The original author of this story goes to Aileria. Everything plot-wise and anything else necessary goes to her.
Gakuen Alice owned by Higuchi Tachibana
Summer Madness
Chapter 7: Exposure
Mikan dipped her toe into the blazing hot water; she cringed but continued making her way into the large tub. The hot temperature of the water hugged her body which make her feel at ease. The brunette hugged her knees and rested her chin on her knee-cap.
She could still hear the echo of the slap and picture the distraught look on everyone's faces. This seemed too unreal. Mikan tilted her head downwards, her lips grazing against the water.
Was this why Hotaru refused to attend the party? Or, was there another reason behind that too? However, the question that really lingered on Mikan's mind was: why did Natsume stop her? Surely anyone would be in need of comfort after getting slapped.
The brunette shook her head; he was just a jerk and an idiot. The more Mikan thought about it the angrier she got; she slapped the water, making a few drops land onto the marble floor.
Suddenly, a vibration interrupted her thoughts. Startled, Mikan quickly glanced to her right and saw her cell phone vibrating rapidly on the counter.
Who would be calling this late at night?
The brunette got to her feet and wrapped a white fluffy towel around her figure. She picked up her cell phone and glanced at the incoming caller.
Incoming caller: unknown number.
That was strange. Mikan arched a brow, hesitant of whether she should answer it or not. Well, worst case scenario was a prank caller or one of those telemarketers that talk non-stop even when they know you aren't listening.
The brunette flipped her phone open and placed it on her right ear, "Hello?"
"About time you picked up your damn phone."
Mikan's heart leapt a mile but not in a fluttering kind of way, "H-How did you get my number?"
"That's not important," The male responded calmly.
The brunette's grip around her towel tightened and her brows were scrunched, "Yes it is! What are you, a stalker?"
The male scoffed, "Trust me; I have better things to do then call someone as idiotic as you."
"Then why did you call, Natsume?" Mikan spat.
"You saw what happened today, didn't you?" Natsume hissed.
Mikan narrowed her eyes, "Well, no kidding."
Natsume's gaze darkened, "Do me a favor." His voice was low and husky. It was completely different from his usual arrogant tone.
Mikan felt her face flush, "W-what favor?"
"Don't mention that incident to Imai, ever," Natsume breathed.
The brunette's eyes widened slightly, "Why? Are you saying you know the cause-"
"I don't have time to answer any of your questions," Natsume interrupted rudely.
On that note, he cut the line.
Mikan's bangs hovered over her hazel eyes; her grip on her phone never loosened. Why was she the one being left out in the dark? First, there was the mysterious reason why Hotaru refused to attend Ruka's party. Second, Ruka's father intentionally slapped Hotaru across the face. And now, the irritating Hyuuga Natsume mysteriously obtained her number just to say to drop this whole subject?
Mikan had the urge to just chuck her phone at the mirror but she was aware of the consequences that would follow if she did.
"Natsume, maybe we should at least tell her why," Ruka's soothing voice came from behind a maroon colored door.
Natsume ran his fingers through his disheveled raven colored hair, "She doesn't need to know."
"But-"
"Ruka, I did this for your sake," Natsume spat.
The veterinarian glanced downwards at the polished wooden floor. "My father is going to throw a fit at me once I see him again," Ruka muttered.
Natsume sprawled himself on a small bed, "He should learn to move on."
Ruka forced a small smile, "I guess that's one thing he can't do."
A couple days later
The brunette shut her closet door and took a quick peak at her reflection in the large mirror. Her champagne colored dress complimented her rosy cheeks quite nicely. The dress reached up to her knees and there was a tad bit of frill on the barely noticeable sleeves. She felt awfully stupid for not noticing that she had packed this in her suitcase the last minute before she left her house in Osaka. But, oh well. Another dress to her collection wouldn't hurt.
Mikan opened her door and rushed down the stairs, hoping to meet Hotaru in the kitchen.
The brunette leaned into the kitchen doorway with a large smile, "Good morning-" She stopped. Hotaru was nowhere in sight. In fact, it was just Sebastian reading the newspaper and drinking a hot cup of green tea at the large dining table.
"Good morning, Miss Sakura," Sebastian smiled.
"Morning, Sebastian," Mikan grinned back, feeling somewhat disappointed.
Sebastian placed the newspaper beside him, "If you're looking for the madam, she left earlier this morning."
The brunette frowned, "O-Oh, I see."
A plate of eggs with crisp bacon and buttered toast caught Mikan's eye. Sebastian waved his hand, telling Mikan to take a seat. The brunette pushed open a chair and sat down; her mouth was watering from the delicious aroma.
"Do you know when she'll be back today?" Mikan asked as she took a bite out of her toast.
