A/N related to edit: Hey! I edited something Natsume says in the last paragraph of this chapter! Thank you, T. Mari, for bringing this to my attention! I didn't realize it earlier but the sentence where Natsume threatens to kill Fate if it interferes was super misleading. I used the pronoun him for Fate, but that could have been interpreted as Natsume saying he would kill himself if Fate interferes! I meant to say that Natsume would kill fate if it interfered, not himself. Just wanted to clear that up :) (Also I'm not really sure if FFN sends an email to people if I just edit something in a chapter...)

Hey, Everyone! I bet you weren't expecting an update so soon-but for some reason, this chapter just popped out. I had a ton of fun writing the present scene between Natsume and Mikan, and I think it turned out alright!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice, Yumeiro Patissiere or Kitchen Princess! This chapter finally has some elements from YP and KP, so for those of you who are as big fans of those franchises as I am, let's see if you can catch them!

A huge thanks as always to everybody that reads, reviews, etc. this fic-I'm writing this for you guys, so it helps knowing people actually read this! Without further ado, I present to you chapter 6! Enjoy!

Flashback: Natsume's POV

Present: Mikan's POV (Switches to Natsume at the end)

TRUCE

There was one left. One chick-all of its siblings had already jumped out of the nest and were flying. I lazily watched as it stayed in its nest, staring up at its mother with large eyes, waiting for food. Only to be severely confused as its mother took the worm in its beak and moved out to the branch. As though encouraging the last of its offspring to venture out and fly, the mother wiggled the worm tantalizingly. The chick just chirped in sadness and I watched as it tried then failed to leave the nest.

With a scoff, I turned back to the account book in front of me for Kuro Neko. I had to verify all of these sums and report to my father by tonight. It had to be tonight because Aoi's class is having a family picnic tomorrow, and my parents blackmailed me. They said they won't go tomorrow unless I finish all the accounts by tonight and if they don't show up Aoi will get bullied again. She doesn't say anything, but her tears are enough to tell me when something has happened at school. I followed her to school once to see how she was doing, and it took every piece of my willpower to not beat up the kids teasing her for not having parents who care about her, their basis being that they never come to any of the parent-child events. So this time I have to finish the work, for Aoi. I glanced distastefully at the pile of books left to check. The work wasn't necessarily difficult, in fact, it was quite the opposite-any twelve-year old could do this. What made the task nearly impossible, however, was the sheer amount of books to be checked in the period of a few hours. Most twelve-year olds wouldn't have been able to process this many books in a few days, but I had to by myself in a few hours. Then again, my parents know I'm not just any twelve-year old. While it was manageable, I wouldn't have time for anything else today. I glanced at my forgotten manga, lying on the table nearby. It was currently recess time and normally I would have been lounging atop the sakura tree with my manga.

I pinched the bridge of my nose in irritation before finishing up the current book and reaching for the next one. After completing a few more, I looked out the window once more. My eyes narrowed as I saw the pathetic bird from earlier still stuck in the nest. This time, however, all of the siblings and the mother were gone. I sighed sadly before getting back to work. According to the clock, recess would last another 45 minutes, since it was extended today because it's the end of the week.

"IMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIII!" GIVE THOSE PHOTOS BACK TO ME!" I cocked an eyebrow before looking out the window once more and witnessing Imai on her stupid duck scooter waving what looked like two Polaroid pictures at Ruka, who was trying to pursue her using one of the stable's horses. That explained why Ruka suddenly disappeared at the start of recess with a murderous look. I rolled my eyes before grabbing the next book.

BANG! "AHHHHH! WHERE IS IT? Mr. Water Bottle! Where are you hidin-Natsume?" My eyebrows ticked in agitation; would the distractions never end? I sent a glare towards Polka, who walked over to her bag and grabbed her water bottle before approaching me, completely impervious to my glare. The pile of books next to me caught my eye and I realized I didn't have time to waste on the pig-tailed idiot. I ran a hand through my hair before flipping the next book off the tower and quickly skimming it.

"Natsume? What are you doing in here on such a beautiful day?" I ignored the girl, signed the page off and haphazardly tossed the account into the finished pile.

