Disclaimer: You know it, I know you do.

Author's Note: There weren't much reviews from the previous chapter and it made me quite... depressed. Anyways, this chapter is dedicated to adrienna22 because I really like her review (; It's enthusiastic and there are lots to it so yeah... thanks! 8D

Lingering Darkness

Chapter 3: Conflicting Circumstances

The crowd was noisy. It didn't take me a second to realize that it's because of Hyuuga. Marvellous. Now I have to change my place again.

I slid my bag across my shoulder that reached my thigh then quickly stood up. I walked down the pathway, passing a lot of gossiping stranger students on the process. I spotted a vacant wooden bench on the nearest park then head toward it.

Walking alone isn't such a big deal, but other people often have a problem with it. I don't understand that kind of people, obliging one another just so they would have a damn company. I sat on the bench and scrutinized the noisy humans. Their voices are so loud, some of them are even yelling on their phone. There are many shits on the world; friend-shit, relation-shit, love-shit, fairytale-shit, happy-ending-shit, and so many more that my mind would be drowned thinking about it. There are lots and lots that make me wonder why they even want to risk being hurt. Not like I care, it's just mainly out of my curiosity.

I shifted on my seat then let my legs rest on the remaining space on the bench, and leaned my back to the side; my legs are comfortably stretched flat against the surface. I closed my eyes to think for a while then abruptly opened it and groaned when I felt that someone is repositioning my leg so that that someone could take a sit.

"Didn't peg you for a person who likes noise." his crimson eyes fell upon me.

I hastily put my leg down the ground then raised my questioning brow at him.

"Just making myself rest for a while. Don't ask," He answered nonchalantly. He ignored my glare then looked far ahead.

"Go to your room, this is not your resting place. Deal with your annoying fangirls." I wrote then flashed it in front of him reluctantly and brushed a few strands of my auburn hair off my face. Why is it so breezy in here? To think that I actually let my hair down. Ugh.

His mouth formed a slight frown after reading what I wrote then glanced at me from the corner of his bloodred eye.

"You really don't know me?" he sighed then chuckled rather humourlessly.

What the hell is this guy talking about? He must be delirious.

"You are not making sense."

"So you don't. Imai said so but I didn't believe her. Thought that it was just her and her stupid assumptions," He muttered silently then jerked his head at me.

"You're hallucinating. Go talk to someone else." I composed on the paper then scowled at him.

I can see him losing his patience. His crimson eyes have a lilt of fury inside it and before he could say anything else, I wrote,

"Don't bother, I'm just gonna leave." Then I stood up... again.

He got to his feet in a dismissive manner, too then I gazed at him questioningly.

"Hn. And I always thought that you're someone who doesn't simply forget," He said, sending a shiver through my spine. I sat then stared at his retreating figure. I don't quite know why but there is this lacking feeling on the pit of my stomach. Somehow, something doesn't feel right. He mentioned Hotaru, didn't he? I want to know what Hyuuga is talking about. Something about it is rather intriguing.

I knocked twice on Hotaru's door and when she didn't answer, I opened it, the same time that the bathroom door opened, revealing Hotaru on her pajamas. Her amethyst eyes languidly inspected me through bottom to top.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she brushed her pixie cut raven hair in front of the mirror.

I made my way toward the couch and settled myself.

"I want to ask you something," I replied.

She stared at me then put the hairbrush down inside her drawer. She slouched down on one of the sofa across me and crossed her legs in an intimidating style.

"For Kami's sake, Mikan. Couldn't that wait till tomorrow?" she scoffed then rolled her eyes at me.

My eye twitched at her reaction,

"It will just take a moment." I assured her.

She sighed. "It better be. What is it, anyway?"

"About the matters that Hyuuga is telling me this afternoon."

"What about it?" she questioned.

"He asked me if I really don't know him." I stated.

Her brows arched, "What does that have to do with me?"

"He said that he already asked you the similar thing but then, you said the same. I want to know why you said to him that I don't know him—that I forgot about him," I shrugged. "Either way, it's just alike."

She shook her head before answering. "I don't precisely know the connection between you and Hyuuga. But I know that you already knew him even before coming to this school."

The aching feeling on the pit of my stomach began again, just like the thing I felt earlier. I looked away and processed what Hotaru had said. Hyuuga and I knew each other? It's hardly imaginable.

"What?!" I exclaimed and looked back at her again.

