EDITED

I really don't have anything to "note" here right now but I just want to say to everyone, who is actually giving a little of their time to read this note instead of scrolling down to start reading, that I am very, very, very, very THANKFUL for the reviews you have all given me!

It really helped me a lot… really.

I couldn't really put in all the names of the people who reviewed but there was this reviewer who, I think, has helped me a lot due to his/her comment. Thanks to nobuta! Hi! If you are reading this, I would like to thank you for that loooong comment :D And there wasn't anything unreasonable about that comment of yours… it actually made me realize that I should try harder next time. And I'm sorry if I had actually confused you because of the words that I've used. Haha! Thanks a lot! Wait! I almost forgot… I couldn't actually email you or something because you're review was anonymous and you didn't give your email. But thanks anyway! Haha!

So if you are reading this, I would like to dedicate this chapter to you, nobuta.

…Ay, Oo nga pala… pinoy din ako! Haha!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own GA.

Red Lining
Chapter 6

"Weekend! Finally!"

Hotaru, who was very engrossed on the book she was reading, ignored her best friend jumping up and down on her bed.

"C'mon Hotaru! You've been reading that forever! I think you and I should celebrate! It's finally weekend and this is the only chance I have to get away from the Devil! I mean, did you see how mean he was to me?! Not fair at all! I could have killed him if I weren't in detent—"

"Mikan, I get the idea." Hotaru said, flipping the page of the hard-bound book.

"But he's trying to kill me! I'm just sixteen and too young to get killed—"

Hotaru snapped closed the book she was reading and looked at her friend. "If we go to the mall today, will you shut up already?"

Mikan's lips turned into a smile. "I knew you would say that! Sure!" Mikan stood up from the bed and headed straight to the door. "LET'S GO CELEBRATE!"

"You're paying for everything."

"Aaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwww…. Fine! Just don't buy too much."

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Hotaru ended up buying a whole pack of chocolates imported from Europe, a set of electronic equipment, and a very expensive shirt from a very famous clothesline shop.

"Let's watch a movie."

Mikan, who was beside her so-called best friend, cried dramatically. She looked at Hotaru, who was holding a lot of food within the circle of her arms, while she was holding nothing.

All of the money she had actually saved up from most of her life was gone.

All of it.

She was left with nothing.

Nothing at all.

"Uhmm… I'll just go to the bathroom."

Hotaru who was staring at a very big poster of a movie called Black Souls didn't notice that her best friend had left her all alone.

"Hi, Hotaru."

Hotaru turned around and saw a boy with blonde hair and a pair of shades looking at her.

"You know that everyone will still be able to recognize you even though you have that shades on you."

The boy laughed heartily. "We were just experimenting whether people would still follow us."

Hotaru giggled. "Hi, Ruka."

Ruka smiled and pulled his shades off. "I didn't know you're actually interested in watching that movie."

"Actually, I am going to watch it right now…" Hotaru trailed of as she saw Natsume, who was also in a pair of shades, slowly coming to them.

"You are? Why don't you come with us!" Ruka said.

Hotaru who looked at both of them, "Actually I'm here with, Mik—" Hotaru looked at her right, where she had last seen Mikan. "Where is she?"

"Who?" Natsume pulled his shades off and raised his brows.

"Mikan."

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Mikan who was sitting on a toilet bowl inside the cubicle of the girl's bathroom looked at her palm.

Her empty palm.

Her palm that once had a lot of money but right now, didn't.

There was nothing left at all.

What was she going to do when she gets back to Hotaru?

She slumped back on the bowl and cried out, "She had mentally, emotionally and physically bankrupted me!"

Maybe she should sneak out and leave Hotaru at the mall…

Mikan shook her head. No, that would just make Hotaru kill her when she tracks her down soon enough.

Mikan sighed and decided on option two.

Just tell her.

Mikan slowly made her way out of the bathroom and went straight to where Hotaru was until she saw a glimpse of a person with jet black hair.

"No way."

Mikan murmured, frozen to the spot.

Wouldn't he ever leave her alone!?

Mikan who was clearly not in the right mood to see the Devil, decided that Hotaru could go home by herself.

She was leaving… with or without money on her pocket.

But then… how could she get home walking? It would take her a day!

"WAHH! Why is my life so messed up?!" Mikan moaned scratching her hair.

"Tell me about it."