"YOU JERK! DON'T JUST IGNORE ME LIKE THAT!" I shook my head, realizing the stupid child wouldn't leave and only make more of a commotion if I didn't answer her dumb question.

"What does it look like I'm doing, Polka? Now get out-I'm busy and don't have time to deal with you today." I went back to work, masking my exhaustion with a smirk. The best way to get somebody to leave you alone was to be rude. It's too bad I forgot that the person in front of me was a complete airhead, not to mention abnormal.

"You can't make me do anything Natsume! If I want to stay in this classroom then I will!" With that Mikan plopped down on the desk in front of me, sitting backward so she could watch me work. I continued to ignore her, figuring it was the best way to get her to leave the room. Mikan Sakura was a lot of things, but patient wasn't one of them. I zoned back into my work, deciding to knock out 10 more books within the next couple of minutes. I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but I heard the scrape of the chair in front of me and figured Mikan had finally gotten bored enough to leave.

"Neh, Natsume? What are you doing with all of those books?" I looked up, slightly baffled to see that Mikan hadn't left yet and had, in fact, scooted her chair closer to me. I cocked a brow before responding offhandedly.

"Oh, you're still here?"

"Oh, you're still a jerk?" I smirked, finally shutting the book in front of me and staring curiously at Mikan. Any normal twelve-year old would have booked it once they realized I wasn't interested in conversing with them. Although, I suppose I've already established Mikan Sakura was far from normal. A fleeting thought entered my mind as I pictured how much Aoi would like Mikan. The image was immediately scrubbed from my mind as I recalled the task at hand, and my expression immediately blanked as I seized another book from the slowly dwindling tower. Mikan huffed and I was thankful that she was likely to leave soon. Distractions were the last thing I needed right now. Imagine my surprise when she slammed her hand on top of the page I was currently looking at. I felt a twinge of fury at the little girl for getting in my way.

"Move," I grumbled, venom entering my tone.

"No."

"I said move, Polka."

"And I said no!" With that, Mikan snatched the book away from the desk and dangled it enticingly in front of me. My eyebrows twitched in indignation and I could feel my patience thinning swiftly. I shot a warning look at Mikan, who had the grace to look a bit scared. But she shook off her doubt quickly before taking a few steps back. I glanced out the window for a moment, seeing the baby bird with another bird flying next to it, as though trying to help it. A sneer made its way on my face as I instead focused on the nuisance of a girl in front of me. I was not in the mood to play with her today and clearly, she didn't understand that.

"Give. Me. The. Book. NOW" I roared, my patience finally snapping. Mikan flinched slightly and then stared back at me with a determined look.

"I will do no such thing!" I immediately shot up from my desk as a final warning to the girl. She completely disregarded it, taking another small step towards the classroom door. Mikan continued on, ignoring the murderous glare on my face.

"At least not...until you tell me why you're all alone with a huge pile of boring books while everyone else is outside playing tag. Well except for Hotaru and Ruka...although I guess they kind of are playing tag too." I sighed, realizing my threats weren't going to work on her and the best way to get the girl out of the classroom was to answer her question.

"I'm working, haven't you ever heard of that?"

"Yes, I happen to have two functioning eyes, Natsume. Why are you working, and what are you working on?"

"Tch. Has anybody ever told you how annoying you are?"

"Only you, actually. I'm not going to leave you alone until you answer me."

"Whatever Polka-dots. I have to verify all these accounts for Kuro Neko Industries by tonight."

"All...of these? By yourself? Natsume, that's almost impossible to do by tonight! Who gave you that deadline anyway?"

"My parents, little girl."

"Oh please, like you'd actually listen to your parents. You don't listen to anybody!"

"...Don't act like you know everything when you actually don't know anything, you stupid little girl. You don't know what it's like to have parents like mine, so don't comment," I hissed, angry at how easily she dismissed me. She didn't have any idea what Hell I lived in, the privileged brat that she was. She didn't know what it was like watching your little sister cry because you failed in protecting her from the people who should have protected her in the first place.

