A/N (VERY IMPORTANT!) : For those who have read my stories and this story, and for those who are still reading them, thank you so much! I'm still writing and posting stories because I feel very much appreciated by you guys, and I want my stories to leave a mark in your heart that you will always remember.

And for those asked me if they can copy and paste my stories or would like to post my stories on another website, unfortunately I cannot agree to these terms. I would like for more people to acknowledge the existence of my stories, and I really want to publish my own book if possible (if you guys can help me through this way, I'm forever thankful for you guys), but the there is "Plagiarism" and some other issues that I would like to avoid so I have to refuse you guys. Unless it's translating the story in another language, you can have my approval (I have to claim the credit though) and PM me the site and other stuff.

Disc: I don't own G.A.

Third Encounter: I Can't Tell You

The streets were busy and noisy with all the buzzing excitement presented in the air. In a month, Christmas would be there and many were already buying presents to avoid some malfunctioning, last-minute gifts. Snowflakes were falling softly on the ground from the white sky. The feeling of the surroundings was winter-like; but inside it gave people the feeling of warmth and happiness.

Mikan tried to keep her nose and mouth hidden in her muffler to keep her warm. She walked towards a certain lad leaning on a lamp post across the street. Both of them wore jackets and Mikan giggled on how they both had gray jackets. Natsume saw her walking towards him and he gave her a smile.

"Hey," he greeted her. The brunette stood next to him with her hands in her pockets.

"What are we going to do today?" she asked innocently, but she actually had something in mind even though Natsume was the one who asked her out.

Natsume laughed, and it tinkled softly through Mikan's ears because during these rare occasions that she could hear him laugh genuinely.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked her with a grin. She returned that grin with a wide smile displayed on her face.

"I want to go to that new cafe where Anna works," Mikan responded. Natsume nodded approvingly and they both began walking to the plaza nearby.

Streetlights were blinking like Christmas lights, and a huge Christmas tree was already in the middle of the plaza with the twinkling decors hanging on it. The white sky was gradually turning into the dark night and the lights were like different colored stars splayed across the sky.

"This is one of the reason I like Christmas," Mikan murmured softly. Natsume looked at her endearingly, and gazed around them and towards the path that they were walking where leaf-less trees stood on each side of the sidewalk.

"I know," he agreed.

"It's beautiful," she added. They saw families shopping and the Christmas-lit cafe was vibrating with full of life yards away. Mikan and Natsume went inside, a tinkling bell welcomed them, and they were greeted by the sweet aroma of coffee and hot chocolate, along with the smell of freshly-baked cakes and cookies. There were many people, couples, friends, and families, chatting happily inside and being friendly with one another. Mikan spotted Anna and waved to her.

"Mikan!" Anna called out, prancing towards them, and she was beaming cheerfully that Mikan thought that she was almost shining.

"Your cafe looks nice," Mikan commented and Anna thanked her. The pink-haired lass grabbed both Mikan's and Natsume's arms and led them to a table for two.

"What do you want to order? The special cake available for couples? And by the way, did you see the new trend in fashion today? I really want to buy that cardigan so bad!" Anna started to chatter and going on different subjects that Natsume just looked away from them.

"Girl talk," he grumbled. Mikan thought it was cute and as much as she wanted to tease the fellow more, she also wanted to spend time with him.

"Anna, we'll get the lava cake," Mikan cut her off nicely and Anna was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Coming right up!" she saluted playfully and cavorted away.

Mikan turned to Natsume and asked, "Soooo, why did you invite me here?"

Natsume faced her and Mikan became aware of their propinquity which she was supposed to get used to over these months, but she was terribly self-conscious whenever Natsume was there. She clasped her hands on her lap under the table as Natsume resumed staring at her.

"What?" she asked; she was unable to bear the silence and the stare that Natsume was giving her as if he was trying to decipher what she was thinking.

"What's your favorite color?" the raven-haired lad asked. Mikan's jaw dropped a bit for she couldn't believe that he just asked her the most unexpected question in that situation. She was expecting something else, but she shoved that to the back of her mind and instead, she propped her elbow on the table and cupped her face.

"Orange," she responded.

"Figures. What about food?" Natsume raised another question and Mikan's eyes twinkled in curiosity.

"Is this one of those games?" she asked, almost laughing. Mikan leaned leaned back on the lovely seat, and she responded, "Okay, you're on! My favorite food is strawberry shortcake, or desserts in general. How about you? What's your favorite color and food?"

"Mmm," Natsume paused and acted like he was in deep thought before answering, "Red or black, and I don't have any preference in food, but I like strawberries."

Mikan laughed really loud at that, saying something about "not his character". Their stay in the cafe dragged on with their questioning each other and Anna who popped out several times to join into their conversation which they found hilarious for some reason. They twinkled under the starry night and the joy in the air could have triggered the first bell of the Christmas.

Mikan and Natsume walked side by side to Mikan's neighborhood. Natsume insisted on taking her home since Mikan had to ask for her parents' permission to go out with him. It was already nighttime and there was just that comfortable silence between them, as if they were still reminiscing the time that they spent together.

