Disclaimer: I don't own anything affiliated with Gakuen Alice.

Warning: Characters are quite OOC.

……

Photographs

Fifteen-year-old Imai Hotaru woke up with rays of golden sunlight beaming on her face. She squinted her eyes to adjust to the sudden light. It was a fine day. Another day of blackmailing her favorite guy…

She crawled out of the sheets and reluctantly climbed out of the bed. Then she yawned as she stood up and let her eyes travel around her room. There were pictures of a blond boy in his teens here and there. Some were simply posted on the wall, some were on the floor, some were framed… She liked the idea of having his images in her dear room, but she felt like a stalker or something of that sort. So she decided to give all those photographs to their owner. They're just copies anyway, she had the negatives. And she decided that his task for that day was to become her slave for the whole day. She smirked.

Hotaru took a quick shower and grabbed her uniform. After putting them on, she clutched a comb with one hand and proceeded to the mirror. Those violet orbs of the person staring back at her were solemn, dull and almost lifeless; her short black tresses reached the end of her neck. She couldn't help but muse. Is there still a chance that he would like her despite her total boringness? After some time of inspecting her own reflection, a soft tap on the door brought her to her senses. Wondering who it could be, she walked to the door and twisted the knob open, only to find the guy she was just thinking about standing before her.

"What are you doing here?" she shot him with those stoic eyes.

"Just wondering if you had already decided to give me those pictures of mine," his gray steel-like orbs were glistening and wonderful to stare at, she could hold his gaze forever.

"I did."

"And I bet there's a consequence," he stated, a hand scratching the back of his head.

"Correct again," she responded, then she handed him her backpack and the books she held, "you'll be my slave for today."

"What?!" the blonde's eyes bulged out of their sockets. "That's unfair! You'll make my day a living hell!" was the shouted protest.

"But the reward will be great," she explained as if being her slave-for-the-day would be a heroic deed, "I will give you all of my blackmail photos. All of them."

The young lad crossed his arms over his chest as if thinking deeply, and after a while, he decided, "It's a deal then."

……

Hotaru entered the classroom with the blond guy tailing her. She proceeded to her seat and he gave her things back.

"Thanks," she muttered as she received her bag and books.

"Sure thing. I'm you're slave after all," he replied with a sincere smile. She stared at his angelic face. He was almost perfect… smart, nice, gentlemanly, handsome, you name it. She sometimes even wondered why he still didn't have a girlfriend, a charming person like him.

"Good thing you know," she broke her gaze as she opened a book in Nanotechnology. "Just do as I say, understand?"

"Okay. So what am I gonna do now, princess?"

The raven-haired, astonished and blushing, hid her face under the book. "I didn't order you to call me that."

He shrugged. "I just want the slave thing more realistic. What do you want me to call you, mistress? I refer princess than that."

Hotaru liked the idea of her being called princess by her most favorite man in the world, but she just couldn't let him do that… She couldn't afford to be seen by him flushing or giggling stupidly just by hearing such nice words from him. She just couldn't---

"Hotaru!!!" a high-pitched squeal came, damaging her eardrums.

She wasn't ready for the sudden assault, she was too preoccupied---

"Hotaru! I miss you so much!!!" a cheery brunette clung to her as a usual morning habit.

"Hey, get off me, you freak---"she shoved her away, but the girl in pigtails didn't budge. The blond guy then came to the scene.

"Mikan, why don't you obey princess' wish?"

The brunette, probably due to shock and amusement, complied at once. Hotaru on the other hand, tried hard to suppress the sudden heat coming up to her cheeks. And she did hope she was successful.

"Ruka… You called… You called Hotaru a princess," the one referred to as Mikan stated in pure surprise and awe.

"Yeah," he responded as he went back to his chair. He sat leisurely and caressed his pet rabbit's furry head, "I'm her slave for the day."

"But… But are you two an item already…?" she asked, obviously still shocked by Ruka's words.

"I already have a girlfriend," he paused, "but not her."

Hotaru's heart sank down to her stomach. She never knew… He never told her…

"Oh… So who is it?" Mikan hurried to the blond lad, curiosity traced in her face. He motioned her to come closer, and as she did, he whispered something to her ear. The little secret-sharing lasted for almost half a minute, and the brunette nodded a little after that. Curiosity was about to overtake the raven-haired, but she pushed aside the urge to know his secret.

