Welcome everyone,

I would like to clarify that this was modified and rewritten to help lessen grammar and correction issues. This story is quite old, yet still a work in progress.

Thanks for stopping by and giving this story a chance.

And so to my new readers, this story is mostly written in Natsume's Point of view. I do even it out later down the chapter's with sharing both Natsume's and Mikan's point of view, but for now, it's Natsume's beginning.

Enjoy

Prologue-

My life story so far has been anything but perfect- far from it. My life has actually had me going from one hellhole to the next. That's all thanks to the shitty families I've been passed onto. Ever since I was four or so, I've been adopted by desperate parents.

Always feeding me the whole 'you're the missing piece to our puzzle' crap.

...Yeah, right- it never lasted. I was still taken back to the orphanage after just a few days.

WHY?

Well, I guess my eyes are at fault for that, since it wasn't 'normal' for someone to have red eyes. Yeah, I have a fucked up genetic disorder that gave me red eyes, and because of this, I was always returned to the same old place after they noticed my eyes weren't changing.

The preaching families of the holy whatever spirit had even deemed me to be of some satanic origin JUST because of my eyes…

MY eyes.

It really wasn't very 'nice' hearing all of this crap as a little kid.

But even so, the orphanage would always tell me that the right family was bound to show up. Excuse after excuse and hearing the same thing over and over didn't help either. The same explanations weren't really getting me anywhere and seeing how I grew older between the other kids there? -I knew I wasn't going anywhere.

You see... the older you get, the chances of getting adopted grow slimmer, especially in my case. The headmaster of the orphanage would even get restless every time I got returned. He was just as sick of it as I was. I didn't know why he even kept trying? We both knew I wasn't going anywhere, but even so… he went out of his way to run some tests on me with a few Optometrists, doctors, specialist, whatever of the kind. In the end, we got nothing out of it besides a lousy case of whitecoat syndrome. The majority of them accused me of being some weird case of albinism. All because of the pigment of my eyes, but that wasn't even the beginning. Calling me albino wouldn't really fit the rest of my profile since my hair was naturally Jet black, my skin wasn't as pale as a ghost, and I had no vision problems at all.

I was just a regular kid with a different set of eyes. What was so damn wrong about it?

Why couldn't they make the exception?

...I've always wanted to ask that to the random psychos who would return me.

After so many fucked up cases, I figured it a lost cause since I was going back either way. It wasn't worth trying to convince these people about trying to like me, so instead of them returning me for being 'unique,' I promised myself to give them a REAL reason to send me back.

Thus, starting the never-ending spree of EVER finding a permanent home.

I had a rough childhood and had done some pretty fucked up things I would never forget, but year after year, I made sure to get sent back with a real reason. It was the same routine- I didn't care.

So by the time I was fourteen, I wasn't really at the orphanage for in need of a family. But more like I was working there since I was still a minor and I needed a place to stay.

Nothing was out of the ordinary until Youichi arrived at the orphanage. The kid was four years old when he lost his parents. Nobody in his family claimed him, so he ended up here.

Normal looking kid, shaggy silver-blond hair, pale skin, and steel blue eyes.

I simply thought it wouldn't be long before he got adopted, but there was only one thing that was quite off.

He was mute. Meaning the kid couldn't talk. I didn't know if he could speak before, so I ended up assuming he lost his voice when his parents died.

He was a good kid, but for some reason, he was having a difficult time getting adopted. And the other kids in the orphanage treated him like he was invisible. Nobody approached him.

Even though Youichi's case wasn't as bad as mine, it was a big enough flaw to keep the kid without a chance of finding a new family and making friends.

I had the same issue, I was never close to any of the other kids, and that was because none of them lasted as long. I mean, I was the freakin' oldest kid in the place.

In the end, I started talking to Youichi even though I knew he couldn't speak. He was the only one actually. Since we both knew neither of us was going anywhere, I decided to take him in like the little brother I never had.

I looked after him for the time he was at the orphanage. I lost track of time, so before I knew it, a whole year went by.

