A/N: Must tell this as early as possible! Guys, sad to say, this story is NOT a two-shot. Huhu. I'm sorry! I tried, really, I tried to cramp everything in the second chapter (just as I promised this story to have two chaps only) but I guess, and unfortunately, I really am not good in making one-shots. Short stories for that matter. I think my mind whirls with soo many words and I cannot focus on the important ideas and events and I only realized that I cannot just abruptly end it! Sorry. Huhu. I won't say anything about how many chapters this story would take ('cause I hate breaking my words) but I will really try my best to squeeze the story with a few chapters only! Thank you very much for understanding!

nix - Lo and behold, my first reviewer! Haha. Thank you very much! Oh yeah, I will continue this one. Thanks!

XxSHIMMERSTARxX and Tristeza Hermoza - Thank you super duper, guys! I really appreciated how you liked the start of it. Hope you'll like it till the end!

dokiwuvnabi - Hey, there! Nah, I definitely have no ability in making cliff-hangers. But thank you so much 'cause when I read you said it I was like, "What? OMG really?!" and I got happy bubbles inside my stomach. Hihi. Thanks!

Disclaimer: You know who the genius one who created Gakuen Alice, ne? But still, thanks, Higuchi Tachibana! You rock like a lollipop on my bikini top. Hihi. Keep it locked and loaded, mi bruddahs and sistahs!

XX,

Alyx Hawthorne

It Started With A Bump

Chapter Two: All the Right Places

"It all started with this

Never knew it would end up like this

How can I resist your scent

The moment I knew you and I are meant

In the middle of the night

Unbeknownst to everyone's mind

You come to me and whisper

Yes, forever, I will be your lover"

Once outside, Natsume slung his leather jacket on his shoulder and started to walk towards the Ramen Shop two blocks away from his apartment. He just finished an operation with a little girl who undergone a Reconstructive surgery on her left hand and he was pretty shaken up due to fatigue. Once at home, he tried to rest but his stomach insists the opposite. He was about to call Chinese delivery when he remembered the Ramen Shop he passed by earlier, on his way home. Ever since a child, Natsume preferred ramen of all noodle dishes. He can still remember how his father also favored ramen and that he and Natsume always have serious talks about his father's business or Natsume's academic life, with ramen always in front of them. Maybe that is the reason why the food has calming effect on his nerves, because he remembered those days with his father where they would talk over things and solve different problems.

Natsume pocketed his car keys, realizing that he did not need it, and continued walking, forcefully forgetting everything but his craving for the comfort food. When he entered the Ramen Shop, he walked briskly towards the counter and ordered his favorite ramen. He particularly liked the Shōyu ramen because the soy broth smells heavenly. The customers from the Ramen Shop started to notice the handsome man who just entered. Women stopped eating and craned their necks to get a glimpse of the man. Girlish giggles and whispers erupted inside the shop and Natsume could feel his irritation going back again.

'Are these persons have nothing to do besides watch other people?' Natsume thought irritably.

There was one woman who came up and boldly asked for his name and Natsume felt his irritation doubled. His crimson eyes glared dangerously at the woman and without saying anything, rudely turned his back on her and asked the person behind the counter that his ramen is now "to-go". Yeah, he would just eat his ramen somewhere. The boy in the counter hastily agreed and wrapped Natsume's ramen on a plastic bowl and sealed it with a plastic lid. After giving his payment, Natsume took the paper bag of his Shōyu ramen and stalked out of the shop, his black aura emitting.

Natsume, for the love of god, could not understand why women act foolishly in front of him, as if by their stupid actions like faking a trip, batting their eyelashes, slipping napkins with numbers and addresses, or throwing themselves at him would make him take notice of them.

He firmed his lips into a straight line and remembered his conversation with his friends about being in a relationship and how he does not want to be in any. The truth is he does not want to not have a girlfriend. I mean, hey, Natsume is a man, too and he also has his fantasies and urges just like any other normal man. Of course, he wanted to have a girlfriend who would take care of him, who would kiss away his problems, cook home-made food for him, curl-up on the couch and watch football game with him, and make him forget all the tiring activities he did the whole day. But whenever he was considering this idea of having a girlfriend, he deeply thinks of a perfect girl and to his utter frustration, no one has yet come up his standards. No woman has made an impression to him, no woman is not in awe of him, no woman has well, let's just put it simply by saying no woman is just right for him. At the moment.

And suddenly, out of nowhere, he remembered his mother. Just the thought of his conversation with her made him grit his teeth again with frustration.

His mother called him this afternoon and told him, in that terrible voice of hers, that, "Tomorrow is our 30th Wedding Anniversary, your father and I. Aoi just made reservations and we would have dinner at Crown Pearl Plaza and you must, I repeat, must bring a date with you or else you would not be hearing anything from me again. Ever. You know how much your father and I wished to see you and Aoi have someone to look after the each of you. I warn you, young man. I would not leave this earth without holding a grandchild from yours!" She said, practically shouting at Natsume's ears. Then her mother's voice turned saccharine suddenly as she bid goodbye,

"See you, tomorrow, then, Natsume dear! Aoi says hi, too!" Her mother said and just like that, she hung-up.

