You don't want excuses, I'm sure...but I'll just dump this one on you: school is cumbersome.

There. Now on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

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Chapter 9

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Natsume and Ruka could not understand why they were following Mrs. Imai all around the village. She seemed to stop at every shop she saw, going in with empty hands and coming out with…empty hands?

Hotaru and her father said nothing, though Mr. Imai had a huge grin on his face, and Ruka really could not guess why. What was so funny? His legs were beginning to ache, his skin was burning from the heat of the sun, and he was quite sure this was the third time they had rounded this particular corner….

Just when he decided that enough was enough – guest or not, he did have a right to know where his hosts were dragging him to – Mrs. Imai emerged from yet another shop, humming happily.

"I'm done shopping!" she said in a sing-song voice, smiling from ear to ear. Natsume and Ruka gave her puzzled glances when they checked her hands and found that they were empty…again. They looked up and down her body; nope, nothing out of the ordinary. Was she hallucinating or something?

"Okaa-san," Hotaru sighed exasperatedly, though her cool expression did not fade. "What did you buy this time?"

Now Natsume and Ruka stared at Hotaru as though she was mad. There was obviously nothing that resembled stuff bought from shops, besides her clothes, on Mrs. Imai's person. So what was she talking about?

Natsume was beginning to wonder if the Imai family were slightly wrong in their heads.

Mrs. Imai just smiled wider then took something out of her pocket and waved in the air. Natsume and Ruka squinted to see the object, their vision impaired by the strong afternoon light.

And they saw…nothing.

They were getting really frustrated with this game of cat and mouse. But why, oh why, did Hotaru look as if she wanted to burst into a fit of giggles, and her dad busy laughing his head off?

Mrs. Imai chuckled a bit then beckoned to Ruka. Curious and a tad apprehensive, he stepped forward and opened his palm when Mrs. Imai asked him to. She dropped something small into it, kept it hidden from view by placing her hand over Ruka's, then called Natsume.

Unable to suppress their curiosity, they looked at the tiny thing in Ruka's hand. It fit nicely in the middle like an acorn. Come to think of it, it did look like an acorn….

Natsume raised an eyebrow at Hotaru.

"It's something our clever Hotaru made when she was eight," Mr. Imai said proudly, beaming. Hotaru tried, and failed, to hide her embarrassment.

"Otou-san…" she muttered. Her father ignored her and continued.

"My wife here likes to go shopping and always comes back with her hands full, if not with more than she can carry," he said. Now it was his wife's turn to blush, embarrassed. "That acorn-shaped thing in Ruka's hand is Hotaru's way of helping her mother. She can fit a surprising amount of things into that small bag and best of all, the bag's still light as a feather even after it's loaded." Mr. Imai was grinning widely now. "Our Hotaru's quite the genius, isn't she?"

This time, Hotaru gave up all pretence of ignorance and proceeded to scrape the pavement with a sneaker-clad foot, looking anywhere but at her classmates.

Ruka could not rein in the laughter that was rumbling in his chest anymore. He laughed out loud.

Right in front of Hotaru.

The girl's head snapped up at the sound, amethyst eyes glaring icily at the laughing blonde. Without further ado, she activated her fly swatter and brought it down on his head.

The force of the blow forced Ruka to literally kiss the dirt in front of Hotaru's sneakers. With a satisfied smile, she retracted her fly swatter and kept it, looking at Ruka all the while.

Spitting out any dirt he might have in his mouth, Ruka hastily wiped his lips with one sleeve, wincing when he ran his fingers through his hair and felt a growing bump.

Natsume watched the event unfold with a small grin etched on his face. The two of them really looked and acted like a couple. He could envision him and Mikan in their place, too. They always bickered even over the slightest of disagreements. He felt a dull ache in his chest at the mere thought of her.

Reflecting on the past few months, he sighed inwardly. They had managed to get away from the Academy, but how much time had they bought? How long before the Academy sends people after them? He knew that students with the tracking alice were not uncommon in Persona's arsenal of 'helpers'.

