Himeno: Haha! My internet at home sucks! Good thing JC-Zala has a wireless connection. I cant just bring my laptop to her house and get to surf the net for free. I'm planning to solve the other characters' problems first before shifting to Mikan-chan's past life. Everyone is wondering where Imai Hotaru is too.

Aoi: Imai-san is Mikan-chan's best friend. It's only natural for the readers to wonder.

Himeno: Well, Imai will have to wait.

Kokoroyomi: I'm definitely going to appear here, right?

Himeno: Yes! Definitely!

Kokoroyomi: That's good. Time to come up with a plan for those bullies.

Aoi: Onii-chan, don't use violence on girls, okay?

Kokoroyomi: Don't worry. I'm not that kind of person.

Himeno: Yeah… He's way better than that.

Aoi: Okay then. Himeno-chan, please start the story. I'm so excited.

Himeno: Sure! No problem!

Kokoroyomi: Before anything else… Himeno doesn't own Gakuen Alice.

Himeno: Oh, almost forgot about the disclaimer. Thanks for pointing that out.

Natsume the Jerk

Episode 28: Lying Emotions

Storm clouds gathered overhead, the light rumble of thunder stirring a horrible feeling to arise within Misaki Harada. She lay on her stomach, surfing the net with her laptop. There was something about thunderstorms that she didn't like. She was glad to be home.

Her concentration was broken by the loud ringing of her cellphone. She looked at the name and smiled. She flipped open her phone.

"Misaki-senpai, how are you?" It was Mikan Sakura on the line. Misaki could hear people in the background. She guessed that Mikan was probably at some studio.

"Hi, why the call?" she asked.

"I don't have work on Saturday so I figured maybe you'd wanna meet up for dinner," Mikan said. She sounded happy as usual. "My treat, senpai!"

Her attention drifted off to the window where beyond the glass she saw heavy raindrops falling from the sky. She bit her lip, uncertain. It may rain on Saturday too, she thought. But she can't just refuse the young idol after they've become a little close to one another. "Seniors are the ones who usually treat their juniors. Still, your offer is tempting."

"Is that a yes, senpai?"

"It's a yes."

"That's great! I'll pick you up on Saturday in my limo. Be sure to wear your best outfit. I'll see you tomorrow, senpai!"

"See you, Mikan," she said before hanging up. "A dinner, huh? I'm sure Tsubasa has something to do with this. Well, I'll play along. Let's see how you are going to apologize to me, Tsubasa."

Misaki rushed down the stairs and threw on her coat. She ran out into the rain. The raindrops collided with her skin, surprising her. She made her way through the slippery street, her mind going to Tsubasa and her past moments with him. The loud crack of lightning caused her to wince. She hated storms.

She stopped at familiar mansion, in front of its gate. She placed her hand on the gate and heaved a deep sigh. "I don't know what made me come over here…" she muttered under her breath. "I told myself that I never wanted to see him…"

She had to admit that Tsubasa was a wonderful boyfriend to her before. He was everything a girl had ever wanted. However, he just had to change because of fame. When she told Mikan about her past with Tsubasa, the brunette didn't say anything. Misaki guessed that Mikan was probably shocked to find out that her beloved senior can be such a jerk. After a while, Mikan apologized in Tsubasa's behalf. Misaki had to admit that Mikan was such a nice girl and told her that she didn't need to apologize for Tsubasa.

Misaki was glad to be friends with Mikan now. It didn't bother her that Mikan was fond of Tsubasa.

"Tsubasa…" Misaki leaned her temple against the gate. The rain wasn't letting up. Thunder continued to roar. "Tsubasa… are you really planning something for me? Even though Mikan didn't tell me, I know you asked her help. You're so easy to read."

She didn't know what she desired anymore. She didn't know what her heart was telling her.

"Aoi-chan was bullied?" Kokoroyomi said, rising up from his chair. He was at Sumire's house, in her study room to be exact. "When?"

Sumire sipped her tea in an elegant manner and told her boyfriend to calm down. "Hyuuga-san was bullied this morning. I'm surprised she didn't tell you. Well, she was acting kinda strange. When I tried to save her, she told me that those girls were not bullying her. Is she stupid or what?"

