Himeno: Chapter 14!! Yehey!

Mikan: Himeno-chan, you seem happier today. Did something real good happen to you?

Himeno: Well, the shy boy I really liked finally mustered up the courage to ask me out on a date!

Mikan: Wow! That's great, Himeno-chan!

Himeno: Yup! He's real sweet and handsome. He's very smart too.

Mikan: I know a guy who's smart too, but he's not actually sweet.

Himeno: Yeah, me too… (Looks at Natsume)

Natsume: What are you looking at, stupid?

Himeno: (Clenching fists) Don't you insult me, you jerk!

Natsume: Whatever…

Himeno: Damn you! Anyway, I have to say hello to the readers. Ahem… Um… Thanks for supporting my story up until now. I really appreciate the wonderful reviews.

Mikan: Himeno-chan promises that she'll work hard all the time to please you.

Himeno: That's right. Okay, let's start with the story.

Kokoroyomi: This chapter will involve me and Permy, right?

Himeno: Yup!

Kokoroyomi: Okay then…

Himeno: I don't own Gakuen Alice!!

Natsume the Jerk

Episode 14: Pressured into It

Natsume woke up early the next day only to find Mikan resting on top of him. Not only was that his arms locked around her, her face was practically so close to his. He smirked at the sight of her sleeping face. She really looked like an angel. For some reason, Natsume didn't want to remove her from him, but he had to. The brunette would surely nag him to death if she wakes up and finds herself in his arms.

Slowly, he pushed the brunette to the side of his bed. He took a brief glance at the brunette and stroked her silky hair. He wanted to stay by her side a little longer, but he needed to get ready for school, and Mikan had to prepare breakfast for him and his sister. He got off the bed and roughly pulled the pillow beneath her head.

Mikan stirred and rolled over to her side.

"Polka-dots, wake up," Natsume said, shaking her, but the brunette simply told him to give her five more minutes of sleep. Grumbling, Natsume pinched her cheek hard. "Get up now."

Mikan felt the pinch right away and jarred her eyes wide open. "Natsume!" She slapped his hand away from her cheek and sat up on the bed. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Waking you up," he replied nonchalantly.

"You didn't have to pinch me," she pouted as she rubbed her sore cheek.

"Tch… Just get out of my room." He motioned himself over to his bathroom door. "I can't believe I let you sleep here."

Mikan's face paled in an instant. "WHAT?!" she uttered, holding her face between her hands. "I slept here with you again?!" She looked around and found no Aoi in the sleeping bags, and she also noticed that the sleeping bags were untouched. So, Aoi didn't sleep in Natsume's room last night. ONLY HER!

Natsume turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. "Because of you, I had to sleep on the couch," he said, telling her a lie so she won't go ballistic at him.

"That's hard to believe," Mikan said, narrowing her eyes at him. "Knowing you, you could have pushed me off the bed or something."

He was getting annoyed with her, but his face remained emotionless as he turned to face her. "Then I'll do that the next time you'll fall asleep on me," he said with a shrug.

Mikan's cheeks turned red, remembering the events of last night. "First of all, it was your fault why I ended up sleeping on you," she muttered, lowering her head. "You didn't want to let me go." And just like last night, her heart starting to pound uncontrollably.

He didn't let her go for a reason. He wanted her close to him, though he won't admit it. He liked the way he held her in his arms, the way she was on top of him. Natsume felt at ease with her presence.

Mikan felt uncomfortable with Natsume staring at her in silence. "I better get ready for school," she said. Quickly she ran out of the room.

Mikan had just opened her locker that morning when she looked up and saw Usumu Wakako walking up to her.

"Good morning there, Sakura-san," Usumu said grimly. She glanced at Mikan's locker and saw notebooks with heart and flower designs, some books, and many love letters and fan mails. She grew annoyed at the sight of the letters. "I didn't think you would have garbage in your locker, Sakura-san." Almost suddenly she pushed the locker closed.

"Why did you do that?" A pout escaped from Mikan's lips. "That was pretty rude." She gave the fan girl an innocent look.

"I don't give a damn care," Usumu said, crossing her arms. "It seems like you're still fine. You just got lucky yesterday."