True, they had left the Academy behind. But what now? Mikan's location was as vague as ever. She could be overseas now for all he knew. Then again, if the Anti-Alice Organisation worked against the Alice Academy, it would be based in Japan, right?

Still, Japan was large. She could be anywhere, from as far away as Mount Fuji to as close as being under his very nose. Natsume frowned as his thoughts whirled in his head. There had to be something to lead them toward finding her…there must be.

"Ne, Hyuuga-kun?"

Natsume took an instinctive step backward then relaxed when he saw Ruka and the Imai looking at him curiously. To brush off what would have been an embarrassing moment, he shrugged and said, "They were funny."

The adults chuckled while Ruka and Hotaru looked away from each other in defiance.

"You still haven't told me what you bought, okaa-san," Hotaru said pointedly, breaking the awkward moment.

Her mother winked. "That's a secret. And a treat for you little ones."

"We are not little ones!" Ruka whispered indignantly behind Hotaru's back. The girl rolled her eyes.

"Bread, vegetables, cheese, milk, fruits, a bar of chocolate. What about the tablecloth?" She dragged her words deliberately, a small glint of playfulness in her eyes.

Her mother stared at her, mouth agape. "Honey, that was supposed to be a secret!" she whined. "How did you find out, anyway?"

Opening her fist, Hotaru showed to them another acorn-shaped bag. "They're the same thing."

A dramatic sigh escaped Mrs. Imai. "I guess I have no privacy anymore…."

Someone snickered behind her, but coughed and cleared his throat as soon as she turned around. She dismissed it and grinned at the three teenagers.

"Now that you know what I've brought, let's head out to the hills," she said, smiling. "Picnic time!"

Once out of Mrs. Imai's sight, Hotaru shook her head and tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear, squeaking when her feet was swept off the ground. Her amethyst eyes met a similar pair belonging to her grinning father.

"Otou-san…" she hissed. "I'm wearing a skirt!"

Ruka had to keep himself from blushing at Hotaru's legs. Her pale blue plaid skirt had slipped lower towards her stomach, revealing a good portion of her thighs. Quickly, Ruka looked away. As much as he found Hotaru amusing (but scary), he didn't want to see her exposed like that.

Disgruntled, Hotaru wriggled out of her father's grasp and smoothed her clothes. Her eyes held the slightest hint of annoyance as she straightened her lavender blouse and pulled her skirt lower to cover more of her legs. No one dared to speak until she was done.

She looked at each of them, keeping their gazes locked with hers until she looked away. Finally, she said, "Let's go."

The tense atmosphere evaporated and the group of five started at a slow walk towards the hills.

The clearing they used for their picnic was further away from their landing spot the previous day. This one was more hidden, surrounded by thick foliage that eventually thinned as they approached the place. The leaves on the trees were a crisp brown, sometimes red with flecks of green.

The picnic was a modest affair. Mrs. Imai pulled out a red and white tablecloth and laid it on the grass then piled food on it. The five tucked in ravenously, realising that their walk around the village and the hike up the mountain had built up an appetite for them all.

Wiping a bit of tomato juice from the corner of his mouth, Natsume leaned back and watched the clouds creeping lazily over the boundless sky, lost in his own thoughts. Hotaru and Ruka stared at the sky as well. 'Where is Mikan now?' they wondered.

They stayed like that for a long time while Hotaru's parents teased and argued with each other some distance away. It felt familiar and comforting, yet alien to the three teenagers. Peers were the only family they had in the Academy, unless you count the teachers, and they weren't the same as having a real family. A real family was…nicer.

Grunting a little, Natsume shook off his daydreams and stood up. Hotaru and Ruka stopped watching the clear blue sky to look at him curiously, only to resume sky-gazing when Natsume ignored them. He strode away from the group, looking at the ground in a thoughtful manner.

