Hello once again! Here's chapter three of Rekindling the Past. I'd like to start off by once again thanking everyone who followed/favorited/reviewed/even read this fic! Your support makes writing this a lot more fun for sure!

In this chapter, the flashback is Natsume's POV. The first part of the present is Natsume, but it eventually switches to Mikan's POV. Also, I realize that I didn't mention this in the background info of the last chapter, but Aoi is Natsume's little sister (which is canon I guess) and Youichi is Mikan's little brother (this part isn't canon lol).

Once again, I don't own Gakuen Alice, Yumeiro Patissiere or Kitchen Princess! (I promise, the later chapters will have a couple of recipes and other stuff from YP/ KP). Well, I hope you enjoy this next chapter of Rekindling the Past!

POLKA DOTS

All I could do was stare at the girl in front of me. Even now she still has her stupid pigtails in. Honestly, how could that idiot from the library possibly be the heir to a company as great as Sakura Corp? I groaned before internally slapping my forehead. Now I'd be forced to interact with her, for the good of Kuro Neko Industries; I just hope her stupidity isn't infectious. The girl-what did she say her name was? Mikan Sakura?-was staring at me curiously, and after a short laugh, her parents meandered into the parlor along with mine to have some "adult time." Which, simply translated, means to share a few drinks. Aoi and Youichi had already gone off to play in the gardens, which meant I was now alone with the Baka.

"EHHHHHH? I remember now! You're the boy from the library!" What a genius! It only took her ten minutes of staring at me to recognize my features. How could my parents expect me to converse with such a dummy? Then again, if we didn't get along, it would be Aoi's tears once more. With a reserved sigh, I attempted to strike up a conversation.

"Would you look at that? It's the little girl. I see you still have as ridiculous a hairstyle as always. Why didn't you tell me your parents were the owners of Sakura Corp?" I queried, irritated that she had neglected to mention something so important.

"HEY! My pigtails happen to look adorable, that's what Papa always tells me! And I didn't think telling you about Sakura Corp was important at all. To be fair, you didn't tell me that you're the person running Kuro Neko Industries, under Hyuuga Corp, either!" Mikan obstinately ground out. Not important, huh? That's it-I don't care what my parents say. I can't tolerate this Baka any longer. I shot the girl a cold glare, in order to discourage her from coming anywhere near me, and walked away from her. I could hear her mindless shouting behind me, and a smirk lit my face. That is until something knocked me over.

"NATSUME! LOOK OUT!" I barely had a few seconds to glance over my shoulder, only to see Mikan tripping on the carpet. She was on a collision course, heading straight for me. I grabbed her arm and attempted to balance her, but she pushed the other way in an effort to balance herself and we both fell. I groaned in pain before slowly opening my eyes. And right on top of me lay Mikan. Her head was crooked into my chest, and I had my arms around her waist, holding her securely so she wouldn't get hurt. She untucked her head and gazed into my eyes.

"I… I… you! Your eyes… they're so pretty! Like giant, crimson garnets-no, like rubies! They're so sparkly!" Mikan suddenly exclaimed. All I could see were her giant amber eyes, sparking with innocence, and I suddenly felt heat crowding my cheeks.

"Natsume? Are you ok? Your cheeks are red, do you have a fever or something?" Mikan placed a palm against my forehead, worry lacing her eyes. This was bad… I had to get the clumsy girl off of me! An idea suddenly sparked in my brain.

"I'm fine, polka-dots. Now would you get off of me? You're kinda heavy you know. Maybe consider going on a diet," I smirked, adopting a cocky tone of voice. Mikan just stared at me, a confused expression on her face that was beginning to morph into something else. And three, two, one…

"NATSUMEEEEEE! WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU JERK?! I AM NOT FAT!" Mikan shrieked, causing damage to my ears. She grabbed me by the collar and brought me closer to her face. I quickly averted my gaze from her eyes, making sure to roll my own in the process.

"Stop screaming Polka. You're making my ears bleed!" I replied, irritated at her loud voice and the close proximity.

"WELL, YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S MAKING ME SCREAM IN THE FIRST PLACE! AND… Polka-dots?" Mikan intoned, her pitch changing to a questioning one towards the end. It's official-this girl is the stupidest idiot I've ever met. I donned another cocky smirk before giving her another hint.