Precisely on the day of my 'supposed to be' fifteenth birthday, I received notice that someone wanted to adopt me.

It was completely random. I mean, why would someone want to adopt me after so long? –who the hell knew- that type of thing.

I decided to turn it down so I wouldn't leave Youichi on his own, but the headmaster had other plans. He saw it as my last resort, so as a result, he ignored my reply and had the guy pick me up that same day.

Turned out the guy wasn't married or anything like all the rest. As odd as I found it to be, the guy wasn't even that old to be looking for children. I was past caring; I still stuck to my decision and turned him down.

Within a few hours, the three of us were already arguing. The headmaster was yelling at me for not wanting to go. I was yelling at the headmaster for forcing me to go since he wasn't going to let me stay, and the other guy was yelling at the headmaster to force me.

So, in the end, both Youichi and I ended up leaving the orphanage that day.

That day was the first and last day we ever met our so-called guardian.

Persona.

Didn't bother asking what his real name was.

Even though I was fifteen at the time, he didn't look after us like he had agreed. Instead, he would set us up in shitty ass places and abandoned us there.

Left us to fend for ourselves. Every end of the month Persona would send a letter with the date, telling us what was to become of us for the next month.

If I thought finding a family was a pain in the ass, trying to find a place I can call home was even more impossible.

I didn't want Youichi to grow up with a horrible childhood as I did. I tried making the most of it by finding any part-time job since Persona would only provide us with enough money for the rent. So as for food and other necessities, I had to find a way to come up with the money.

That wasn't the only hard part, either. For the past year, Persona has made us move four times already.

This time he sent a note telling us, we better get used to this place since it'll be permanent till my graduation.

Once I graduated from high school, I would be able to work full-time and help Youichi with a more comfortable life.

I'm sixteen now, and I have two more years to go. So long as my eyes don't get exposed, we should be able to live a somewhat normal life in this town.

Well then... let's see how the rest of my story turns out.

Natsume's POV

"Alright, Youichi, you got to get up now." I groggily wiped the corner of my eyes with the back of my hands while crossing the short hallway towards his room. "You don't want to be late do you? -because if you're late, then I'll be late too…" I leaned my head up against his door and knocked twice.

As soon as I heard his bedsheets moving and the sound of his footsteps walking around, I knew he was up.

For a six-year-old, he was pretty independent. I figured after everything we've been through, it's gotten the kid pretty independent. These past two years have been quite experience for him.

I walked back to my room and tried to take care of my morning routine while Youichi finished getting ready.

I changed into a black V-neck shirt and black fit jeans after my shower. Returning to my room, I retrieved my black sneakers along with heading for the only tall dresser in my room. The top drawer was where I kept the majority of my contact lenses. They were all the same color, so it didn't matter which I grabbed. I just had a bunch of spares just in case I ever lost any of them.

On my way to the bathroom, Youichi's door was still closed. "Hey, you alright in there?" I called out but he didn't come out.

I had no choice but to kick my shoes on and set my contacts quickly. I used the bathroom mirror to help me with my contacts and closed the kit immediately after. Pushing that aside, I grabbed my toothbrush and hastily brushed my teeth. "I'll help you out in a bit."

Finally done, I put everything I used back in its place and headed back to my room one last time. I quickly grabbed my 'supposed to be' reading glasses and put them on before strapping on my backpack.

I was finally able to check on Youichi, but by the time I began heading toward his room, I heard movement coming from the other side of the apartment.

I walk out of the hallway to see Youichi trying to pour the gallon of milk into a cereal bowl.

His arms were obviously shaking from the weight, so I quickly rushed over to help. "Wait- here, let me help you with the rest." I slowly took the milk away from him and poured the necessary amount. I noticed he had set up a bowl for me next to him, so I went ahead and poured the milk into the other bowl too.

He quickly handed me a spoon and climbed up on his chair as I sat down as well. We both sat there, silently eating our breakfast. It was a quiet morning. No sirens, no neighbors fighting, it was merely… quiet.

It felt like a good start. Different was more like it. In reality, I could only hope this one wouldn't be like all the rest.