"Then why don't you enlighten me, genius? How am I supposed to know if you don't tell me? I'm not a mind reader, you know." I was quiet for a moment, planning my next move. If I told her the truth then she would obstinately demand to talk with my parents and "fix" things. That was something I had to prevent because the last thing I wanted was for this girl to lose her innocence to my parents: they would roast her alive. But for some reason, I couldn't bring up another lie about my family. Maybe it was the fact that I was sick of keeping it all to myself, maybe it was her stubborn demeanor. Either way, I somehow ended up telling her the truth, at least, a version of it.

"For Aoi...if I don't finish all these by tonight then she will cry. And as long as I am alive, I will not let Aoi cry." I looked back out the window, secretly hoping that she wouldn't pry more. Just telling her about Aoi's tears and how they depended on my work was hard enough. I wasn't ready to "open up" about my disastrous parents. If they could even be classified as parents. I saw the baby bird flapping its wings desperately, trying to fly out of the nest. What surprised me, however, was the other bird that had come earlier. It was still encouraging the loser to keep trying. I blinked, snapping out of it when Mikan responded.

"Natsume...you're right. I'm not in any position to make comments; please accept my apologies for what I said earlier. I don't really understand what you meant about Aoi crying or the connection that has to all these books. But I feel like you don't want to talk about it, at least not to me," Mikan began with a soft tone. I internally cringed-here it was. The part where she rejected me because I didn't want to tell her anything. I'd seen it happen before numerous times; why should this be any different?

"And...that's alright, Natsume. I know you'll tell me when you are ready." My eyes widened slightly-Mikan wasn't holding it against me. I finally met her gaze, seeing the gentleness in her eyes. "For now, though, I have a great idea! I still haven't thanked you yet for helping me in the forest that day and I think this is the perfect opportunity! You're obviously working too hard and need a break, so why don't you come outside and join in the tag game with everyone! It's like tag plus, since we're playing on the equipment, and I know you'll have a lot of fun!" I shook my head, disappointed to have to be the one to break her happy mood.

"Polka, I don't have time for games. So give me back the book: I have to finish all of these soon. You've already wasted a lot more of my time than I had available."

"Mou, Natsume! Stop being a martyr. I refuse to give you this book-if you want it that badly, you'll just have to take it from me!" Mikan cheekily responded, sticking her tongue out at me. She then whirled around and headed towards the door with the book. I glared at her before muttering curses under my breath. What part of "I don't have time for this" does she not understand? I kicked my chair behind me and slowly stalked over to the girl. Rather than fearing my glare, however, Mikan just giggled.

"Oh Natsume! Stop being so serious all the time-there's no need to worry! You'll finish everything by tonight even if you play with the rest of us for a bit."

"Are you blind, Polka-dots? Can't you see the number of books I have left?"

"Well, ya. But I never said you were going to finish everything alone. What's the purpose of friends if they aren't willing to help you out in your time of need? If everyone pitches in, we can finish these books in no time! And don't tell me that this work is too complicated to trust to just anybody-I can see that it's just some simple math sums that any of us can do! Now come on; we have to go ask everybody for help after tag!" My words were completely gone as I watched this chaotic little girl completely turn my life around once more. She was convinced that everyone in the class would be willing to help me out, yet I knew better. Why would anybody want to help someone as antisocial and rude as me? I shook my head slightly before deciding to humor the little girl and go with her. I followed her through the winding hallways outside to the playground, where she ran into the center of the tag game and cupped her hands around her mouth.

"EVERYBODY! WE NEED YOUR HELP!" All the other members of my class stopped in the middle of the game and started gossiping with each other once they saw me. Yuu Tobita, the class president, approached Mikan and asked on behalf of the class what she was talking about. I watched stoically as Mikan explained my predicament to the whole class, gesturing towards me often.

"Looks like Sakura-san is helping you out, right Natsume?" I looked up to find Ruka standing next to me and then saw Imai standing near Mikan. A soft smirk cascaded on my face as I realized that Mikan had somehow convinced the whole class to help me out. Although it did come as a bit of a shock: I never thought of these people as friends before. Mikan suddenly ran over with a thumbs-up before pushing the account book she stole into my hands. She ran back into the tag game, waving me closer to the others.