"Polka, when are you going to get off of me? I know I'm so irresistible that you can't help but try and seduce me. But polka-dots are a bit childish a view, don't you think?" I watched as she suddenly observed our position and then how her skirt had flipped up to give me a clear view of her polka-dotted panties. The stupid girl suddenly started trembling, and I rose an eyebrow at her.

"NAAAATTSSSUUUUMEEEEEEEEEEE! YOU BIG IDIOT! YOU PERVERT! HOW DARE YOU LOOK AT MY PANTIES!?"

"Hey, you're the one who tripped in the first place, polka-dots, and you-"

"QUIT CALLING ME THAT, YOU PERVERT!"

"-should really stop pretending that you're innocent. We both know your true goal is to try and get closer to me. Now get off me before I decide to throw you off myself." Mikan immediately scrambled to her feet, and I could see her fuming the whole time. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Mikan was from some cartoon, since it looked like she had steam pouring out of her head. I moved my arms back to my side, while just managing to hide a wince at the pain it brought. Looks like the idiot landed on my arm when we fell.

I got up after the girl and dusted myself off. When I looked up at her, she seemed to be at war with herself. I cocked a brow before simply saying, "What's the matter, little girl? Got something to say?"

"YES I DO YOU BIG-"

"Cause I don't have any interest in hearing it. See ya, you weird polka-dotted panties girl," I calmly cut her off, and turned around with a smirk on my face. I drifted off, raising a single hand behind me as a goodbye. My smirk slowly morphed into a smile when I heard her continuous curses trail after me. What an interesting idiot.

I couldn't believe it, right in front of me was Mikan Sakura. And she still has those damn pigtails in her hair, even at the age of 20. Though her hair is the only physical part of her that hasn't changed-she's definitely developed if you catch my drift. She stared curiously at me and her eyes seemed surprised when they landed upon my own. A small smile graced her face, softening her features, and I could barely breathe. She looked so beautiful at that moment, and I immediately remembered our official introduction. She peered into my eyes exactly the same way, and with the same goofy grin. Mikan Sakura….the girl that changed my life completely, the girl that made me fall in love. The girl that ruined me through and through after she betrayed me for another man. That thought suddenly snapped me out of my reverie, and I could feel my rage beginning to ignite. Mikan Sakura...how dare she show up in front of me, and that too with a casual grin? With a look of odd surprise, as though she couldn't possibly have done any wrong to me? I ran my gaze over her whole figure before something around her neck caught my eye. A sakura flower, with pearls coming off the stem and a diamond-like stud right in the middle. My eyes suddenly widened in shock upon seeing the relic.

That was my last gift to her before my family moved away. For months and months after that, I had continuously sent Mikan letters, only to have every single one rescinded. Every call I had made in that period had been ignored until Izumi Sakura finally responded and told me to leave their family alone. I didn't listen, of course, and kept calling them until the Sakura's changed their number and mailing address. I just couldn't accept that as the end of my relationship with Mikan and had finally convinced my parents to let me go back for a visit a few years later, masking it under the pretense of visiting Ruka to better business relations. After visiting her old home and every location I remembered seeing her, I was heavily disappointed because she was completely missing. Hotaru wouldn't give me any information, except that she was doing fine and had moved away. Ruka warned me that if I went searching for Mikan, it would only end in pain on my part. It was by chance that I finally saw Mikan, on the way to the local coffee shop. I followed her of course. Mikan stopped in front of the shop and I emerged from my hiding place to finally reunite with the person that I treasured the most. Imagine my surprise when she squealed, ran up to a strange man with a star-shaped tattoo under his eye and embraced him tightly. Even then, I didn't believe. Then the bastard kissed her on the forehead, before picking her up and spinning her around. What finally made me stop pursuing Mikan was the look of unbridled joy on her face as she gazed down at the man. It was then that I finally acknowledged that Mikan had moved on. She had moved on, but I was still stuck in the past. She had moved on, and in the process left me behind without even my knowledge. Back then, she was the one who was happy. Not anymore though: after all, fate put her on my path of destruction.

I immediately fixed the most deadly glare I could muster on my face and gazed right into Mikan's eyes. I watched as her eyes widened and filled with fear. This devil had no idea what was coming her way.