Now, that's where the big problem lies. Who would be his date? Who can be with him? Who can he, as much as he don't want to do it but he has no choice, bribe to be his date and afterwards leave him without even a glance back? Of course, he wants to see his mother happy. That is why he had no choice but to obey her. And for the sake of their parent's 30th Anniversary, he would find a date. But the problem is who?

With a disgruntled sigh, he closed his eyes fleetingly and used his free hand to rub off the strains on his nape.

He was about to open his eyes when…

BUUUMP!

He collided himself into a small, solid wall. Not anticipating this, his left hand, which is holding the paper bag of ramen rather adroitly, flew from his grasp and before he could reach for it, the paper bag plummeted on the ground, and his precious ramen lay against the ground, wasted. The noodles, pork, vegatables, were all strewn around, looking like a bunch of sap in the middle of the street.

Before he could even process what had really happened, the thing he collided with which he thought was a small, solid wall, started to speak.

"I-I.. I'm sorry, mister! I am so sorry!" The girl, whose beautiful brown eyes were puffy from crying and her nose as red as her eyes (which Natsume did not notice), squeaked and she started to get on her knees to pick up the trash that was a sumptuous ramen minutes ago, the handkerchief she was holding against her eyes lay harmlessly on the space beside her.

Rage washed over him like hot acid.

Was this intentional? She collided herself with him so he would notice her? Just like what other women's foolish acts do in front of him?

"Leave it!" he bellowed on the poor girl.

Mikan was crying.

She haven't stopped crying since yesterday.

"Mikan, stop crying, will you? Spork will be alright. The doctor also told you that," her best friend, Hotaru, which is rumored cold and calculated by many, came in to see her and comforted her.

Her dog, Spork, a maltese-poodle mix, was her parents gift from her. Spork has been with her for 6 years now and he became a part of Mikan already. Now, he was in the Komazawa Animal Hospital. He was diagnosed to have bronchitis. The good doctor there, who has blonde hair and blue eyes that were brimming with sympathy, told her that if she brought Spork an hour later than she did, he might be dead by now.

"But don't worry, he'll be okay now. We'll just have to check him again and inject the medicine and after a few hours, you could go back and get him again. You should know that Spork must take his medicine on time for the next five days, okay? After that, he'll be okay. You can bring him here from time to time for check-up," Dr. Nogi said, and with a kind smile, he left her and went to Mikan's dog to start the treatment.

10 hours later, at 5:30pm, Mikan set off to pick up her dearest Spork. Hotaru offered to drive her to the hospital but she declined. She wanted to walk and pull herself together before she pick up her dog. She knows how Spork hated to see her crying. Her dog would start whimpering with her and lay beside her, not leaving her side until he knows his master is okay again.

But on her way, she started to cry again. She almost lost her precious Spork! She was too busy this past two weeks at the preparatory school where she works as a teacher in Science (because it is almost the school's celebration of Spring Festival) to notice that Spork lacked his original active and jolly behavior. She blames herself for not bringing Spork to the animal hospital immediately. And to think she almost lost him! She cried harder.

She was wiping the unbidden tears on her eyes with her violet handkerchief when, as she turned sharply to her left suddenly, she collided hardly with someone's chest.

Her eyes flew open in surprise, and as if by slow motion, the paper bag the person she crashed into plummeted on the ground, the only sound of plastic bowls slashing was heard. She stared in horror on the ramen that lay innocuously on the ground, wasted.

"I-I.. I'm sorry, mister! I am so sorry!" she stuttered, looking miserably at the wasted ramen.

She immediately tossed her hanky aside, knelt, and picked up the remnants (not really the ramen and its soup, but the plastic bowl, lid, tissue, and chopsticks) to no avail.

Suddenly, a low, masculine voice hollered above her.

"Leave it!" the terrible low voice said.

She cringed and stood up immediately. Her head still bowed down.

"I'm sorry. I really am sorry for what happened," Mikan said, clasping and unclasping her hands nervously.

The person in front of her was not saying anything but she could feel the anger the person is emanating.

She started to sniff and she dared to look at the person whom she owes a bowl of ramen.

When she saw the red eyes, the firm straight line of his lips, and the dangerous glint on those crimson orbs... she trembled and she collapsed on her knees, crying her heart out.

She feels sorry for her dog, Spork, whom she failed to notice was ill, and for the man in front of him, who was not doing anything but just had the unluckiest moment to crash into her and waste a good ramen because of her clumsiness.

Could this day get any better?

Natsume, on the other hand, was shocked.

And, to his utter disbelief (and amazement), was mesmerized.

Okay, he was really angry a moment ago when he saw his dear ramen lying on the ground in a heap of waste, and he thought that the woman did it intentionally (so he would notice her). He was expecting an award-winning acting of a woman apologizing to him with eyelashes batting flirtatiously at him and then she would offer another food she cooked, or whatever acting stunts she could muster.

