Himeno: Yosh, more of Natsume's past here!

Kokoroyomi: Finally, I have a role here. I was starting to think that you forgotten about me.

Himeno: I would never forget you, Koko-kun.

Aoi: Onii-chan, thank you for being kind to me all the time.

Kokoroyomi: You're welcome.

Sumire: Himeno-san, will I have a moment with either Ruka-kun or Natsume-kun?

Himeno: Ah…No.

Sumire: Why? I'm the president of their fanclub.

Himeno: When I say no, it's no.

Sumire: So unfair!

Aoi: Hehe… Okay, Himeno-chan doesn't own Gakuen Alice.

Natsume the Jerk

Episode 12: Being Friendly

"Here you go, Aoi-chan!" Mikan said brightly on Monday morning. She handed Aoi a bento box, which was wrapped in a pink scarf. "The main dish is hamburger. I hope you'll like it."

Aoi's crimson eyes sparkled with delight. She just got a homemade bento from her favorite idol. Not only did she admire Mikan for her great singing voice and acting career, she also liked her cooking. "Arigato, Mikan-chan! I'll be sure to eat this later at lunch." She placed the bento into her school bag.

Mikan gazed around the kitchen. She had everything cleaned up already and the two remaining bentos were ready. She put the bento boxes inside her own school bag and went out together with Aoi. "Your parents' room is really great. The bed was so comfy. I slept like a princess."

Giggling, Aoi nodded her head. She took out her keys to the house and checked the time again. "We're going to be late, Mikan-chan."

"You're right! Let's make a run for it!" Mikan skated towards the street and turned around to wave at Aoi. "Hurry up or I'll leave you," she teased, and Aoi just pouted.

"Wait for me, Mikan-chan!" When Aoi started running, Mikan started skating away. "No fair! You're wearing skates!" Aoi tried her best to catch up to Mikan, but she was too slow.

Mikan looked back at her friend and sighed. Aoi already seemed tired from running, so Mikan slowed down and skated towards her. "Sorry about that. I was just having fun." She held Aoi's hand and smiled apologetically at her. "I shouldn't have made you run."

The raven-haired girl slowly shook her head. "No need to say sorry, Mikan-chan," she said cheerfully. "I understand." After saying that, the two of them started walking towards school—skating for Mikan's case.

"I wonder why Natsume left for school early," Mikan muttered when they were nearing the school gate. "Isn't he always late?"

Aoi let out a chuckle and nodded her head. "Yeah, he likes coming to school late," she replied. "I'm not really sure why he leaves home early. I can't really say what is on Onii-chan's mind."

Mikan heaved a sigh. "That guy is so hard to understand," she said in an exasperated tone. "Since he left so early, I didn't have the chance to give him his bento box. Well, I can give it to him later." She had worked hard to make lunch for the two Hyuuga and she was confident that they would love the hamburger surprise.

The two of them walked into the middle school building and parted ways when Aoi reached her classroom. Mikan was greeted by lots of fans and she didn't fail to give them a smile. It was no different from when she performs on stage, with all the fans making her the center of attention each day in school. A life of an idol isn't easy, she wailed in her mind, but she does love her job. Singing, acting and dancing—they were all her passion. Her classmates, except for Sumire's group of fan girls, greeted her warmly as she walked into the classroom. Even though Sumire's group was a bunch of snobs, Mikan was still friendly with them, and when she tried to greet them properly they only glared at her. She wasn't the least bit afraid of them, and that fact annoyed those girls.

"She's so annoying," Usumu Wakako said, clenching her fists on her lap. She kept throwing dagger glares, as the brunette idol walked to her seat. She became extremely pissed when Mikan began talking to Ruka. "She's flirting with Ruka-kun again." She felt like throwing the table at Mikan, but she can't let herself look bad in front of Ruka.

Sumire crossed her arms and sighed in frustration. "I think Ruka-kun is just being nice to her because she's an idol," Sumire said, tapping her elbow. "Ruka-kun doesn't hang out with girls that much, but he seems so close to Sakura-san." And she can't stand the fact that Ruka liked Mikan's company better than theirs.