For the last few days, Hotaru has been locking herself inside her room. Mikan simply assumed that Hotaru was extremely busy because of her work. But what really bothered the brunette was the fact that Hotaru had been arriving home pretty late. And by 'pretty late' we're talking about 1-2 in the morning.
Don't mention this incident to Imai, ever. Natsume's words rung loudly in the brunette's mind. Her questions were still unanswered. Despite her curiosity, Mikan didn't want to upset Hotaru in any way.
"Is something troubling you, Miss Sakura?" Sebastian's voice broke her thoughts.
Mikan dropped her fork onto the plate and shook her head with a forced smile, "N-no, not at all."
"Do you have any plans for the day?" Sebastian asked, changing the topic immediately.
Usually, Mikan would be stalking Hotaru at her workplace. But ever since the incident, the two friends had little to no communication with one another. Mikan decided that it would be best to try getting to know her new friends a bit better.
"Yeah, I'm going to the mall with Aoi," Mikan grinned.
Before Sebastian could speak, a small knock came from the doorway. A maid with long navy blue curls had her hands placed in front of her; her teal orbs looked absolutely stunning under the light. Mikan felt somewhat envious.
"Miss Sakura, Miss Igarashi is awaiting you," The maid spoke in a sing-song voice.
The brunette finished off the rest of her breakfast and took it towards the sink, even though Sebastian specifically instructed her not too. The brunette thanked the maid and rushed towards the main entryway to greet Aoi.
"Morning, Mikan!" Aoi beamed as she caught the brunette emerging from the dining room.
"Morning, Aoi!" Mikan smiled just as widely. "Give me a minute; I'll go grab my bag."
Aoi nodded and took a seat on a small, black bench that was placed not too far from the door. The brunette sprinted up the spiral staircase and up to her room. Thank goodness the dress didn't reach all the way down to her ankles. Mikan grabbed a medium sized coach bag and a black blazer before making her way down the stairs.
"Sorry for making you wait!"
"Ah, no worries," Aoi stood up and slipped on her red converse. "I never knew you had a dress like that!"
Mikan blushed in response, "Does it look weird?"
Aoi frowned, "No, you look amazing!"
The brunette chuckled, "Hotaru was the one who picked this out for me the last time we went shopping."
Aoi laughed, "Hotaru doesn't look like the type to have an eye for dresses."
Mikan slipped on a pair of white heels; the strap wrapped around her ankle nicely. "When she wants to shop, she has really good taste," Mikan teased.
"Have a nice day," Sebastian and the previous maid bowed as the two girls bid them farewell.
The crisp breeze whipped against the girls' faces; Mikan wrapped herself in her black blazer and followed Aoi towards her car. Even though Aoi was in a t-shirt, she didn't shiver nor showed any signs of being cold. She slipped herself in the driver seat while Mikan stepped into the passenger seat.
"Any specific store you want to go to?" Aoi asked as she stabbed the key into the ignition.
As Mikan buckled up, the car roared to life. "Not really, what about you?"
Aoi buckled up and shifted the car gear, "I was thinking of Forever twenty-one; heard they have some awesome summer sales going on right now."
Mikan beamed, "Really?"
Aoi nodded, "Even with some of their sales, they're still pretty expensive though. Don't you think?"
"Yeah, pretty much," Mikan chuckled.
The younger Hyuuga shifted the gears once again and steered the steering wheel towards the left. The brunette directed her gaze towards the scenery outside her window. Even though there was nothing to see but houses and trees, it still managed to soothe her troubled spirits.
The drive to the mall wasn't very long. Aoi took a few shortcuts here and there that Mikan never even knew about before.
"Man, finding a place to park is always a killer," Aoi grumbled to herself.
The brunette sighed; the mall was always packed with people, "I'm sure we'll get lucky."
As Aoi turned the corner, Mikan spotted two familiar males making their way inside the large building. Her eyes widened; Nogi Ruka and Hyuuga Natsume spotted at the largest shopping mall in Tokyo? Mikan arched a brow; what were those two up to? But a better question would be: what was Natsume doing here when he was supposed to be working?
"Over there!" Mikan pointed.
Aoi took a quick peek at where Mikan was pointing. A silver colored Nissan was backing itself out of the narrow parking space. Aoi u-turned and nearly scraped another passing car, witnessing the incident nearly made Mikan's heart stop.
"What luck," Aoi chucked," Right by the entrance too!"
Aoi squeezed her car into the narrow parking space and twisted the key out of the ignition. The brunette unbuckled her seat belt and stepped out of the car with her bag. Aoi mimicked her actions, except she swung her bag over her right shoulder before stepping out.
"Watch for cars," Aoi warned. "Traffic can get pretty nasty."
Mikan made sure to trail closely behind Aoi. Once they entered the grand mall, Aoi took a deep breath.
"Time to shop til you drop," Aoi gave Mikan a playful wink.