But he did not expect to see the woman in front of him to start to look at him with tears cascading on her cheeks, her lower lip caught between her teeth, her small chin with an intriguing cleft trembling, and she suddenly collapsed on her knees with heart-wrenching sobs. Nor he did not expect the woman to have those large, beautiful, mesmerizing eyes. Nor he did not expect to realize he was thinking how softly-looking the woman's long espresso-colored hair looks like. Nor he did not see himself suddenly crouching beside the crying woman, caressing her long hair, in a comforting way.

"I-I-I'm… I'm s-sorry…" the woman said in between her hiccups.

"It's okay," he continued, "I would just buy another one."

The woman shook her head.

"No. I-It's my fault. I would re-replace the ramen for y-you…" she said, tears continue to fall from those beautiful, haunting eyes.

"No, I mean it. And it's okay." he quietly said.

They sat there for a moment and when he felt that the woman's crying ebbed into sniffing and hiccupping, he said,

"I'm sorry," Natsume does not know why he said sorry but he felt at that moment that he must say those words to this woman.

The woman sniffed and looked at his eyes.

And the moment their eyes met, he could never deny it, but Natsume felt like he was drowning into those deep, brown eyes. Some strange gravity was pulling him to her and he could not resist it. And he was, though it sounds weird, mesmerized.

Without thinking, he hugged her suddenly and said against her hair,

"I'm sorry,"

Mikan was surprised with this.

Of all the reaction she could get from this man, the least she expected was a comfort from him.

She bumped him and sent his ramen flying across the street and he said it was okay? And said sorry for it?

And now, she found herself being enveloped by his unfamiliar warmth!

Is something amiss here?

She wondered dejectedly as sniffed again and stifled a hiccup.

She entangled herself from the man and said,

"I really am s-sorry for what happened. I did not notice y-you. I would like to replace you ramen but I'm terribly in a hurry. S-so," she said as she jumbled and fished her wallet out of her purse and pulled a couple of bills.

"Here," Mikan said, offering the money to the man.

The tall, foreboding man shook his head and rejected her offer.

"I told you it was okay. I'll just buy another one," the man shrugged and pushed towards her the money she was offering.

"B-but, no! Mister, this is the only way I could repay the r-ramen!" Mikan replied, not wanting to just let the incident be forgotten. After all, it was her fault for turning on her left side sharply. She did not think that maybe, just maybe, there will be people beside her whom she might collide.

The man said nothing and just looked at her with those deep crimson eyes.

Mikan looked straight into his eyes, and she suddenly felt exposed under his scrutinizing and with a rather inept bow, she bid him goodbye.

"I-uhm, if-if it's really okay with you, then I must go now. I'm really sorry again with your ramen, Mister. And thank you very much," and with those parting words she walked quickly away from the place where her clumsiness resulted to wasted ramen, where she bumped the man with those unforgettable ruby eyes.

Natsume still stood rooted on the same spot for a couple of minutes now and when he realized he had been standing rigidly in the middle of the street like a lunatic, he quickly started to walk again.

He shook his head to make sure the event minutes ago really happened.

He really bought Shōyu ramen, right? And on his way back, he bumped with this beautiful woman whom he failed to notice was crying?

He looked back on his shoulder and when he saw the mess in the middle of the street, he thought what happened earlier was real.

He met a woman who has expressive yet haunting brown eyes. Natsume thought the woman's eyes were haunting because when he noticed those eyes, he suddenly had this feeling in his gut, the feeling of being bare from the world. Those eyes of hers seem to see the depth and soul of Natsume.

He never felt like that before. In fact, when he thought of it, he never saw russet eyes as beautiful as the woman's, eyelashes as long (that it cast shadows on her cheeks) as the woman's, lips as full as a budding rose as the woman's, small chin with a fascinating cleft as the woman's, espresso-colored locks as captivating as the woman's…

He checked himself abruptly at the train of his thoughts.

Did he, Natsume Hyuuga, twenty-eight year old bachelor, no girlfriend since birth, and was considered a women-allergic, really thought of those thoughts?

He closed his eyes to focus his mind and pull himself together.

But once he closed his eyes, those striking, brown eyes popped on his consciousness.

He remembered how the woman trembled and cried in front of him. He did not know how he knew but he felt that it was not just an obtuse act to get his attention. The heart-wrenching sobs from her were enough for him to realize that the woman was not just crying over a wasted ramen but something much, much deeper.

He briefly wondered what could be the reason and then he thought to himself how utterly silly it was for he does not know the woman, even her name, for goodness' sake! And before he could speak another word to her again, she bid goodbye and left the place hurriedly without looking back, her lingering scent and entrancing face trailing at her wake and finding its way on Natsume Hyuuga's already mesmerized mind.

To Be Continued

A/N: And that's where the chapter two ends! Obviously. Haha. Silly me. Anyways, thank you so much for reading this one! Chapter title, again is from One Republic's song, "All The Right Moves". You know my message! "Sweet criticisms are appreciated but positive reviews are craved by the author." Keep updated, guys!

Leave a mark. XX,

Alyx Hawthorne