I do not own Gakuen Alice

"...Eh?"

Hotaru rolled her eyes, sighing in annoyance but attempting to keep her temper in check. At times, she could say that she was rather fond of Mikan and enjoyed having her around. Mikan was everything you could ask for in a best friend and more. However, it was times such as these when her sheer idiocy came shining through like a beacon that made her regret her closeness with the girl. No doubt she would blow this entire matter completely out of proportion and make an enormous production about it as she always did when it came to things like these. She had been concerned about the immediate reaction she would recieve upon delivering this news to the girl, but it seemed that her wariness had been in vain. The fool was too dim to even comprehend what she had said.

"I said, I'm going to an invention convention. Narumi-sensei recieved the persmission to bring me beyond the academy walls if it was for the positive outlook of the school. Both he and I will be gone for a week."

"...Eh?"

Hotaru remained silent this time, staring blankly at her friend as a tirade of emotion flashed across her face at a rapid pace. Confusion, dawning understanding, anger, frustration before finally settling on sorrow. Tears immediately pooled in her eyes and she dove forward wrapping her arms around her neck, sobbing into Hotaru's dark academy uniform.

"Hotaru! You can't possibly be leaving now!" She bawled loudly. However, her antics failed to gain any kind of reaction from the students around her. Mikan's dramatic reactions were common nowadays and no one batted an eye to her tears and her wailing. Hotaru gazed down in disgust, her nose wrinkiling at the thought of her lovely pristine uniform being soaked with snot and tears. This was going to cost Mikan.

Hotaru got a hold of Mikan's shoulders and pushed her a full arms length away as Mikan continued her tantrum. "If you do not stop crying now, I won't come back."

That managed to shut the brunette up quickly. She sniffed awkwardly, wiping the tears from her eyes and taking some deep, shuddering breaths.

"W-When are you leaving?" She sniffled pathetically, giving her friend a kicked puppy look. Although she would never admit it, Hotaru felt an inkling of guilt. Leave it to the kicked puppy routine to make her feel like scum for doing the kicking.

"In an hour."

Mikan froze. "WHAT?"

Hotaru covered her ears in annoyance, glaring at Mikan. "Was that really necessary?"

"Just what I was thinking."

Mikan wheeled around to glare at Natsume, who, much to Mikan's dissapointment, was completely unaffected by her blazing dissaproval. Ruka looked at her in concern, petting his rabbit who seemed more intimidated by the girls rage then the one it was aimed to.

"Hotaru's leaving for a week! How can I not panic!" Mikan, burst, waving her arms in the air in hope of getting her point across. "She could have at least told me!"

Natsume rolled his eyes. "Do you ever read, Polka-Dots? It was in the school newsletter."

Mikan blinked a few times in rapid succession. "Eh?"

"It's true, Sakura-san." Ruka said. Mikan wilted slightly. Natsume was someone she would doubt if his words could be used to make her look like a fool. He loved teasing her for some unknown reason, after all. He had told her plenty of things that weren't true in the past and loved rubbing her nose in her mistakes. But Ruka-pyon was much less likely to lie to her.

Ruka seemed to take pity. "It's alright, I usually just scan through it as well."

This did not console the girl. She remained silent. Behind her, Hotaru sighed. "You do usually at least look through it... Right?"

It seemed that a dark cloud descended over Mikan's head. "I didn't even know there was a school newletter."

There was a moment of silence, as if mourning Mikan's lack of awareness to what was going on around her. Hotaru and Ruka sighed in unison as Natsume delivered a hot "Idiot."

In an attempt to redeem herself, Mikan perked up and immediately placed a large grin on her face, not noticing the discomfort of those around her at her rapid and slightly unhealthy change of mood. Perhaps this was not the way to get her friend to come back earlier to her. No, she had to be supportive! If she sent Hotaru off with a smile, perhaps she would even cut her trip short and return to her, swift as could be! Fool-proof!

She span around, smiling from ear to ear and hoping it didn't look too forced. "Well, Hotaru, this could be an amazing oppurtunity for you! I'll bet you'll have a lot of fun. Especially since you will get off school grounds, it seems like we've been cooped up in here forever!"

Hotaru raised an eyebrow in confusion and she wasn't the only one. However, she decided to roll with the sudden merry attitude that had taken over her best friend, having adjusted to these mood swings long ago. "Yes, it is a good oppurtunity. I plan on selling some of my previous inventions, I need some pocket change."