"NATSUME! YOU'RE IT!" I rolled my eyes at the joy in her voice before glancing up at the sky. There, in front of me, were two baby chicks flying together. One of them flew hesitantly, while the other chirped it on in encouragement and I fleetingly recognized them as the pair from the nest. A smirk made its way on my face as I set my sights on catching Mikan Sakura. She wasn't getting away from me this time.

Let's see… Natsume doesn't seem like the sugar-loving type and if I remember when Hotaru and Ruka got us coffee at the airport, he took his black. So less sugar would be good for the rhubarb confiture. I smiled as I mixed the confection on the stovetop, waiting for the perfect texture to arise. Ruka was completely right: if I give up so easily in breaking the ice around Natsume then what's the point? Nothing in life comes easily, so why should the engagement be any different? Feeling determined, I whisked the confiture some more before turning the stove off. "When you eat something good, you smile." I first heard those words as a kid and now I live by them. My dream is to become a pastry chef and to open my own shop, a place where everyone who enters will leave with a smile on their face. Every single person has their own challenges, their own obstacles to face in life. I want the people who eat my sweets to become a little bit happier and to realize that they're never alone in facing their problems. That even if things in life are looking impossible, there's still a way to smile. I feel a bit ashamed to admit this, but I had forgotten my dream in the face of the engagement. It wasn't until Ruka reminded me earlier that I remembered: sometimes there are better ways to communicate emotions than through words. I began washing the frais de bois, or the perfect type of strawberry for a tart like this, and recollected the conversation I had with Ruka earlier.

"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. I blinked, a bit confused by his cryptic statement. Obviously, you should always remember the past, even if the memories are painful. Because someday, you'll be able to look back at those memories with a new outlook, and that's when you'll be glad you kept those memories safe. I shrugged before grabbing a dress from the closet and heading to the bathroom to finish my morning rituals.

Dressed in my new outfit, I finally headed over towards the living room where Ruka was seated with a mug of coffee in front of him.

"Any chance I could get some of that?" I asked, staring daggers at his coffee. Ruka glanced up with a soft chuckle before gesturing towards one of the chairs in front of him. I sat down and stared ahead as Ruka got up to make me a cup of coffee. When he finally returned, he slid the steaming cup in front of me before sitting back down again. I inhaled the rich aroma and asked about what Ruka said earlier.

"Ruka. You said there was something I could do for Natsume earlier. What...exactly were you talking about?"

"Ah, yes I suppose I did say that. Well, you see Mikan, there's something that you can do that neither me, Hotaru or anybody else can. A special talent, per se." I rose an eyebrow at Ruka, not following at all. The one thing that I was particularly better at than most was making food, and I didn't quite see how that fit with Natsume.

"If you're referring to the fact that I can bake, well, I'm not quite following how that relates to Natsume. Unless you happen to know some other talent that I possess that isn't coming to mind right now?" I inquired, slightly frustrated that I couldn't understand any of Ruka's riddles today. Ruka calmly took a sip from his mug before fixing me with an amused grin. I pouted, realizing he was having fun confusing me.

"You know, Ruka, you might want to invest in fewer riddles. Maybe then I'll actually glean some knowledge from our conversations," I snapped, fixing a scowl at said person. Ruka chuckled again before finally obliging my request.

"Fine, fine. What I'm saying is you bake something for Natsume. Natsume...has had some rough times, and I think you're the only one who can remind him he's not alone. Since he's not as willing to listen to words, why don't you put all your feelings into baking and make him understand through that? After all, what is it you always say? When you eat something good…"

"You smile," I finished, a soft grin surpassing my face as I pondered Ruka's suggestion. He's right! If Mr. Conceited Jerk wasn't willing to listen to my words, maybe I could smack him in the face with my emotions through food! And if that doesn't work, I'll actually smack him in the face with a dessert, preferably something sticky and hard to get out of hair. A wicked grin replaced my expression at the satisfying thought of Natsume scrubbing shampoo in his hair for hours trying (and failing) to get honey out. Ruka rose an eyebrow at my expression before rolling his eyes.