Kokoroyomi cupped his chin with one hand. His usual cheerful face was replaced with a serious one. "Do you know those girls, permy?" he asked.

"Yeah, they've been students of Alice Academy since kindergarten. One of them is Fumi Morisato. She's the daughter of an owner of an Airline Company. The other one is Momoe Sumeragi and her mom is the CEO of Sumeragi Corporation."

"Wow… You sure know a lot, permy," Kokoroyomi commented, clapping his hands.

"I get that a lot," she said before narrowing her eyes at the boy. "And stop calling me by that ridiculous nickname."

"No can do," Kokoroyomi replied, and Sumire growled furiously like a cat. "Anyway, let's go back to Aoi-chan, shall we?"

Sumire shrugged. "Morisato-san and Sumeragi-san have been bullying Hyuuga-san all their life."

"Is that so? Hmm… Why did Aoi-chan said that she wasn't being bullied this morning?"

"I'm sure those girls threatened her."

"Hey, do you want to teach those girls a lesson?" Kokoroyomi had a cunning yet mischievous smile on his face.

Sumire smiled evilly. "I was thinking of the same thing." She pulled a photograph from her bag and placed it on the table. "Besides, I have a score to settle with that girl who dumped white paint on me."

"We can't do it alone," Kokoroyomi said, taking his cellphone out. "We'll need Mikan-chan's help for this." He winked an eye at Sumire.

"Fine then…" Sumire crossed her arms over her chest. "Hey, do you think Natsume-kun would wanna help too? Hyuuga-san is his sister after all."

Kokoroyomi sighed and shook his head. "He's not being much of a big brother to Aoi-chan. I don't know what his deal is. I kinda feel sorry for Aoi-chan. She has such a cold-hearted brother. Still, I do think Hyuuga still cares for her. He's probably not good in showing it."

Mikan stood by the window, gazing up at the stormy sky. It was pretty hard to sleep with all the thundering noises. It was already 11 PM. She was done with her homework and said good night to everyone in the house. However, she wondered if the others could sleep through such a storm. She wasn't fond of thunderstorms.

When her bedroom door slowly opened, she didn't have to think twice to who the unexpected visitor could be. There was only one person in the house who had the habit of barging into people's room without knocking. "What do you want, Natsume?" she asked without turning around.

"Shouldn't you be in bed by now?" he said in an icy voice. He didn't expect to be awake. Normally she would be asleep after ten. Truth to be known, he had a habit of visiting her room late at night.

The brunette turned to meet him, a tranquil smile on her face, hazel eyes stunning in the faint light. "I know, but I can't sleep in this storm."

"Why? Scared of a little thunder?" He sounded very sarcastic.

She shook her head. "For some reason, thunderstorms give me nightmares—nightmares about my friend's death."

Natsume raised a brow. "Your friend?" He was almost tempted to ask, but when he saw the deep frown on her face, he decided to change the topic. "Is that your excuse? Why don't you admit that you're only scared of the storm, polka-dots?"

Mikan puffed up her cheeks. "I'm not scared!" she yelled. "Don't call me polka-dots either! Why are you even here, Natsume? I'm sure you're not here to check up on me."

"Do I need a reason to check around the house?" Natsume said, spinning around and facing the door. "Just get some sleep. If you'll sleep late, you're going to get real cranky in the morning."

"You're the one who gets cranky in the morning," Mikan said, walking towards Natsume. She was planning on locking the door after he gets out. All of a sudden, there was a blinding flash of lightning followed by a roaring thunder. Mikan shrieked and clutched Natsume in reaction.

Natsume froze on the spot. He was more or less surprised with that and a bit happy. "I was right. You are scared." He smirked arrogantly as he felt Mikan burying her face deeper into his back. "Polka-dots, you're taking advantage of me here," he said, pretending to sound irritated.

"I…I…really don't like thunderstorms… It reminds me of her." Mikan muttered, releasing the guy from her grasps. "Sorry if I suddenly hugged you…" She kept her head low.