Mikan was jolted in surprise when Natsume slipped in his hand into hers, with a red tint spreading across his face. She didn't know whether because it was the cold weather, or if it was because he also felt the heart-fluttering feeling inside, like how hers was at that time.

"It's cold. This way, it's convenient," Natsume told her and he hid half of his face behind his muffler.

Convenient, Mikan thought and it sent a pang on her heart. She involuntarily squeezed Natsume's hand and upon realizing what she did, she attempted to pull her hand away out of embarrassment. But Natsume didn't let her and instead, he interlocked their fingers together.

Natsume spoke, "You've worked hard. Now, you're not alone. You have friends, and so do I. You don't go to the rooftop anymore, and you also don't draw much on your journal." What he said almost made Mikan halt in her tracks.

He's been watching me, just like how I've been watching him, Mikan thought, giving her heart a squeeze.

"I thought no one notices my existence, nor they actually care. I thought that if I'm in my own little bubble, no one will harm me and I'll always be safe. But really, you just have to disrupt that," Mikan paused to laugh and she continued in a more solemn voice, "My world changed because you reached out to me first."

"No," Natsume interrupted and she looked up to him. "You were the one who reached out to me first. I don't know if you still remember, but two years ago when we were thirteen years old, I almost attempted to jump off the roof of the hospital, but you stopped me from doing it."

Mikan gasped for she couldn't trust what her ears had just heard. "You did what?" She asked loudly, not expecting that her shock would come out that strong.

Her companion just gave her a weird look and she bit her bottom lip. Natsume then held her shoulders and turned her around to show her that they were already in front of her house. Mikan thought of how weird it was that because of that certain study session that they had, now her group of friends already knew where she lived.

"Go in. Your parents are probably waiting for you inside," Natsume urged and gently pushed her towards her front door, but she stubbornly stood on her ground and faced Natsume with a sober expression.

"Trust me, my parents don't care even if they gave me permission today. But why did you do that? Why are you evading the question? And," Mikan gulped, "why can't I remember that happening?"

Natsume brought his hand and caressed Mikan's cheek with such tender as if she was a fragile being in his hand. Mikan looked into Natsume's reddish-brown orbs and they were depicting a hidden sadness in them, and she could tell that much just from the sudden change in the mood and his actions towards her.

"I've always wanted to find you and repay you, but please, do me a favor, Mikan," Natsume asked pleadingly. The brunette contemplated for a long time before she could say yes.

"Forget what I just told you, and will you come with me somewhere on the 25th?" Natsume asked with a smile. Mikan's ears perked up at the mention of the date because it was obviously the Christmas and she thought that maybe he was asking her to another date. She mentally slapped herself for admitting that they just had a date today.

"For the second question, my answer is yes. But for the first one...," the lass mumbled the last part. Mikan then felt Natsume gently pulling her towards him, with one of his arm wrapped around her waist, and the other was around her shoulder. His hand stroked her brunette hair and Mikan could only bury her face on his chest.

"I'll tell you when the right time comes." That was the only thing that Natsume said and Mikan held on his shirt, also holding onto his promise.

"Tell me when we go somewhere again," Mikan told him.

"Yeah. I'll probably tell you then," he replied to her.

They had to break apart after several minutes because it was getting awfully cold. Mikan walked to her doorsteps and Natsume bid her goodbye. The lass thought of how strange it was for Natsume to bring up something that was completely unrelated to any of the topics that they had because it was unlike him. The more Mikan thought about what he told her, the lines in her mind were becoming more blurry. Unable to shake the uneasiness, she turned her heels away from the doorknob and ran after Natsume who was already walking.

Footprints on the snow-covered ground were evident under that sky. And the stars that were hidden behind the clouds were the witness of how Mikan took courage to face her own feelings.

She stopped in front of a wide-eyed Natsume, and breathing puffs of air out of her mouth. She then, leaned in and planted her lips on the side of Natsume's pair of lips. The lass then bid goodnight and ran back inside of her house, leaving a dumbstruck Natsume.

With ears pounding, blood rushing to their faces, and rapidly beating hearts, the couple were wide-awake that night under the unseen stars.

The next day, Mikan dragged a very confused Hotaru at the back of the school.

"What? How did your date go?" Hotaru asked with raised eyebrows. She was probably expecting something and Mikan told her the details, leaving out the questions that they were asking each other that night.

"Progress. That's what I'm seeing," her motherly-like friend told her. Hotaru was wearing a smile and Mikan couldn't help but hug her friend in utter happiness.

"I'm risking everything, Hotaru," Mikan said in a dreamy voice. Hotaru flicked the brunette's forehead and patted her head softly afterwards, and it made Mikan snicker.

"You're definitely making the leap yourself, and I bet Hyuuga was shaken to the point that he wasn't able to sleep," Hotaru smirked at the thought and Mikan felt a bit guilty about that.