"Of course!" Mikan laughed. She was cut off, however, by Narumi.

"Imai-san, we need to get ready, the taxi is going to leave without us!" When realising whom she was with Narumi smiled at Mikan brightly. "Mikan-chan, I'm guessing Hotaru told you. I'll be sure to bring you back a special treat!"

"...Eh? Narumi-sensei?"

Narumi looked at Hotaru reaproachfully. "You did tell her, right?"

Hotaru nodded as understanding dawned on Mikan. Narumi-sensei was going too!

"EH!" The entire group looked at her in something akin to sympathy for the poor girl except for Natsume and Hotaru who just delivered her a blank stare.

Mikan immediately calmed herself down although she suddenly felt even worse then she did before. An entire week without Narumi-sensei or Hotaru? How lonely!

"O-oh, Hotaru told me Sensei. I guess I just didn't really realise." She scratched the back of her head in embarressment, fighting down the raging sorrow inside her. "I guess... I'll see you in a week, right?"

Narumi swooped down, picking up Mikan by the waist and grinning at her. "We will, Mikan-chan, so don't worry, okay?"

Mikan nodded, smiling, as she was released. Much to her surprise, Hotaru wrapped her in a quick hug. She ended it as swiftly as she started it, leaving Mikan in a mixture of bafflement, bliss and loneliness. Giving her one last look, Hotaru turned and left without another word with Narumi following faithfully at her heels.

Mikan allowed her head to droop and much to her dismay, she felt tears beginning to flood her vision once more. Although she knew a week wasn't altogether that long, she couldn't help the chill of abondement that swept through her. Why did she wait until now to properly tell her...?

Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted when she felt a sudden breeze by her skirt. Immediately, the chill morphed into white hot fury when she realised what had occured. Ruka averted his gaze quickly, a hot blush covering his face while Natsume's expression remained vacant and uncaring.

"Left yourself wide open, Striped-Panties."

She felt herself begin to shudder, her eyes narrowing. "NAT-SU-ME!"

He ignored her completely as he began his way through the polished school halls, ignoring the shrieks of feminine fury and the quiet scolding he was recieving from Ruka. Part of him felt relief. This was a situation he was well adjusted to, something familiar. That girl shaking her fist at him and threatening him all sorts of pain that he knew she would never truly follow through on for flipping her skirt. After all, he had heard the lecture on how she could never get married Lord only knew how many times now. He could almost recite it himself.

He could handle her when she was angry or bubbly or just being an idiot. It was when her shoulders fell, her expression crumpled and he could tell that she was actually trying to keep herself from crying that irked him. That melancholy Mikan was what never failed in making him feel useless.

Mikan awoke in cold sweat, tears already pouring rather heavily down her face as she pulled the blankets up to cover her head. She gulped in air hungrily and could easily hear the sound of her own heart pounding frantically in her chest as she willed it to slow. Part of her felt silly, knowing that this dream could really do nothing to her and that it was the same every time. She had been having it for quite a while now and it never failed to leave her shaking like a leaf, soaked in fear and sadness. She remembered the pain that seemed to course through her body, how there was no one there to help her, everyone she cared about in her life gone. No Hotaru, no Narumi-sensei, no Ruka and definitely no Natsume. She shivered, pulling herself into a ball. It had managed to progress further then it ever had tonight.

She remembered the first night she had had the dream, how frightened she had been that she had gone to Hotaru's room. Normally, she would have been turned away from the room without a seconds hesitation but that night, Hotaru had actually been concerned when she found Mikan outside her door and allowed her to sleep at her side. Part of Mikan wanted nothing more then to feel that warmth and comfort of another as she slept, safe and protected from the nightmares that plagued her sleep.

It was then that she remembered that Hotaru was God only knows where. Her second option would have been Narumi-sensei but with a sniffle, she recalled that he, too, was not in the Academy that night.

Sleeping by herself was not an option right now. She was terrified of the horrible things she had witnessed in the dream, the things she did not want to feel. Alone, cold and and in so much pain...

She squeaked when the wind whipped across her window, shaking it. She pulled herself further under the covers, running through possible cantidates in her mind.

