I'm back, and this time with chapter 4! I do hope you enjoy this one, everyone! Once again, thank you to everyone who followed/favorited/reviewed/even read this fic! Your support truly means a lot to me!

Now for the disclaimer: 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. For now, I'm trying to get the preliminary stuff out of the way!)

This time, both the flashback and the present are in Mikan's POV! I hope you enjoy this next chapter of Rekindling the Past!

PARTNERS

"Hi, everybody! I'm Mikan Sakura. I hope we can all get along!" This was it. My first day of school at Gakuen Academy, the same school where my best friend Hotaru Imai is. I quickly scanned the faces present in the classroom, before my eyes finally landed on Hotaru's. She was tinkering with some technological parts, no doubt assembling the next big invention for Imai Innovations. I pouted when I realized she didn't even acknowledge the fact that her best friend was present in the classroom.

"Let's all give Mikan a warm welcome, alright? Now then, we should assign you a partner to help show you around the school Mikan," Narumi Sensei stated after all the introductions ended. Excitement sparked inside of me as I realized that Hotaru would have to spend time with me if she became my partner!

"Narumi Sensei! Please make my partner Hotaru Imai!"

"Eh? Well, it is a bit unorthodox for the student to pick their partner, but since you seem so passionate on this, I'll go ahead and make-"

"No. I don't want to be this Baka's partner. Besides, Ruka Nogi was assigned as my partner when I first arrived. And I thought you said you couldn't switch partners...unless you're not a man of your word Sensei," Hotaru suddenly replied, a blank stare on her face. She reached for her Baka gun and held it up as a casual warning to Narumi Sensei as to what would occur if he didn't comply. I glanced at Narumi Sensei, who was suddenly shivering and had a smile frozen on his face. He let out a sigh before staring at me apologetically. I nodded my head in understanding-Hotaru's Baka gun hurts, dammit! Well, there go all my plans of spending time with my best friend.

"Yes, I suppose I forgot about that little rule. Sorry Mikan, but there's only one person in this class right now who does not have a partner, so I suppose-"

"EHHHHHH?! SENSEI! YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY MEAN TO MAKE NATSUME-SAMA THIS UGLY GIRL'S PARTNER!?" A girl with seaweed-green curls interjected furiously.

"-Ahem. If you all don't stop interrupting me, I will assign extra homework. And yes, Sumire, Natsume Hyuuga will now be Mikan Sakura's partner. Natsume, while I realize you don't usually put up with such formalities, do try and be a decent partner to Mikan. At the very least, don't threaten to cut her hair off," Narumi Sensei warily replied. Natsume...HYUUGA? As in the pervert from the library and the son of the people my parents met with for dinner that night? No No NO NO NO this was not happening! But then again… he did save me from getting hurt that day when I tripped. Maybe he won't be so rude to me if we have to be partners.

"Tch. Assign her someone else as a partner, Narumi," Natsume rudely demanded. Or maybe he will be the same rude, conceited oaf.

"Natsume… Sorry, but I don't have a choice. I don't usually play this card, but if you don't agree to become Mikan's partner I'm afraid I'll have to have a chat with your parents. Now then, class, I'm going to leave this period as a free block to get to know your new peer," Narumi slyly threatened. Although it was perhaps only for a second, Natsume's eyes widened with fear. When I blinked, they were back to normal and I wasn't sure if I had just imagined the whole thing.

"Tch. Whatever," Natsume simply replied, looking away. I sighed before making my way over to my new "partner."

"N..Natsume! I guess you're my partner now, so I'll try my best to not get in your way!" I immediately began, not wanting to get on his bad side. Natsume simply cocked a brow and stared for a few moments at me. I began to fidget, slightly uncomfortable with the way his gaze seemed to see right through me. He suddenly smirked before announcing,

"Well, well. Looks like I'll have to be the one to show you around campus. What a troublesome task, made even worse because of you, Polka-Dots." I could hear the other students murmuring about how it seemed we had met before. The blonde boy sitting right next to Natsume looked at him curiously and a silent conversation seemed to pass between the two. Satisfied, the blonde then turned back to the view out the window and continued petting the adorable rabbit in his lap. The girl with green hair from earlier swiftly stood up from her seat before banging her hands on the table and glaring at me. She then turned to Natsume, and a "loving" expression flitted across her face.