I just had to settle first and find my way around; get a job and mold that schedule with Youichi's and mine.

I didn't realize I had spaced out long enough to have Youichi pulling the side of my shirt, letting me know I was taking too long.

I looked down at my wristwatch. "Shit-" I quickly grabbed the bowls and dropped them off in the sink before grabbing the keys off the counter. "Get your stuff," I called out as I took out his lunch pale and made him his light lunch snack.

I made sure to hand him his lunch before leading us out of the apartment and locking the door after us. Double-checking the lock just in case before quickly pulling Youichi along the rest of the dark corridors in this building.

By the time Youichi and I had walked the four blocks to his school, I had thirty minutes to get to my school. Now I had to travel the other six blocks towards my school.

The closer I got to my school, the more the town began to shape up. The buildings didn't look as bad. By that, I meant, the boarded-up windows, graffiti, and the worn-out paint were becoming less common. The trees and landscapes were getting greener by the block, and the air didn't seem as heavy.

We seriously lived on the shitty side of town. It's no surprise though. Persona has had us move into places I'd have to stay awake full nights to make sure nothing happened to us. Compared to that, this was a short glimpse of ordinary.

By the time I reached the school gates, the first warning bell had already rung. I wasn't on time, but I wasn't precisely late either.

I won't complain about the school though, it was by far the most decent school I had attended. The school was a modern building, a white and blue campus made up of four stories. There were side buildings to it too, which I presumed were either the gym or pool area. It had well-kept landscaping and two full parking lots on either side of the school.

I noticed there were only a few students outside of the main building.

I quietly made my way around them as I reached the front of the building. Without looking around or trying to meet the curious stares, I walked into the somewhat empty hallways of this 'so-called' new school of mine in search of the main office.

Mikan's POV

"Why was being late becoming such an issue to me?" I kicked the door to my car shut and clicked the alarm as I tried rushing for the school. I swung the pink strap from my backpack over my shoulder and crossed my cheerleading strap over my other shoulder.

Thank God, I stuck with wearing jeans and a pair of sneakers, or else it would have made it that much harder to run. I ran inside the school building just in time to hear the final bell ring.

I quickly slid to a stop in the middle of the lobby and made it up the stairs next.

It had only been a few seconds; there's no way I could get into that much trouble.

After reaching the second floor, I slowed down my running since my class wasn't all that far.

I took a few deep breaths to calm myself and steadied myself to pull the door open. I walked into the classroom to surprisingly notice the teacher wasn't here yet. The whole class was still in a talking mood.

What luck. There was hardly a moment when this teacher would show up late.

"Mikan, over here!" I heard a cute bubbly voice calling me further into the room.

My smile instantly grew as I made my way to the group. "Hi Anna, Hi guys, sorry I'm late." I walked over and dropped my bags on my table.

"No surprise. You're always late."

"I'm not always late, Hotaru." She sat next to me. "I'm simply not a morning person, and Mondays happen to be my worst days." I shrugged. "You know that." I purposely reached over and ruffled her short black hair since she didn't even bother looking at me.

"Well, hey- at least you're ready for cheer practice this time." Nonoko changed the subject as she noticed my cheer bag.

"Oh -I know, right?" I fully smiled as I flipped my side ponytail over my shoulder.

I looked past Nonoko and Anna to see if a certain blond was already here, but I didn't spot him.

He must be running late too.

"Oh Mikan, before I forget to ask you. Do you have anything planned after practice?" This time it was Anna who got my attention.

"No, why?"

"Wel,l me and Nonoko made appointments to our favorite hair salon to retouch our hair since my pink is fading, and Nonoko's tips need a trim."

I couldn't help but smile. Oh—I know where this was going. "No Anna, for the millionth time, I don't want to cut my hair." I crossed my arms.

I noticed Nonoko step up. "Come on Mikan, you've had this weird mullet hairdo going on since we can all remember." She spun around trying to prove her point. "Like seriously, your hair is just past your waist."