The fan girls were really letting out a malicious aura. They talked like chatterboxes and bad-mouthed Mikan at the same time, all because they were jealous. Everyone in the room could sense their ill intentions, and some chose to ignore them while others find it annoying.

Mikan and Ruka also sensed them, but they didn't care about them. Mikan was busy telling Ruka about the whole living-with-the-Hyuuga-family thing, which surprised him at first. Ruka felt a pang of envy since his best friend will be able to spend more time with Mikan, but he also felt glad that Natsume was changing.

"Ruka-pyon, where does Natsume eat his lunch?" Mikan suddenly asked. She just remembered about the bento box when they started talking about food. She wanted to surprise Natsume with the lunch she made just for him.

"Eh? At the school garden, under the Sakura Tree…" Ruka answered. "Why do you ask?"

"What does he normally eat?"

"Sandwiches from the cafeteria."

Mikan grimaced and puffed up her cheeks. "You can't be satisfied with that kind of food," she muttered. She slightly raised a fist closer to her chest and looked at Ruka with full burning determination. "My lunch will definitely satisfy him!"

"So, you made lunch for him?" Ruka asked, his voice quivering a little.

She nodded vigorously. "I also made one for Aoi-chan," she said.

For some reason, Ruka felt at ease that Mikan also made lunch for Aoi and not just Natsume. He can't explain his heart at the moment. He felt a little bitter whenever Mikan talks about Natsume, even though she insults him for his attitude.

Class was especially slow and quiet for the whole morning, and the students in Mikan's class were practically bored as hell. The moment the bell rang for lunch the students became lively once more. Several students have already dashed out of the room and headed for the cafeteria and the others had packed lunches with them. Natsume had already left after the bell rang. He left in a hurry that Mikan didn't get the change to give him his lunch. Thankfully, Ruka told her where he hangs out during lunch time.

Before the brunette left the classroom, her two adorable friends, Anna and Nonoko, asked her to have lunch with them. Of course, Mikan agreed, but she told them she had to find Natsume first. "I'll be right back, so don't start without me," she said, and the two girls nodded in reply. Mikan then ran off to find Natsume.

She got to the school garden in less than two minutes and found the raven-haired lad lying under the Sakura Tree. She approached him quietly, noticing that he was sleeping since his eyes were closed. "How can he sleep at this time?" she asked herself. She sat down beside him and placed the bento box on her lap. "Natsume, I brought you lunch. I want you to eat it." She didn't receive any response from him. Grumbling, Mikan pinched his cheek hard.

Natsume jarred his eyes open and slapped her hand away. "What do you think you're doing?" he said coldly. "I was awake the whole time, you polka-dotted panties girl."

Oh, she wanted to hit him so badly, but she refrained from doing so. Instead, she placed the bento box on his lap. "Here's your lunch. Aoi has one too." She then stood up and spun around. "I hope you'll like it. I woke up so early just to make that." With that, she ran off and went back to the school building.

Natsume stared at the box for a few seconds before he removed the sheet and lifted the cover. The lunch was elaborated with colorful food and design. The rice was colored in white and pink, the hamburger was arranged neatly on the side, and the corn bits and mushrooms were like decorations. It had been a long time since someone made him lunch. His mother used to do it, but she was no longer alive. The lunch box made him feel nostalgic.

He ate his lunch with pleasure, though his face remained stoic, and finished it all. He wrapped the bento box with the sheet again and placed it down beside him. He was quite stuffed. He wondered if Mikan would make him lunch everyday. That would be nice, but it'll be very annoying for him if she starts asking how the food tasted or something like that. Natsume preferred to keep things in his head. He leaned back against the tree and stared up at the beautiful Sakura flowers being blown by the gentle wind. The image of Mikan's face, her smile, her innocent eyes, flashed through his mind like a slideshow, and he almost smiled at the thought if it weren't for an unexpected company.

"How was lunch, Natsume?" Ruka asked, taking a seat beside his best friend. "Did you like Sakura's homemade lunch?"