"Natsume-Sama! Why did you call that girl Polka-Dots? Have you had the displeasure of meeting her before?" Natsume kept his smirk trained on me, and I watched in horror as a flicker of amusement passed through his usually bored eyes. Without turning to face the fangirl, he simply responded,

"As a matter of fact, I have met this girl before. She even tried to seduce me by showing me her polka-dotted panties. It's too bad she doesn't realize how childish printed panties are." OH NO HE DIDN'T! The entire class stared at me, surprised I had attempted to "seduce" their precious Natsume. Hotaru put her tools down and raised a brow at me. I shook my head rapidly, signaling to her that the jerk was totally lying. She just rolled her eyes in response and went back to work.

"WHAAAAATTTTTT? HOW DARE YOU GO NEAR MY NATSUME-SAMA?!" Seaweed-perm-girl shrieked.

"Now look here, Permy. I don't have any interest in this jerk-he's totally lying! I didn't do anything to him! In fact, he's the one that tried to seduce me, staring at my panties and all!"

"Ok, don't EVER call me PERMY again! And there's no way my Natsume-Sama would try to seduce someone as immature as-"

"Stop lying, Sakura! Natsume would never do such a terrible thing!" The blonde boy abruptly snapped. I stared at him, surprised at how the previously shy boy had transformed into a bold, upset individual.

BAKA BAKA BAKA! From the look of shock present throughout the class, I assumed everyone else was just as surprised as I was. Hotaru had just shot the blonde kid with her Baka gun-and I thought I was the only one who she actually assaulted with that weapon.

"Don't you ever call Mikan a liar. She might be a lot of things, but she is not a sneak or a liar." With that simple statement, Hotaru went back to tinkering with her inventions. Natsume stood and helped his friend up from the floor before fixing an angry glare on Hotaru and shifting it to me.

"Imai. If you ever hurt Ruka again, I promise you Imai Innovations will be bankrupt within a week. As for you, Polka, I'm only going to warn you once. Stay. Out. Of. My. Way." Hotaru just scoffed before continuing her work. "Come on, Ruka. Let's get out of this stupid classroom." Natsume and Ruka strolled out of the classroom, and I sat down in my seat with a huge sigh. This wasn't exactly how I had planned my first day of school. The bell signaling the end of the first period finally rang, and I gathered all my belongings before heading out of the class. Hotaru had left as soon as the class ended and I was once again on my own. Especially since my failure of a partner ditched me.

I turned into one of the hallways, hoping that it was the one that led to my next class. Room 110, 112, 114, 118… Wait! Where was Room 116? AGH! I suppose the best thing to do is ask for directions. I glanced around the quickly-emptying hallway, desperate to find another person for help. That was when a girl with strawberry-blonde hair approached me. She had piercing blue eyes and donned an extremely expensive set of accessories that only served to complement the drab school uniform. The girl stopped when she was right beside me and slowly turned to face me.

"Mikan Sakura, was it? You're the one who's now Natsume's partner, right?"

"Y...Yes! That's me-Mikan Sakura! Ummm… do you think you could help me find Room 116? I'm afraid I'm quite lost."

"Hmmm...Room 116 is right around that corner there. Oh, how rude of me: I never introduced myself. I'm Luna Koizumi."

"Oh, uh thank you very much! It's nice to meet you, Luna." Finally! I just knew there had to be someone at this school who was super nice. Maybe we could even become good friends!

"Nice to meet you too, Mikan. Oh, and just one more thing. Stay away from my Natsume, or else you'll regret it." With that last comment, Luna flicked her hair and sauntered off. I could feel the confusion fill my face before it dawned on me that this girl was not going to be a friend. If her hostile mood change was any indication, she was going to be far from it.