"Nonoko?-" I raise my hands up in defense. "No offense, but I like my hair the way it is." I pulled the hair-tie off my ponytail and let my light brown hair fall down. I pushed my side-swept bangs with my fingers and flipped the back of my hair over my shoulder. "There, see it looks short again."

"No Mikan, that's not what we mean." Anna whimpered. "The front half of your hair is okay because it's shaped short. It's just the mullet part on the back that-"

I huffed and turned away. "I'm not cutting it, and that's final!"

"Alright fine, but at least go with us after practice," Nonoko said, calling it quits.

I nodded and turned to the door since I just heard it open.

The class quietly started taking their seats since our teacher happened to walk in.

What caught everyone one off guard was the student that followed after him.

"Hey, that must be the new student the teachers were talking about in the lounge," Sumire whispered loud enough for my friends and me to hear.

New student? -really? Two months into the semester, and they were still taking in new people?

It's not like any of the girls were complaining either; they were practically grinning about him. The whispers and smiles said it all.

Had to admit, he sure didn't look like most of the guys here in this school. He had a distant weird presence to him. He was decently tall, short-yet-long black hair, and dressed in all black. I couldn't really see his facial structures because of the way his messy hair clung to his face. His head was slightly tipped down too, so it didn't help with trying to get a better view of him. In reality, it almost seemed like he was trying to hide.

"Well then, Natsume Hyuuga, welcome to Alta Abram High School. Find an empty seat for the day, and I'll see how I can come up with a plan for you to get you caught up with the rest of the class."

We all watched silently as this Hyuuga guy walked down the classroom. It wasn't till he walked past me that I noticed he was indeed wearing glasses. The black squared-frame of his glasses was well hidden beneath his black hair.

Just as he passed my seat, he began to pull the backpack straps off his shoulder as he took the empty chair behind me.

Was he taking Ruka's seat? What?

I continued watching over my shoulder as I finally got a better look at him.

I almost couldn't stop myself from gawking- like seriously; I thought this guy had something to hide. I really didn't expect him to a creamy fair complexion. The way he had been looking down the entire time showed off his long eyelashes. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, adding a hint of seriousness to his expression. His jawline was straight and fine too-I mean, even his lips had a subtle tint to them. This guy seriously had no reason to hide!

I curiously continued observing him, waiting to see if his eyes would look up, but they didn't.

He took no notice. The entire time he focused on getting his note pad and pen out, not once did he look up.

My curiosity was at an all-time high.

After a few more seconds, I settled with turning away but stopped midway.

The way he gracefully pushed his bangs to the side and raised his gaze to meet mine, suddenly startled my heart.

Even an awkward tickle in my throat caused me to choke back a cough.

"Mikan...?" Hotaru whispered, trying to get my attention with a swift elbow to my side. "You're rude, you know that?" I winced from her tone of voice.

"I'm sorry, I..." I was just caught off guard from how blue his eyes were.

Curiosity got the best of me since I didn't even notice Ruka walk in and take a seat at the very back of the room.

I really cursed at my stupid curiosity. I mean, I must have looked like a real weirdo staring down the new guy.

I only hoped Ruka didn't see me.

I quickly composed myself and caught Ruka's attention by waving a small wave in his direction.

Ruka waved back at me while he pushed his blond hair back with his other hand. I took that as a good sign. If anything, I prayed nobody else noticed my awkwardness.

Taking a few relaxing breaths, I focused on taking my class materials out.

This wasn't going to happen again.

It was just for one class…

Up until lunch, my day went smoothly. Surprisingly no other classes with Hyuuga.

"Mikan!" I looked behind me to see Anna and Nonoko running in my direction. "Did you remember to buy the crab meat salad Hotaru asked for yesterday? -Remember, you lost the bet, and you had to bring it to her today?" Nonoko was making it sound like I had committed some type of crime.

Holy crap! "No! I forgot!" Dammit, I knew it was pointless betting against Hotaru, but like always. I end up caught up in the moment. "Nonoko, Anna? Is it alright if you two cover for me while I drive down to the closest store to buy one?" I pouted, hoping they'd say yes.

