madoka-san: you know what! i felt better again!

mikan: you were sick?

madoka: nope! but i just feel like i can smile all day after reading something!

mikan: that's great! what is it?

madoka: it's a secret.ü. you'll find out later. i don't own gakuen alice.ü

Gotcha

Two days had passed since they were asked to do their project, but their group seems to be the only one not doing any work.

"Hotaru!" Mikan greeted on the third morning, lunging another 'hug-attack' at her best friend, but like her other hugs, it failed, and once more, the Baka Gun made it's famous appearance.

BAKA! BAKA! BAKA!

"Oh no… not again… this always happens… here Mikan," said Yuu, offering a helping hand. "Don't you think that hitting her head may cause damage?" he asked Hotaru.

"Her brain can't get anymore damage than it already has," she replied unfeelingly.

"Hotaru! You're so MEAN! But I really love you as much!"

"You just don't give up that easily…" she muttered and took at a pen and paper and was apparently going to write something. Of course, what else would she do.

"Polka-dots, we can hear your voice outside the building," Natsume said upon entering the room.

"Good morning to you too, Natsume!" she said, rather annoyed. "And it's not my fault you're listening to my voice! And my name is not Polka-dots!"

"Oh, so it isn't? Is it 'Strawberries' this time? Or 'Panda Bears'?" he said, walking away.

"Pervert!"

"Ugly."

'Mou… why does he always do this to me?' she thought, still not taking her eyes off him. He gave a sigh and greeted the other boy instead.

"Good morning, Ruka-pyon!" and smiled.

"Huh—?" Ruka asked. He was so lost in thought that he didn't recognize that the brunette was greeting her with a warm smile. When he came back from Ruka-world to reality, he was shocked to see the cheery face of Mikan smiling at him, and he was completely taken aback. "W-what? Oh! Good Morning to you too Mikan!" he said, embarrassed, slightly flushing and rubbing the back of his head. Natsume seems to have taken notice, and his eyes shot back at the two, turning green with envy.

Of course, the watchful eye of Hotaru can't miss this. 'Good work, Ruka,' Hotaru thought, looking at the boy.

Ruka looked back at her and read one thing in her eyes: You've done it. Thinking about this made him think about their little conversation that night…

---

"You don't seem to notice anything going on with Natsume, do you?" Hotaru asked over the phone that she had installed into both of their rooms just especially for this project.

"No." Ruka said.

"Are you sure? No weird actions?" Hotaru asked.

"Come to think of it," he said, finally realizing something he's never seen before, "back then at the haunted house during the festival, Mikan was really scared and then she took hold of my arm—"

"And you enjoyed it?"

"Yea—what!"

"Just go on."

"Oh, right, and then I thought that Natsume was looking at us and then it felt really hot—"

"I'm right then."

"What? About what?" he asked, wondering what Hotaru was really talking about.

"He likes her."

"H-he does?'

"Yes."

"What about Mikan then?" he asked, with a hint of desperation in his voice.

"I think she likes him too. You see, I always hit her with my inventions but she still keeps on trying to hug me. I'm sure Natsume insults her just as much but she still smiles even after being called some names and after calling him a pervert. And besides, the other seniors who treated her badly from before doesn't receive the same treatment that Mikan gives to Natsume. And I'm pretty sure he's upset Mikan more than they did."

"I-is that so?" Ruka replied sadly. Hotaru notices this and breaks the silence.

"Look, I know you like Mikan—"

"No! I don't! No!"

"—and you just blew your own cover, but I think they fit nicely together. Natsume may insult her and Mikan may get angry at him, but Mikan always tries her best to make Natsume happy, if not smile, then just happy inside—"

'I didn't know Hotaru knew that much about Mikan…' he thought.

"—even if they end up killing each other. Even if they look as though they're fighting each other most of the time, I can tell they feel the same thing for the other—" Hotaru continued.

'Fighting? Wait, that sounds like…'

"—and I want them to be together."

"Wait, what does that have to do with the project?"

"THIS IS the project. Besides, I can make loads of money with it."

Ruka's jaw dropped and he sighed.

"So," Hotaru said, "are we on this 'project' ?"

"Oh, sure."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure you'll find someone else. You might not know now, but maybe later. So, Phase One starts tomorrow. Here's how it goes…"

---

"Ruka-pyon? Ruka-pyon? RUKA-PYON!"

Coming back to the present, he once again met those glistening brown eyes.

"Ack!"

"About the movie," Hotaru said.

"Oh yeah," Mikan suddenly remembers. "Hotaru, the movie, we haven't started yet."

"I already did. Anyway, there's this part that I need you three to do. Ruka," Hotaru said, now standing up and putting the pen on her breast pocket , "You'll have a love interest towards Mikan in the movie."

"WHAT!"

Both of them jumped at the same time looking away from the other. Natsume seems to have heard too, because he put his manga down a little bit and looked from it to the scene.

"Yes," Hotaru affirmed coldly. "And then Natsume here will be Ruka's rival and brother."

"…"

"Okay then," Hotaru said, still looking at Natsume.

"I can't imagine liking an ugly girl such as her," he said, going back to his reading. But he wasn't really. 'Darn. Why did she think of a thing like that?'

"Well, sorry for my ugly face!" said a frowning Mikan. Turning back to her best friend, she asked, pointing to herself, "How about me Hotaru? What do I do?"

"You? Oh, yeah. I haven't thought about that yet…" she replied. Mikan fell face flat in a comical fashion. "Hotaru! You're so mean!"

"I know." She turned back and headed to her seat, with a look of satisfaction on her face. Ruka can't help but admire the success in Hotaru's scheme. He placed and elbow on his desk and his cheek on his hand.

'Hotaru, you can sometimes be a devious, tricky, crafty, mischievous, smart, intelligent—wait a minute! Am I complimenting her now!' He was startled and his hand slipped from his desk, causing him to almost hit their desk.

"Hm?" Natsume saw this and he gave him a look of confusion.

"N-nothing's wrong. I just almost fell asleep. He-he," Ruka said the instant he looked at him.

Natsume turned back to his manga and put his feet on his desk .

'He must be feeling smug right now. Mikan seems to like him, too. Did he really like her?'

'You must like her too!' said a voice in his head.

'What? An idiot like HER?'

'You're the idiot.'

'Shut up!'

'I can't!'

'Why not?'

'I'm you!'

He tried to readjust his position when he felt like he was falling of his seat.

'Natsume, what are you thinking? Are you really falling for HER?'

'But Ruka seems to like her better. And he treats her better too!'

'Yeah he does. She doesn't deserve someone like me.'

'Are you giving up that easily?'

'WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP!'

madoka-san: i dont think this made any sense?

natsume: yeah, it doesn't.

madoka-san: you're not helping...

natsume: who said i was?

madoka-san: mou... you shouldn't say that!

mikan: yeah! that's so mean!

natsume: who asked you polka-dots?

madoka-san: üüü... please review! all forms of criticism are welcome. whether it be good or bad, i accept it! üü it will definitely help me improve a lot! üü... oh yeah... suggestions too! what do you think the movie is, what would you like to happen, and how you want it to end! it would help a lot! thank you very much! üü. i am very grateful for those who reviewed. there was one review that i really like. it was from uhmmm... kaihei? i think it said i had good grammar. thanks a lot! nobody said i had good grammar before. thank you! ü

mikan: really? that's really nice!