"Mikan, Natsume may come across as a jerk, but he's actually a really good guy. Give him a chance-and don't even think about throwing food at Natsume. That would make things worse between you, not to mention be a waste of perfectly good food." I gaped, shocked that Ruka had figured out what direction my thoughts progressed. Man was he good-forget being a CEO; Ruka needs to get into the psychiatrist business, or become an interrogator or something like that. Or better yet, the fortune-telling business! I'm sure Koko could hook him up too! I shook my stray thoughts aside before focusing back on the issue at hand.

"Ruka… Do you know what Natsume likes to eat? I mean, he doesn't really strike me as the "I love sweets!" kinda guy, you know?" A strange look overcame Ruka's eyes, almost like he was reliving some memory of the past and I cocked my head in confusion.

"Ruka?"

"Oh! Sorry, Mikan, I was just...remembering something. The truth is that Natsume used to hate sweets as a kid, but a girl from his childhood changed that through her love of baking. He really likes strawberries, so maybe make something with those?"

Hmmm… thinking about it now, I wonder if the girl Ruka was referring to was the same one he mentioned earlier. The one that he couldn't tell me more about. I shrugged before cutting the last strawberry in half. I let out a sigh before checking the oven to see if the tart base had finished baking. A peek at the tarts revealed it would take at least a couple more minutes, and since I had already finished making the almond cream, pastry cream and strawberry syrup, I took a seat at the kitchen table for a moment. After Ruka's advice about the strawberries, I decided to make a strawberry tart that I once had in a store in Paris. I think it was called Sourire de L'ange, or something like that. All I remember is that it was absolutely delectable and when I got home I immediately remade the tart as best as I could from the taste alone. Ever since then, this tart is something I make when I'm feeling down and need to cheer myself up. I figured this would be the best thing to make for Natsume, as a sort of truce. I giggled, thinking of what happened as soon as I told Ruka my plans to make the strawberry tart. Before he could respond, we both heard the trademark sound of Hotaru's Baka gun outside and Hotaru immediately summoned Ruka after that. We both decided since she seemed to be in a foul mood that he would go on ahead; I'd meet with Hotaru later. I frowned, realizing it had been a few hours since they left yet Natsume still hadn't come back inside the cabin. Hopefully he's alright outside, especially since it started snowing a little while ago. I mean, the guy sure is impossible but that doesn't mean I want him to freeze to death or something like that!

TING! The oven finally went off, and I scrambled over to remove the tarts before they could get burned. I placed them on the counter to cool for a couple minutes and grabbed the remaining ingredients. After adding a layer of the pastry cream, I formed a mound on top using the spatula with the almond cream. Next, I drizzled the strawberry syrup and finished the tarts with some of the strawberry pieces I had cut earlier. I set the tarts aside and began to clean up the kitchen, anxiety filling me as I wondered when Natsume would be back.

It was about ten minutes after I finished cleaning that Natsume entered the cabin. There was a SLAM from the front door and I hastily got up from the kitchen chair and headed towards the front room. Natsume removed his jacket, then shook the snow from his boots before kicking them off. I shyly watched him, unsure of how to start a conversation with him after last night. Natsume looked up and locked eyes with me. Neither of us said anything for a while and the atmosphere became even more awkward.

At least he isn't glaring at me, though….

I bit my lip before deciding to say something-anything was better than this tension.

"H...Hello Natsume. How was your morning? The weather's looking pretty awful, isn't it?" I sighed, realizing my attempt at small talk was pathetic. The weather? Really, Mikan? I might as well have just pulled out a board with flashing lights alerting him to how I didn't have a clue what to say. Natsume just rose a brow at me before responding.

"Cold, which is reasonable seeing how it's snowing outside," Natsume deadpanned. I cringed slightly-what was I expecting anyway? A polite answer? Natsume must have seen my expression since he continued with a bit of a lighter tone. "How was your morning, Mikan?" My eyes widened in shock because this was the first time he had ever called me Mikan. I felt my cheeks heat up and immediately wanted to smack my head on the wall! He calls me by my name once and I lose control! Sheesh, at the rate this was going my face was going to be the color of a strawberry! Strawberries! Oh my god! I completely forgot about the tarts!