With a cold expression, Natsume turned to Ruka and shrugged. "I was forced to eat it, so I had no choice," he said in a bored tone. He positioned his hands behind his head and shifted his gaze back at the flowers above. "But it's not like I hate it or anything…"

Ruka chuckled, knowing that his best friend wasn't the most honest person in the world. A person who doesn't know Natsume well will surely misunderstand him right away, but Ruka knew exactly what he meant by saying that. "You could've just said it was delicious or I really like it," he said. "I saw you eating lunch a while ago and you were really enjoying it. Don't try to deny it, Natsume."

"Tch…Whatever…" Well, Ruka caught him red-handed, so there was no use arguing about it.

It was a big relief for Ruka that Natsume wasn't pushing him away like he used to after his parents died. It felt good to be able to sit next to him, to talk normally with him, and just to be with him. Natsume would always be his best friend. Just thinking about their friendship made him recall of his past with him.

--"How their Friendship began"--

Being the new kid wasn't so bad for Ruka since he got to skip detention, but Natsume, the one who saved him from the three hoodlums, Kyo, Hayate and Raito, had to deal with the punishment after school. Jinno-sensei was so strict with Natsume. Ruka felt guilty about him so he waited outside the detention room. It took about an hour of waiting until Natsume finally came out of the room. Ruka immediately greeted him, rather awkwardly, and thanked him for his help.

Crimson red eyes looked straight at him, as if they were boring holes through his soul. For a kid, Natsume sure had an intimidating aura and his cold expression added more pressure on Ruka. "It's not like I wanted to help you, dummy," Natsume told him as he spun on his heels. "Those three were just noisy."

Even so, Ruka still felt grateful towards him. "Hyuuga, I also want to say sorry for the trouble," he said, looking down at his shoes. "If it wasn't for me you shouldn't be in detention."

"Yeah, it is your fault," Natsume bluntly said, surprising the blonde in an instant. "But it can't be helped." Slipping his hand into his pocket, Natsume began walking away.

Ruka woke up early the next day. He brushed his teeth, washed his face, and fixed his blonde hair. It didn't take him long to get dress in his school uniform and went down to eat breakfast. His father was on a business trip and his mother was in France doing a fashion show, so Ruka ate alone in the big dining room. Ruka was very rich and lived in a big mansion.

"Young master, the limousine is ready outside," the maid told him politely.

The blonde looked at her for a while as he sipped his orange juice. Alice Academy was his new school and the mark of a new journey for him. Yesterday he felt uneasy when he got off the limo at school because a lot of students stopped to stare at him and girls were especially gawking at him in admiration. Ruka figured that it would be better to walk to school like the rest of the kids. "I don't need the limousine today," he said. "I'll walk to school."

"But young master—"

And Ruka cut her off. "I'll walk, understand?" he said and wiped his mouth with a napkin. He then stood up and picked up his school bag from the chair. "I don't want to attract so much attention in school, so please let me." He gave the maid a gentle smile, and she just nodded in understandingly.

Walking through the park was a shortcut to school, and Ruka found the place very pleasing. There was a playground, a beautiful fountain in the middle, nature, and some little critters living up the trees. It would be nice to spend time in the park, but he still has school. When he was out of the park, he walked over to the crossing and waited there for the red light to turn green.

"Try to catch me, Onii-chan!!" a lively and girly voice exclaimed.

Ruka peered over his shoulders and saw a raven-haired girl running. As the girl was fast approaching his position, he noticed that the girl had crimson eyes just like Natsume. Is she related to that guy? Ruka didn't have time to ponder about it because the girl suddenly ran past him and towards the middle of the road. The bad thing was the light was still red!

The girl had foolishly and carelessly ran without stopping to look at the light. She just stopped when a speeding truck beeping its horn was approaching her. Because of fear, the girl could no longer move her legs.

"Watch out!" Ruka shouted as he hauled the girl towards him before the truck hit her. The two of them lost balance and fell to the ground, with the girl on top of him. His back hurt a little, but he managed to sit up as he cuddled the girl securely in his arms. "Hey, are you all right?" he asked.

Trembling non-stop, the raven-haired girl looked up at him with teary eyes. "Um…T-Thanks…for saving me…" she said nervously.

"You should be careful next time, okay?"

