Me: Spot the difference. Places a black cat right next to Na-chan in front of the whole Gakuen Alice crew.
Yuu: The cat's hair is tidier than Hyuuga-san.
Natsume: Eyes twitched.
Sumire: But the cat doesn't even have hair, it has fur, are you comparing my dear Natsume-kun's hair with fur?
Natsume: Eyes twitched again.
Mikan: I know I know!!!! Raises her hand enthusiastically.
Natsume: Looks up slightly at Mikan, hoping for a compliment.
Me: What is it?
Mikan: The cat is much cuter than Na-chan.
Natsume: Vein popped.
Me: That's obvious.
Natsume: More veins popped.
Me: Anything else?
Hotaru: The black cat is cleverer.
Natsume: Face is turning red (from anger).
Me: True. Anything else?
Natsume: Starting to steam.
Ruka: More friendly and approachable than NatsumeNatsume: One more thing and he'll lose it.
Mikan: Ruka-pyon!
Me: Wah…Ruka-pyon, I didn't think that you would have this in you.
Ruka: Huh??
Mikan: But I don't think that the cat is as good as Na-chan! Smiles radiantly at Na-chan.
Natsume: Suddenly returned to his normal self.
Mikan: Are you okay, Na-chan?
Natsume: Looks away and blushes.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Chapter 21 – True EmotionsHave you ever overslept before? I have, and I know what it feels like when you have woken up 5 minutes before you had to leave. Mikan is in the same situation; she literally has just woken up 5 minutes before her class starts. You will be amazed at how human can prepare so quickly when they are pressured to do so.
She got ready within 4 minutes and transported herself to her classroom.
THUMP!
"Ouch…", but then she realized that it didn't actually hurt when she landed. In fact, she landed on something quite soft. She looked down and she saw that she must have landed on Natsume because he was lying flat-faced on the floor while she sat comfortably on top of him.
She sniggered, "Comfortable?"
"Get off me, you are heavy!" said Natsume as he pushed her off and then stood up to swept the dust off him.
Aoi was just laughing at how funny her brother looked whilst Ruka was sweat-dropping at Hotaru who was taking pictures and videos of the incident.
The class bursted into hysterics that they failed to notice that their maths teacher, Jinno-sensei was already there.
"Ahem!" he coughed to get their attention but the class just carried on laughing.
"AHEM!"
They stopped laughing when they realise there were dangerous buzzing sounds of thunder around the room, they turned around to see Jin Jin and everyone quickly went back to their seat.
00000000000000000000000
During the class Mikan noticed that Ruka looked Hotaru and then he started blushing. She grinned to herself, it has been happening for a while now.
At the end of class Mikan rushed up to Ruka and Natsume.
"Ruka-pyon?"
"Yes?"
"Do you like Hotaru?
"I….I….why are you asking?" Ruka stammered as he began to blush a dark crimson.
"Because I've noticed that whenever you looked at her you blushed."
"Mikan…I….please don't tell her."
"Whatever Ruka-pyon. Good luck! Ja ne!" She sprinted up to Hotaru who was quite far away from Ruka.
"Hotaru, I think I know who Ruka likes?"
"Who?"
"I'm not going to say but it is definitely not me!" And she grinned.
"I know. It's Hyuuga isn't it?"
They both thought about it.
"Probably." Mikan finally answered.
Mikan gave a full-blown laughter whereas Hotaru gave a little chuckle.
Ruka and Natsume looked at them laughing and it made them smiled and chuckle a little bit too.
"That idiot. She's so dense about her own love problems but whereas when it concerns someone else she seems to be more sensitive."
"That's because Hotaru is her best friend."
"I wonder what they are laughing about?"
"I hope she didn't tell Hotaru."
"I don't know but I swear I heard them mentioning my name when they laughed."
And he looked at Natsume and both of them started laughing.
"The idiot."
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"Natsume, Mikan
hasn't been here for the whole day, where do you think she is?"
"…"
"Oi, Ru-chan, Hyuuga, do you know where Mikan is?"
"No."
"Let's go to her room."
When they went to her room it was totally empty.
"Did she leave us again?"
They all pondered for a bit and felt depressed at the thought of her leaving again.
"Hey, what are you guys doing in my room?"
They turned around and saw Mikan looking at them with a confused stare and a wide smile.
They all walked over to her with a small smile and Natsume hit the back of her head.
"What was that
for!?"
"Baka, you made us worry about you?"
"Why?"
"Mikan, where were
you?"
"Mum told me it was dad's birthday today so we went to
visit him."
"Oh."
"C'mon, let's go. I'm hungry."
The three of them looked at Mikan intently.
"Mikan."
"Yes?"
"Promise not to leave us again."
"And why would I do that? C'mon I'm starving and craving for Howalons too."
And she dragged all three f then to the cafeteria whilst they just smiled warmly at her.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"Hey Natsume." Mikan greeted Natsume who was sitting under the Sakura tree reading his manga.
He looked at her and then pulled her down so she sat right next to him. He then continued to read his manga whereas Mikan just stared at him. She then realized something…something he was wearing around his neck…
"Wah…Natsume, you are actually wearing my Alice stones."
"That's because you told me to, what else am I supposed to do with it?"
"Oi Polka Dots…" he said softly but she returned a glare back at him instead,.
"What do you want?"
