18


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I know it's not yet six in the morning but my phone's alarm is already ringing like a buzzing fire alarm. I'm going to punch whoever set it. Yes, hard on the face!

Uh-oh… It's not my alarm. It's my ringing tone. I lazily opened one of my eyes so I can see who the crap caller was. Wait, I'm taking that one back. This is no crap-caller. It's a morning-glory… my dear sempai 3

"Hai…" I greeted with a failed-alluring-voice which sounded more like a frog's. I held the phone away from my mouth and coughed a little to clear my throat.

"Get up now, Mikan. Breakfast's at seven and you need to be here in fifteen minutes." He said, sounding so casual. I hate that. Well of course I'm expecting a cooing voice like, "c'mon baby wake up and we'll eat together…"

Geez. Scratch that. That just sounded so slutty and gay at the same time. I poked my head in early stupidity. Wow, I'm really abnormal. This early and I am already thinking about things like that!?

"Mikan?" He called from the other line.

"Yeah, sure… I'm getting up." I told him, hang up and slumped back on the soft bed. Comfy. I sighed. This is what I need after what I went through. I need a long rest and nice sleep because dealing with a bastard can really drain your energy. I think it can even kill… just maybe.

"I thought you're getting up?"

WHAT-THE-HECK! That vo—

Shit. My head spun and my vision blurred when I suddenly got up upon hearing the voice. After some seconds I can barely but almost see a figure on the couch maybe three feet from where I am.

…and speaking of a devil.

"What are you doing here!?" I irritatingly asked him.

"Sitting." He said with his monotone voice. And may I add that it was a very stupid answer to my question. Even with my still-blurry vision, I can see his figure getting up and went to the window-side. Suddenly, the curtains opened to reveal a brightly lit garden. But my eyes weren't on the view… they were stuck on… his face.

A well-sculpted craft in the shades of black and white with the only colored part in his eyes. There's something leaping inside me—as if happy, nervous, scared, anxious, delighted, amazed and distracted. I gulped to contain myself, but I can't take my eyes off him. Just then, I just tasted something sour in my mouth and the air from my stomach is already rushing up to my mouth, and I unconsciously made a puking sound that startled both of us.

Ok, so much for his amazingly-sculpted-and-nicely-colored-face. I think he's still ugly that it made me wanna throw up.

No, I think I'm really throwing up… right now.

I rushed from the bed and got mistaken with two doors until I got the real door to the bathroom, and vomited. See? He's so ugly that I disgorged all my crazy thoughts from earlier.

"You fine?" He asked, peaking at the half-closed door. I was already rinsing my mouth but I suddenly felt queasy again. What kind of question was that? I just vomited. So do I look okay? Geez. He just keeps on irritating me instead of giving me a nice pat on the back.

What am I thinking!? I don't need a nice pat on the back from him! I need to go back to bed and sleep.

Wait a minute. Why is this guy here in the first place!?

I grab the knob and pulled the door widely, and pulled myself together as I look at him. "Would you like to tell me why are you here!?"

"Now you've got the question right…"

"Quit jerking around and answer me…"

"I'm here to give this back to you…" he said as he hands me my sleeping robe. MY SLEEPING ROBE!? WHY IS IT WITH HIM!? "I thought you intentionally entered my room to sleep with me—"

"SLEEP WITH YOU!? ARE YOU NUTS!?" I shouted at him. Why would I go to his room! I don't even know where it was and WHY THE HECK WOULD I SLEEP WITH HIM!?

But he didn't even flinch at my loud voice. He just smirked and rolled his eyes while I'm burning in embarrassment. He's lying. I know he's lying!

"Listen, brat…"

"Don't call me brat, you bastard!" I retorted.

"When I went out of my shower room, and you were already on my bed…" he paused. Oh my God, I don't wanna hear this!? I was possessed by a slut-ghost last night, oh my goodness… "and you're sleeping." He added. I stopped my horrid thoughts at once. Okay I was just sleeping. But what am I doing there, IN HIS ROOM!?

It was late last night. I got hungry so I went out for some food and I was really sleepy when I came back. "I'm sure I entered that very door last night!" I pointed at the door behind him.

"Are you really sure? My room's just across this room—"

"What!?"

"You heard it right…" he crossed his arms and leaned his hips on the wall.

And that's when it hit me. I was so sleepy… I got lost… entered some random door which I mistook as mine… and ended up in… his room. Why… in his room!? Why not Sempai's room!?

"You're lying! If I was in your room then why am I here… in my room."

"Simple. I carried you here. Why? You could've preferred spending the night in my room?" he smirked… disgustingly.

"Ew. Who would like that, you pervert!?" I glared at him.

"Maybe someone who enters someone else's room, how about that, huh?"

This time, I rolled my eyes on him. "Never… like EVER!" I said on his face and turn my back to get into the bathroom again. I should not forget the seven-in-the-morning breakfast plus I spent almost ten minutes bickering with this bastard. But there were two door knobs… two doors… and their moving… and the floor was shaking… and… and I… can't feel my feet.