The girl buried her face in her palms and nodded her head. "I will…" she said. "Sorry for the trouble I've caused."

"Aoi…"

The girl looked up and saw Natsume standing behind Ruka. "Onii-chan!" She got back to her feet and approached her brother. "Onii-chan, I almost got hit by a truck and this guy saved me. Aren't I lucky?" She smiled to show him she was fine, but Natsume whacked her head hard. "Wah! Onii-chan, what did you do that for?"

"For being an idiot…" Natsume grumbled, looking coldly at her. "You almost got hit by truck for being careless. I don't think you'll be lucky next time." Honestly, he got really scared when he saw his sister in trouble, but he still kept a calm façade.

Ruka slowly stood up and faced the siblings. Natsume and the girl were definitely related, Ruka thought, taking note of their similar eye and hair color. Judging from the girl's height and frame, he could say that she was younger in age. "Hey there… Hyuuga…" Ruka meekly said.

"Thanks for saving my stupid sister," Natsume said straightforwardly.

"Onii-chan, please stop calling me stupid!" the younger Hyuuga pouted as she puffed up her cheeks.

"I call you stupid because you are one," Natsume replied unflappably.

"Onii-chan, you're so mean!"

"You don't have to tell me that."

"Onii-chan is a big meanie!" the girl said in her loudest voice.

Then Natsume whacked her head again. "Shut the hell up. You're making my ears bleed."

"Wah…" The girl cried streams of fake tears as she rubbed her eyes with her hands. Ruka, who thought she was really crying, patted her shoulder to comfort her, and the girl immediately perked up and smiled at him. "Wow! You're a nice guy! You seem to know my brother. Are you classmates? What's your name?"

Ruka was fairly surprised with the girl's sudden change of mood. "Um…Yeah, I know your brother…sort of…and I'm in the same class as him," he replied, scratching the back of his head. "I'm Ru-Ru…" Ruka seized talking when he saw Natsume's cold eyes.

"Ru?" the girl said, tapping her chin. "Then I'll call you Ru-chan!"

Ruka sweat dropped instantly. "That's not my name…"

"Nice to meet you, Ru-chan," she said, extending her hand to shake. "My name's Aoi Hyuuga, the younger sister of Natsume Onii-chan."

"It's not Ru-chan…It's Ruka…" Ruka let out a sigh before he shook hands with her.

"Hmm…" Natsume shrugged and walked past him. "Nice name, Ru-chan…" Undeniably, he let out a slight chuckle as he crossed the street with Aoi.

Ruka slumped his shoulders in defeat. Great, because of his stuttering, he was labeled as 'Ru-chan' by the two Hyuuga. It was like having your mom calling you pet names. He followed the siblings closely and observed their bickering all the way to school. Natsume always won the argument over Aoi, and Aoi seemed to be a victim of Natsume's fist all the time. He couldn't help but giggle at the two at times. They were quite the odd siblings, he thought. And based on that, he realized that Natsume wasn't the rigid person that he thought.

--"End of Flashback"--

"And from that day on, we started hanging out," Ruka said, placing an arm on his bent knee. "And Aoi brought us closer." He turned to Natsume and gave him a significant look.

Natsume scratched his cheek with his finger and groaned. "Can we stop this kind of talk?" he said. "It's getting itchy by the minute." Talking about his past with Ruka was great and all, and he was happy to be able to recall all the wonderful moments he had shared with his sister and best friend. However, Ruka was getting more emotional, and that was something Natsume wasn't good at.

"You know, a lot of people were pretty surprised when we became friends," Ruka said, ignoring what Natsume just said. "But the fan girls were happy about it."

"Just stop already…"

"Afraid that you'll cry?" Ruka teased, though his gentleness remained in his sapphire eyes. "Don't worry, I won't mention those sad parts."

Once again the raven-haired lad sighed. "How did I get along with someone like you?" he muttered and picked up the lunchbox from the ground. "It's not like we're alike." He stood up and dusted off some grass leaves from his pants.

Ruka stood up as well and said, "Maybe it's because we are opposite."

"Hn. How stupid…" Natsume blurted out before his lips curved into an arrogant smirk. "Let's go, Ruka." He spun around on his heels and started walking, and Ruka followed closely behind him.

