Disclaimer: Don't own Gakuen Alice and never shall. Sorry to disappoint you, though. ;D

Chapter 4- A N G R Y

I was annoyed. Very, very annoyed. For one thing, Hotaru never mentioned that Natsume entered the academy. How could she conceal this from me, her best friend?

She knew it all along.

What did she want? To take pictures of my depression? Or perhaps it was just plain interest on what was going to happen.

We were going to have to talk. Soon.

The other reason was just plain obvious. The freaking Natsume Hyuuga, the one who didn't bother to visit me, or contact me, vanished without a trace, and left so much as a piece of paper saying "Goodbye" leaving only a weird stone, was sitting right next to me. Right next to ME. His manga just slid off his face, and he was B-U-S-T-E-D.

It was so unexpected to find him right here in Alice Academy that I was at a lost for words. Many times I have dreamt of him, have longed to see him. Yet there he was now, right in front of my eyes. I had so many questions to ask, so many things to tell… And yet, I knew, it just wasn't the same. Not anymore.

It was a sight that I could not forget. I was so happy I could've cried. I was also so angry, I could've gone into an argument with him straight away.... I felt a mix of emotions, some of them, I could not name, nor could I comprehend. However, if one thing was for certain, it was a fact that I missed him.

In that split second, I wanted to scream: NATSUME HOW HAVE YOU BEEN?

...But my smile faltered when there seemed to be no change in his expression. His face was completely still, devoid of any expression. As if all those years we've met have decreased to… nothing. His eyes did not reveal anything, but I felt I could see behind the depths of those, there was something...

"What?"he asked, eyebrows raised.
 Hearing his voice for the first time in years felt like I was somehow carried away from hell. I wasn't in heaven, though, it felt just like a lifted curse. Like the flames had somehow abruptly stopped. The wounds were there, but there was no more burning. No more suffering. The moment I saw him, I knew it was over. I was away from hell.

I didn't know what I'd expected to see from Natsume, but it was not this. The mask of indifference, the callousness. The look in his eyes shook me, and my heart sank, along with what was left of today's optimism.

"Hi," was all I could manage to utter. I couldn't even gather the decency to give a warm greeting. My stubbornness was turned on to a maximum today. I wouldn't talk to him unless he talks to me first.

I waited for him to say something, but there was no reply. I was enraged. How could he have forgotten me so easily? I wanted to confront him, to demand what his problem was, why he didn't talk to me.

I hardly listened to anything in the lesson. I was deeply bothered by the fact that Natsume hadn't said a word since we met. His taciturnity annoyed me. I didn't know what he was thinking, and it made me anxious. Was he angry at me? Or was he really like this with everyone else? Every girl seemed to adore him, so… Is it just me?

I couldn't take it anymore, so I decided to say something.

"So this is how you are now, Natsume? Not so much as a simple acknowledgement of my existence- or the fact that you already know me."

He merely shook his head and responded, "I can't believe this." His voice sounded like he was angry, but I couldn't really tell. His face did not betray any emotion.

"You know each other, Natsume?" Ruka asked before I was able to respond.

"From a long time ago," came his brief reply.

FROM A LONG TIME AGO. Wow. That made it sound like I was involved in some sort of History book.

I was aware that the teacher was speaking, but I did not pay attention to her words.

"... and talk with your table, okay?" said our teacher. I only heard those last words, so I didn't understand what we had to talk about."

"So... Er... Sakura-san... Natsume...." Ruka began. I guess he could feel the strange atmosphere that was filled with tension in the left side of our table. At least he made an effort to bring up a discussion.

"What?" "What?"

Both Natsume and I spoke at the same time. Natsume said it in an uninterested manner, though, but I said it more in the lines of confusion.

I decided not to speak after that. Neither did he. It felt awkward, so Ruka decided to speak.

"We're supposed to... introduce ourselves. Our likes and dislikes and all that... But by the looks of it, we're already familiar with each other," Ruka said with a laugh.

"I want everybody to be talking. Interacting. Learn more things about your classmates!" our teacher said brightly.

"Guess we still have to do it, huh?" I said.

Ruka began all the silly introductions our teacher said was 'very important'.