Mikan raised an elegant brow. "What do you mean?"

"We gave you a warning, Sakura-san," Usumu said with a malicious grin. "We told you stay away from Natsume-kun and Ruka-kun. But you're just too stubborn. If you're not careful, something bad will happen to you." Usumu spoke softly but enough for Mikan to hear.

Mikan was surprised by Usumu's words and wished she wasn't serious about it. Then she suddenly recalled the incident yesterday, where she fell down the stairs and was saved by Natsume. She didn't want to blame Usumu for that, but she was being suspicious.

Usumu's grin grew wider. "I'm telling you, Sakura-san, be careful." Her concerned voice was so fake. "You don't want anything to happen to that pretty face of yours. An idol's face is important, right?" She patted Mikan's shoulder and let out a sinister laugh.

Mikan stiffened at what she said. This girl was being serious, Mikan thought, yet she wasn't afraid of her. She just felt a little sad that such a girl hated her so much. And it wasn't only Usumu, Mikan sighed. There were the fan girls as well. Even though the fan girls hate her, all she wanted was to get along with everybody. So, she wasn't about to let Usumu scare her away.

And just as she was about to counter Usumu, Mikan stopped at the sight of Natsume, standing right behind Usumu. "Natsume…" she muttered, and Usumu's eyes immediately glimmered.

"Natsume-kun!" Usumu turned around and smiled at the raven-haired lad. "Ohayou, Natsume-kun! I'm so happy to see you. Let's walk to class together," she squealed.

Mikan noticed something strange about Natsume. She noticed that his eyes looked more furious than before. "Natsume?"

Without warning, Natsume walked up to Usumu and pinned her against the lockers. He stared down at her with cold red eyes and caged her in place with his hands.

Mikan was surprised at this, while Usumu got scared. "Natsume, what are you doing?!" the brunette asked him.

"She's the bitch who pushed you down the stairs yesterday," Natsume said with a shrug as he narrowed his eyes at the fan girl.

Usumu swallowed hard. And she thought nobody saw her pushed Mikan! She was seen by none other than Natsume. Oh, she felt so unlucky and scared.

"Are you sure it was her?" Mikan asked.

Natsume firmly nodded. "You almost got hurt because of her." He grabbed Usumu by the neck and pulled her up until she was on her toes. "I'm going to teach her a lesson."

Usumu stared to cry and beg for forgiveness, but Natsume doesn't seem to soften up by her tears.

"Natsume, let her go," Mikan said.

Natsume looked at the brunette, as if she was crazy, and released the fan girl from his grasp. Usumu dropped to her knees instantly and trembled in fear. "Tch… I can't believe you're so soft, polka-dots," he muttered, slipping his hands into his pockets. "What if this idiot tries to hurt you again?"

Mikan knelt down to Usumu's level and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right?" she asked, looking at her with concern.

Usumu buried her face in her palms as tears continued to flow down. She was so embarrassed and frightened by Natsume. She thought she was a goner there if it weren't for Mikan. She couldn't believe Mikan was still so kind to her, even though she did mean things to her.

"Stop crying now…" Mikan said, her voice so kind and gentle, and pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket.

Usumu looked up at Mikan, sobbing and trembling. The kindness Mikan was showing her placed more weight in her heart. "Sakura-san…"

"What you did was wrong, but I'm not mad at you for that," Mikan said with a small smile. "I know you have your reasons for not liking me, but that doesn't give you the right to hurt me."

Usumu lowered her head in shame. Yes, she didn't have the right to hurt her just because of jealousy. It was a low thing to do. "Sakura-san, gomen…" After saying that, she quickly got back to her feet and ran off.

"Wait a sec!" Mikan was about to go after her when Natsume stopped her by grabbing her arm. "Hey, let go! I have to talk to her!"

Natsume shrugged. "That idiot needs some time alone," he said.

"I understand but…"

"Just let her be," Natsume said, releasing her arm. He heaved a deep sigh as he leaned against the lockers. "You're something else, polka-dots."