When they were out of the garden, a certain brunette came out from behind the tree. Mikan had been quietly listening to two boys talked about their past, and she admitted that it was quite interesting to hear. Not only that, she was glad that Natsume finished her lunch, even though he failed to give a decent compliment. But what would she expect from Natsume? He was the type of guy who doesn't like to say nice things. She leaned against the tree and watched the Sakura petals fall from the tree. "Ruka-pyon and Natsume are really good friends…" she muttered under her breath. "I kinda envy them…"

She walked back to the classroom, thinking deeply for a while. Somehow, the friendship of the two boys made her remember something from her childhood. It was a sad memory, nonetheless, but she doesn't let it affect her. "I'm sure she's happy right now…" She shifted her gaze at the view outside the window as her lips curved into a smile.

Kokoroyomi was heading towards Aoi's classroom, humming a nice tune along the way. Class was already over and it was his usual habit to visit his 'little sister'. As a brother figure, Kokoroyomi had to make sure that the bullies won't harm Aoi. Although he had been doing a very good job protecting her all the time, Aoi was still prone to their bad-mouthing. He wished he could do something about their attitudes, but he'll be making enemies that way.

"We have to make that Sakura pay!" a voice shouted, as Kokoroyomi passed the chemistry lab. Curious as usual, Kokoroyomi leaned his ear against the door of the lab to listen on the conversation. "Obviously that girl is seducing our Ruka-kun and Natsume-kun." Upon hearing that, Kokoroyomi just shook his head. He was friends with Mikan and he knew that Mikan would never seduce a guy.

"We can't beat her in sports or in cooking," a girl said, sighing in frustration. "What can we do about her, president?"

Kokoroyomi blinked thrice. So, this is the Natsume-Ruka fan club girls… Of course, he knew about the fan club and its members. Heck, he considered them as the most annoying girls in school, and he especially liked teasing the president. Curly permy is at it again. She doesn't let other girls be friendly with Hyuuga and Nogi…

Sumire was sitting on top of the teacher's desk, with her legs and arms crossed. She had a stern face as she thought of a plan deeply. "I guess we have no choice but to blackmail her," she said. "But we have to find something about her that's really embarrassing."

"That's a great idea, president!" Usumu said, clapping her hands cheerfully.

Kokoroyomi shook his head in dismay. "Ah…Curly permy hasn't change a bit," he muttered in a low voice. "Mikan-chan didn't even do anything to her and yet she's planning this kind of thing." He backed away from the door and turned to walk towards Aoi's classroom.

He peeked into the class and saw Aoi packing her things into her school bag. He walked right in and greeted the young girl with his trademark smile. "How was class today, Aoi-chan?"

Aoi smiled back at him. "It was nice," she answered as she packed her last notebook into the bag. "I did screw up some equations during Math and I was daydreaming again during history, but the teachers didn't scold me today."

"That's good." Kokoroyomi patted her head playfully. "So, wanna grab some burgers on the way home?"

"Sure! I'm kinda hungry."

"Let's go."

Some students in the room were looking at Aoi with disgust, while some were whispering ill-mannered things about her again. Aoi could sense them all, but she pretended not to be affected and kept up her cheerful expression. However, Kokoroyomi was extremely bothered by this—even if he was smiling.

"Hey, Aoi-chan, have you heard of the saying 'Judge yourself before you go judging other people'?" Kokoroyomi said in a loud and carefree voice. "Before people would go insulting a person, they should take a good look at themselves and see their own flaws." When he said that, the students stopped whispering.

But Aoi didn't know his true intentions with his words and thought of it as just a saying. "Yeah, I've heard of it and I believe it too."

Kokoroyomi took Aoi's hand and carried her schoolbag. "Let's not waste any more time here," he said, smiling goofily. He walked towards the door, dragging his little sister behind, and as he stepped out he encountered Sumire and her group of fan girls. "Ah! Curly Permy!" He pointed at the green-haired girl with his finger.

