Summary: When people see Natsume Hyuuga, they see someone who is pure perfection, they see someone they envy, hate, love and admire. But when Natsume Hyuuga looks at his own reflection he sees someone who is imperfect, someone who will never be loved, never accepted and never cared for. However when Mikan Sakura sees Natsume Hyuuga she see's someone who is an imperfect perfection.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or its characters.

Here I am, sitting next to Hyuuga Aoi, the person that I'm seemingly suppose to keep away from, both of us carpooling to school. I glanced over in Aoi's direction, she seemed to be lost in thought, but that wasn't what confused me… her posture was what confused me. Her head, tiled to the side towards the window, her raven black bangs casting a shadow over half of her face, her ruby red eyes seemed to be out of focus as well, I don't understand why I suddenly feel uncomfortable.

In all the time I'd spent with a Hyuuga, I'd never felt this much intensity before. Within that one moment, with the eyes that belong only to me, Aoi seemed like a completely different person sitting in front of me, the girl who always visited Natsume and I before and after class, who was always smiling and laughing in our company, that was the Aoi that I knew… but this person sitting next to me now… who is this person? This person is a stranger me, and I don't know why, but I don't feel safe anywhere near this new person. I shifted my gaze over to the window. If I'd stared at Aoi any longer, I felt that I would shed my own skin. I don't know why, but the stranger that was in Aoi's skin right now, made my skin crawl, as if I was lying in a freshly dug up grave, with a rotten corpse lying next to me, covered in worms and maggots.

Even though I didn't understand what was going on inside Aoi's mind, I was growing restless from the awkward dead silence that filled the back seat of the car. "Um, Aoi?" I called out to Aoi. Aoi didn't look at me, or give me a reply. This isn't good, I thought. I'm beginning to tense from this awful silence. If I don't say something, I don't know how long I'll be able to last… I hate to admit it, but… I'm scared, I thought, while biting down on my bottom lip. "Um, Aoi, earlier, you said that you wanted to talk to me about something… what was it?" I asked her. When I said this Aoi seemed to come back to reality, only if it was brief, her facial expression had changed. Aoi looked at me "Mikan-chan, can I ask you something?" Aoi asked me, smiling, even though the smile didn't seem to reach her eyes, I nodded. "What kind of relationship do you and Natsume-nii have?" Aoi asked me, her tone so serious that I could think that she was joking.

I laughed nervously and when I could feel Aoi's ruby crimson eyes on me, my laughter died off. "Our relationship?" I asked Aoi. Aoi looked at me, her eyes unwavering "Yes, your relationship" she said so forwardly that I could feel myself choke on my own breath. I scratched the back of my head nervously "What type of relationship do Natsume and I have? I guess you could say that we're friends" I said meeting Aoi's gaze. "Friends?" Aoi asked me, almost as if she was trying to will me to tell her the truth, too bad for her, that was the truth, friends was all Natsume and I were. "You're not lying to me are you?" Aoi asked me. I shook my head "What reason would I have to lie?" I asked her in return. "Well, the entire female student body likes my brother, so I just assumed, that you would too" Aoi told me. "Aoi have you seen me? I'm not like the entire female student body, I don't always have boys on the brain, I actually care about finishing high school" I explained to Aoi.

Somehow the air in the back seat of the car was less tense, and Aoi laughed. I looked at her a bit uneasy "Sorry Mikan-chan for making you have to explain the situation to me" Aoi told me. I shook my head "No not at all, I wouldn't want you to have any misunderstandings about me and Natsume's friendship, and besides, I'll never look at him the same way that the other girls do" I told Aoi with a smile. Why did my heart suddenly have a stabbing pain? I thought, while returning Aoi's smile with my own.

When we pulled up at the school, I was the first on to get out. I shut the door behind me, and leaned down to the creaked window "Thanks for the ride Aoi" I said smiling at her. "You're welcome Mikan-chan" Aoi said with a pause "And if you ever need another ride, just call me" Aoi said handing me a piece of creased notebook paper, that on the inside had her cell phone number. "Oh yeah, Aoi?" I called out to her, Aoi looked at me "This morning, Natsume was suppose to come and pick me up, but you came instead, if you don't mind me asking, do you know what happened to Natsume?" I asked Aoi. There was a long silence at first, but then Aoi smiled at me like it was nothing "No, I have no idea" she told me, I just nodded, and headed towards the school building.

When I got to the second floor of the school building, I headed towards my locker. I opened my bag and grabbed my chemistry textbook and placed it into my locker. Later during the day when it was around second period, while I was in the process of sorting out my belongings Anna and Nonoko walked up to me. "This is rare" Nonoko said closing the Dictionary that was in her hands "What is?" I asked her, glancing back inside my school bag "That Mi-chan was here early" Anna continued for her twin sister "That's because I got a ride to school today" I explained to my twin best friends "Oh yeah, have either of you guys seen Natsume?" I asked them. Anna looked at Nonoko, who shook her head, Anna also shook her head as well. "If you want, I can go and find out where he might be?" Anna asked me, I nodded "that would be very helpful" I told her, I watched as Anna dragged Nonoko away arm and arm.

Just when I was finishing up at my locker, I receiver another visitor, one not so pleasant. I turned and looked at the green haired teenage girl in front of me "What do you want?" I asked her, my voice dripping full of sarcasm "Listen Sakura we need to talk" Permy told me. I stared at her unthawed "If this is about Natsume, I'm not really in the mood, oh and I forgot to thank you for the little scratch that you gave me during our last encounter" I said to her, shifting the weight of the textbook in both my arms. "I didn't come here to fight with you" Permy told me. "Well what did you come here to do?" I asked her, my patience was beginning to disappear "I came to warn you" Permy began, I felt a nerve in my forehead start to twitch "I knew this was about Natsume, listen to me you-" Permy cut me off. "No this is about the younger Hyuuga, Aoi" Permy told me. "What about Aoi?" I asked her. "Stay away from her" Permy warned me. I looked at her baffled. I can't believe this seaweed green haired chick, I felt my anger explode. "What is wrong with you and you're obsession with the Hyuuga's, huh? Answer me" I demanded. "Listen, I hate you as much as the next person, but I not that bad of a person to not warn you about the imitate danger your in" Permy explained to me.

I looked at her "What? What are you talking about permy? And explain it quick because I don't have time for you" I told her. Permy chuckled but then she looked at me with an annoyed look on her face "My name isn't Permy but Sumire, you'd better remember it!" Permy yelled at the top of her lungs, making everyone in the hallway focus they're attention on us. I watched as Permy slowly regained her composure "Has Natsume-kun not told you?" Permy asked me. "Told me what Permy?" I asked her. "Just what his little sister Aoi-chan is capable of, she isn't a Hyuuga for no reason, and she's not even the most terrify of Natsume-kun's small family of four" Permy told me. "I don't get what you're saying-" Permy cut me off again. "Are you sure Sakura-san?" Permy asked me with a pause waiting for my reaction and comment. I stared at permy, not sure what to say or what to think. "You've seen it, haven't you? That intense personality that she has, and you think that she's just a cute and innocent lower classman, wrong! She's not as naïve as you think" Permy told me. "You should get out now, while you still have the chance, you're not in too deep" Permy told me. I shook my head "I don't understand what you're talking about" I said.

Permy looked at me, her eye cold, but somewhat pleading. Has she always had eyes like that? "You should detached yourself from Natsume-kun, before you get hurt" Permy told me.

To Be Continued…