Authors Note: I apologise for both the delay and the shortness of this chapter. I had some unforseen circumstances pop up recently that lead to me not having much time for the computer, but I figured a slightly shorter update was better then no update at all. So enjoy this next chapter because I know Mikan sure didn't!
Ruka walked slowly down the hallways, not quite fully awake yet despite being dressed, groomed and otherwise fully prepared for the day. It was a beautiful morning as he strolled down the hall, the early sunlight streaming in through the windows that lined the path and bathing him in a pleasant warmth, causing his gentle blue eyes to glaze over in idle thought. He idly stroked his rabbits soft fur, enjoying the feel of the particularly soft fur between his ears. The rabbit laid still, content with the attention it was receiving and snuggling into the warmth of his master. As its red eyes closed, Ruka smiled gently, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of the morning and the rare silence that only came with a bright and early wake up call in the Academy.
"HOTARU! Get out here now!"
Well, so much for that.
Travelling in the direction of the voice and comforting the rabbit that was now growing tenser by the second, Ruka sighed. He understood that Sakura was excited to see her friend return and he loved her boundless enthusiasm but right now, he wished that she could celebrate in a less boisterous manner.
Imagine the poor boys surprise when instead of a blissfully grinning and sobbing Mikan, he was met with an infuriated one that was pounding Hotaru Imai's door with surprising strength and energy, still clad in her nightwear, her hair loose and uncombed. Trying to ignore the slight heat that came to his face almost instantly at the sight of her, Ruka approached with caution, treading carefully into the situation to prevent any sort of animosity from both Mikan and Imai.
"Sakura?"
Mikan turned quickly, nearly falling over in the process, a cunning smile coming to her face at the sound of his voice.
"Ruka-pyon! I'm so glad you came!"
Before he could reply, Mikan snagged his arm and pulled him toward Hotaru's door, pointing at it as if it had done something to deeply offend her.
"Can you get Piyo to knock this stupid thing down!" She didn't bother making it even sound like a request, Ruka noted dryly. He quickly covered his rabbits ears in an attempt to lessen the damage her unnaturally high pitch could bring, although he would never say that out loud. After all, Sakura was obviously stressed enough already and upsetting her further would only increase the volume.
The door cracked open, revealing a single dark blue eye which glared at him icily, making Ruka gulp involantarily as he surpressed a shiver. "Do that, Nogi, and I'll tell everyone what I found under your mattress." Her gaze flickered over to Mikan who seemed too shocked at the fact that the door had actually opened to really respond. "I'll have to explain exactly what it is to this idiot, which would be especially awkward. Perhaps I would pass that responsibility to you?".
Ruka shook his head quickly, the heat building even more then it already had. Surely every normal boy in the age of puberty had one (He knew for a fact that Natsume had one, although he kept it hidden somewhere that even he couldn't stumble across it) but still, at Mikan's wide eyed glance of innocence, he just couldn't bear the thought of her, of all people, knowing about that. Let alone having to explain what it was.
He could have sworn he heard a chuckle as the door snapped shut once more. He sighed, shaking his head pathetically, feeling abused and blackmailed. A feeling he had long gotten used to since meeting Imai.
"Sorry Sakura, I can't help you."
Mikan nodded in sympathy, tapping his shoulder lightly as if she knew exactly what he was going through. "That's alright Ruka-pyon, we all have secrets. Hotaru knows everything abo-" She froze in midsentence, her eyes widening even more in realisation.
She whipped around again, pounding furiously on the door. "HOTARU! Dammit, open the door now! That's not fair, I wasn't ready yet!"
"It's not my fault that idiots are easily distracted." Came a muffled reply, which increased Mikan's incessant pounding on the door.
Ruka tipped his head slightly, noting the slightly flushed appearance of the girl for the first time that morning. She had obviously been here for some time and seemed to slowly be tiring herself out from all her antics. He had always assumed she had an unending plethora of energy so seeing her a little worn down was quite the rare sight. "What is it you want from her anyways, Sakura?"
If he thought she had looked slightly red before, it was nothing compared to how she looked now. Her cheeks flushed a deeper color and he could have sworn that a small amount of steam escaped from her ears. She turned to him slowly, remaining silent as she tried to think up something clever to say and evidently, failing.
"Ahh... She took my... Blanket."
"You're... Blanket?"