Ruka was a possibility but part of her rejected the idea entirely. She trusted Ruka and did find his presence comforting but there was something in her relationship with him that made a girl even as dense as she realise that there was something there preventing that much intimacy. Her next thought was Tsubasa-senpai but he was all the way on the other side of campus. That was a long way to walk, she reasoned, alone and in this state of mind. All other teachers were a big no as well. She may have been close with Narumi-sensei, but not nearly close enough with the others to even consider such a thing. She continued to tick off friends in her mental list, telling herself out of each and every one.

She shuddered again as her window creaked. She needed someone...

Really, there was only one other person she could think of to turn to. She was sure he would call her an idiot for this and that he may even turn her away. She thought of the possibility of rejection and closed her eyes tightly, realising that that may be worse then recieving no comfort at all. She ran through her list of friends once more and was met with the same conclusion. He was the best cantidate. After all, whenever she was in trouble or needed help, he was one of the few that she could really turn to and trust.

Grabbing her blanket, she stood and wrapped it around her like a cloak, protecting herself from the cold and fear that lay just outside of her barrier. She tiptoed to her door and grabbed the knob, twisting it and pulling. She winced as the door gave a load groan of protest. Part of her insisted that she drop this foolishness and go back to bed that instant. The less rational part of her remembered the agitation that continued to turn her stomach still. She trembled timidly and stepped out into the hall, closing her door with a hushed snap.

It seemed to take forever to reach the enormous door that housed her possible savior. Part of her almost hoped for a teacher to catch her sneaking around in the corridors but her hopes were not met as she did not meet a single person on her long trek. Now she was here and there was no turning back.

She gathered her courage, closing her eyes and mustering herself together. She clenched her hand into a fist and raised her hand an inch from the wood, willing herself to rap it. Her determination left her for a moment and she shuffled awkwardly, lowering her hand and almost turning back the way she came. She was just being stupid, it was only a dream. It wasn't like it could really hurt her.

But the larger part of her told her that even if it could not physically hurt her, it could still terrify her when she was most defenseless.

She wheeled around again and before she lost her newfound boldness, rapped the door three times. She waited tensly, not hearing shuffling of feet or the ruffle of sheets being moved. It was silent.

She released a shaky giggle, chiding herself for being so silly. He must be asleep so she really shouldn't bother him.

Tensing, she turned and began to walk away when a voice came from the other side of the door. "Who is it?" She was surprised at how sharp and crisp his tone was. He could not have just been asleep. Not to sound that alert.

She wanted to answer but the nervous lump in her throat prevented any sound. She obviously did not answer quickly enough because his words were now filled with animosity.

"Tonight is a night to myself, even you agreed to that." Mikan felt the color drain from her face, her feet turning cold. She almost had no idea what he was actually saying but it was his voice, so full of malice, that pierced her. This was not the Natsume she knew. This was a stranger and a dangerous, frightening one at that.

"S-Sorry." She apologised rather loudly and she bowed, not realising that the one she was apologising to could not see her through the door. "I... I shouldn't have come, I know but..."

The door opened almost immediately and she snapped up straight, her eyes wide as they tried to adjust to the darkness. He was there alright, in a simple pair of black pajamas. She was rather surprised with his choice of sleepwear. He had always seemed to grown up and so mature that she had never considered him looking or acting his own age.

She shook her head sharply when she realised she was getting off track. This had been such a stupid idea, why did she always get herself into these situations? Perhaps if she left now, she could protect the single shred of dignity she had left.

"Polka-Dots?" Had it been another situation, she would have giggled. He sounded so baffled, so different then he had not just a few seconds ago. "What the... What the Hell are you doing here?"

She looked determindly at his neck and she hoped he didn't notice she couldn't look him in the eye. This was so embarressing... "Umm... Nothing. I think I'm going to go to bed now. Goodnight."

She turned to shuffle away, but was met with cool night air and shock when her security blanket left her body, exposing her to the dark. She shivered and gave a small squeak, turning to realise that Natsume's foot was firmly planted on the corner and he didn't seem willing to let it go. He raised an eyebrow, obviously expecting an explanation. She knew she wasn't going to be allowed to leave without one since his eyes clearly got his message across. She had gotten that look before many times, after all. The famous 'You're going to tell me what I want, right now whether you like it or not' look.

She looked at her feet now, muttering unintelligibly about getting lost as she backed away slowly, but not going too far. She wasn't leaving here without her blanket but she couldn't think of a good excuse to substitute for the real reason she came to his door so late at night.