A vein popped out of her head. "Stop calling me polka-dots, baka hentai!" she uttered, shoving a fist towards his face. "And what do you mean by I'm something else?"

"You didn't even get mad at her for what she did," he replied nonchalantly.

"I figured that getting mad at her won't do any good," Mikan said, opening her locker again to get her books. "And I'm not good at holding grudges either."

"Whatever…" Natsume walked past her and before he left her, he gave her a small piece of advice. "You still have to watch out for those damn girls."

Mikan sighed. "Yeah, I know…"

No one needs to use the excuse, "I was pressured into it." Yes, it happens. And yes, she have felt pressure to do something wrong. Sumire Shouda sighed at her own thoughts as she leaned against the fence. It was dismissal time and she was at the rooftop of the middle school building. She had missed her class for the whole day yesterday because of the bucket incident that had happened. She wasn't worried about her lessons, since she could go ask her friends from the fan club a copy of their notes.

After she had ran away from the classroom, the least expected person she wanted to see followed her to the very same spot she now stood the day before. She remembered how she insulted him, how she disregarded his sense of humor. He told her it was just a prank, but Sumire felt so hurt because of it. Not only did she get wet, she also got humiliated in front of people. Because of her uncontrollable temper, she slapped him hard.

Sumire stared at the hand she used to slap him. Once again she sighed. She didn't mean to slap him out of anger. She was just surprised. But she failed to give him a proper apology for that matter. However, she didn't want to apologize to him, not until he apologizes to her first for pulling the prank on her.

"Permy?!"

At the mere sound of that nickname, Sumire turned her head towards the entrance, hoping to see him. Unfortunately, it wasn't him, it was Mikan Sakura. She grimaced and turned away in an instant.

"What are you doing here all by yourself?" Mikan said, approaching the green-haired girl. "Don't you usually hang out with your fan club?"

Sumire gave her one mean look just to intimidate her, but Mikan held a cheerful and friendly smile for her. Sumire grew more annoyed with the idol by the second. "I want you to leave me alone this instant, Sakura-san," she said.

"Do you really hate me this much, permy?" Mikan asked.

Sumire shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest. "It's quite obvious, don't you think so?"

"Why? Just because I'm close to Ruka-pyon and Natsume?" Mikan placed her hand against the fence. "That's not a good enough reason to hate me."

"How come they don't cast you away like the rest of the girls, huh?!" Sumire suddenly blurted out. She had her fists clenched tight and her eyes narrowed at the brunette. "How could you be so friendly with them?! How can you hang out with them so normally?! I can't even talk to them for five minutes! Is it because you're an idol?! That's so unfair!"

Mikan got really surprised with her tone of voice, and she couldn't understand what she was saying. She was acting like Usumu from earlier. Yes, she was an idol, and yes she was able to hang out with Natsume and Ruka. So, what's the big deal? "Permy, I can hang out with them because we're friends," Mikan said.

"Friends, huh? Hmph… I bet you're just trying to be their girlfriend!"

Mikan tilted her head in confusion. "Well, I am their friend and I am a girl."

"Stop acting innocent, Sakura-san!" Sumire was restraining herself from slapping Mikan. "You know very well what I'm talking about! You're interested them, right? You love them, right? You're planning to steal their hearts for yourself!" She wasn't thinking straight when she said that. She was completely in distraught and she wanted to pull her own hair to rid of her whirling thoughts.

"Interested? Look, I like them only as friends, okay? I'm not planning to steal anything."

"Liar!"

Mikan heaved one big sigh. Sumire was really giving her a hard time. "You know what… A friend used to tell me that I'm not very good at lying." It was true. Mikan was an honest person, and lying wasn't really her strong point. "So, Permy, please stop—"

"Fine then!" Sumire cut her off with an exasperated tone. She can't stand talking to the idol anymore. One more minute with Mikan and she might lose her mind. She was going to walk away when Mikan grabbed her wrist. "What is it?!" she exclaimed, turning to Mikan hastily.

"Ne…Is it possible for us to be friends?" Mikan said with a small smile present on her face.

Sumire raised a brow. "Us? Friends? You've got to be kidding me." She found it hard to believe that despite her attitude towards her, the brunette was still willing to befriend her. It was her first time to encounter such friendly person like her.