She nodded, pointing at the door accusingly and giggling airily, a slightly insane tint dancing in it. "Yes, and I want it back. But I guess I should go... Now... Class is starting soon... Yeah."
Her sentence cut off awkwardly as she turned on her heel and headed back to her room without another word. Ruka looked down at the rabbit in his arms in confusion, not quite sure what to make of the encounter but mentally shrugging it off. Between living in this Academy and having daily contact with Mikan Sakura, you do get used to these odd little events to the point where they just aren't odd anymore. A little sad, really.
He sighed heavily and decided to continue walking. It was going to be a long day.
Something was most definitely up.
And it was pissing him off.
This whole little shy school girl routine was not flattering in the least, yet Mikan seemed to be playing the role wholeheartedly. She was sitting on the very edge of the bench, her eyes flickering between him and the invention freak as if one of them might suddenly take an interest in cannibalism and attack her. Her hands were clenched very tightly in her lap to the point that her knuckles were turning white and she looking like she was going to be sick. He supposed his insistent silent staring may have played a part in it, but he really didn't give a damn. She had some explaining to do.
"Oi, Polka."
She jolted violently in her seat, almost tumbling off the side to the floor but managed to miraculously keep her balance. She glanced over at him timidly, letting out a wheezy chuckle in a failed attempt to lighten the mood a little.
"What is it N-Natsume?"
His eyebrow raised at her stammer. Since when did Polka stammer?
That aside, he decided she was also sitting too far away. He would have to fix that.
He reached forward suddenly, grabbing her arm and pulling her over so swiftly that she didn't even have time to react other then releasing a startled squeak. He held her firmly as she tried desperately to scoot away, a curious pink tint coming to her complection. He blinked a little at the realisation that she was blushing over something so simple. Sure, she had blushed over things before, but never over something so simply girly. Huh...
"You better start talking, little girl." He threatened curtly, ignoring the nervous looks he was getting from a few of the other students at his aggressive tone. "I don't appreciate being stared at like I have the plague, surprisingly enough. What the hell is wrong with you today?"
"What, me?" Mikan asked, sounding surprised and pointing index finger towards her face. "No, there's nothing wrong with me Natsume! Absolutely nothing wrong!" She looked up desperately at the school board as if begging for some sort of saving grace to appear before her. "Oh, look! We're doing fractions today!" She paused for a moment, her expression tightening. "...Wait, we're doing fractions? Dang it, I'm terrible with fractions..."
He realised he was losing her to her sulking so he sighed in an attempt to reel her back to reality. "Oi, Polka, focus. I want to know why you've been treating me like a goddamn leper today."
She tilted her head, testing the new word. "Leper?"
He glared at her. "I am not letting that stupid routine get you out of this one. Now answer me."
Anger flitted through her eyes. "Hey, what do you mean, stupid routine? Natsume, I'm not an idiot just because I-"
"You're an idiot, I thought we fully established that last night." He pushed, trying to get her back on track. It was a full time job, after all. She had an annoying tendency of getting distracted. "When you came to my room. And slept in my bed. Remember?"
From the color that came to her face once again, it was as good as any verbal answer she could have given, a blaring yes, I remember, but I try ever so desperately not to. Good, at least he got some sort of acknowledgement. Her dancing around the subject would only succeed in pissing him off more then he already was.
"Don't say that so loud!" She hissed, no longer fighting his grip and sitting herself closer so she would not have to speak up to be heard. "What if someone hears you?"
He snorted dismissively. "Polka, I have to say that I doubt anyone really gives a damn."
Mikan shook her head strongly, glancing over and Hotaru nervously. "Oh, trust me, people would care... About that... Permy would murder me in my sleep!"
"You know," He began slowly, his eyes narrowing at the expression on her face, "If I didn't know better, I would say you were hiding something. But even you can't be stupid enough to think that you can hide something from me for long so if you are, I suggest you tell me now before I hear about it from an alternative source."
She gulped, evading his gaze. "I don't know what you're talking about, Natsume."
He searched her face and knew beyond a doubt that she was blatantly lying to him. She never had had a good poker face and she seemed completely unable to hide her shortness of breath or eyes that just couldn't seem to meet his. Despite this, he released her arm, although the stewing anger never left his face, his displeasure making the girl squirm in her seat.