Natsume seemed to be getting frustrated now. "Polka-Dots, what are you doing here. I think I deserve an answer."

She finally met his eye full on and with a shock, realised that there was amusement there. Amusement! Did he find this funny? To have her squirming like this, she supposed it would have been funny had the roles been reversed but... She was embarresed as Hell, dammit! He should not have been having this much fun.

She scoffed, crossing her arms. "I... Went looking for... Something." She said lamely and she nearly smacked herself in the forehead. Really? That was the best she could do?

"Looking for something." He replied flatly, raising an eyebrow. He shook his head, releasing her bed sheet. "Well, whatever the Hell you were doing, you obviously don't want me to know so just don't come knocking at my door, Polka."

He was just about to close the door when Mikan stopped him, holding it open with her foot. She looked down, obviously as surprised as he was and pulled it back as if he had burned it. She giggled nervously.

"You... Don't want to talk... Or anything?"

His eyebrow raised again. What the Hell was wrong with her tonight? Either way, he hid a grin. This girl was just far too easy to manipulate. Pretend you don't give a damn and she would spill her guts.

"Just go back to your room and go to bed Polka."

"I can't."

Once again, she seemed unaware of saying the words before they were out of her mouth and she clamped her hand firmly over her traitorous talker. She giggled again, turning around with exaggeration and raising her hand over her shoulder and waving to him half-heartedly.

He watched her march down the hall, dragging her blanket. She seemed unaware that he was still watching and her steps slowed. She stopped and turned to look back at his door. When she realised he was still there, he could see the blush raise to her cheeks even in the dark. She turned again and continued to march, obviously having no real destination in mind.

Natsume sighed, following suit. "Oi, Polka."

Mikan stopped and looked over her shoulder. "What?"

Her breath left her as she was pushed against the wall, caged by Natsume's arms on either side of her. She gulped loudly when she realised how dangerously close he was, his crimson eyes burning in the night. He had been this close once before...

Her gaze fell slowly to his lips and she swallowed again. Oh, this was not good.

He seemed unaware of her slightly less then innocent thoughts. "Why did you come here?"

She remained silent, her blush darkening again as she dropped her gaze. He stood patiently, waiting for an answer.

"I had a... Dream."

He looked at her incredolously. Sure, she was pretty out there, but surely she normally dreamed? He continued his wait for a proper explanation.

It took her a moment or two but she continued slowly.

"I was... All alone. It was dark. I remember that before then, I had had people around me. Everyone was happy and laughing and then they were just... gone. These figures came forward, like shadows and they started to do something. I looked down and I was cut, everywhere. Everything hurt and I called out and I saw the people I was with before but they looked like they didn't know me. They left me without hesitation. Not even a second glance, they left me."

Mikan shivered, tears beginning to flow down her cheeks even though she wasn't really aware of it. "It hurt a lot but I don't think the pain was what was so scary. There was no one left, I was all by myself..."

"It's silly, I know it is. But... What if there's something wrong with me Natsume? What if I made my parents leave me behind? Surely it isn't normal for parents just to leave their child with their grandfather and go off on their own? Half the time, people don't even seem to like me either. Just sort of... Tolerate my presence because they have to. Narumi-sensei is a teacher so he has to be nice and Hotaru seems to be able to barely put up with me half the time. I'm always getting you and Ruka-pyon in trouble..."

"You're an idiot."

Her sobs, which had been escalating and getting slightly louder as time passed, stopped abruptly as her eyes narrowed angrily. She met his gaze evenly, furious. Here she was telling him her deepest fears and that's what he had to say?

"I am not!"

"You are."

Mikan humphed, crouching to get out from under his arms but failing as he crouched with her lowering his arms and blocking her escape quite effectively. She growled in anger and met his eyes again. "If I'm such an idiot then just let me go-"

She was silenced by the feeling of his lips on hers. It was quick and chaste, but it was enough to silence her. He pulled away, his eyes completely calm and collected compared to the frenzy that was toiling inside her. How could he be so mellow in a situation like this? He just kissed her! Again! Without her permission! Again!

She attempted to speak, working past her tounge tied state. "Y-you... Pervert... Jerk..."

"You're an idiot." Snapped Natsume, interrupting her. "There's nothing wrong with you." He paused for a moment, contemplating his words. "Other then your stupidity, of course. But that isn't enough to make everyone hate you."