A vein popped out of Sumire's head. "Who are you calling Permy, huh, Kokoroyomi?!" she exclaimed with a clenched fist. Before she could go on with her rant, Sumire noticed the girl beside Kokoroyomi. "You…You're Aoi Hyuuga-san."

"Yes, I am."

"She's Natsume-kun's sister, right?" one fan girl said, staring indifferently at Aoi. "She has the same eyes and hair as our Natsume-kun."

Another fan girl crossed her arms over her chest and heaved a sigh. "I've seen her around school, but I never got the chance to look at her up close." She motioned over to Aoi's side and narrowed her eyes. "I'm quite disappointed. She's nothing but a plain girl. I can't believe she's Natsume-kun's sister."

"She is kinda cute," Usumu said, cupping her chin. "But not enough to fit our standards."

Aoi felt like being stabbed right on the chest. Those fan girls were acting awfully similar to her bullies in class. She didn't like them one bit. She wished the floor would just swallow her already.

"Stop it, girls," Sumire said, planting her hands on her waist. "If you insult her, she might tell Natsume-kun. You girls don't want Natsume-kun to hate us now?" Her voice may have sounded strict, but her facial expression seemed concerned.

Kokoroyomi was fuming inside, but he kept on smiling at the girls. "Permy, you should tell those girls to watch what they're saying next time," he said, taking a step forward. "And, oh, Aoi-chan is far cuter than any of your fan club girls. Of course, you're still cute, permy." He chuckled to himself, and Sumire slightly blushed.

"You don't have the right to talk to president that way!" one of the fan girls uttered, pushing Kokoroyomi away. "And don't go anywhere near her!" She went right in front of Sumire to block her from the guy.

"And stop calling our president 'Permy'," Usumu said. "Geez, you sound like Sakura-san."

"Girls, let's go," Sumire said, lowering her head. "We still have some business to attend to." She walked off in a hurry, surprising the girls a little.

Usumu shot the lad a glare before she ran off to catch up with Sumire. Of course, the other girls followed right away.

"Oh, I think I made curly permy mad again," Kokoroyomi said with a giggle. "She's so hot-tempered."

"Again?" Aoi gave him a confused look. "You sound like you know Shouda-san well."

"We were in the same class during elementary, just old classmates."

"But the way you acted towards her… It's like you two are close. She even called you by name."

"Well, people are supposed to address each other by name, right? It's only natural for her to call me by my name. Besides, do we look like we're close? We have nothing in common." Though he was explaining these things to Aoi with his cheerful façade, his mind was set on the green-haired girl. The blush on her face when he complimented her was priceless to him. She was so easy to figure out, he thought silently.

End of Episode 12

Mikan: EH?! Permy blushed in front of Kokoroyomi-kun?! Shocking!

Sumire: What's so shocking about that?!

Mikan: I thought you would only do that in front of Natsume and Ruka-pyon.

Kokoroyomi: Curly Permy! Curly Permy!

Sumire: Shut up! Stop calling me that!

Kokoroyomi: I won't stop.

Mikan: And I thought I was the only one calling her permy.

Aoi: Ne, Himeno-chan, about Kokoroyomi Onii-chan and Shouda-san… Are they…

Himeno: You can't get any info out of me Aoi-chan. I'm planning to keep things secret for a while.

Aoi: Oh I see…

Mikan: By the way, that was some flashback up there. Aoi-chan, you're one of the reasons why Natsume and Ruka-pyon became good friends. That's so great!

Aoi: Hehe! But I did cause trouble. I almost got hit by a truck.

Mikan: Yeah, but you were saved by Ruka-pyon.

Aoi: But I got whacked on the head by Onii-chan. Well, I'm used to it anyway.

Himeno: All right! That's it for this chapter. I'll update as soon as I can. I can't guarantee that I'll be fast since exams are coming along. Wish me luck. My grades are a bit uneasy. Please lighten me up with a review. NO flaming!!

Aoi: Ah! Wait, I have to tell you that there's going to be major romantic moments in the next chapter. Onii-chan and Mikan-chan will be…

Himeno: (Grabs Aoi and covers her mouth) Aoi-chan, please be quiet. Mou, this is the reason why I don't like telling you the details of this story. Hehe…