"Definitely," Mikan cheered.
The two girls made their first stop at Forever 21 like they planned. Aoi fished out a blue spaghetti top out from a pile of messy clothes and rushed towards the changing room. Mikan had her eye on the one-sleeved red and black checkered shirt. As the brunette continued wandering the shop, she caught sight of Ruka and Natsume sitting at the upper floor; they seemed to be drinking something.
Do me a favor. Mikan's heart leapt as she recalled Natsume's husky tone. It sounded so pleasant and well…to put it bluntly, sexy.
"Miiiikan," Aoi's sing-song voice made Mikan jump.
"A-Aoi!" Mikan gasped as she turned around to face her friend.
Aoi arched a brow, "You okay? You looked like you were spacing out."
The brunette forced a chuckle, "I'm fine, really!"
Aoi narrowed her eyes slightly; she knew that Mikan was hiding something. Oh well, it probably wasn't that important anyway.
"I'm going to buy this," Aoi held up the blue spaghetti top she tried on earlier. "It's perfect and awesome for summer!"
"It looks great!" Mikan grinned.
Aoi grabbed Mikan's hand and dragged her towards the cashier, "Did you find anything you like?"
The brunette shrugged and wavered her hand, "Kind of but I think I'll look at other stores first."
"Okay," Aoi chuckled, "Is there anywhere you would like to go now?"
Mikan tapped her chin, "Smart Set?"
"You read my mind," Aoi smirked.
The girls walked out happily arm in arm; Aoi was pretty pleased with her new top and Mikan was happy that Aoi found something that suited her at their first stop. As they navigated themselves through the crowded area, Mikan glanced towards the upper floor. Natsume and Ruka had disappeared.
"Hey Aoi," Mikan spoke up.
"Hm?" Aoi had her gaze fixed on the other clothing stores.
"Can I ask you a question?" The brunette mumbled hesitantly.
This got Aoi's attention almost immediately. The younger Hyuuga turned towards the brunette in curiosity, "Sure, what is it?"
Mikan bit her bottom lip; should she ask? What if the question seemed too nosy? "W-well,"
To the brunette's surprise, Aoi started to laugh. "You look so nervous! What, are you going to confess to me or something?" She teased.
The brunette felt more at ease, "You and Natsume are siblings…but why do you two have different last names?" Mikan choked out. Aoi looked taken aback and shocked at the brunette's sudden question. "Y-you don't have to answer if you don't want too. I was just curious, that's all!"
"Nah, I would be curious too." Aoi smiled, "But, I don't really know how to give you a proper answer."
Mikan tilted her head, "What do you mean?"
Aoi scratched the back of her head, "To be honest, I don't really know myself. Natsume never talked to me about this before."
"I-I'm sorry for asking," Mikan replied hurriedly.
"No, no. Don't be sorry." Aoi laughed, "But if I were to guess, it could be because Natsume doesn't live with us."
"He doesn't?"
Aoi shook her head, "He's a really independent person and hates to rely on others."
Mikan had the tendency to continue asking but then it would seem like she wanted to butt into the Hyuuga's personal affairs. "I think he's more of a jerk than anything else." Mikan muttered unintentionally.
"Natsume…doesn't really get along with our mother," Aoi explained quietly.
The brunette's eyes widened slightly, "Is that why he isn't living with you guys?"
Aoi nodded, "Those two are constantly at each other's throats; it's scary really."
Mikan could sense the hurt and agony lingering in Aoi's tone. It looked as if she was on the edge of crying but is using all her strength to hold the tears back.
"Aoi…" Mikan wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulder.
"But-"Aoi swallowed the lump that grew in her throat, "I've learned to cope with it. Natsume will always be my brother and my mother will always be my mother. Even though we aren't all together, just being with one of them makes me feel like we're bonding a little more as a family."
Mikan smiled, "Well said."
Aoi flashed Mikan a cheesy grin. "Anyway, what led you to ask me about this?"
Mikan quickly avoided Aoi's gaze, "N-no reason."
"Oh, really now?" Aoi narrowed her eyes. "Sounds fishy to me,"
"I'm just curious!" Mikan shouted slightly; her cheeks were turning slightly pink.
Aoi furrowed her brows, "Could it be that you're falling for my brother or something like that?"
The brunette shook her head rapidly, "Who would fall for someone like him?" She unintentionally started flailing her arms in the air; this caused a few stares and chuckles coming from strangers. "He's arrogant, cocky and downright stupid. I have better taste than that!"
"Who is this arrogant, cocky and idiotic person that you're talking about?" A familiar voice broke into the girls' conversation.
Aoi leaned towards her left and gasped, "N-Natsume!"
Mikan cringed and frowned just by hearing his name. Oh, great. "Aoi! What are you doing here?" This time, it was Ruka that spoke up.