Mikan folded her arms, staring at him crossly. "I think I'm safer going back to my own bed now. Perverts are scary people."

He rolled his eyes. "It was just to shut you up, Polka."

She glared at him suspiciously. She seemed to quickly make up her mind. "No, I think I'm safer in my own bed rather then yours."

For the third time that night, his eyebrows dissapeared into his messy black hair, the only part of him that gave away his surprise. "Mine?"

She was silent for a moment before her mind finally caught up with her mouth. Mikan gasped, backtracked quickly to remember what she said and quickly realised she had completely revealed her true intentions. She attempted to find a way out of it but there really was no turning back now. She had gone and blown it, so she may as well just explain to him and not let him get the wrong idea.

"I originally came here to sleep in the same bed with you." She twiddled her thumbs nervously, now staring at the floor. She cursed herself for lacking the confidence to just say it out right. Getting embarresed and avoiding his face was definitely not the way to ensure he didn't get the wrong idea. This was all her own fault, she had no one to blame but herself. "Not do anything perverted but... Last time I had this nightmare I went to Hotaru's room and when I'm with someone, I don't have the dream anymore. But Hotaru is gone... And when I woke up I was really scared so I came to the next person I could think of..."

She shot him a second long glance and was humiliated to see that his expression was entirely blank. She broke off her sentence nervously, waiting for the rejection and to head back to her room. Part of her hoped he would at least walk her there, it had taken every ounce of courage she had to get to here on her own.

When she was met with an extremely long silent, she grew frustrated. "You could just say no so I could go back now. When we wake up, we'll pretend this all never happened, okay?"

Natsume shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't care."

Mikan huffed. "Alright, see- Wait, what?"

He looked at his open door. "I said, I don't care. Do what you want."

She glared at him suspiciously as he looked at her again, which he found completely untimidating. Mikan probed for any kind of joke being played on her, perhaps a hidden motive and was baffled when she found none.

"You heard that I said nothing perverted, right?"

He glared at her harshly. "Are you going to your own room or coming with me, Polka? Because some of us actually work during the day and I want to sleep sometime tonight."

"You weren't asleep when I got here." She evaded coolly, her amber eyes narrowed in amusement. "Maybe you were already doing something perverted."

"Like what, exactly?"

She shrugged. "I have no clue. I'm not a pervert, I don't know what perverts do at night in their room where no ones looking."

Natsume rolled his eyes. "Make a decision, Polka, I'm going to bed."

Without another word, Natsume stood and did just that. He headed into his room and waited a moment, listening now. When there was no sound he started closing the door. He supposed that her lack of reaction meant a silent decision to go back to her room. Whatever, it didn't matter to him at all. She could do whatever she wanted.

"Ow!"

He paused for a second before turning around again. He pulled open the door to reveal Mikan rubbing her nose, glaring at him. "I knew you would do something like that. I really should have known better."

He stared at her. "You didn't say anything, I assumed you went back to your room."

Mikan scoffed, attempting to cover her embarressment. "I followed you, I thought it was clear what my decision was."

Natsume stepped aside and Mikan strolled in smoothly, hoping she looked more confident then she was. She gazed around her in wonder, realising now just how much nicer Natsume's was compared to hers. His bed was definitely nicer!

She raced forward and leapt into the air before landing clumsily on the soft mattress. She laughed excitedly, fluffing the pillow with enthusiasm and enjoying the feel of the soft sheet on her skin. Her night shirt left her arms pretty much bare and she relished how smoothly the blankets flowed over her skin, her own blanket now forgotten on the floor outside in the hallway.

"Wow Natsume, I don't know how you can be so grumpy when you have a bed like this!" She gushed happily, only to realise the look of bemusement on his face. She immediately sobered, grabbing one of the pillows closest to her and fluffing it primly, pulling the sheets over her and laying down comfortably, adjusting and finally finding a groove that was comfortable. Normally she would have been drowsy immediately with such lovely accomadations but she found herself acutely aware of Natsume's movements. When she heard him lie down but not on the bed, she looked up in confusion to see him on one of the couches. She suddenly felt uncomfortable, realising that she was pushing him out of his own bed.

She shoved the sheets off and walked over to him quietly. "Natsume?"

"Hnng." Was the reply she recieved, but he still opened one eye to acknowledge her presence.