Could someone please explain to me just how this happened? Here I am, stuck in a car with my fiancee, although "cruel bastard" might be a better description of him. I groaned before risking a glance at him, only to flinch when he caught me and sent back a dirty look. Natsume was currently driving the two of us over to our cabin, as we had just dropped off Ruka and Hotaru in theirs. I sighed, recalling how Hotaru forced Natsume and me to share. Truth be told, I knew I could have put up a bigger fight and ended up sharing with Hotaru. But when I saw the loving look Ruka gave Hotaru, I couldn't possibly intrude. The two have barely seen each other recently, what with all the business transactions and wedding preparations. It was the least I could do for my best friend to not oppose her staying with her love. And while I know Hotaru would never admit it, she was probably somewhat thankful to me for putting our friendship before my enmity with Natsume. Natsume...I let out another long sigh before slyly staring at Natsume from the corner of my eyes. He stared ahead at the road, and when he shifted slightly I noticed the earring he wore. I normally didn't go for guys with piercings, but for some reason, Natsume's didn't put me off. In fact, it seemed to do the opposite. A blush rose to my cheeks at the thought and I quickly looked away from Natsume, my eyes landing on the digital clock on the dashboard.

Even though our cabin was only a ten-minute walk away from Hotaru's, Natsume insisted on driving because it was already extremely late at night. I agreed at the time, but now I was starting to regret that decision. Not a single word intruded on the uncomfortable silence dotting the atmosphere, and I was too scared to break that tradition. I bit my lip before peering out the window. I could feel Natsume occasionally glare at me from his position in the driver's seat, and I wondered once more what his problem was. It's obvious from our encounter earlier that we seem to have met somewhere before-it just wasn't reasonable to assume Natsume acted like an ass to every stranger. I just couldn't understand it though: if I really had done some atrocity to Natsume, wouldn't I have at least remembered him? Something fishy was going on, and if I was going to help my parents out by going through with this engagement, I had to get on good terms with Natsume.

The car jerked to a stop, and I looked up when Natsume opened his car door. Before exiting, he left me with some parting words.

"The only reason I agreed to room with you is because of Ruka. So I'm only going to warn you once. Stay out of my way." Natsume slammed the car door and grabbed his bags before heading inside the cabin. Stay out of my way….the words, and his tone of voice. For some reason, I felt as though I had heard them somewhere before. An image of a boy with crimson eyes in a classroom suddenly flashed before my eyes. Before I could analyze it, it was gone, and I couldn't shake the feeling that somehow that picture held a great importance. I desperately tried to recall more about the scene, only to draw a blank.

Oh well, no point forcing myself to remember something that might not even be real. I emerged from the vehicle before popping the trunk open and seeing my bags. The jerk didn't even bother to help with my luggage. I grabbed my bags, annoyed at his show of "gentlemanly behavior," and trudged up the stairs into the cabin. After tossing the bags out of the way I quickly headed to the kitchen and made a glass of warm milk to curb my irritation. It's said that warm milk is supposed to calm you down, and I definitely felt better afterward. A quick look at the clock on the oven made me gasp: it was already midnight. I washed the glass out and left it to dry before opening one of my bags and changing into my pajamas. It was high time I went to bed. After all, I needed my beauty sleep if I was going to deal with Mr. Grumpy again tomorrow morning. Thank god there were two bedrooms in each of the cabins; I don't think I could handle sharing a bed with Natsume. Granted, he'd probably make me sleep on the floor or something if there was only one room.

Light spilled out from one of the bedrooms, and I popped my head in, curious as to why Natsume was still awake. I figured he had immediately gone to bed as soon as he walked in-guess I was wrong. Natsume was facing away from me, sitting at the desk in the room with his laptop on. He was furiously typing something, and I marveled at how quickly his fingers hit the keys. He suddenly stood up and stretched languidly, and I could feel my heartbeat accelerate at the sight. Natsume was only wearing a pair of pajama pants, and I blushed as all of his lean chest muscles were made prominent in that one action. He ran a hand through his silky hair, and I found myself wondering exactly how soft his hair would be. The desire to run my hand through it overcame me, and I fought the urge down desperately.

"What are you doing here?" He rose a single eyebrow at me, his crimson orbs piercing. I immediately looked up, surprised that he had caught me before I could flee. Shit.