I watched Nonoko and Anna exchange glances before nodding at the same time. "Okay go, just give me your stuff, and I'll hold it for you until you get back." Anna reached for my bag straps and pulled them off my shoulders. "Hurry back. We'll cover for you."

I mouthed out a thank you and took off running towards the school's entrance. I tried remembering which store was the closest as I retrieved my keys out of my pocket. I was nearing the school entrance when surprisingly, I heard my name being called out.

"Mikan, hey- where are you going in such a rush?"

I smiled as I recognized the voice. "Hi Ruka, I'm just going out to buy something really quick."

"You forgot to buy Hotaru's crab meat, didn't you?" I heard him chuckle.

"Shut up, I know!" I huffed, knowing this happened too often.

"Do you want me to come with?" He took a step away from his jock friends.

"Sorry." I winced. "As much as I wish that. It'll seriously slow me down. I don't want Hotaru to find out I forgot."

I saw him nod understandingly. "Well, you better hurry if you don't want that to happen."

I pointed at him and winked. "Right. I'll see you at practice." I called out as I ran out the doors.

I pressed the unlock button to my car as I reached its side and quickly got inside. I didn't even bother strapping on the seatbelt as I shifted the car in reverse and exited the parking spot. I had backed out unaware of my surroundings and ended up suddenly hitting something with the back of my car.

"Did I hit something?"

The fact that my car made a horrible sound alarmed me to jerk the car to a stop.

My senses continued to spike as I hurriedly got out and checked to see if there was a car behind me.

I knew for sure I had hit something, so I cautiously approached the very end of my car.

Never in my life did I expect this…

I caught my gasp with my hands as I saw a person lying down, not so far from my car.

Oh my God, I hit someone!

The panic that struck me caused me to hurry over to the faced down body on the ground, "Hey!" I slid on my knees to a stop, "Say something! Are you okay?!" My hands shook as I reached to touch his shoulders.

A painful grunt startled me backward instead, seeing him move. He slowly shifted himself up to his hands and knees while hissing out his pain.

I got to the point that I was on the verge of crying because of what I had done. I was too afraid to even touch him now. I even felt more useless because I couldn't help the situation either.

I suddenly flinched as I saw him spit out blood. The sight didn't help me in the least bit. It completely froze me in place as he continued moving on his own.

His hair shifted off his forehead to reveal that his glasses were missing, so I quickly began glancing around while he steadied his breathing.

He had such a pain-filled expression I didn't dare break his concentration.

The tears began to pool in my eyes as I looked for his glasses around me. It wasn't until I reached behind me that my fingertips came into contact with his frames.

I brought up the back of my hand to wipe a stray tear stream down my right cheek. "I am so sorry..." I held his glasses in my hand, "Hyuuga, right?" My voice came out shaky.

He winced, reaching for his left side and sat up on his knees. "I'm late." His voice sounded low from behind clenched teeth as he attempted to stand.

"No wait- you're hurt! We have to get you help." I tightened my grip on his glasses.

I gasped a second time as he managed to stand up and pick up his backpack by the strap before watching him run out of the school gate.

I couldn't believe it! What in the- "Hey!" He shouldn't be moving!

I stood up from the shock.

I- what's he late to?... I wondered. I held onto his glasses and worriedly pondered back into my car.

Even so, It was still a huge relief to see him suddenly get up and run like that.

My hands continued to clutch at his glasses as the shaking was slowly subsiding from my arms.

I waited to ease my state of mind instead of driving out instantly. I quietly sat in my car while I inspected his glasses for any damages. As odd as I found it to be… I held the lenses out and strangely tried them on. I squinted my eyes, thinking they might have been of high prescription, but… "Huh?" I blinked a few times to realize there wasn't much of a difference.

These glasses? They were...

They're fake?

Natsume's POV

As much as my side was killing me, I had to keep moving. My bottom lip was busted and throbbing from the pain too.

I had to pick up Youichi from school before my lunch break was over.

I didn't realize my glasses were missing until I was a block away from Youichi's school. Fuck, now thinking about it, this meant trouble with this random chick. I was too much in a hurry to care about what had just happened. Now I had to figure out a way to get them back.