"It's just a storm," Natsume said, turning around to look at her. He noticed her trembling. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

Mikan clasped her hands together against her chest and closed her eyes. "I know… I know…But I can't help it. My friend died during a thunderstorm. My friend died because of me."

Natsume widened his eyes. He remembered Tsubasa telling him that Mikan blamed herself for the death of her friend. "What do you mean 'because of me'?" he questioned, maintaining his stoic expression, although he was deeply concerned with the brunette.

"I…I…" She swallowed hard and turned away from him. "Y-You don't have to know. Please leave me now…"

He reached for her shoulder, but when he was about to touch her, he withdrew his hand. Without a word, he spun around on his heels and left the room, closing the door behind him. The sad look on her face stabbed his heart a little. Now he was curious about her friend. If he wanted answers, then there was only one person who could tell him.

Sitting down at the table, Ruka picked up his toast and applied peanut butter on it. Natsume came in, not bothering to greet him, and went towards the fridge to get milk. Ruka took a bite of his toast before he asked, "Natsume, do you what's going on with Aoi-chan and Sakura?"

Natsume poured milk into a glass and sat down at the table. "Why? What's the matter?"

"Sakura woke up early this morning and left the house after making breakfast," Ruka said, taking a sip of his milk. "Aoi-chan already left for school and she didn't eat breakfast. I noticed they were both kinda sad."

Natsume knew what was wrong with Mikan. The storm reminded her of her dead friend last night. He can't believe she was still bothered with that.

After breakfast, the two boys headed for school. On their way there, they saw Tsubasa riding his motorcycle. He stopped in front of them, blocking their way, and removed his helmet. He greeted them casually and asked them about Mikan.

"Sakura went to school ahead of us," Ruka was the one who answered him.

"What's your business with her?" Natsume questioned, glaring at Tsubasa.

"Do you have to look at me that way?" Tsubasa said with chuckle. "Anyway, I want to confirm something with my cute little junior, which is why I'm looking for her. So, she went to school already. Should I go or not? It'll be troublesome if I showed up in school."

"Don't come to our school," Natsume told him. "You'll only be a bother there." Even though he said that, he actually wanted to ask him about Mikan. The problem was Ruka was there. If he can be alone with Tsubasa for a while, then he won't be hesitant.

Ruka wouldn't want Mikan to devote her attention to Tsubasa in school. "I could deliver your message to Sakura if you want," he said.

"Thanks for the offer, but I have to say it to her in person," Tsubasa said, ruffling Ruka's blonde hair. "I better get going now." He put on his helmet and drove away.

"I wonder what he wanted from Sakura," Ruka said, turning to Natsume and noticing the irritated look on his face. "Natsume, you don't like Andou much, huh?"

Natsume started walking ahead. "It'll be troublesome if he's another rival," he said, slipping one hand into his pocket. "You're a handful enough already."

"Is that so? Natsume, what's your next plan to make Sakura fall for you?" Ruka asked, smiling humbly, as he walked beside Natsume.

The raven-haired boy briefly glanced at the blonde. "Not telling…" he muttered, rolling his eyes away.

When the two boys got to school, they saw a crowd gathered by the entrance to the middle school building. They went in for a closer look and saw Aoi sitting on the ground. She was crying silently and her things were scattered around. In addition to that, she was dripping wet. Many students were laughing and teasing her, and only a several few pitied her. But nobody bothered to help her at all.

Ruka, who was surprised by this, immediately rushed towards Aoi's side. "Aoi-chan, are you all right?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. "What happened? Who did this to you?"

"Ru-chan… I…" Aoi lowered her head and clutched her skirt with two hands. "I'm all right. This is just an accident. No one's to blame for this but me." She wanted to tell Ruka that Fumi and Momoe picked on her again, but she kept quiet, knowing that Kokoroyomi's mother was in danger of losing a job.