"Ruka!" Aoi beamed, "I should be asking you two the same thing!"
Natsume scratched his head, "We can't take a break once in a while?"
Mikan robotically turned herself around to face the two males, "So, you're leaving Hotaru at the workplace alone?"
Natsume scoffed, "She's not alone."
Suddenly, Aoi released a girly squeal that caused everyone to jump, "Prada is having a sale!" Before anyone could utter a word, Aoi had already sprinted towards the shop. Mikan found it amazing how fast Aoi can run just by seeing the word: SALE imprinted largely on a glass window.
"Ruka, go make sure that she doesn't buy anything useless," Natsume sighed.
Ruka chuckled, "Roger that."
The two watched the blond sprint after the eager girl. Mikan took a step back; since when did she start feeling slightly nervous around this stupid kid?
"Judging by how Imai acted these last few days, I assumed you followed what I said." Natsume said, breaking the awkward silence that embraced the two.
Mikan frowned heavily, "Why are you leaving me in the dark? Hotaru is my best friend! I-"
"Best friends don't need to tell each other everything," Natsume interrupted. "And, if you are a friend to Imai, you wouldn't be forcing anything out of her."
"I'm not," Mikan grumbled, "Stop making it look like I'm the bad guy here."
Natsume shrugged, "For once, I find it entertaining to see your troubled expression."
The brunette gazed into Natsume's hazel orbs for a brief second, "S-shut up."
After that, Mikan kept her gaze fixed on the polished floor. It took possibly around thirty seconds for the two to say anything. When Mikan decided to look up, Natsume face was only an inch away.
The brunette's eyes widened and took a step back, "W-what are you doing?"
"You're very easy to read," Natsume's lips curved into a sly grin.
"You're ridiculous," Mikan grumbled.
Natsume's eyes scanned the brunette's figure, "At least this dress isn't a V-neck,"
The brunette arched a brow, "What does that have to do with anything?"
The older Hyuuga gave a small shrug and turned away, "People won't really recognize your small breasts."
Mikan could feel her blood boil; she clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "Stop making such perverted comments!"
Strangers whispered amongst themselves, some even stopped to see what would happen next. The brunette had never felt so embarrassed in all her life. Her face was now beet red and she felt like ripping her hair out.
"Next time, think before you act."
Mikan felt a shiver down her spine; Natsume's breath tickled her earlobe and that was the last thing she needed. She was embarrassed enough as it is.
11:30pm. Ruka erupted into laughter; his stomach was aching in pain, "I cannot believe you humiliated her like that." Natsume chuckled lightly and continued tossing a football in the air. The blond shook his head, "By any chance, have you taken a liking to her?"
"No," Natsume scoffed.
Ruka sprawled himself onto his large bed, "I don't know, Natsume. You seem entertained by teasing her."
Natsume shrugged, "Somewhat."
Mikan was lying on her stomach, staring at her bedroom wall blankly. She buried her head into her fluffy pillow and screamed.
The brunette rolled onto her side and gazed out her window. Stars flooded the twilight sky and the moon shone brightly above, giving the city a lighthearted feel.
Mikan pulled herself upright; was Hotaru back yet? The brunette thought she heard the noisy garage while she slept but that could have been her imagination. Feeling slightly hungry, Mikan emerged from her room and ventured towards the kitchen to look for something to snack on.
The Imai household felt eerie and creepy during the night hours; Mikan took a quick peek into the garage and found Hotaru's expensive car sitting patiently in the center. The brunette felt relieved and glad that Hotaru came back to rest, rather than working overtime again. Mikan slid across the polished floor and into the kitchen. There, she dug into the cupboards and found a bag of pretzels and chips.
"This will do." Mikan grabbed the bag of pretzels and made her way out of the kitchen.
As she walked up the spiral staircase, a faint light in the midst of the darkness caught her eye. It was coming from Hotaru's bedroom. Feeling curious, Mikan jogged towards it and knocked on the door quietly.
"Hotaru, are you awake?" Mikan asked quietly.
No response.
Mikan opened the door a tad and peeked inside, "Hotaru?"
To the brunette's amazement, Hotaru was sitting at her large desk and her head was buried in her arms. It looked like she was sleeping quite peacefully. Mikan smiled to herself and walked towards Hotaru's large bed; the brunette grabbed Hotaru's bed cover and draped it over her shoulder.
The brunette noticed a photo album sitting on Hotaru's table; it was the same one that Mikan spotted in Hotaru's bathroom that day Mikan went to grab her straightener. The brunette continued scanning it and found various pictures of Hotaru, her teachers and her friends.
Suddenly, Mikan dropped her bag of pretzels. Her eyes widened drastically and her lips started quivering. The bag of pretzels landed with a small thud. However, Mikan couldn't tear her gaze away from a certain snapshot that she was seeing.