She toyed with the hem of her nightshirt. "When I said sleeping with you, I meant it literally... Not in a perverted way! But, umm... I can go to the couch if you're uncomfortable..."

He snorted, closing his eye once more. "Figured you'd sleep better without fear of me molesting you in your sleep."

Mikan tipped her head to the side in confusion. "Molesting?"

Natsume opened both his eyes this time, gouging to see if she was joking or not. When he came to the swift conclusion that she wasn't, he rolled his eyes. "Nevermind."

She considered pushing for a definition of the new word but decided against it, feeling uncomfortable once again. "You can sleep in the bed with me... If you want..."

He looked at her sharply now, as if calculating something. He seemed to reach a conclusion and sat up, moving over to the bed and pulling the sheets back. He got in under them and propped the crook of his arm under his face as a pillow. Once he was comfortable, he gave her a probing glance, as if challenging her to see if she was serious.

Not one to back down from a challenge, she remained silent as she crawled in next to him. Back to back, each was extremely aware of the others presence but neither caring to say so out loud. Natsume had to admit, he was utterly shocked. Not only was she the one laying in bed with him right now, but she was the one who instigated the entire thing. Memories of the sticky ball ploy came back to him and how she had protested when they had gotten in bed together then. This time, she had actually asked for it. When he realised it was her who stood outside his door, he couldn't help but feel the tiniest jump of pleasure inside of him, something he hadn't felt in quite some time. It was definitely something that he would carry to his grave.

She seemed to fall asleep extremely quickly and it wasn't long before her breathing became even and rythmic. His eyes closed as he listened to her, her presence causing him to relax. It seemed like hours had passed when suddenly there was a hitch in the rythum and his eyes opened once again. He turned over when he heard her whimper slightly and much to his surprise, a tear raced down her cheeck from a closed lid, her face set in a frown.

Unsure, he turned all the way over and pushed her now loose hair from her face. A blush, barely visible, lit his face ever so slightly when she leaned into his touch.

She seemed to calm and mellow once more. Thinking it was a potential crisis averted, he moved to turn over to his side of the bed again.

"Don't leave me alone..." She whispered when he removed his hand and he froze, debating.

Making a quick decision, he slowly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "It's alright Mikan." He whispered. Strange, the situation seemed extremely familiar only this time, the roles were reversed. "I won't leave you. I promise."

She snuggled into him and he stiffened slightly as she sighed rather happily. "Natsume..."

When he was sure that she was alright again, he finally began to feel drowsy and his eyelids began to droop. Both of them fell into a blissful sleep.

Hotaru glanced around Mikan's room, irritated. She came back early from her trip and an empty room was the welcoming she recieved. Ungrateful child. It was 4 in the morning, where on Earth could that space case have wandered off to?

Her first thought had been sleep walking or perhaps even a quick bathroom run. However, the missing blanket off her bed suggested otherwise. Wherever she had gone, she had not planned on coming back for a while.

Deciding the next possible place, Hotaru made her way back to her own room. There was a high possibility she may have gone there out of confusion of just waking up. Part of her cringed at imagining the brunette curled up in her expensive sheets and drooling on her goose down pillow. Mikan constantly complained about not having money but she was also constantly having to replace things that belonged to Hotaru because she ruined them. It was an endless cycle, one Hotaru wished Mikan would break.

Imagine her surprise when she found Mikan's blanket strewn in the middle of the hallways in front of the infamous door of Natsume Hyuuga.

Her violet eyes narrowed as she placed her deer hoof on her hand, not entirely sure as to why her friend would be here of all places. She moved towards the door handle, turning it slowly and finding it unlocked. Of course it would be, Hyuuga was one of the few people in the Academy who had little to fear with his fierce Alice. She found herself wondering about the possibility of Mikan coming here on her own and almost immediately dismissed those thoughts. After all, that idiot was far too innocent for those kinds of ventures yet.

Honestly, she left for a few days and disaster followed.

Mikan stirred in annoyance, something not feeling particularily right. She grunted at an unfamiliar pressure on the top of her arm, shoving it slightly downwards to fall around her waist. She sighed, glad that she had relieved herself of the weight that did not feel particularily uncomfortable on her waist. She curled her toes to realise that they had found their way out from under the bed sheet and swiftly pulled them back under. She growled. They felt cold as ice.