He threw something to her and she caught it with her hand and slowly opened her hand to see what it is.
Flashback"Exchanging Alice stones means that it is a promise to become partners in the future, idiot. Another word, a symbol that you are going out with each other."
End of Flashback"Natsume, why did you give this to me, I thought that it means…unless…are you…don't tell me that you are…" but Mikan was cut off.
"Polka dots I like you." He was looking earnestly at her but Mikan just started laughing.
"Hahahahahaa…I should have known better but I still don't believe you didn't use my real name and used polka-dots instead…mwahahahaahahahaha." Mikan was struggling to say those words between her fits of laughter.
"Hahahahahaha…I'm going to have a pervert as my boyfriend…." Her fit of laughter was cut short when Natsume unexpectedly pulled her into his arms and kissed her on her lips. Mikan was blushing furiously when he finally pulled away from the kiss.
"Glad I made you shut up."
"NATSUME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Ashiteru Mikan," he said as he gave her a small smile.
"I love you too." And she beamed a brilliant smile at him.
"You laughed at me when I used polka dots in my confession but who would laugh during a confession."
"Me obviously, but you have to admit it is unusual in a confession to call someone that."
They looked at each other blankly and both laughed together.
Natsume smiled at Mikan when she put on his Alice Stone on a chain and wore it around her neck, his Fire Alice brought warmth to the whole of her body.
Ever since Natsume met Mikan he discovered new emotions, new expressions. He felt freer to express himself now and tend to smile and laugh more and doesn't feel ashamed when he does. It was her that changed him into a new person, into someone who has learnt to love and trust others, someone who appreciates the people around him who cares about him. He was thankful that she came into his life and brought him light with the smile that she always wears.
He held out a hand to her, "C'mon polka-dots."
She accepted it, "If we are going to do this whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing you better be nicer to me and stop calling me those ridiculous nicknames."
"Whatever." He smirked, "strawberries."
She tried to crush his hand, "Did you not hear what I just said!"
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Mikan was talking to Natsume…or rather, shouting with Natsume in an empty classroom when…
"Mikan, can I talk to you?"
"Sure, Ruka-pyon, just wait a minute."
"Ru-chan, you are gonna come with me to help me with my inventions." Hotaru said whilst dragging Ruka off.
"Wait…I have to say something to Mikan."
"Do you want me to sell these pictures?" Hotaru turned to look at him while a stripe of pictures fell to the floor.
"How did you get all those pictures….no…I don't."
"Wait Hotaru! Natsume will help you instead." Mikan said as she pushed Natsume to Hotaru.
"Why should I?"
"You are doing it because I told you to!"
"Whatever."
"Whatever Mikan." With Hotaru's approval she took Ruka's hand and dragged him off and Natsume went off to help Hotaru, but he will probably just sit there reading a manga whilst Hotaru makes her inventions.
"So Ruka, what do you want to talk to me about?"
"I…eh…"
"It's Hotaru, am
I right?"
"Yeah…" He managed to say as he blushed a dark
red.
"Just tell her…I'm sure she feels the same way."
"How do you know?"
"I don't."
"Then how can you be so sure?"
"Just trust me on this." She didn't say anything but I could just tell…because after all, she is my best friend.
Ruka looked unsure for a moment before he arranged his face into a smile, "Thanks Mikan!"
"It's okay Ruka-pyon!" She smiled back at him. "Let's go and find Natsume and Hotaru!"
"Hotaru!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She tried to hug her best friend and she went in the door. She took out her Baka gun but before Hotaru could do anything she turned her attention to Natsume who was, indeed as I guessed, found reading a manga whilst Hotaru was fixing her inventions.
"C'mon Natsume let's go." Mikan said as she tried hard to pull Natsume up. He completely ignored her and carried on reading.
"I said get up!!"
"Why should I? You told me to come here and help and once I got comfortable you tell me to go!"
"It doesn't look like you are much help here to me."
"Fine!" He said as he took Mikan's hand to get up.
"Let's go to Central Town, it'll be like our first date!"
"Whatever." Even though he was evidently blushing.
"C'mon then." And then she whispered in his ears, "let's give them some privacy," and Natsume nodded back, turned around and gave Ruka a small smile meaning "good luck".
"Love makes people act like idiots." Said Hotaru as she continued her work on her latest invention.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"I hope everything goes well." Mikan softly said whilst gazing at Natsume.
"And I will blame you if it don't." Natsume said back to her.
"I am quite sure that I am right," Mikan smiled reassuringly at him. "So now, you have to buy me some Howalons!"
"You just had lunch 20 minutes ago."
"Yes and obviously I am hungry again."
"You must have a very fast metabolism. I wonder how your money catches up with your appetite."
"I don't know but if it don't I always have you as my money resort." She grinned.
"You are such a greedy pig."
"Yes, and that's why I am your girlfriend."
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"Hotaru…" Ruka said in a barely audible voice.
"What is it?" she turned around and looked at him instead of her inventions.
"I…I…."
"C'mon Nogi, I don't have all day."
"I…I love you….will you be my girlfriend?"She continued to stare at him blankly then turned back to her inventions.
"I'll say yes if you could get hold of a picture of me when I am asleep."
"…" And Ruka walked out of the door whilst thinking of ways to achieve what she has said.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Chapter 21