"I..I...I...good to see you too, Natsume! You're not sleeping?" Ugh, that was the stupidest thing I could have possibly said! Of course he's not sleeping!

"Tch. Well, it's never good to see you. Now get out-I'm busy." Jerk. I can't believe I was attracted to him, even for just a moment. Natsume stared at me, a look of disbelief crossing his features. He immediately masked it with a crooked smirk and sent me a smug look.

"So, the witch thinks I'm handsome, does she? Then again, I shouldn't be surprised. She does seem quite shallow. It's a shame she'll never be attractive to me." Witch? Wait that's what Natsume usually calls me...which means. Oh great-I just said my thoughts out loud, didn't I?

"Yup, and you still are," Natsume jeered. A blush fanned across my cheeks as I realized Natsume knew that I thought he was handsome! UGH! This was NOT going my way.

"I...I absolutely DO NOT think you're handsome! Even if you were-which you TOTALLY are NOT-your crap attitude more than puts me off. So don't even think that I'm the least bit attracted to you, you...you...you not-attractive….not attractive...not….attractive...AUGH!" DAMMIT! Why, for once in my life, can't I come up with a good comeback?

"Not attractive what, little girl?"

"NOT ATTRACTIVE PERSON!" I immediately groaned, realizing how lame that sounded. Natsume's smirk grew even more conceited, and I felt another blush rise up. Unfortunately, this one was from sheer embarrassment-Hotaru's right. I really do need to work on my comebacks.

"Hnnnn…So, you don't find me attractive?" Natsume purred, a deep baritone overtaking his voice that made him even more alluring-I MEAN UGLY! NOT ALLURING! HE IS NOT ALLURING AT ALL! Get a GRIP Mikan Sakura! Natsume took a step closer to me, forcing me to take one back in order to leave some distance between us.

"N-N-Not in the slightest. You are NOT attractive!" I exhaled slowly, finally getting a grip on myself after closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. When I opened them, however, I realized Natsume had taken another few steps closer to me and I willed my feet to propel me back as fast as possible. I couldn't lose control, and every time Natsume got close to me that's unfortunately what happened. All coherent thoughts fled: the only thing that remained was Natsume Hyuuga himself.

"Is that so?" Hyuuga responded, smolder cascading on his face. Oh god, please kill me now! I could handle a hostile jerk, but this? Is this his new form of punishment or something, because it isn't fair?! Why can't I have that effect on him?

"Yes. Now, uh, I'm feeling kinda sleepy, so do you mind movi-"

"Tch. Liar. There isn't a girl alive who isn't attracted to me." WOW! That has got to be the single most arrogant thing I've ever heard anybody say. Who does this guy think he is? I mean, yeah, he could probably pass for a male Adonis, and there is a reason why he's ranked as the number one bachelor (ahem I may have done a google search on him once I found out we were engaged). But seriously? It was time to put Natsume in his place.

"Well, maybe you should take another look. Cause I sure as hell am not attracted to you, and neither is Hotaru for that matter! Unlike most of the dumb Barbies that probably flock right to your type, I happen to look at other qualities in a guy beside how he looks. Qualities that you don't have, you condescending elitist!"

"Those are some big words, little girl. You sure you know what they mean?"

"WHY YOU-"

"Hotaru's my cousin. It would be disgusting if she thought I was attractive. As for you, we both know you're lying about how you actually feel."

"I AM NOT!"

"Hnnnn? Then why don't we put that to the test?" A look of challenge entered Natsume's eyes, and he swiftly approached me. I paled before immediately backing up, only to ram right into the desk. There was a wall on my left side, and to my right was the bed which was definitely out of the question. This meant I would have to somehow slip either under or around Natsume to get out. There was no question which of us was the stronger one, so under was probably my best shot. He was finally right in front of me, and I tried to slip under. Natsume anticipated the move and blocked me, essentially pushing me to the right in the process. And there you have it boys and girls, I was stuck on the stupid bed with Natsume towering over me. A smirk lit up his face and I started panicking. There's no way he would do anything to me, right? RIGHT?