"It was fine, Natsume! Actually, I have a surprise for you! Come to the kitchen with me, won't you?" I asked imploringly, half expecting him to roll his eyes at me and leave the cabin again. Only to be a bit surprised when he gave me a simple nod and headed to the kitchen himself. I blinked before hurrying to catch up to him and headed over to the kitchen table. Natsume quietly stood to the side, observing as I lifted the plate off the two tarts and showed him. I placed one of the tarts on a separate plate and walked over to him.

"Natsume...I, uh, made strawberry tarts this morning. I know that we didn't really get off to a good start, but I'm willing to start fresh again if you are…Oh! I hope you like strawberries-Ruka told me that you do, so I went with what he said but if you don't I could always make you something else. And your tart has a little bit less sugar in it because you took your coffee black at the airport, so I figured you didn't really like sweet things as much, but if you actually do like sugar then maybe I could-" I was interrupted as Natsume took the plate from my hands before grabbing a fork, slicing into it and taking a bite. I held my breath in anticipation, worried that he would find it terrible. It was all I could do to not sigh in relief when he gave me a small smile after swallowing.

"Hey, this isn't half bad, little girl." With that single comment, Natsume took his plate and sat down at the table, across from where my tart sat waiting. Although I tried to suppress it, a huge grin came on my face as I realized that that comment was Natsume's way of agreeing to our truce. I immediately sat down in my chair and began feasting on my tart. A jubilant smile came on my face at the first bite, as the strawberry syrup delicately feathered my tongue. It was just soooo good! I scooped up another bite with my fork before realizing Natsume's gaze was on me. I glanced up at his amused expression and blushed, realizing that I must look like a mannerless slob to him.

Control yourself, Mikan! He's your fiance-try and look a little bit lady-like! I cleared my throat before sitting straighter and delicately cutting another piece from the tart. Natsume let out a chuckle and I glared at him, realizing there was no point acting lady-like for someone like him. With a satisfied "Hmph" I went back to my methods of eating.

"You know, Pigtails, if you eat any faster you could choke." I scowled at Natsume and his stupid nickname for me, who was now watching me with his signature smirk. Natsume put another bite of his own tart in his mouth and chewed leisurely. He clicked his tongue when he finished chewing and sent me a casual grin. I blushed again, realizing that this person in front of me was dubbed a ladies-killer for a reason. He was just...so...charismatic dammit! I quickly shoved another mouthful in my mouth in hope that he wouldn't see my blush. Big Mistake. Natsume pushed his chair back and came over to where I was choking before smacking me in the back.

"Honestly, people are going to think the next heiress to Sakura Corp is a pig if you keep this up." I grimaced, realizing I made myself look like an even bigger idiot in front of Natsume. My solitary thought was to do something to preserve my dignity. Since having Natsume in close proximity made me say stupid things, I decided to keep quiet and simply scoop up another chunk of the tart.

Natsume gently grabbed my hand and moved it closer to him, while I stared speechlessly. He directed the fork towards his mouth, leaned in and slowly wrapped his lips around my fork and my tart. My mouth dropped open in shock-who the hell was this guy and what did he do with Natsume Hyuuga? Cold Natsume Hyuuga, who wanted nothing more than to hurt me? I continued balking at Natsume, staring at his crimson eyes in complete confusion. Natsume snickered before smirking back at me, clearly amused. I zoomed in on his crooked smile and that's when it registered that Natsume ate my tart. Which meant that he...he….he…. My heartbeat tripled in pace and I knew I must have resembled a tomato based off the heat I felt in my cheeks. I immediately scooted my chair back, trying to put a little distance between me and the… the… the tart stealer!

"I...I...You… WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" I shrieked, still blushing immensely. Natsume's only reaction was to widen his smirk and I began to feel irritation.

"You...You… YOU TART SNATCHER! Quit smiling like that! It makes me nervous!" I blushed harder, realizing what I just said and then groaned. Great, just tell him that you're actually kinda attracted to him and blow up his ego even further Mikan! AGH!

"Hnnnnnn? So I'm making you nervous? Are you sure it's because of my smile and not because of your feelings of love for me?" I stared at Natsume in horror before immediately spluttering out a rejection.

