Chapter threeeeeeeee. RxR?

mangaluver123- Thank you for being my first reviewer:D And I'll take that as a suggestion for a story(:

AmBEr aka BDBH- HELLO WOMAN. Hahaha. Thanks for reviewing:D Elmomomo.

senichio-san24, MirSan.KouKag, Celine's Imagination- Thank you guys:D I'll work on the length of the chapters(:

Mikan ran along the path back to her classroom, tears blurring her vision. She dropped by the toilet and stared into the mirror, wiping off traces off her tears. Persona's words stung her badly, but only because what he had said was true; she was weak and to her, exerting control over her Alice needed polishing. She was deemed useless, despite having a powerful Alice.

Such irony, Mikan thought, laughing silently at her reflection.

You're a baka, Mikan. You're desperate.

She plastered a smile onto her face and examined herself. Satisfied, she left the toilet and her thoughts behind, contented at the thought that she took her stand in.

Yes, I'm desperate. I'm desperate to help him, to pull him out of the darkness he has been enveloped in for years. He doesn't deserve this.

As if on cue, the bell rang the moment she stepped out of the toilet. The hallway was filled with students who were strolling to their next class. Mikan cringed; time in between lessons would mean that the cohort of students in the high school division would have some time to themselves, and this would mean trouble.

Trouble, would be in reference to her fan boys.

She glanced down the hallway. In between the throng of students, she spotted a group of boys running down the hallway. Mikan turned to the opposite direction and sped away. Unfortunately for her, one of them caught a glimpse of her retreating figure and had the group of boys chase after her.

"Mikan-chan! Please go on a date with me!"

"You're hot!"

"Kawaii!"

"She's mine!"

"No, she's mine you idiot!"

Mikan turned round a corner and ran into nearest classroom she saw, slamming the door behind her. She held her breath as she heard footsteps nearing… and backing off. She heaved a sigh of relief and leaned her forehead against the door, hands still clutching the door handles.

So this is how Natsume and Ruka feel, it gets annoying after awhile.

"Hn. Annoying aren't they."

Mikan's eyes widened and she turned around. She was surprised to see that the only person in the classroom was Natsume.

"Yes they are, but some of them are really nice!" Mikan grinned childishly.

"Tch. Where'd you go?"

"Uh… to the toilet. You're here alone?" Mikan smiled sheepishly. It was partial truth after all.

"Yeah, this is the next class we're having Polka."

Mikan pouted when she heard her nickname. She made her way to the back of the classroom and sat down next to Natsume, with her elbows on the table and her hands cupping her chin.

"You know, you've changed, Natsume, since the first time I saw you."

"Hn. How so?"

"You don't think so? You seldom skip lessons anymore and you've been a little nicer to me, although you still don't smile. But still, I think that's great Natsume," Mikan turned to him and smiled brightly.

Natsume was retained his outer appearance, but he felt a small smile coming up. She was right; his last escape attempt from the Academy was five years ago and he attended classes regularly, but it didn't mean he paid any attention to the teacher. The cold aura around him had disappeared over the years but he still put up a cold front to avoid unnecessary attention.

It was because of that annoying girl who he constantly bumped into.

It was because of that annoying voice that sounded whenever he was lonely.

It was because of that annoying smile which never faded.

It was because of the warmth emitted.

It was because of the light that lit up his world.

"It was because of you, baka." Natsume muttered, too caught up in his thoughts to remember that Mikan was sitting right next to him.

I just said that out loud didn't I.

"Me?"

"Yeah, I have to babysit you while you go around wrecking havoc and sleeping in class. I'm the first person they come to when you go missing. Besides, I have to…"

The door opened and Mikan's classmates came in, filling up their seats. Voices and laughter engulfed the classroom as a paper airplane, controlled the Alice of Levitation, flew about, occasionally crashing into someone's head.

Watch out for you, Natsume thought.

Hotaru walked up to Mikan, who greeted her brightly.

BAKA!BAKA!BAKA!BAKA!

"Nani, Hotaru!" Mikan yelled, rubbing her sore head caused by Hotaru's Baka Cannon.