Pretending not to care, Natsume stayed within the crowd. What happened to her was no accident. Natsume could sense that she was lying. Aoi was clearly hiding something and she didn't want anyone to be involved with her problem. Somehow, it pissed him off. And when Aoi tried to stand up, she dropped back on the ground and clutched her ankle. It was sprained. Natsume couldn't stand it anymore. He approached his sister, pushing people out of the way, and stood before her with a grave expression on his face.

Aoi looked up at him, getting afraid of the intense gaze he was giving. "Onii-chan…?" she muttered.

"What do you mean by accident? Don't take us for fools. You were bullied again, weren't you?"

The younger Hyuuga turned her head away and bit her lip. "No, it's not like that, Onii-chan. I wasn't bullied." Her hands were shaking a little. She didn't know if she could keep on lying to her brother and Ruka. "You know how clumsy I am. Accidents like this are normal for me."

Natsume couldn't help feeling more aggravated. "You're already hurt and you still have the luxury to lie," he told her in a controlled voice. Many students began whispering about the Hyuuga siblings, and Natsume gave them a deadly glare. "If you don't want any trouble, I suggest you all get lost now." And he meant it.

The students were all afraid of his wrath, so they went away without another word.

"Why don't we take Aoi-chan to the infirmary now, Natsume?" Ruka suggested.

"I'm not finish with her yet, Ruka," Natsume said. He looked back at Aoi and sighed in frustration. "Aoi, I know we don't belong to this school. Everyone despises us, and I know I'm the one to blame for that. You've been bullied all your life and you were never respected by the others. Despite the maltreatment, you still continue to smile and go to this stupid school."

Aoi buried her face in her palms, crying harder. "I know… I know…" she said between her sobs. "I'm being bullied almost everyday and I can't do anything about it. I'm so weak and useless."

Natsume gritted his teeth and pulled Aoi up by her arm. "Stop crying! You may be a clumsy idiot, but you're not weak and useless." He hauled her towards Ruka, who caught her warily. "I can't believe you look down on yourself."

"Natsume, you're too much!" Ruka exclaimed, letting the young girl cry against his chest. "Aoi-chan has suffered enough already. Why can't you act like a brother to her for once?"

"I don't need to be a brother for this stupid girl," Natsume coldly said. He didn't want to say such cruel things, but his huge pride won't let him go soft. "Get her to infirmary before her injury starts swelling." He turned around and walked away. In reality, he wanted to comfort his younger sister.

"Lower your damn pride for once!" Ruka yelled at Natsume, hugging Aoi tighter. "You're Aoi-chan's older brother. It's your job to look after her."

Natsume stopped and stood in silence for a while, thinking about what Ruka said. True, his best friend was right. It was his job, no, his responsibility to take care of Aoi. He had always been a jerk to Aoi until Mikan came. And now he was doing it again. "Ruka, I don't like this kind of talk and I prefer not to say this…" His eyes were hidden under his bangs. "I know I haven't been a brother for her. However, it doesn't mean I don't care for her." After saying this, he simply walked off in a hurry.

"I was right…" Ruka sighed as he rubbed Aoi's back for comfort. "Natsume really does care for you, Aoi-chan. Forgive him for his coldness. He's not good at showing emotions."

Aoi willed herself to calm and looked up at Ruka. "I'm glad… I'm glad that Onii-chan doesn't hate me…" Her lips curved into a small smile.

"Now then, why don't I escort you to the infirmary? We should get you change to or else you'll catch a cold."

"I'm in your care, Ru-chan!" Her cheerful voice was back again.

"What exactly happened to you, Aoi-chan? You're all wet and you even got injured."

"I prefer not talking about it. I got into an accident and that's all you need to know." She can't tell him about Fumi and Momoe. They would let her experience more hell if she does. "Um… Ru-chan, do me a favor and please not tell this to Kokoroyomi-oniichan and Mikan-chan. I don't want them to worry."

Ruka had his doubts about that. "All right… I won't say anything."

"Thank you, Ru-chan!"

"Permy, are you really sure about this?" Mikan and Kokoroyomi asked the green-haired girl in unison. "Isn't this the same as bullying?"