"Why not?" Mikan hugged her arm and shook her. "Come on! Please!" She gave her the puppy-dog look.

"This is too weird!" Sumire blurted out, raising her free arm into the air. "And let go of me, Sakura-san! I don't want to have anything to do with you!" She pulled her arm away from Mikan and backed a few steps.

Mikan wasn't the least bit hurt of what she said and she approached Sumire even more. "Permy, being friends is way better than being enemies."

Sumire shook her head. "I-I can't!" she uttered. "Sorry…" She then spun on her heels and exited the rooftop, leaving Mikan alone.

"Permy…" Mikan sighed again. "I just wanted to be friends."

Sumire was running aimlessly through the hallways, not really watching where she was going. When she bumped into someone, she lost her balance and almost fell, but the person she bumped into quickly caught her arm. Looking up, Sumire's eyes widened at the sight of Kokoroyomi.

"You should watch where you're going, curly permy," he said in his usual cheerful tone and his usual cheerful smile.

"You…" Sumire looked down at his hand grasping her arms and narrowed her eyes. "Let me go, baka!" she uttered, brushing her arm away.

The lad let out a chuckle and scratched the back of his head. "I guess you're still mad at me for getting you wet, huh?" he said. "Come on, it was just a harmless prank. Don't I always play pranks on you?"

Sumire felt her temper rising. "Harmless?! Yeah, right! Your pranks are childish and humiliating!" She clenched her fists hard.

"I think it was funny."

"It wasn't funny for me, Kokoroyomi!"

"Permy, you've gotta chill for a second," Kokoroyomi said, placing both hands on her shoulders. "I only did that because you were planning something against Mikan-chan. I heard you and the fan girls talking about blackmailing her. Honestly, you are getting way too obsessive with Hyuuga and Nogi." His cheerful expression didn't change one bit when he said those things.

"WHAT?!" Sumire abruptly shoved him away and glared at him. "So you did that because of Sakura-san?! I can't believe you! Does this mean your close to that girl?!"

Kokoroyomi nodded his head firmly.

Sumire dropped her hands to her sides. "Why…? First, it was Natsume-kun and Ruka-kun… Now you…?" She shook her head in dismay. "Why does Sakura-san get what I wanted?! I admire Natsume-kun and Ruka-kun so much that I want to be close to them. But they don't really want me around." Her eyes were neared to tears.

"Permy…" Kokoroyomi's voice had a hint of sadness and concern.

"And you…" She lowered her head to avoid his eyes and bit her lip. "Even though I tried to forget about you, you still…you still..." Tears were starting to fall from her eyes. She found it hard to say the things in her mind to him.

Kokoroyomi approached her and pulled her into his arms. He brushed his hands through her hair and rested his chin on her shoulder. It's not everyday that he got to see Sumire so vulnerable and fragile. The girl he had always teased would always have a strong front and violent temper. But the girl in his arms at the moment was crying.

"It's your fault…" Sumire said, clasping onto his uniform tight. "You just don't know how much pain you've caused me when you—"

"I'm sorry…" he whispered into her ear, his expression more serene. "I know it's my fault."

"I HATE YOU!" Sumire pushed him away, spun on her heels and ran off.

Kokoroyomi did nothing but stayed still and glued on the spot. He had his head low and his hands were slightly trembling.

Mikan had not been able to find Sumire after she ran off from the rooftop. It was almost time for work, and Mikan was sure that the limousine was waiting for her outside. She went back to the classroom and gathered her things. She walked out of the room after she bid her classmates "Bye!" and "See you tomorrow!"

As she was turning the corner after leaving the classroom, she found Natsume Hyuuga waiting for her, leaning against the wall.

"Your manager called me," he said nonchalantly. "She told me to escort you to the studio since she can't come." Actually the manager demanded him to do so with a threat, and Natsume had no choice but to comply. He even wondered how the hell did the manager got hold of his cellphone number. He hadn't given it to anyone but his sister and Ruka. However, deep down, he was glad to escort her and to see her workplace.