"Natsume! Come here, Hotaru has a proposition for where we can stay since it looks like all the flights back to Japan are canceled for the next few days," Ruka suddenly interrupted. Without removing my glare from Mikan, who had suddenly averted her gaze after Ruka's words, I slowly approached the others. A sneer made its way on my face as Hotaru placed her hand on Mikan's arm, as though attempting to reassure her, and Mikan attempted to place a blank expression on her face. I could still see the masked fear in her eyes: the girl never could hide her true sentiments from me. Ruka eyed me warily-it was evident that neither he nor his fiancee had missed our wordless exchange.

"Ruka. Natsume. We have two cabins owned by my family available. Getting a hotel in this country is going to be difficult at this time because all the occupants of this airport have been snowed in. Since all of us are waiting to get back to Japan, why don't we share the cabins for the next few days? Sheila can put all of us on the next flight back to Japan." My sneer slowly grew as I recognized the opportunity fate had given me to settle the score.

"That's fine, Imai. Shall we go, then?" I smoothly answered, finally shifting my vision over to my cousin. She narrowed her eyes at me, as though disappointed by my reaction to Mikan. It looked like Hotaru was about to berate me, when Ruka suddenly walked over to her and grabbed her hand. He dragged her away from the group, waving us off with a simple "It's going to be a long night. We'll get some coffee." Liar-it was obvious he wanted to warn Hotaru about my intentions towards Mikan. All said and done, Hotaru and Mikan were best friends and an unhappy Hotaru resulted in a damaged Ruka. I scoffed before fixing my attention back on the witch. Time to get some answers.

Mikan's POV

Why… Why is he looking at me with such hatred again? I know I decided not to cower before him but I've never dealt with someone who's loathed me this much. Not even Luna and her jealousy could compare to this and that's really saying something considering she locked me in a closet once. Or so I've been told, by Hotaru.

"What the hell are you doing here, you snake?" The man growled at me, pure poison lacing his tone.

"I...Why? Why do you hate me so much?" I choked out. Damn it, even I could hear the fear in my voice. I have to get a grip on myself! Fight Mikan! You can do it! Just be more-my thoughts were cut off by laughter. I stared at the man, and all my worries returned. Most people don't laugh like a psychotic lunatic out for blood at the sight of strangers.

"Are you serious, little girl? You really don't remember me? And yet, here I am with your face engraved in my vision every night before I sleep. The face of someone who's ruined my life." Ruined his life? What is he babbling about; I've never even seen him! I think I'd remember if I met someone with crimson eyes-heck, even if he didn't have a memorable eye color I still wouldn't have forgotten such a powerful person.

"I...I don't know what you're talking about, you jerk! We've never even met before, and if you're the kind of person who judges people so quickly for things they haven't done then I wish I would never have had to cross paths with you!" I spewed out, finally getting my courage back. How dare this man accuse me so falsely? I pasted my own glare on my face and stared straight into his pools of fire. A smirk then etched its way onto his face, and I warily observed my rival.

"Then, you truly don't recognize me, Mikan Sakura? You would be the first person to not recognize the great Natsume Hyuuga standing in front of them," He simpered back. Natsume Hyuuga? NO, that's impossible-it had to be a coincidence that he shared the same name as my fiance. My glare faded away as I realized with horror that this man had arrived with Ruka, which fits with the information my parents had provided about Natsume. That my future husband is best friends with Ruka.

"Natsume Hyuuga? As in, the man I'm now engaged to?" I inquired, double-checking my doubts. Natsume simply gave me the "you're-the-biggest-idiot-I've-ever-met" look, something that I thought only Hotaru could do. I sweatdropped after recollecting how Hotaru and Natsume are technically cousins, though Hotaru claims she's only met him once a long time ago.

"Yes, I forgot that my parents decided to engage me to such a worthless, pathetic woman. Not to mention childish, you're what, twenty years old? And still donning such a ridiculous hairstyle. Tch." I could feel my irritation skyrocket; what was this jackass' problem anyway? Why should my pigtails concern him?

"First: if I want to wear pigtails, then I will and I don't give a crap about what you think. Second: I am not worthless! You haven't even gotten to know me yet! Third: If you think I'm leaping with excitement to be engaged to you, think again. I don't like the idea of marrying someone I've never even met any more than you do, yet you don't see me glaring maliciously and being a jerk. Just because we were forced into this arrangement doesn't mean that you have the right to hate me! I'm only going through with the engagement because I can't disappoint my parents, and I'd appreciate it if you'd give me a chance Natsume."