However, a pleasant warmth was provided right beside her. Grinning at her good fortune, she snuggled up to it. Perhaps Hotaru had a new invention? Surely if there were electric blankets, a giant heat pillow wasn't out of the realm of possibility? She thanked her friend silently and brought her feet up to it. Her grin widened as a pleasant warmth began to bring them back to life.

She pulled herself flush with the pillow, wrapping her arms firmly around its middle and burying her face into it. Wow, it really smelt nice to...

Wait... It had a heart beat?

She froze, stiffening as, ever so slowly, she opened her eyes and raised her gaze upwards.

That face was unmistakeable.

The memory of the previous night came rushing back to her in a flash and she quickly released him, scooting away as swiftly as possible and nearly falling out of bed in the process. Her heart pounded as blood rushed to her face, her eyes wide as she observed his sleeping expression. She remained perfectly still and, for once, silent as she considered what to do. The glow of the sunrise was breaking over the horizon but had not yet actually peeked over the ridge so she supposed it was still pretty early in the morning. If she were to sneak back to her room now, she could probably do so without being seen.

Natsume, with his eyes still firmly shut, seemed to have different ideas about where she was going though. Frustrated with the lack of heat that had once been there he reached out, his hand finding Mikan's arm and pulling her forward. Mikan let out a squeak and tumbled basically on top of him rather unceremoniously. Content, Natsume relaxed once more and continued his slumber, his arm now firmly holding her in place by her waist.

Mikan gulped, breathing heavily as her blush grew darker. She attempted to squirm out of his grip only for it to tighten once more and she sighed, going limp. When she did so, the arms loosened to a comfortable pressure. Part of her considered merely staying put, but the other part of her firmly reminded her that he might not be so snuggly when he actually woke up. Then again, maybe he would, who knows? Perhaps all this kid needed was a hug.

The rational part of her told her that she was being an idiot. She noted that her rational parts voice sounded strangely like Natsume's.

This did not help the situation one bit.

She looked at his face in frustration, blowing a stray strand of hair away from her mouth. She was stuck in the predicament and he continued to sleep it away, not a care in the world.

Out of a moment of pure spite, she blew softly on his face, half heartedly hoping to rouse him from his slumber. His forehead wrinkled and he grumbled, brushing the bothersome air away. An evil grin lit Mikan's face and she did it once more, reaching the same result.

She fought to keep her chuckles down as she michievously grabbed a small portion of her hair and dangled it over the bridge of his nose and moving it lightly across his eyelids. This time, the hand swatting was a little more forceful, pushing her hand away from his face. Mikan huffed. As usual, he was ruining her fun.

This time, she took her finger and began to trace the lines of his face. He looked so much younger like this, she noted. No responsibilities to protect his friends and family, no pain and no suffering at the hands of others. He looked so content. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if he would ever be able to look like this when he was awake.

Poor guy, she thought to herself. He's been through so much. She really wished she could help...

It was on a complete passing whim, she would swear later. She didn't know exactly what took her over right then and there. Perhaps she was possessed. Perhaps she went momentarily insane. Either way, she had no idea what compelled her to kiss him. It was quick and fleeting, but she did. She was sure of that.

Just as sure as she was when a flash of light illuminated the room for a moment along with the sound of film capturing a kodak moment. Mikan lifted her face, frozen in shock, to turn and face the amused eyes of her best friend... Or perhaps ex best friend. That would depend on if Hotaru was going to give her that film right now or not.

Her mouth attempted to work but all that was leaving her were untelligible sounds. Everything went crashing down.

She had done something she shouldn't of and she had gotten caught.

She looked back down and saw the one thing that could have made the entire situation worse. She could tell that he were still half asleep and not entirely awake yet as he attempted to focus on her face, which must have been hard considering how close she was.

"Mikan?"

She was paralyzed momentarily. Alright, with that right there, she was sure that she could not possibly be awake. She reached her arm around and pinched it rather harshly. She yelped when the pain coursed through her skin.

Dang it, she was most definitely awake.

Hotaru remained silent, clicking on the camera at a rapid pace. Mikan's mouth moved like a fish out of water until she finally found her voice. "H-Hotaru! Stop it! What do you think you're doi-"

"Quiet." She was once again pulled again Natsume and she could almost hear the evil cackles and the sound of change tinkling as Hotaru continued her photo tirade, merciless of her best friends pleas.

