk to engrave our names on the bracelet?

He sighed. No way I'm going to give this to her!

Mikan and Ruka began to go out more often since then, that people began to murmur whenever they are together.

"Are they already a couple?"

"I'm not sure, but I always see them together."

"Ohhhh, they looked good together, don't you think?"

Yeah, they do. Natsume felt the familiar ache whenever he sees the two special people in his life together. Now, where does that leave me? He put his hand into his pocket and gripped at the charm bracelet. He couldn't explain it but whenever he touches the bracelet, he felt better. It became his remedy whenever he felt that sudden attack of jealousy and pain.

Natsume began to become more withdrawn. He began to accept more dangerous missions as a way to forget the emptiness he felt…

Two months passed…

Mikan was quite in a gloomy mood that morning. She and Ruka returned to the Central Town yesterday after she had decided that she's going to buy the charm bracelet. She just couldn't get it out of her mind. She began saving her money in order to buy it, but the bracelet was already gone by the time they arrived at the store.

"WHAT? Somebody had already bought it?", Mikan cried.

"Well… yes. I'm not sure when that was… ahm… I think 6 weeks ago or maybe about 2 months ago.", the store clerk said, scratching his head. "It was… eh… a boy wearing a cap. But I couldn't remember his face or his name. I think he bought it for his girlfriend…"

Mikan sighed. She remembered it was already two months after she last went to that store. Well, it was quite hard to come up with such an amount considering she's only a One Star.

"Damn! I really want that bracelet!"

"Shut up. You're looking like a real idiot talking to yourself like that."

Mikan turned and her spirits were up again at the sight of her best friend.

"Hotaru!"

Hotaru pointed the Baka Gun at her and warned. "Don't come near me if you don't want to be injured.", she said with the same emotionless voice.

"Hotaru, you're so mean!"

"By the way, is Ruka already your boyfriend?", Hotaru asked.

"WHAT?"

"You heard that Mikan. You're not deaf.", Hotaru said quite irritated.

"I know. But what made you say that?", Mikan asked.

"People are talking. You're always with him, so what do you think they would assume?"

"Well, I never really thought about it. B-but... Ruka… he did confess to me, you know…", Mikan said, with her head bent, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh… I see.", was all Hotaru said. Mikan looked up and saw that there was something weird with her expression.

Did I just saw something like sadness in her eyes? No way! Hotaru is not someone to show any kind of weakness like that., Mikan thought.

"Hotaru, why…"

"I have to go, Mikan.", she turned to leave. "I have several projects to finish. See you around."

Hotaru is really acting weird. She seemed disturbed. Well, maybe it's because of her new inventions. Now that Hotaru was gone, she remembered her previous predicament.

"Damn! I really want that bracelet!"

Goodness! I should have changed the title of this story to something related to that bracelet if I had thought of it at the start! Anyway, thank you guys for your reviews - emrevolemina, Llamas Are Sexy, nikkiru, Nils. I'm really glad you like my fic. :-)

By the way, I wrote Fluff Puffs since that was what thecandy wascalled in the Animax version of Gakuen Alice (Alice Academy). I'm not sure what it was called in the original Japanese version. :-)