"Just what the hell….are you stupid or something? You think this is all because I'm being engaged to you by my parents? Well, think again little girl. I can't believe you're seriously standing there and pretending to be innocent! You and I both know very well what you did to me, SO STOP PRETENDING!" I was taken aback by the force he added to his words. Natsume was really acting like I'd done a huge wrong to him, and it was making me extremely confused.

"NO I DON'T! I…. I don't have a clue what I did to you, Natsume! If this isn't about the engagement, then what the hell is this about?" I retaliated, determined to get to the bottom of this.

"You know what Mikan Sakura? Even after all these years, you're still a manipulative, cold-hearted bitch. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, even I fell for your innocent act. But now I see the reality of it all-you're just a conniving demon. Unfortunately for you, all demons fall back to Hell eventually, and I plan to be the one to send you there," Natsume snapped, in a frosty tone. He was gritting his teeth, and I could sense that my words were only angering him further. I had to get to the bottom of this quickly, so I could apologize for whatever I apparently did to make this man so vitriolic. Natsume suddenly took a step forward, violating my personal space and I shivered again. No matter how hard I try to stay strong, Natsume was still a significantly taller man who easily could overpower me. I cautiously took a step back and panicked when he only took another step forward. The worst part was that he had trapped me in his gaze; I found that I couldn't look away from his crimson orbs. I continued stepping back until I finally hit the wall behind me. Desperately, I glanced away, hoping to find an escape route. To my dismay, Natsume had boxed me into one of the corners making up gate A46, and by the look of his face, I wasn't going to be escaping anytime soon. He leaned his face closer to mine until all I could see was the dazzling Hyuuga.

"Natsume! Mikan! Here, we finally got the coffee; the line was so long! I guess everyone had the same idea, getting coffee," Ruka suddenly interrupted. Ruka is so my hero now since this is the second time in one day he's rescued me from a scary situation. Natsume stared at me for one beat longer, before backing away and acknowledging Ruka. Hotaru handed one of the cups to me and I watched as Ruka subtly pulled Natsume by the arm and walked a distance away. Although it was faint, I could still overhear Ruka telling Natsume that Hotaru would explain what happened in the past later. The past...I wonder what Natsume was talking about, and why he thought I had done something in the past to him.

"...Mikan!" I finally looked up, realizing Hotaru had been calling my name for the past few minutes and was about to grab her Baka gun. I paled before immediately responding. If there's one thing Hotaru hates, it's when someone ignores her.

"Thanks for the coffee, Hotaru. You and Ruka honestly saved me. I can't believe that brute is the person my parents engaged me too!"

"Mikan, he's really not that bad. My cousin can come off as a bit… rough… but he's a good person. Wow, I can't believe I just supported that guy, sheesh."

"Yeah, I can't believe it either. Didn't you notice the way he was glaring at me? And he kept going on about some nonsense over how I ruined his life in the past or something! Can you even believe that? I've never even MET the guy!" When Hotaru didn't reply and simply looked away, I realized she was hiding something. And that something clearly had to do with Natsume Hyuuga.

"Hotaru… what are you keeping from me?" I asked, suspicion in my voice.

"N...Nothing Mikan, at least nothing you need to know right now. Please trust me on this: when the time comes, you'll find out the truth. But I promised Auntie Yuka and Uncle Izumi that I wouldn't divulge anything to you, so I can't tell you." I snorted, wondering just how much my parents paid Hotaru to keep her mum. It must have been a pretty hefty sum because we never kept anything from each other. Hotaru glanced at me, and although she maintained her blank facade I could see the slight tinge of anxiety in her eyes. With a deep sigh, I simply replied,

"Don't worry about it. I know you don't break your promises, so I'm not going to bother trying to get you to spill your secret. But promise me that if it becomes something very crucial that I need to hear, you'll tell me?"

"I promise, Mikan."

"More importantly, I still can't believe my parents could engage me to such a bastard. Hotaru! I need your help-I just can't marry him! I absolutely can't!"