"HOTARU!" Mikan now grabbed Natsume's arm, desperatly trying to push him off now. "Natsume, let go! I have to stop her! Wake up, idiot!"

It took a moment but she saw his eyes open once more, this time a tad more awake and a rather lot more grumpy at his sleep being interrupted. He looked at Mikan for a moment, frustrated and debating a choice number of colorful words before his attention being drawn now to the clicking and bright lights that illuminated the room. She watched as his eyes narrowed as he looked at Hotaru and then his gaze wandered down to his arm that was firmly placed on her waist, holding her in place. Finally, he ended his observation by looking at her face again. After a few seconds, he released her.

That was all it took for Mikan to dive out of the bed, making a desperate attempt to steal the camera that would destroy her innocence and dignity in one fell swoop.

"HOTARU! Get back here."

Her friend merely held the camera up, her eyes dancing mercilessly and she hopped on her flying scooter that she had summoned when she began her blackmail gathering. Not even bothering to take the time to put her helmet on like she usually did, she flew off. Gone from sight, the door slamming shut being the only sign that she had even been there.

Mikan collapsed on the ground, whimpering. "Oh no, if people see that... I'll be dead! Dead I tell you!" Her eyes narrowed hatefully as she glared at Natsume who was now propped up on his elbows and in no hurry to move from his comfortable position. "And it's all your fault."

"I wanted to sleep on the couch, if I remember correctly." He snapped coolly, now stretching and wondering how he managed to get a headache so quickly after such a good nights sleep. "You asked for me to sleep with you. You even came all the way here." His expression turned sharp. "I thought Imai was gone, anyways. That's why you came here. Along with the gay pervert teacher."

Mikan huffed, crossing her arms while still managing to keep her chin on the cold ground. "She was gone, I guess she got back this morning. Those pictures are going to ruin me, what will I do? Permy is going to kill me." She threw her arms outward dramatically and flapped them, her mind in an utter state of panic mode. Natsume fought to keep a straight face. She looked like some kind of physically disabled bird, flapping around on the ground like that. "She's going to kill me Natsume! And it's all your fault!"

"I thought we already established that this was your doing, Polka." He replied crisply, not moving to push the blankets off. To be honest, part of him just wanted to ask her to get back in bed and go to sleep to relieve the pounding in his head but he thought better of it. He rubbed his temples in irritation. "Can you stop yelling?"

"I'M NOT YELLING!" She shrieked, her voice rebounding off the walls. She met his stare sheepishly before lowering her voice. "What are you going to do about this? You got us into this, you know."

"How is it my fault?" He questioned crossly, growing frustrated.

She began to fiddle with her night shirt, avoiding his gaze. "It's because you wouldn't let me go."

Part of him felt the tiniest bit of embarressment, remembering how nice it had been just to lay with her before he had fully awoken. However, he never let it show. "You never thought to wake me up?" He said flatly.

A blush darkened her cheeks. "Well, you weren't making it that easy."

"I'm not a deep sleeper." He retorted. "I would have woken up if you had really tried, stupid girl."

Mikan, for once, ignored the jab. She kept her silence.

Natsume snorted, taking her silence as an admission of guilt. "Besides, it's not that bad. It was just sleeping together. It's not like we were doing anything intimate in that way. So you don't need to worry so damn much. You can keep this a secret." Mikan missed the bitterness in his tone, to swept up with her own thoughts.

As she remained silent, her eyes shooting around guiltily, Natsume felt suspicion enter him.

"It was just sleeping, right?"

Mikan twiddled her thumbs. "...Yes."

His eyes narrowed. He didn't believe her for a second. "What did you do?"

She gave him her best innocent look. "Nothing, just sleeping." She gave a nervous laugh, waving her hand and looking at her wrist for an imaginary watch. "Oh, my, look at the time! I should be going back to my room now. See you later Natsume!"

Before he could even get a word out, she was gone. He watched the door for a few moments before looking down at his sheets in frustration.

"Women." He snapped to himself, throwing his legs over the side of the bed and beginning his morning routine.

This is going to be my first fic with more then one chapter in quite a while! Perhaps I'll be able to start working up to more multi-chapter fics here soon. I partially debated making this just a really long oneshot but I reached this point and decided that a two-three chapter fic would be more appropriate. I hope to have the next chapter up in 2 weeks or so. Let me know what you thought of this here, constructive critiscm is always appreciated.