……

It was lunchtime. And Hotaru knew what she would want him to do.

"What's your next command, princess?" he came to her, bowing slightly.

What an idiotic moron.

"Listen. I want you to spend your lunchtime with me," she said, standing up.

"Is that it? Natsume can go eat with us."

"No. We'll eat alone." Hotaru was desperate to know who her girl was. Though a part of her didn't want to know, she knew she had to.

"Erm… I don't know about that…" he responded, his imitation of a knight-in-shining-armor fading.

"It's okay if you don't want to," she said, then turned her back to him.

"No, wait. I'll go with you."

Just then, a dark-haired guy with ruby eyes approached them.

"Ruka, let's go."

Hotaru's heart was beating in a rather fast pace, she didn't know who he would choose: his best friend or a girl who had found fun in blackmailing him?

"Sorry, Natsume… I'm going with Imai today," he whispered softly.

The raven-haired girl spun around, and saw Mikan dragging Natsume away from them with one arm.

"Let's go now, princess…"

……

It was after class already. They sat under a large cherry blossom tree as its petals whizzed by and fell on the ground. Hotaru found herself staring at her own reflection by the pond, a bit conscious that she would be spending her whole day with the guy she really liked.

"Princess," the blonde called out.

"I told you not to call me that," she simply replied, her gaze at the pond not broken.

"I told you, I want to."

"You do have a girlfriend, right? Why not call her that instead of me?" she turned her head sideways to lock her gaze with his.

"I don't know… Say, aren't you curious who my girl is?"

"Why would I be?" she turned her eyes back to the pond again, pondering who it would be. She knew he used to like Mikan, but she couldn't be his girlfriend. She was more curious than her! But the more important fact was… She didn't have a chance anymore…

"Come on, you know you want to meet her," his voice was provoking.

"Are you mocking me, Nogi?" her eyes hardened dangerously. "Fine, I'll meet her. But first, who is she?" the one with jet-black hair asked, curiosity completely taking over her.

"She's staying at my dorm," he then tossed a key to her.

Hotaru stood up and whirled around. "She's staying at your dorm? That's disgusting, you know," she stated, though she couldn't deny she was totally envious.

"Hey, don't get any wrong idea, what I mean is, you'll see her picture in my room."

"Okay," she then walked away.

"Princess, once you open the door, go straight ahead and you'll see her picture, okay?"

Hotaru darted off to the dormitories... She then finally reached Ruka's room. She took a deep breath before inserting the key to the keyhole. Nervous, she slowly turned the doorknob and pushed it open.

Seeing that the room was dimly lit, she turned the lights on. The first thing she saw was a huge mirror, and thus she came face-to-face with her reflection. Shrugging, she wandered around the room and saw no photo.

Fuming, though she wouldn't show it, she came back to the cherry blossom tree beside the pond.

"You liar, there isn't a single picture in the room," she said calmly, and then slumped down on the grasses beside Ruka.

"Oh, princess… I'm afraid you don't know how to follow instructions."

"How can you say that?"

"I told you to go straight ahead from the door."

"I did that," she stated, frustration enveloping her voice. "But all I saw is a mirror. Nothing else."

"Ah, you still don't get it, do you?"

She stared at him quizzically, trying to puzzle out what he was trying to say. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is," he pulled her to him and hugged her so dearly, which of course caught Hotaru by surprise, "I want you to be my girl."

Blushing furiously, she didn't break the embrace, "But I thought… I thought you had a girlfriend…"

"I was just kidding. That was to get your attention…" he caressed her dark tresses. "And you can blackmail me and make fun of me as long as you like."

Hotaru felt a sudden flutter in her heart and smiled inwardly. It definitely was her best day ever… Because of her extreme pleasure, she took out her Baka Gun and fired at the poor blonde for about three times.

"Ouch, why did you do that?" he massaged his cheek, wincing, "I guess you don't… You don't love me back…"

Hotaru simply smiled. The first sincere smile she ever showed. "You jerk. You made me really nervous, you know?"

……

OWARI