"What's the matter? Not so tough now, are we?" Natsume moved his face closer to mine, and I blushed at the proximity. He smelled amazing, some exotic blend of pine, mint and other spices. He continued coming closer and I realized my only shot was to stall somehow.

"You… I thought you told Ruka you'd never take advantage of such a "childish girl." In fact, you're just trying to scare me so I back out of the engagement, aren't you? Well, I'll have you know that I don't plan to back out no matter what! So why don't you just get off of me, and maybe I won't mention this incident to your parents. You're supposed to be a genius, so why don't you think through this situation and realize it's not to your advantage," I threatened, trying to maintain a cold tone. Although I would be lying if I said I wasn't internally freaking out. It didn't help that I actually am attracted to him, making my heart pound at a ridiculous tempo. I hoped a reminder about our engagement would snap him out of whatever reverie he had decided to enter. I stared right into Natsume's crimson eyes, trying to act like I wasn't scared of him while simultaneously proving that I wasn't going to give up easily. A strange emotion flitted across his eyes before pain followed. Suddenly it was all gone, and I watched as he put his emotionless shields back into place.

"I think it's about time you learned your place, little girl. You never know when a genius can turn into a monster, after all. And this particular monster warned you not to cross his path. You chose not to listen. Now, you'll have to suffer the consequences," Natsume growled, a dark look overtaking his eyes. The crimson slowly became a dark maroon and rage broke through all of his shields. Natsume finally leaned in and devoured my lips with a ferocity that terrified me. I immediately clamped my lips shut, refusing to give him access to my mouth and enraged that the jerk had the audacity to steal my first kiss. I pushed against his chest with all my strength, only to be severely disheartened when Natsume grabbed my arms and held them to my chest with a firm grip that I definitely couldn't break. He then leaned his body against mine to trap me, accurately predicting that my next move would involve my legs. Even though I couldn't push him off, I was determined to not give in easily, no matter how good of a kisser he might have been.

Natsume began to grow frustrated, and let out a slight growl before biting my lip, hard. I squeaked in pain, and he used the opportunity to deepen the kiss with his tongue. Tears of frustration surged out of my eyes as I realized this man wasn't going to let me go and I was out of options. I closed my eyes, not wanting to watch the scene anymore, when a strange memory popped out. At least, I think it was a memory. An odd sensation overcame me as I watched the memory unfold, unsure of why it felt so familiar, so warm. Images of a boy with crimson eyes kept flashing before my eyes, but before I could decipher anything, a throbbing pain enveloped my head. Unable to tolerate the pain any longer, I finally blacked out.

Chirping birds were the first thing to wake me up. The sun was playing games on my face, and I turned on my side in an attempt to hide. The bed was so warm as I huddled further under the blankets. The...bed? I suddenly shot up, hesitantly peeking under the covers. Fully clothed. Which means...Natsume...he didn't do anything? I desperately tried to remember what happened last night-I called his bluff, but then he actually kissed me. And then...nothing. A quick sweep of the room revealed that I wasn't even in his room, and was in fact in my own. I glanced down at the floor, seeing that all my luggage had been brought in from the main hall. Did Natsume? No, it couldn't have possibly been him.

"I see you're finally awake Mikan. Good morning!" I immediately looked up, surprised to see Ruka standing in front of me, offering me a mug of warm milk. I smiled softly, recalling how I was the one who told him about the magic of warm milk and its powers to calm a person down. After taking a few sips, I responded.

"Good morning, Ruka. How long have I been asleep? Also, who brought my bags in?"

"Just a few hours probably. We got in the cabins late last night after all. As for your luggage, you probably brought it in last night and forgot," Ruka replied, giving me a strange look. I hid my sigh of relief at knowing I hadn't fainted for days or anything ridiculous like that. Ruka's second statement subsequently settled: so it had been Natsume after all. How strange...why would he...? Unless that was his backward way of apologizing? Nah, the day Natsume Hyuuga apologizes would be the day Hotaru lost her Baka gun and all the backups. AKA never.

"Is that so? Ahaha, I guess I just...lost track of time is all," I trailed off, unsure of what to say. I couldn't exactly tell Ruka what transpired with Natsume last night; they were best friends after all.