"I... I like... Animals, and I dislike...." His eyes roamed through the room before he spoke.

I followed the direction of his gaze when I saw... girls. They were the ones who yelled Natsume's name earlier. I sensed he must have disliked those noisy ones that were too locked up in their own world, waiting for their "Knight in Shining Armor".

"I can go next," I said, already guessing what Ruka disliked.

"I like my all my friends," I said with a smile.

Both Ruka and Natsume stared at me, confused.

"No, not in that way!" I explained, using my hands in the process.

"I... I hate Math," I finished in a low voice.

It was Natsume's turn.

"Na-Natsume?" Ruka asked, waiting for his response.

"I'd like class to end soon because I don't want to be in here any longer," he said monotonously.

That was an answer?

He'd only have to say my name for me to know I was the reason he didn't want to be here.

"Share your stories," our teacher said even more loudly, with enthusiasm. She babbled on with a shrill voice on a couple of things about 'meeting new people', which I couldn't care less about.

I glanced around the room. Everyone else was talking about different things, from homework to fashion to sport.

"Sakura-san is so lucky to be sitting next to Natsume-kun," I heard someone say.

"Yeah, she is," came the answer of one person, followed with echoes of the same reply.

Lucky?

I just don't get it. What exactly was so lucky about wanting a person you've always wanted to see for years, send icy glares at you that it felt almost enough to freeze you for an eternity?

I looked back at Natsume. He was reading manga again, silent and sitting still.

The second the bell rang, and I heard a light thud in the ground, only to find a black gel pen had dropped near my seat. I didn't see whose pen it was so the next words came out as a shock.

"Oi. Can you pick up the pen… New student," Natsume said, hesitating a bit before he spoke the last 2 words.

And that was it.

I was furious now.

I quickly picked up the the pen and placed it right through the table with great force that the sound impacted loudly on the room. Too bad the pen didn't break.

He couldn't even say my name.

"Mikan Sakura. Is that too hard to remember?" I snapped out at him. Although I didn't mean to, the words came out harsher than I expected. I guess I held bitter feelings, which I was only able to freely express now that he was here. I didn't look back to see anyone's reaction, as I packed up my books in a rush, ready to leave. I was heading for the door when I heard him speak.

"You didn't have to take it out on the pen."

With tears streaming down my cheeks, anger intensified, I stormed out of the room without another word.

"No," I said firmly. "Hell no."

"But Sakura-san-" Ruka said.

"No, OK? I refuse to be-"

"It's already set, you can't do anything about it," Hotaru said, smiling.

"That guy can't be my partner, OK? That's just-"

"Fate?" Koko asked with a laugh.

"No, torture!" I retorted.

Natsume was my class partner, I realized too late. Kokoi told this to me after class. The turn of events were almost sickening.

"So how do you find your partner?" Koko asked during lunch. I just lifted the water up to my lips as he spoke the words, but I froze.

"Partner?" I asked in confusion. "Who?"

"Natsume Hyuuga, who else?" he stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I blinked 3 times before I was able to put the puzzle pieces together. Then, it clicked.

My partner was... Natsume?

"Let me get this straight," I said, thinking. "He's my partner," I said, trying to keep calm.

"Depends who 'he' is."

"Natsume, of course!"

He nodded, smiling.

Smiling.

"Oh no," I said, shaking my head repeatedly. "No, no no. Why him?!"

He chuckled before he spoke.

"You mean you didn't know?" he asked. He seemed to find something terribly amusing.

Oh, great. Perfect way to start the day.

Suddenly, I felt so stupid for not realizing it. How did I not realize this? It was so obvious. He was the absent guy the other day, and sat next to me too. Now because of my failure to realize this, my friends kept rubbing it in it was annoying.

Facing back to reality, I tried to think of how my life could get any more complex than it is.

What a perfect start to my academy life. Really, whoever said life in the academy was easy, well, honestly? My troubles were just the beginning.

Urghh. Finally. I wanted to go finish off the chapter already, because of Vampire Academy bk.3, I couldn't write anything straight. It was just too depressing to write.

Anyway, don't forget to review. ^^