Sumire popped a nerve as she showed her iron fist to the two. "Stop talking like you're twins!" she shouted. "If you're not confident about my plan, then get away from my sight." She sounded so bossy.

Kokoroyomi leaned back against the wall and placed his hands behind his head. "Permy is such a bossy witch," he said.

Mikan nodded her head in agreement. "That's right. Don't worry, Permy, we're in this together. It's just that this plan of yours is a little reckless. What if they'll get hurt?"

"They'll get hurt, all right, but emotionally!" Sumire said, placing a hand on her waist. "They'll get a taste of humiliation." She laughed like the wicked witch of the west.

Kokoroyomi and Mikan sweat dropped. "Permy, is this really something to laugh about?" they muttered under their breath.

"You two are getting on my nerves," Sumire said, her eyebrows twitching. "Talk individually before I really lose my mind."

Kokoroyomi and Mikan looked at each other and smiled mischievously. Then they turned their heads back at Sumire. "Sorry, but annoying is so much fun!" they said happily.

"What the hell?!" A volcano appeared on Sumire's head and erupted loudly. "You guys are so going to get it!!" Her eyes emitted such a deadly aura, and the two only laughed awkwardly at her. When she lunged towards them, the two started running away.

"Permy's lost it, Mikan-chan!" Kokoroyomi said.

"She's going to murder us," Mikan said, picking up speed and leaving Kokoroyomi behind. She was a way faster runner than him. As she turned around the corner, she was suddenly pulled into a room by someone. Before she could scream, that someone covered her mouth with his hand. Struggling to break free, she stepped on the person's foot and bit his hand. She then moved away and faced him. "Who are you and what do you… Eh…? Tsubasa-senpai?!"

Tsubasa rubbed his poor hand. "You didn't have to be so rough, Mikan," he said.

Mikan bowed her head and said, "I'm sorry, senpai!" Truly she was. "I didn't know it was you."

"You don't have to apologize. I was the one who dragged you here like I'm some kind of kidnapper. It's a good thing I finally found you. It was hard sneaking into school. I didn't want anyone to know I'm here."

"Wait a minute… What are you doing in school in the first place? Don't you have work?"

"I cancelled my appointments. I'm too excited for the date on Saturday."

"Misaki-senpai told me she would go."

"I know and I'm pretty nervous about it. I don't know if she'll ever forgive me."

"Misaki-senpai told me about the past," Mikan said, fiddling with her fingers. "I understand why she's been mad at you all this time."

Tsubasa sighed deeply and sat down on the table. "I've been a real jerk to her," he said. "You must be very disappointed in your senpai, huh?"

Mikan shook her head and moved closer to him. "No, I'm still glad you're my senpai," she said, showing off a tender smile. "I still admire you. Your love for Misaki-senpai is true and you're trying your best to correct your mistakes."

"You're the person who understands me the most," Tsubasa said, patting Mikan's head. "I'm thankful to have a junior like you." He caressed her cheek and leaned down to kiss her temple.

The brunette mildly blushed and giggled. "Tsubasa-senpai, you're so sweet," she said. "Be sure to be sweet to Misaki-senpai if you guys ever make up."

END OF EPISODE 28

Himeno: Aoi's trouble will finally end in the next chapter. More information about Mikan's friend will be revealed too. Of course, it's Imai.

Kokoroyomi: Permy was scary here. She was like a monster, right, Mikan-chan?

Mikan: I agree.

Sumire: Who are you calling a monster?!"

Kokoroyomi and Mikan: Um… You! (Points finger at Sumire)

Sumire: I'm going to kill you! (The chase begins again)

Himeno: Wow! They're still energetic.

Tsubasa: My love life is so complicated.

Himeno: You're going to make up with Misaki-senpai in the next chapter. Look forward to it my cool Tsubasa-sama. (Fan-girl mode)

Tsubasa: I'm not so sure…

Himeno: In addition to what I've said, Natsume's going to show his brotherly side to Aoi-chan too.

Tsubasa: A lot of things are going to happen, huh?

Himeno: That's right. So, readers, please review for this chapter. I'll try to update as soon as possible. Sorry if I ever update late.