"Natsume did something, didn't he?" I looked up, shocked, only to find Ruka scrutinizing my expression. Hotaru always did tell me I wore my heart on my sleeve, and Ruka's pretty perceptive. He'd have to be in order to marry someone like Hotaru. A small smile made its way onto my face as I realized what a good guy Ruka was.

"Yes, he did. But I'd rather not dwell on what happened Ruka. Although...that's right! As his best friend, you might know. Can you please tell me why Natsume hates me so much?" Ruka's eyes softened sadly and he walked over to the window. I patiently waited, realizing that Ruka must have been searching for the right words. He finally turned back to me before responding.

"The truth is, Mikan, that I do know why he-as you put it-'hates you so much.'" I sighed, realizing where this conversation was headed.

"But let me guess. You can't tell me why, at least not now." Ruka looked up surprised before a slight smirk lit his face. My eyes widened upon seeing it; just the action brought a mental image of Natsume.

"Let me guess. Hotaru probably said something similar earlier."

"Yup. You guessed it." I pouted, before continuing, "It's so frustrating honestly. I feel like all three of you are in on some huge secret that involves me as well, yet I'm not allowed to know for some reason. On top of that, my parents expect me to go through with this engagement-hell, they're depending on it. Natsume already hates me though, and I don't know how to even begin to break the ice separating us."

"I truly wish I could tell you Mikan. But for your sake, I have to keep quiet. Although...you are wrong about one thing. I've known Natsume for years now and I've gotten pretty good at reading his true feelings. He's convinced that he hates you completely, so convinced that he's even made you think that. But the fact of the matter is he doesn't hate you at all. I actually think that Natsume is only trying to hate you. And now that he's seen you again, he's probably really confused."

"...Confused? About what?" Ruka eyed me, before turning back to the window and smiling softly.

"He's confused about who you are right now. I'm afraid I can't reveal too much more without going into...our secret. But know this Mikan: a girl completely changed him in the past. And I don't see why another girl, namely you, cannot change him in the present. If you really want this engagement to succeed, don't give up. If it's you, I know you'll be fine. You'll be able to break the ice that separates you and Natsume easily." I stared at Ruka, warmed by his words of encouragement. He was completely right-it wasn't like me to give up so easily! I would break the ice between us, and make this engagement a success for my parents. I suddenly recalled something Ruka said: "a girl completely changed him in the past."

"Ruka...what did you mean by "a girl completely changed him in the past?" I watched as Ruka's eyes widened, before turning to me with an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry...Mikan... but I can't tell you that either." I puffed my cheeks out in annoyance, before scowling at Ruka.

"Yes Yes… your secret again, right? Oh well, who cares about the past anyways? After all, what's happened has happened-and I can't do anything to change that. Right now, I'd better focus on how to get closer to Natsume…." I groaned, realizing what a task that would be. I just walked into his room out of curiosity last night, and look at what that resulted in.

"Don't worry too much about it Mikan. Hotaru's talking to Natsume right now about, well, the secret. I think after they're done Natsume will at least be willing to give you a chance. Nevertheless...there is one thing that you could do right now for him," Ruka responded, before turning away from the window with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Oh? And what's that?" My curiosity now peaked, I got out of the bed. Ruka looked at me with a grin and I couldn't help but grin back at him. My eyes softened as I realized that Ruka was like the older brother that I always wished for growing up. He was always helping me out and always knew exactly what to say to cheer me up-just like any older brother.

"Well, why don't you get dressed first and then I'll tell you." Ruka made his way towards the door to leave, before pausing. He turned back, almost like an afterthought.

"Mikan. While you may not be able to do anything to change the past, you should always remember it. Because the past is what shapes the present, and the present what shapes the future. I know if you try hard, you yourself will remember." With that, Ruka left, shutting the door behind him.

In the next chapter, Hotaru will finally reveal a bit of what happened to Mikan and the past specifically! So stay tuned for that one! (Lol I sound like a kids TV show narrator)...

Anyways, I do hope you liked this chapter! Please let me know what you think!

~ Breezylyn