He had walked quite some distance from where Hotaru and Ruka were when he noticed something unusual at the fringe of the woods. He didn't know what was so unusual about it, really…it just happened to catch his attention. Retracing his steps, Natsume frowned and called out to Hotaru and Ruka urgently.

"Look," he said, indicating a suspicious-looking trail on the dark soil. There was a set of footprints imbedded in the soft, loamy ground that trailed deep into the woods. That in itself would not have been so interesting had there not been a long, unbroken trail, almost twelve inches wide, beside the set of footprints as though something – or someone – had been dragged.

Ruka and Hotaru inhaled sharply, understanding Natsume's unspoken question. Their hearts hammered in their chests at the sudden discovery. It might have been their wild imaginations fuelled by their desire to find Mikan, but what if their hunch was right and Mikan was hidden somewhere nearby?

It was almost too good to be true. For all they knew, it could have been nothing but the trail of a predator and its fallen prey. But dimming that tiny hope dancing in their eyes was just too much to ask for, perhaps. They didn't want to stop hoping.

"Do you think…?" Ruka asked, hoping to receive an answer. He searched Natsume's eyes for any form of clarity, shivering a little at the coldness that glinted in the crimson depths.

Wordlessly, without telling them, Hotaru left the two boys to do some scouting around the edge of the woods. Dry leaves crackled and twigs snapped under her sandaled feet as she walked, sounding very loud in the silent place.

Her eyes scanned her surroundings for telltale hints. A sudden short blast of air rushed past her, blowing her hair into her face and tugging at her skirt. Hotaru whipped around quickly, staring a few feet into the woods. She saw some movement there; she was sure of it.

Carefully, she walked into the woods, stepping over huge buttress roots and around bushes and ducking under branches heavily laden with leaves. Sometimes a stray twig would snag her hair or her clothing, but she brushed those away impatiently and continued deeper towards the mysterious fluttering object. It was still moving, its frayed tips riding on some light breeze Hotaru couldn't feel.

Moving closer to it, Hotaru felt the excitement within her grow with every step she took. She didn't know why she felt that way; that piece of cloth might have been nothing more than what it was – a torn rag. Perhaps it was her intuition bells ringing. Or maybe it was because the trail Natsume had noticed earlier seemed to run past this sapling that marked a fork between two forest paths.

The first thing that caught her eye was the familiar pattern on the cloth. It was of a deep blue hue, the colour of the Alice Academy's shorts and skirts for middle school students.

Teasing the cloth away gently from the twigs that held it in place, Hotaru gave the fabric a long stare before pocketing it and trekking out of the woods.

Out in the clearing, Natsume and Ruka had noticed Hotaru's absence, as did her parents. A worried Mrs. Imai fretted over it constantly, wringing her hands and tugging at her hair in a frustrated manner. The two boys tried to console her with the aid of her husband to no avail. In the end Natsume and Ruka volunteered to look for her, if only to get away from Mrs. Imai.

Natsume sighed. It was just like Hotaru to go wandering like that without telling anyone. That girl liked to act alone though her teamwork was fine. Ruka trudged along beside him, his brow creased slightly with worry.

"Where do you think she is?" he asked Natsume, who shrugged and pushed aside a branch, waiting for Ruka to pass before letting it go.

"I wouldn't worry about her."

"I suppose so…" Ruka said reluctantly. Rows of trees loomed ahead, much bigger and taller than their cousins at the clearing. Branches and roots protruded from every angle like spears, waiting to trap them.

Deep in thought, Ruka brushed aside a thin branch absentmindedly, quite forgetting Natsume who was walking alongside him. The fire alice hissed when twigs slashed his right cheek and pulled painfully at his ear.

Cursing loudly, Natsume broke the branch in half with both hands, taking care to avoid making the situation even worse, then proceeded to try teasing an annoying twig out of his alice controlling device. Boy, does it hurt! Flustered, Ruka bent down beside him and took the branch to help Natsume, apologising again and again for his mistake.