"Watch it!" I heard Hyuuga's tensed voice. In the next second, I felt my body next to a warm one. He's holding me, trying to make me stand but my knees are weak. My head's still spinning but I can feel his arms around my waist, his other hand on my head which already leaning on his shoulders. My jittering stomach calmed down as I take in his scent… a very familiar scent… of musk and roses… and slowly, my consciousness went back to normal.

It's him. What's with him? The sight of him annoys the hell out of me but his closeness, his touch, his scent… tranquilizes my system like magic.

I hate this. I hate this because I can't understand anything.

"I'm good." I tried to sound convincing but my voice betrayed me. He didn't loosen his grip on my body and I have no idea when he will let go. The warmth between us is overwhelming but the electricity which crawls to my body is alarming. It's waking me up. It's making my heart beat faster. It's bringing me back to somewhere… somewhere I don't even know.

…or somewhere I'm struggling to remember.

"Don't lie…" he whispered. My heart leaped on his voice. "I'll let go when my ring loosens…" he added.

The ring… yes, the ring… of course. It's making us aware of each other's pain. But I'm not in pain… I was just having… morning sickness.

Then slowly… he lets go of me and turned away. I can feel my face heating up. I can't bear looking at him after that embrace. Whooooooooooooa. Wait a minute, THAT WASN'T AN EMBRACE, it doesn't count.

Okay… so I have nothing to be embarrassed about… except the sleeping-in-someone-else's-room part. Right. I can forget that, he can forget that. That was just a small mistake, we'll get over it.

I breathed deep to ensure that I'm alive. Without looking around, I entered the bathroom and prepared myself. The warm water ran down my body like a massage. I wish I can shower my brain too so my thoughts can relax even for minutes. I've never had so many distorted thoughts before here in Roseville… before I laid eyes on Hyuuga.

"Nat…sume…" I whispered unconsciously. My mind wanders again while my heart flutters. I open my eyes to the realization that came to me and they landed on the ring on my left hand.

There's something about him… sealed on my head. I am connected to him. But how?

A ring on the finger doesn't automatically define marriage. This can be props, a gadget maybe… I can't consider myself married. I would never agree to be married to just anyone… to a guy I don't even like. Hell, I can't even let anyone kiss me except my husband-to-be.

There I was, hesitating to take his hands but I still did and before I knew it, my lips were locked on his kiss, his warm, soft kiss... and the shock made me numb, or was it the feeling, so new and warm, heating my whole body, because... it was... it was my very first kiss.*

Darn! I WAS KISSED!?

Wait. It could just be my imagination… No, it could be my sealed memory…

This is crazy.

Okay… so maybe this is my memory—my little chunk of 2012 memory but that doesn't mean that I married someone who stole my first kiss!?


"Why do you always say that I stole that kiss, huh, Polka?"

"Because you did! It was all sooo- clear!"

"I didn't steal it..."

"Then what? You took it? Forcibly? It's the same- you took it when it's not intended for you because you're not my hus-"

"What? You will say husband-to-be?"

"So?"

"Do you want me to give you back that kiss I stole from you?"**


"Oh my God…" I whispered to myself. My chest thumps loudly, I can feel it. I kept my eyes open, afraid that I can faint right now. This is so crazy.

I married him!? Seriously! I did let him kiss me!?

No… no… there should be other reasons why I did that… why I let it happen… or at least why it happened. And sempai… why would he let that happen?

How can I like other guy besides him? Did I fell out of "like" with him?

How absurd… how can I solve a puzzle when I still don't have the pieces completed?

Hyuuga's right. We can only recall memories little by little and when we're together. I have to cooperate then… with him. With that, maybe… I can answer my questions.

-o-


Notes and Credits:

Treacherous by Taylor Swift

*GOING UNDER Chapter 3 Verdict

**GOING UNDER Chapter 32 Not Yet

Skyflakes, CheezWiz and Kopiko ^_^


-o-O-o-

Okay guys, I sincerely apologize for the super delay. I am so busy but I'm still finding time between my crazy sched to write the next chapters. You know… the story can be scary when it's haunting me. So… The next chapter, which is chapter 19 is just a short… narration of Natsume. Below is a preview on Chapter 20 in Mikan's POV again.

By the way, thank you for the reviews and subscription. You guys are so great. Thanks a lot!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Let's welcome 2013 with hopes that Gakuen Alice will turn out okay. ^_^ Ja-nne!

Please send me your thoughts, thanks again 3

-o-O-o-


Preview on Chapter 20

"Okay so let's be friends…" I awkwardly proposed. We're not yet friends if I can remember. To be honest I don't know what to call us. We could be wearing identically designed rings but I STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT WE SHOULD NOT CALL OURSELVES MARRIED, for sanity's sake, right? And I strongly doubt that. Also, we're not friends. If you can call bickering-almost-all-the-time people as friends then I can consider that. "So?" I nudged him. He turned at me and WHOA! He glared. Now we can't be friends!

"I don't like to be friends with you…" he said.

"Fine with me then."

"I want to be more than friends… with you."

"SAY WHAT!?"