"GOD. Don't be too noisy," she reminded and exhaled deeply.

"Where did you got that freaking information about him and I knowing each other?" I growled, trying to shrug off the feeling.

"Don't ask me, Mikan. You should ask Hyuuga and I might just remind you that my resources are always reliable. But I don't know if he will answer that kind of question. You should have remembered it, Mikan," she said as my mind searched for memories.

When I was younger, when Jii-chan died, I know that I blocked some of my memories. I even tried my hardest to block out my painful memory, the day that he died but with no luck. I always dreamed of it and it still haunts me. People constantly come and go in my life, maybe that's the reason why I purposely forgot all of my memories, it's so futile to hold on to them and never get over it.

"But I only block the memories from my mind if that certain person is important to me," I muttered under my breath and head toward the door to leave. I know that Hotaru said something more but my mind is so jammed up to even hear her.

The feeling on the bottom of my stomach never left me. It's like there is a hole and it was sinking what was left of me. I don't know what to think of. He knew. Hyuuga knew a piece of me. My chest hurt as I let myself lie down on my bed. I didn't watch for the stars tonight neither did I easily drift off to slumber. My throat suddenly tightened; the beat of my heart gone unsteady. My mind was occupied by a lot of questions; who is he? What did he do? When did I met him? But no matter how hard I try to scrutinize my brain for a right answer, I couldn't. I know that only one person would be able to answer me this instant: Hyuuga. Then I drifted off to sleep after thinking about it in a couple of hours or so.

When I entered the classroom, the students were scattered, some of them are chatting silently that quite disturbed me in some way. Some were glancing at me every second and some of them have their mouths open on the Notice Board. It is a piece of board on the corner of the room that teachers used to put some announcement or something.

Hotaru sat on her usual chair, reading something I can't see from here. I made my way toward her and leaned on her ear.

"What the heck is going on?" I asked, annoyed at how people are looking at my way.

She moved her amethyst eyes on me then back on the book again. She gave a shrug then said,

"Look at the Notice Board and you'll see."

I threw my bag to our chair behind Hotaru then trotted toward the stated board. The people who stood in front of the board quickly moved out of the way when they saw me walking to their way. I stopped and examined the Notice board once I finally reached it.

F-E-S-T-I-V-A-L-!

1. Booths

(For those who wanted to be part of these booths, refer to your respective Class President for the requirements, application and information)

-Photo Booth

-Food Booth

-Souvenir Booth

-Horror Booth

-Marriage Booth

...

2. Alice Competition

(For those who wanted to be part of this competition, refer to your respective Class President for the needed information)

-A duel between Alices with different powers. The winner will be awarded with a Central Town ticket for two consecutive weeks (Can be from any Alice Ability Type).

3. Play: Cinderella (High School Department only)

Chosen Characters:

Cinderella- Mikan Sakura

Prince- Ruka Nogi

Stepsisters- Sumire...

...

My brows furrowed and I scanned the board once again.

CINDERELLA- MIKAN SAKURA!

Bloody hell. Why is my freaking name was inserted on the same line as Cinderella?

You have got to be kidding me. No, just fucking no. Damn that gay Naru. I ripped the paper from the board forcefully then I marched my way to the faculty annoyingly, just to find that Nogi is already there, complaining about his part. Naru was the first to notice me and he made a questioning gesture that only gays would understand. I slammed my fist on the table, taking Nogi by surprise. There aren't any teachers around so I'm almost glad that it's the situation.

"Oh my, you tore that from the board? Uh-oh," he clicked his tongue to make an annoying sound then moved his head from left to right two times.

I crossed my hands over my chest in disapproval.

"No can do, Mikan Sakura. It has already been posted and... approved." Who the hell approved that damn decision without even consulting the one concerned? Holy.

Nogi sighed in defeat, "I have no objections but if Mikan here won't agree, there will be no play for you."

Naru's eyes travelled from Nogi to me then he said,

"What if we make an agreement?" he bargained.

"What if you choose someone else to play and let me off the hook?" I wrote then raised my questioning brow at him.

Naru sweatdropped so does Nogi when I said, or rather wrote that.

"One month free Central town ticket?"

I raised an eyebrow again, in a more effective way this time. "I don't care about food or other necessities, I have plenty of those."

He smiled nervously at the notebook I'm showing him.