"I've never done that before, you know," Mikan said. She then straightened up and looked Hotaru in the eye. "What's going on between you and Ruka?"

Hotaru coughed a bit and grimaced to show that she wasn't pleased with the topic. It was already too late to change what Mikan had said, but her companion spoke and told her about it.

"I'm being forced to take cram classes to take the upcoming tests even though we're only in our freshmen year, so I don't exactly have time for that. I changed my wardrobe too," Hotaru pointed out to her newly gothic look and Mikan gave a thumbs-up. Hotaru was wearing a loose, purple tie and long, checkered tights underneath her skirt.

"I noticed it, but I thought you're wearing it because it's a special day today," Mikan said.

"No, you dolt. I donated my old clothes and now I have a new closet of wardrobe," Hotaru said proudly. They both laughed and Mikan couldn't help but feel prideful because she had a capable friend like Hotaru.

"I hope your revolt will wake up your parents," Mikan hoped softly and she leaned her head on Hotaru shoulder.

"Yeah, and I hope your parents will also wake up and see how much they've hurt you," Hotaru softly murmured.

Mikan closed her eyes and thought of the relief that swelled in her when she practically had no time to think about her problems at home because her mind was completely filled with a certain person, and her friends. She just hoped that someday, her problems wouldn't affect her that much anymore. Because now that she had friends she could rely on, she didn't have to worry about being in that solitary confinement.

After school that day, Mikan had to help in the student council because she was picked by her teacher. Ruka Nogi was a representative of their class and she thought that maybe it wasn't so bad because at least, she knew someone there. She could probably work with him if the lad wasn't too perky. And it might also help her mind to stop thinking of how Natsume had to stay home because he got sick which made her feel guilty because they stayed in the cold for a bit too long.

"Hi, Sakura-san!" Ruka greeted her from behind, and Mikan didn't have to turn around to see who came in. She began stacking papers according to the file folders on the desk and Ruka stood next to her with his usual smile on the face.

"Are you shopping for Christmas?" the blonde-hair guy asked her. Mikan nodded in response.

"What about you? How are you going to spend your Christmas?" Mikan asked awkwardly. She wasn't used to initiating a conversation even if she had already done that with Hotaru and Natsume. But besides from those two, she wasn't completely comfortable in striking a conversation with people in general.

"Well, let's see. I'm going to spend time with my family and with my brother in the hospital," Ruka replied. Mikan heard the 'hospital' word again which bothered her a lot because it made her remember about what Natsume refused to tell her.

"Your brother is in the hospital?" Mikan asked in attempt to get rid of her thoughts of Natsume.

"Yeah," Ruka answered. Mikan thought that maybe she touched a sensitive subject because of the tension in the air afterwards, but Ruka started speaking again. "My brother, Yuu, is a really smart guy. He was supposed to go business field in college last year, but he could not."

Mikan cleaned the desk in utter silence and waited for Ruka to say more. Hotaru was the first one to open up to her, and now Ruka was probably telling her another tragic story and she couldn't even tell whether it was a good or a bad thing that these people were telling her their own stories.

"I ran away from home last year because I was so fed up with my parents telling us to move to different places because of my dad's work. It was one summer night, and my brother chased after me and I remember him across the street and I attempted to run away from him. I saw a blinding light, and Yuu-nii-san pulled me out of the way," Ruka told her with a distant look on his eyes. In an instant, the smile on his face was reappeared and began to stack papers.

"When you blame yourself, you'll only make the other person feel worse. He's in that state because he chose to save you," Mikan said although, she wasn't entirely sure if she should be saying that. She only had the will to comfort Ruka that way.

"Thanks, Sakura-san," Ruka told her with a sincere smile.

Mikan felt like they became closer and the misplaced puzzle behind Ruka's preppy personality was finally solved. Of course, everyone had their secrets and Mikan was one of them. She only revealed to Hotaru that her parents were fighting and were already on the verge of getting a divorce, but she couldn't bring herself to tell anyone the roots of her miserable life; the other side of the life she had.

Because Mikan was deep in her thoughts that she didn't notice Ruka walking away. She only heard the clang of the doorknob being physically abused, and the door being pounded.

The brunette turned to face Ruka who also swiveled around at the same time.

"Are we...?" Mikan trailed off.

"Yeah, we got locked into this room," Ruka confirmed.

At the same time, Mikan's phone rang and she picked it up when she saw the name on the screen.

"Natsume?" Mikan asked.

"Oi, can you bring some strawberries?" Natsume asked in an ill voice with an attempt to be demanding, but he and Mikan were used to how they treated each other.

"Yeah, sure... but... we're kind of locked inside..."

A/N: OMG Sorry for the late update . I was busy with Thanksgiving and I was helping with the preparing of food-process hahaha XD How was yours (for those who live in U.S.)? :D And this update probably rose questions in your minds and stuff XD omg I can't wait to type another chapter because I'm adding more and more into this stories and make it a hit :) Thanks for those who are reading and supporting this! :)

Yours truly,

CrimsonHazelEyes (should I change my penname? Mmmm)