Natsume winced when he felt another sharp tug. He had really bad luck sometimes, he thought darkly. Why hadn't he seen it on time? Dodging a branch was practically nothing in comparison to dodging real live enemies. Still, he had trusted Ruka to be careful and therefore had let his guard down a little….

"There." Ruka breathed a sigh of relief as the twig finally dislodged from Natsume's earring. It was small with a forked end, skinny enough to weave through the controlling device and get stuck near the hole pierced in Natsume's earlobe. Natsume glared at the inanimate object, rubbing his throbbing ear.

"Stupid thing," he muttered venomously. Ruka apologised one more time and offered to help him up. It was not long before they found Hotaru trudging slowly from a deeper part of the woods looking flushed and a little excited. She met their gazes solemnly then continued walking as though she had not disappeared at a moment's notice. Shooting a glare at her back, Natsume turned and walked back the way he came, this time extra careful to avoid branches.

When the trio appeared from between two twisted and wizened trees, Mr. and Mrs. Imai looked up and walked quickly towards them anxiously. Hotaru's mother gave her a sharp lecture while her father looked on, trying to look stern but appearing relieved instead.

Hotaru sighed inwardly and resigned herself to her fate. Catching Natsume's and Ruka's eyes, she gave them a meaningful look. She would talk to them later.

Back at home, Hotaru's mother fussed over her, tending to small cuts and bruises Hotaru never realised were there until they stung under a damp cloth. Still, the pain was bearable and she managed to keep her neutral expression as her mother placed plasters over some of the bigger cuts.

"Really, Hotaru!" Mrs. Imai said, vexed. "What were you thinking of, gallivanting off into the woods like that? You got me really worried!"

"I'm sorry, okaa-san," Hotaru murmured. She felt a little guilty for neglecting to inform them before she left, but her excitement overrode her common sense at that time. Mrs. Imai looked calmer after Hotaru's apology.

"There, all done. No more walking off without telling me or your dad, do you hear?"

Hotaru nodded and stood up slowly, her legs stiff after sitting down for so long. "I'll be in my room if you need me."

Her mother nodded in reply and watched worriedly as her daughter disappeared into the dim corridor leading to the bedrooms. Hotaru could feel her eyes watching her back until she rounded another corner. Instead of entering her room, she went down to Natsume and Ruka's room, the piece of fabric tucked safely inside her pocket.

The air was rather heavy that night, she noticed vaguely. The corridor was dark, with only one lamp at the end of the corridor to light the way. Occasionally a moth would dart in front of her then flit away again, perhaps attracted to the light emanating from the lamp. She hoped they would not go too near to the fire; moths were found at the base of the lamp every day, either dead or without wings. It was unfair that they had to suffer that way…perishing because of the deadly flames that attracted them so much.

Shaking her head to clear it of such thoughts, she took a few more steps then rapped softly on Natsume and Ruka's room door. She heard some shuffling before the door clicked and opened to reveal a curious but polite Ruka, thinking it was Mrs. Imai.

He looked surprised to see her, but let her in anyway. Natsume was unfolding his blanket inside the room. He nodded at her then sat down on his bed, ignoring the two of them. Hotaru broke the silence with her soft voice.

"I found something interesting in the woods today."

Shocked, Natsume and Ruka stared at her, eyes wide and disbelieving. Wordlessly she pulled out the blue fabric and passed it to Natsume. It was a little worn and faded, more crumpled after sitting in Hotaru's pocket for hours.

No one voiced out the silent hope that birthed in their chests. They just stared at the rag, each deep in thought. Finally, Ruka said, "Do you think it's…?"

His friends' faces were grim, but he could see a faint hope glimmering in their eyes. Were they on the right track at last? Was this blue rag a clue ripped from Mikan's skirt?

They could not prove it, but they could still hope.

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Okay, done with chapter nine. Like it? Hate it? Tell me in a review; every writer likes those. Encourages me to write a little faster. Haha.

I'll try to update within a month's time, but as usual, no promises... I'll just try my best.