"First, I was having a lot of fun, you know. I'm finally away from the Devil! But, guess what? He's here! I just wanted to celebrate but he's here! And you know what? My allowance, the money that I spent trying to save all my life is gone! I'm bankrupted! I'm—"

"Who's the Devil?"

"That Natsume Hyuuga, of course! And now, I don't have any money to go home! How am I…?" Suddenly it dawned on Mikan that she was not alone and she was not talking to herself.

She slowly turned around and found a pair of smirking ruby eyes staring down at her.

"Y-yo-you!" Mikan said pointing to Natsume as if he was something yucky.

"Nice bumping to you, too."

Mikan glared at him as she couldn't find any words to retort back.

"What? Last week I was the Brat and now I'm the Devil, what's next?" Natsume asked emphasizing the nicknames Mikan had given him.

"You mor—"

"There you are Mikan! So Natsume finally found you." Ruka said as he and Hotaru came up to them.

Mikan winced as she tried to smile.

"If you would want to smile, why don't you do it a little bit nicer? You look like a flat tire."

Mikan was ready to explode. How dare he tease and make fun of her!?

"If you want—"

Hotaru cut her off. "Aren't we going to watch Black Souls or not?"

Natsume sniggered.

Mikan glanced at Natsume and glared at her. She was so dead right now. "Uh… about that, I was… uh… planning to get home already."

Hotaru and Ruka stared at her.

"Why?"

Mikan's sweat trickled down her forehead as she thought of a plan.

"Uh…"

"She had forgotten to tell me something about school and we have to go straight back there."

Mikan slowly turned to Natsume who had the same straight face he had when he was bored or nothing was amusing him. Mikan went back to her senses and just rode along even it means having to cooperate with the Devil.

"Ye-yes. That's right I forgot to tell him about the… cherry… cherry blossoms… uh… that was… uh…growing…" Mikan glanced at Natsume who looked as if everything they had been saying was actually true.

"Growing where?" Hotaru asked.

"Uh…"

"On a tree." Natsume stated.

Mikan nodded and laughed sheepishly. "That's right. The cherry blossoms growing on the cherry blossom tree! I haven's showed it to him yet!"

Ruka and Hotaru eyed them curiously but just shrugged.

"So, we'll be seeing you guys around. I guess it's just the two of us, Hotaru." Ruka said a faint blush appearing on his face.

Hotaru nodded.

"I'll take the car. I'll just call Tsubasa to let him know of the change of plans."

Ruka nodded.

Hotaru eyed Mikan.

She knew there was something very unusual happening.

Fine, she'll just have to nag her friend when she sees her at school.

Natsume, holding Mikan's elbows, ushered her away from Ruka and Hotaru.

"That was a dumb excuse."

Mikan glared up at Natsume who pushed her out of the mall into the parking lot. "Well, sorry Mr. Perfect—"

"So now, I'm Mr. Perfect?" Natsume's brows rose up while a smirk formed on his lips.

"I'm being sarcastic. Now, would you mind letting go of me? I'm going."

"And where do you think you're going?" Natsume stared deeply into Mikan's eyes, making her suddenly forget what she wanted to say.

"Uh… I'm going…"

Natsume stepped up to Mikan, closing the space between them. "Hmm?"

Mikan's face turned red as she felt Natsume's arms brushed hers. She backed away, followed by Natsume, until she was leaning on the side of a car. "You're… ah… taking…"

"What am I taking?"

Mikan, as if robbed off of her thinking skills, looked straight at Natsume's hypnotizing eyes and said something she just damned well… didn't want to say but she did anyway.

"I like your eyes." Mikan blurted out as her face turned tomato red.

Natsume eyes twinkled as he looked at her with a stunned face. He laughed heartily.

Mikan looked puzzled. "Huh? Why are you laughing?"

Natsume inched forward until their foreheads bumped into one another "It's because I don't understand you."

Mikan shivered at how close Natsume was to her. "What do you mea—"

Mikan's voice was muffled as Natsume kissed her on the lips.

Cliffhanger!

Well! Finally I've finished this chapter! Just got back from Hong Kong! What a nice place! Haha! As you can see I didn't write this chapter in just one day so you might be wondering why I noted up there that I don't really have nothing to note on but I do have a lot to share but that would just take up your time here so I'll just end it here. Haha! Just so you don't get confused. :D

Any comments/suggestions?

Please Review!

khostar