Hotaru dropped a file of worksheets in front of Mikan.

"Courtesy of Jinno-sensei; he wants it done by tomorrow or you'll get detention, baka. Ja ne," Hotaru turned and went over to her seat, leaving Mikan to wallow in her own misery.

Mikan's jaw dropped while scanning the questions on the worksheets. Jinno-sensei could kill with that. Natsume glanced over and smirked; that girl needed big help. She wasn't one to shoulder such a load by herself. Natsume saw it coming.

"Ne Natsume?"

"Hn?"

"Do you think you could help me with-"

"The library at 4pm after school, don't be late Polka."

"Hai, arigatou Natsume-kun!" Mikan beamed.

The Northern Forest

Jeez, Polka's quite a handful. Natsume glanced up at the sky and estimated that it was about 7.30pm. They had spent three and a half hours completing the worksheets Mikan was assigned to. It was ridiculous, considering the fact that the topics in the worksheets were nothing new.

Natsume stopped in his path and turned to the tree on his right.

"Persona, show yourself."

Persona emerged from behind the tree, smirking.

"Not bad, my Black Cat, seems like the training does you good after all. There will be no missions tonight, by the way."

Natsume turned to walk away, he didn't want to spend unnecessary time with Persona, and he had enough of his DA teacher. Heck, Persona could hardly be referred as a teacher. He began missions when he was ten. What kind of a sick teacher sends his students on life-threatening missions, what more students at the age of ten?

"Who is Mikan to you?"

Natsume froze in his tracks; he didn't want to turn back. Persona could read his emotions like an open book.

"She's my partner. What do you want?"

"Interesting Alice she has don't you think?"

"Don't you dare go near her," Natsume warned, clenching his fists, turning his knuckles white.

"We'll wait and see, my favourite student."

Natsume turned around only to find out that Persona had left. He cursed under his breath before leaving, and walked towards his Sakura tree. He lay under the tree on his back, watching the skies turn dark. Natsume closed his eyes and thought about the day's events when he heard someone sit down next to him.

"Aren't you supposed to be with your blackmailing friend?"

"Hai. But she said that she's about to complete an invention, so she doesn't want me around, in case I broke anything. I'm such a klutz aren't I?"

"No kidding."

"NATSUME! You're supposed to make me feel better!"

"Hn."

There was a moment of awkward silence. Mikan shifted about uneasily, twirling a strand of hair around her index finger while glancing at Natsume. Seeing this, he smirked; he knew her too well.

So she wants to go to Central Town tomorrow huh.

"Natsume, couldyoupleasegotoCentralTownwithmebecauseJinJinwon'tletmegowithoutmypartner."

"No."

"Pleeease! There's no school tomorrow and I want Howalons!"

"No."

"Pleeease!"

"No."

"Pleeease!"

"Tch, you act like you're seven."

"I DO NOT!" Mikan stuck out her tongue.

"Tch, meet me here at 11am tomorrow. Don't be late or I'll leave."

"Hai! Thank you!"

Mikan's smile changed into a worried expression abruptly. Natsume glanced at the brunette's face.

"You look uglier. I don't have missions tonight."

"Oh that's a relief! I'll go get ready for tomorrow. Ja ne!"

Mikan got up to leave when she felt Natsume's hand on her shoulder. She turned around and looked at him in confusion. His fringe covered his eyes and Mikan knew that something was up.

"Oi, Polka."

"Yeah?"

"I'll be there, if you need someone. I'll protect you, Polka."

Mikan smiled.

"I know you will Natsume-kun."

She brushed her fingers gently across his left cheek before walking back to the dormitories, leaving Natsume alone. He gave a slight smile before making his way to his special-star room.

A figure watched as the Black Cat left. After Natsume's retreating figure was swallowed up by the shadows, he held a walkie-talkie to his mouth.

"Reo, the Black Cat's going to Central Town tomorrow, we can move in before he leaves."

"Good, you can return back to headquarters. Anything else?" Reo's voice returned from the walkie-talkie.

He smirked.

"I think I've found his weakness."

I feel like eliminating one of the main characters now in the next chapter because of one of my results :(

Review?:D