"Look, Mikan, you-"

"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen. The airport will be closing down due to horrible weather conditions. As a result, we ask all of you to please find lodging in another location. We will not be opening the airport for the next few days and you are will not be allowed to stay here until the weather clears up." Hotaru let out a sigh before signaling Ruka and Natsume to come over. Great, just the person I wanted to see again.

"Alright guys, it looks like the airport is going to close. So let's head over to the cabins for now. Since there are four people and only two cabins, we'll have to put two people in each cabin." Hotaru explained, staring at Ruka the whole time. I watched as Ruka appeared to complete their mental conversation and was impressed by how easily the two of them fit together. I glanced at Natsume, realizing that the sort of telepathy Hotaru and Ruka shared was something Natsume and I would never have. Especially because he's too self-centered and rude to even care about what I'm thinking. Oh yes, there's also the little issue with how he tends to hate people at first sight after jumping to ridiculous conclusions about them.

"So who's sharing with whom then?" Natsume interjected, still using his blank tone. I shook my head slightly. Wasn't it obvious how the cabins would be split? What a simpleton.

"I'll be sharing with Hotaru, of cour-"

"Ruka and I will be in one of the cabins. Mikan, you and Natsume can take the other one," Hotaru interrupted, a slight smirk gracing her face. I gaped, shocked at her suggestion, especially after the way I just complained to her about Natsume.

"Wh-Wh-WHAT? I CAN'T SHARE WITH THIS BASTARD! HOTARUUUUUUU! WHY CAN'T WE SHARE?" I shrieked, the idea of sharing with Natsume finally dawning on me.

"Mikan, come on, Natsume isn't bad at all! And if you're worried about him taking advantage of you or something, rest assured. Natsume would never do that," Ruka calmly replied.

"Tch, like I'd ever want to take advantage of such a childish girl. I have a general rule to avoid idiots wearing pigtails. Especially when they not only look the part of a kindergartener but act it too. Honestly, Ruka, you should be more worried about me: we already know how sneaky this girl can be. It wouldn't surprise me if she tried to jump me," Natsume scoffed. HOW DARE HE? I could feel the anger burning through my veins, and I immediately turned on him, ready to slap him right in his pretty-boy face.

"JUMP YOU? PLEASE! I have a general rule of not going near rude bastards, and you just happen to be the rudest of them all! HOTARU! I can't POSSIBLY stay with this guy! I refuse to leave this airport if I have to room with him!" I obstinately huffed. Hotaru simply rolled her eyes at me before pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Then stay in this airport alone, you idiot. Come on, let's go Ruka. Natsume, are you coming as well, or are you planning to keep this idiot company?" Hotaru irritatedly stated. Now my own best friend was turning on me, and it was all because of that stupid jerk!

"HOTARRRUUUUUUUU! Are you actually going to leave me here? HOTARU I CAN'T ROOM WITH HIM! PLEASE DON'T MAKE MEEEE!" Hotaru simply whirled around and fixed me with a cold glare. She reached into her coat pocket, and

BAKA BAKA BAKA BAKA BAKA BAKA BAKA! I flew and hit the nearby wall.

"If you don't shut up and come with us, then I'll shoot you even more! Now come on; I refuse to stay in this blasted airport any longer than necessary!" Hotaru evilly cautioned. I swallowed all my protests upon seeing her serious expression and sadly gathered my things. As much as I didn't like the cold bastard, who simply raised an eyebrow at my disgraceful scene, I just so happened to value my life more.

Ok first off: the part where Natsume starts laughing or snickering or whatever. I wrote that picturing Kazuma Yagami's psychotic laughter when he goes rogue after seeing Bernhardt with his Tsui-Ling "doll." Oh, that's from the anime Kaze No Stigma-Kazuma's a pretty hot character tbh. Even when he goes completely batshit crazy for a few episodes, he's still cool. Anyways, that's what I was picturing with Natsume.

I had a lot of fun writing this, especially the flashback scene in this chapter! At first, I was actually planning to write it from Mikan's POV, but it wasn't sounding right when I tried her POV. It became much easier to write, though, from Natsume's POV which was a huge relief. Also, I'm super sorry if any of the characters are OOC-I'm trying to make them in character!

Anyways, thank you for reading once again! Hopefully, chapter 4 will be out soon as well!

~ Breezylyn