"You can't really mean that... How about..." he stuttered and put the two of his fingers on his chin to rub it and said, "How about, no missions?"

I shuddered slightly, forgetting that Nogi was there until he reacted that went unnoticed by Naru.

"You can't decide on that," I wrote coldly.

Persona is the one who's giving orders, not him and he will not actually be obeyed by the jerk. He has too goddamn pride to follow some gay who swoons.

Naru smiled, like he had just hit the jackpot on some play and I have a guess with what's exactly going on in his homo mind.

"Who says I can't? Persona is not the only teacher authorized to give orders and to state which one should go," he explained further, like reading my mind.

"Then what's your tweeny tiny part?"

"I'm the one who approves the orders so I've got some big part on that."

Whatever he's trying to implicate, I'm not getting it. It's hilariously possible. I'm not buying his act.

"Oh, I see. Not believing, are we?" He mocked defiantly which made me roll my eyes in utter disgust.

"I think I'm not following here," Nogi commented out of the blue then both our heads turned to face him.

"Yes, I forgot. If you may excuse us, we have something private to talk about. You can leave now," Naru commanded then the look on Nogi's face screams what the hell is going on? But then, he left abruptly, like we are aliens and he can't understand us so he just left after looking at both of us. Weird.

After Nogi closed the door, Naru looked at me again with his devious smile across his face. Joy.

"So as I am saying earlier, I'm the principal's assistant who does a lot of work other than to teach," he started. He didn't say that earlier, as far as I could remember.

"And I am the authorized one to review each person and the type of mission they will go to. Persona is the one who assesses and examines the alices who can go to missions without fail and I know that you are worn out every time they sent you outside. Thus, being the fourth type of alice you are, it quickens your life span," he finished quickly and clearly. He knew. So what he's saying is probably true but there is somewhat lacking. Right, I don't want to be in that play.

"I don't talk and I am not intending to," I pointed out through the pen and paper.

"Come on now. It's a reliable bargain, no matter how you look at it. It's just a simple show." He sniffled, trying his hardest to get me to act.

I processed my mind for a bit. It's just a couple of minutes show. Part of my old self wants to but the other part of me now doesn't. I'm deciding to go with the latter when it struck my mind. No missions. No missions. It should be okay. No more killings and tortures.

"Deal," I finally said half heartedly and his heart rejoiced with a weird manner. Before he could do anything utterly and completely stupid and gay, I left the room. He is so disgustingly annoying.

On the next day at practice for the play, the perm girl complained about her being the stepsister, saying she will be better to be Cinderella and all. I don't want to hear her stupid tantrum so I glared at Naru and he immediately took care of it, consoling Permy that she is a great actress. Ugh. And she took the bait easily, because of his pheromone alice.

I said the lines reluctantly and it's so obvious that Nogi is great at this thing, this performance thing. He carried his lines naturally and flawlessly which just earned a scorn from my direction and then Naru have to direct the play all over again. Picking me was a mistake after all. Though he didn't say it out loud, he just kept encouraging me that I could more emotions that I credit myself for. Hardly.

When the rehearsal finally finished, Naru announced to come back tomorrow at five and we were dismissed just like that. I don't hate acting nor do I like it, it's just that, it's dumb. The idea of acting is so dumb. Nothing more, nothing less.

I gathered my things then walk out of the gymnasium to head to my dormitory room. That's when it struck my mind. It has been two days since Hyuuga started avoiding me. Maybe I was the one who's avoiding him or maybe our time just doesn't match up. But still, he is my seatmate and it's like he's just a wind whenever I'm seated beside him. Nogi was the only one acknowledging my presence. He didn't say anything to me; he didn't bicker with me or even look at me or anything. Just no interaction. None at all.

Whenever the bell rang, he will immediately stood up and leave without returning. I don't want to ask Nogi about it, it will turn out like I care for Hyuuga which is not true. I just wanted to ask him about the other day; the day when he said that I forgot him. But the timing was so great; he's totally avoiding me, like I carry some disease or plague that when he talked to me or looked at me, it will be pass to him. Great. Now he is the one occupying my mind. Damn you, Natsume Hyuu—

What the? My mind hissed as I bumped with another person on the road. I looked up and got locked with bored crimson orbs. He broke the contact then moved past me. So, he is really avoiding me. Hn, what is this guy's deal?

[End of Chapter 3]

A.H.13: You've noticed something in there, haven't you?

-Signing out.