He had to admit, he was sulking a little on the inside. Why would she try to hide something from him? He thought that last night had been some sort of indication of trust in him, that perhaps he was someone she could turn to when she had a problem, but he supposed he had guessed wrong. She seemed more distant then ever. He pushed these troublesome thoughts away stubbornly. Since when had he cared about such girly things? That was more Ruka's field anyways...
The boy turned scornfully to the schoolboard, trying to convince himself that Mikan's cold shoulder was having no effect whatsoever. By the way the temperature was raising gradually in the room, his classmates had to assume that he was failing miserably.
The bell rang and Mikan shot out of her seat, racing towards Hotaru in a desperate attempt to slow what she knew was going to happen during the lunchbreak, perhaps even bring it to a complete halt if possible. She had seen many of Hotaru's impromptu photo auctions, something the girl had a talent for whipping up out of seemingly nowhere, but she wasn't used to the constant churning in her stomach that indicated her nervousness on the whole matter. Part of her wanted to believe that her friend wouldn't sell out their bond over a few measly rabbits... But the more rational part of her brain corrected her harshly and reminded her that Hotaru would probably sell her own grandmother for a few extra coins.
She quickened her pace.
"HOTARU!" She called. The blue eyed girl gave her an irritated glance before bolting from the room faster then Mikan's eye could track. She remembered Hotaru telling her about a pair of speed advancing running shoes that she had been working on.
She supposed that she must have completed them and in doing so, swiftly kicked any chance the poor brunette had of catching her mercilessly to the curb.
She knew her last chance of stopping the money craving fiend had just blown out of the room.
So, logic stated that all she needed to do was win the auction, right?
"Why didn't I think of this before!" Mikan laughed, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her change purse, opening it with flourish and looking dramatically into its depths. But fate seemed to be having great fun with her today, and nearly empty wallet laughed mockingly in her face as it revealed a measly 20 rabbits and a few rolls of lint.
Howalon was a cruel, addictive thing that she had always known would be the end of her. It was just so darned delicious! Howalon was her one true love in this life. The very thing that had royally screwed any chance of her getting that picture in a fair, uneventful method.
She sunk to the floor, tears flooding her eyes and running down her cheeks pathetically, her sniffles gaining no sympathy from her classmates. They avoided her gaze when they caught sight of her empty funds and she was no fool as to why. She owed a few of them money, it was no secret that her Howalon obsession ran high. After all, playing match girl would only get her donations and sympathy for so long.
Just as she began to wonder what some of her personal belongings would fetch if she tried to sell them off in a hurry, a sharp voice interrupted her train of thought.
"...What do you think you're doing?"
Mikan turned to look over her shoulder and was met with the sneer of Sumire, Koko standing a few inches behind her and peeking over her shoulder. From the shocked look that flashed across his face for a split second, followed by the cunning grin that could only suit the cat that had caught the canary, he knew exactly all that had happened. Damn it. As if this day couldn't get any better.
The universe was surely against her. She could only imagine the crimes she must have committed in a past life to gain this sort of bad karma, but it was paying her back full force now. Enjoying it too, by the looks of it.
"N-Nothing Permy." Mikan gulped, sending Koko a pleading look, thinking at a mile a minute, something she didn't even know she was capable of. Please, please keep this a secret... Not even Natsume knows, please don't do this Koko! Please don't say anything and just forget what you found...
No such luck. He just continued to smile mockingly, his eyes flickering momentarily back to the fire Alice who was still staring holes into the girl grovelling at his feet. This could get very interesting, he concluded cheerfully. Usually Mikan's mistakes were made public before he could even get into her mind, so it was rare to have any actual dirt on the brunette. It was a gift that he would not squander needlessly.
"She just didn't get a lot of sleep, I think." Koko stated brightly, "Her mind is a jumble."
Sumire snorted. "Moreso then usual?"
She didn't wait for a reply as she stalked past the blubbering girl, Koko following faithfully at her heels, although not before he could give her one last innocent wave as he walked by.
Mikan added another item to her mental agenda. Find Hotaru. Steal the picture before anyone could see and destroy it in the most violent means possible. Beat Koko until he suffered from amnesia and forgot the entire fiasco and if she was lucky, rid him of that horribly inconvenient Alice of his. However, she doubted that she would be that lucky. She hadn't even gotten one goal completely yet.