Mikan smiled. "Really?" she said. "Then you're going to love it there at the studio. I'll introduce you to my friends there!"

Natsume rolled his eyes away. "Whatever…" He didn't like the idea of making friends because of his not-so-friendly personality.

Making their way towards the limousine, Mikan spotted her favorite senpai by the school gate talking to a red-headed girl. "It's Tsubasa-senpai," she said excitedly, and Natsume grunted. She had thought that the red-headed girl must be a fan asking for an autograph, but she realized she was wrong the minute the girl slapped Tsubasa hard. "Eh? Senpai…"

The girl's eyes were enraged. "Don't come near me again!" she exclaimed, pushing Tsubasa away.

Tsubasa tried to hold her, but the girl turned around and ran away before he could even lay one finger on her. "Misaki…" He watched her ran, as the pain in his heart grew bitter.

"Senpai!"

Tsubasa turned around and saw Mikan and Natsume standing several inches away from him. With the worried look in Mikan's eyes, he could tell that she witnessed the shocking scene a while ago. He put on a faint smile as he approached Mikan. "Hey… Ready to go?"

"Senpai…" Mikan had reached out for his sore cheek and caressed it softly.

Tsubasa was touched by her action, while Natsume felt like he wanted to take Mikan's hand away from the model's face.

"Who was that girl? Why did she hit you?" Mikan asked him, and Tsubasa turned his head away. "Please tell me, senpai…"

"I'll tell you later about it…" Tsubasa said with a sigh. "I just don't feel like talking about it for now. I hope you understand." Seeing Mikan nod her head in reply, Tsubasa smiled wider and pulled her into a hug.

Natsume narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He knew that Tsubasa was Mikan's close senpai, but he felt rage brewing inside of him seeing Tsubasa hugged the brunette.

"Now then…" Tsubasa pulled himself away from the brunette and held her shoulders. "Let's head for work, shall we?" The usual yet cool smile of Tsubasa was back in place, and Mikan couldn't help but smile cheerfully at him. His heart was still in pain, but he was sure that he will be able to cope with it.

Tsubasa then noticed the young raven-haired lad throwing dagger glares at him. Wondering what his problem was, Tsubasa held Mikan's hand and entwined his fingers with hers. At that moment, he saw Natsume's eyebrows twitched. Hmm… Interesting… He was starting to get the feeling the Natsume might have some feelings for his little kouhai. To put his theory into test, he leaned towards Mikan and kissed her temple. Of course, Mikan blushed and giggled. Let's see what you're going to do…

Unable to contain his jealousy anymore, Natsume walked up to them and pulled Mikan away from him. "You're going to be late for work, polka-dots," he said, almost in a grumbling voice.

"Hey, don't call me polka-dots, baka hentai!" Mikan retorted.

Natsume ignored her and glared back at Tsubasa again. "You're wasting your time flirting with her, baka," he said, and Tsubasa just smirked at him. Growing more annoyed with the model, he dragged the brunette towards the limo and pushed her inside.

Tsubasa heaved a sigh. That proves it… He cupped his chin with his hand. This guy likes my little kouhai. I'm going to give you a hard time, Natsume Hyuuga.

End of Episode 14

Himeno: Tsubasa-senpai really knows how to make Hyuuga jealous. He's the best and the coolest! I wish I can marry him.

Mikan: Senpai seems to have a problem with a girl. I don't know who she is, but it seems like Tsubasa-senpai knows her a lot.

Himeno: Tsubasa-senpai has a complicated love life.

Mikan: Hmm… I'm worried about him.

Ruka: I didn't appear in this chapter at all…

Himeno: Gomenasai, Ruka-pyon. You'll get your chance in the next chapter. And to make it up to you, you'll have a sweet moment with Mikan-chan!

Ruka: Er… (Blushes) I don't think…

Himeno: Come on, Ruka-pyon, don't be so shy.

Mikan: Ah! Ruka-pyon is blushing. You're so cute.

Ruka: Sakura, I'm just…

Himeno: Hehe… Ru-chan is super kawaii!

Mikan: I hope you readers liked this chapter.

Himeno: I want to see some reviews. No flaming please.