"NO! NO! NO! NO NO NO NO! I DO NOT LOVE YOU! IN FACT, I HATE YOU!"

"Hate? You're a pretty poor liar, Pigtails. If you hate me so much, then why are your cheeks the color of the strawberries in this tart? Maybe I'll start calling you Strawberry Cheeks instead." Anger rushed into me as I processed what Natsume just called me. Strawberry Cheeks my ass! This jerk was so asking for it! I scraped my chair back angrily and immediately stood up. Natsume cocked an amused brow at me before backing away slightly once he realized I was trembling in anger. I pointed a finger at him, wishing it was more of a dagger.

"YOU JACKASS! LET ME GET ONE THING STRAIGHT HERE! I DO NOT LIKE YOU AND AM ONLY OFFERING A TRUCE BECAUSE OF MY PARENTS AND SAKURA CORP! NOR WILL I EVER LIKE YOU, SO THERE!"

"Whatever you say, Pigtails," Natsume nonchalantly replied before pulling on one of my pony tails with a smirk. THAT WAS IT! I could feel steam almost pouring out of my body and directed my laser glare at Natsume before running at him. Natsume sent a cocky grin my way before turning around and running. I pursued him, determined to not let him off like that. We ran from the kitchen into my bedroom, where Natsume did a full circuit around the room before hopping across my bed and back out the door. DAMN HIM! WHY DOES HE HAVE TO BE SO FAST?

"GET BACK HERE, YOU TART SNATCHER!" I screamed, following him into the living room. Now, I totally blame my socks for what happened next. The wooden floor in the living room is extremely slick and Natsume was running so fast that I slipped on the floor. I cried out a warning, but before Natsume could get out of the way barrelled right into him.

SMACK! We both fell onto the floor, hard, and I groaned before opening my eyes. What awaited me were two crimson pools, watching me warily.

They're so… shiny. Almost like rubies….

I shook the childish thought from my head when Natsume sent me another smirk.

"Amazing. Not only are you childish, a pig, and loud, but you're also clumsy too. Are you sure you're the real Mikan Sakura and not some fake?" My jaw twitched in annoyance at the fact that Natsume was accusing me of being a fake! I sent him a mean glare (or at least tried to… I wasn't really that good at glaring, to be honest) and took a deep breath. Only to inhale what smelled like mint, mixed with spices: what I quickly recognized to be Eau de Natsume. I shook my head before finally snapping,

"Of course I'm the real thing! I'm an amazing, talented, gorgeous, charming woman too! Now get off of me-you're really heavy Natsume!" A shocked look went through his eyes and I gazed at him curiously. He brought back his blank facade but still didn't move.

"HELLO? Didn't you hear me? GET OFF!" Natsume sent me another dangerous smirk and I internally groaned, realizing he wasn't planning to obey my wishes whatsoever.

"Charming? That wasn't the impression I got when we kissed last night. In fact, if I recall, you're actually a terrible kisser. I would hardly call someone who can't even kiss properly charming, gorgeous or talented. At the rate you're going, you're never going to get a guy to fall for you." HOW DARE HE! I puffed my cheeks out in rage, getting ready to battle him with my words when he shocked me even further. Natsume placed his lips lightly on my forehead, and I could feel him smile for just a moment. I blushed again, my words completely robbed by his actions.

"Then again, I don't want you to get another guy," Natsume murmured against my forehead in a voice that was so quiet, I was convinced I misheard him. I looked up at him, unsure about what emotion I was feeling.

"N..Natsume? What did you just say?" Natsume moved back before staring at me blankly. A glimmer of mischief entered his eyes and he smirked again.

"Just that you're quite heavy and should really consider going on a diet." My eyes narrowed and I immediately felt pissed. This BASTARD! He's the one on top of me and he has the gall to call me fat? I know I eat a lot of sweets, but my high metabolism makes up for it! I sent laser beams his way before placing my hands on his chest and pushing with all my might.