She jolted back to reality at the sight of Natsume and Ruka walking past her, Ruka glancing back over his shoulder at her in concern while the other boy didn't even spare her a second glance.
She could not let them beat her there.
With a ferocious burst of speed and energy, she stood. Preparing herself, she sprinted past them, brushing Natsume's shoulder as she passed and leaving the two boys in her dust. Ruka watched her shrinking back in confusion, glancing to his best friend for some kind of reasoning on her odder then usual behaviour.
"What was that about?" Ruka questioned. Natsume shook his head, his crimson eyes following her as she span around the corner and nearly toppled over a group of small children in the process.
"Don't know." He replied coolly, sticking his hands moodily in his pockets. But he would find out.
Mikan entered the cafeteria to see a group of students gathered around an impromptu stage, Hotaru already standing before a microphone and waving an envelope tantalisingly in the air, a small smirk on her face. Her eyes met Mikan's as she came forward and Mikan knew there would be no way to get this little prize away from the greedy inventor without the cash.
"I won't be showing this item to anyone other then the highest bidder." She began calmly, waving the item in question before the audience and giving a short dramatic pause before continuing. "Nor will I be disclosing the nature of this particular item before the bidding is complete. The winner of the auction will be at liberty to share it with whomever they wish, of course. However, I will let you know that the contents of this envelope contain something that a fair number of Natsume Hyuuga's fans will find quite interesting."
"It's a picture of Natsume?" Questioned a girl suddenly, a pitch of excitement entering her voice, "Really?"
At Hotaru's small nod, screams of excitement filled the air as a crowd of bubbly girls now stood before the stage, their eyes lit up with enthusiasm and reaching into their pockets to attempt to win their mysterious prize. Coming from the great Hotaru Imai, a reliable source, their minds began to race at the endless possibilities that little piece of paper could present to them. At the amount of coins that were now appearing, Mikan could help but feel as if all hope was plummeting into a deep, dark pit before reaching the bottom with an earth shattering explosion. She could never win this... But she sure could try!
"Ten rabbits!" Mikan shouted, lifting her coins in the air to show she had the money upfront and hopefully start the bidding high enough to discourage any other possible takers.
"Twenty five rabbits!" Came a voice from behind her.
Mikan fell to the floor dramatically, a resounding thud echoing through the room at her impact. How could she be out of the bidding already?
As the numbers began to climb, Mikan glanced around the cafeteria in a panic, hoping that somehow, someway, someone would have an answer for her. Perhaps a guardian angel would drop down with a convenient solution to her problem and she could continue living her Academy life in peace without the constant torment of her temporary insanity being held over her.
When her eyes met the brilliant crimson, she knew that this was no guardian angel, but it was the only hope she had. She fought with herself for a moment, realising and coming to terms with exactly what she was getting herself into, asking him for two favors in a row, before running over.
She saw his eyes widen slightly in surprise as she knelt before him, gazing up at him pleadingly. He knew it had to be serious if she was humbling herself to him of all people, but desperate times called for desperate measures. This was definitely one of those times. Her very life could lay on the line.
"Natsume..." She paused, thinking over how best to approach this before coming to the conclusion that directly was probably the best way to go. "Let me borrow some money!"
As continuous shouts reigned in the background, her eyes became teary as she watched the auction continue. "As a Special Star, you get more money then any of the other students here! You could win the auction and not even make a dent in your bank account!"
Natsume raised an eyebrow. "What the hell is wrong with you Polka-dots?"
At a bid of one hundred rabbits, she grasped his hand in her own, not caring what burns may come from such an act. What Permy would have in store for her was far worse then anything Natsume could possibly dish out... She hoped.
"Please, Natsume, I'll do anything!" She pleaded desperately. "I'll even be your slave for a day! Or a week! You just have to win that auction!"
His eyes narrowed, taking in her expression for a moment before curiosity got the best of him. Pulling his hand away from hers (Flicking it in disgust to rid himself of imaginary germs for good measure, just to be safe. Couldn't have anyone thinking he was going soft), he heaved a deep sigh before raising his hand in the air.
"Two hundred rabbits." He said calmly, hardly raising his voice and yet succeeding in every person in the hall hearing his bid. The students froze, glancing over at the black cat, some curious, others fearfully. No one else dared place a bid against him.
A sly smile came to Hotaru's face.
Like putty in her hands. This was some extremely easy money.
"Sold."