"NATSUME BASTARD HYUUGA! GET OFF OF ME RIGHT NOW! HOW DARE YOU CALL ME FAT?!" I coupled all my strength into a final push at the word fat, and Natsume finally rolled off of me with a grunt. Good! Let him feel pain! I sprang to my feet, ready to smack his face if he dared say anything more. All my intentions washed away when Natsume got up, dusted himself off and then approached me slowly. He paused right before me and all I could do was stare into his hypnotic eyes. I flinched when he extended a hand, relaxing instead when he casually tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear.

"You might want to button up your shirt, Polka-dots. I'm going to bed, don't bother me." Natsume smirked one more time at me before turning around and stalking off to his room. He shut the door behind him, and I stared, stupefied. His words sunk in and I cocked my head in confusion. Polka...dots? I glanced down at my shirt and saw the first few buttons were completely undone, revealing my polka-dotted bra. My face flamed in embarrassment and I screamed in frustration. THAT PERVERT! I sank down to the floor once again, recalling how he kissed me on the forehead, and felt my heart pound ridiculously fast. As much as I hated to admit it, Natsume was making my emotions run all over the place. He was completely disrupting my life and the honest truth was that I kind of enjoyed it. I shook my head at the thought-how could I possibly enjoy having a jerk like him on top of me?

A brief image overcame my vision as I saw a scene just like this one unfold in front of me. There was a girl with pigtails on top of a...boy with...crimson eyes? My eyes widened in shock as I realized the girl was me. The image vanished before I could get a good look at the boy and a frightening thought overcame me.

Was that...Natsume?

No… it couldn't possibly have been him...I've never seen him before yesterday. I discarded my scattered thoughts hesitantly and headed to my room to get ready for bed.

(Natsume's POV)

The warm water cascaded down my shoulders while I stared at the wall in front of me. A smirk adorned my face as I recalled the scene earlier. Polka-dots sure hasn't changed. She even wears the same printed underwear. Although it gave me a bit of a shock when she called me heavy-those were the exact words I used on her on our second ever encounter as children. I licked my lips, tasting some of the strawberry tart from earlier and smiled softly. Even now, her dream of making others smile through food is a reality. The tart was delicious, and I realized how much more talented she must be now than when we were kids at baking. With her skills, she really could open up a first-class bakery someday. Hell, she could probably win famous competitions with her sweets. It was quite a surprise to see her make me a strawberry dessert too, considering she was the reason I liked strawberries in the first place.

I shook my head slyly, realizing that Ruka was the one who set this entire thing up. He may appear gentle, but inside that prince-charming personality rested a scheming soul. And he wasn't the only one scheming-it was obvious Imai would be his partner in crime for meddling. I grunted, silently thankful for Imai clearing up the truth, although I still had a lot of questions, namely for Izumi and Yuka Sakura. I narrowed my eyes in agitation at the thought that they had kept me in the dark for close to ten years. Ten years wasted on anger and revenge.

I closed my eyes for a while longer and then turned the shower off. After reaching for a towel, I dried myself off and slipped into my sleep wear. My hands ran through my wet hair and I wondered if Mikan would ever regain her memories of the past. Yesterday, when I kissed her, she completely blacked out. Today, though, nothing happened. What was so different about yesterday anyways? I guess she was wearing different clothing… including the necklace. I pictured the sakura pendant she was wearing at the airport and last night clearly in my head, a slight smile coming to my face. It pissed me off completely yesterday, but now that I knew the truth I was glad that she had kept the ancient relic. One day she would remember just who gave her that necklace. Either way, I knew that this time things would be different. Fate wouldn't be a bastard this time-and if it decided to separate Mikan and me anyway, I was going to kill fate myself. I closed the bathroom door behind me and headed to my room, ready to succumb to sleep.

Mwahaha! Some of you may have noticed, but the past is repeating itself just a bit for Mikan and Natsume! Don't worry though, this won't be the only occasion where that happens. (Inserts smirk here-I think writing Natsume's POV or just dialogue from him, in general, is starting to rub off on me ahahah). Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this new chapter and stay tuned for the next one: Natsume's finally going to get some answers from the Sakura family!

Thank you for reading, and PLEASE review or something cause I wanna know if you guys are enjoying this or not!

~Breezylyn