As I approached the corner to where Youichi's school was, I slowed down my walking and wiped the corner of my bottom lip to make sure there wasn't any blood on it. Taking in a few deep breaths, I tried to compose myself to relax my expression and mask the pain.

Without a doubt, I was late. I didn't want to find Youichi sitting by himself on the front step of his school.

I quietly walked over and caught his attention, "I'm sorry I took so long." I extend my right hand to him.

Instead of him taking my hand, he formed two circles with his hands and brought them up to his eyes.

Glasses…shit...he wanted to know about my glasses.

I grabbed one of his hands and got him to stand up instead. I tugged him along before trying to come up with a good excuse.

I didn't tell him the truth about getting hit by a car. I simply told him I left them at school by accident and that I'd be getting them back after school.

"Alright, Youichi..." I pulled his hand to make him stop, and I knelt down to meet his eye level. "I'm going to let you stay in the apartment for now while I get out of school. I want you to lock the door and don't answer it no matter who it is, alright. I have my key, so you don't have to worry if it's me."

I saw him nod once, letting me know he understood. What I didn't expect was for him to suddenly reach up and poke my lower lip where I was sporting my fresh wound. "It's nothing serious." I stood up, avoiding the topic. "Let's get you home."

I knew it wasn't right to leave a six-year-old by himself but I didn't have much of a choice since I didn't have a daycare to drop him off. We had just settled into the apartment, and I was yet to find a job. Let alone school getting in the way. Our attendance was critical. It was a way for the orphanage and child services to keep track of us, so there was no messing with that.

After dropping off Youichi in the apartment, I made sure he had everything he would need while I was gone. Once done, I locked the door.

There was one more class left anyways, so it shouldn't take longer than two hours.

Mikan's POV

"Here, Hotaru; I brought you the salad I promised." I slid it to her across the table since I sat on the other end.

I knew I didn't sound as cheerful as my usual self, but the incident from earlier was still nagging me bad.

"Hey, is something wrong?" I looked up noticing Ruka taking the empty seat next to me.

I forced a smile and shook my head. "Nope, it's-" I paused to swallow the lump in my throat that always forms whenever someone asks that question. "It's nothing." I quickly averted my eyes to my lunch tray and tried avoiding his blue eyes.

"Well, whatever it is- make sure you eat something. You got here pretty late, and lunch is about to be over." He worriedly pushed my tray closer to me, "You want me to get you anything else?"

I faintly smiled at his concern. I felt horrible now. The last thing I wanted was to make him worry. "I'll be fine Ruka. I'm okay with what I got for lunch. I promise I'll hurry eating, 'kay?"

As much as I tried to distract myself by picking at my food, I still couldn't ignore Hotaru's glances from the other end of the table.

She knew something was up... I wasn't doing a good job fooling anyone.

It wasn't long before the lunch bell rang for me, Nonoko, and Anna began heading towards the ladies' locker room to get ready for gym class.

"Uhmm, Mikan?" Anna's voice caught my attention.

"Yeah?" I got to my locker and started undoing the combination.

"I don't think you noticed, but Hotaru didn't eat the salad you brought her."

I pulled my locker open. "Why didn't she eat it? I bought it at a really pricy place. It's not right for her to just push it aside?" I focused my attention on my cheer bag since I needed to take out my gym clothes.

"Oh, don't get me wrong- she didn't throw the salad away, it's just that you took so long, she ended up eating something else."

I see... "Did she at least take it with her so she can eat it later?"

"Yup, I saw her take it with her." Nonoko answered my question instead.

I sighed… "That's a relief." Hotaru was no joke, like my experience with her has had its ups and downs, so I could say we've been through some good and bad things.

I continued spacing out while we changed out of our school clothes and into our red and white gym clothes. Anna and Nonoko had been chatting away about something this whole time, but I wasn't paying any attention to them until we were exiting the locker rooms.

"Don't you think it's starting to get cold now that October is over?" I listened to Anna and Nonoko's conversation from behind them as we headed for the gym's double doors.

Nonoko was the first one to pull one of the doors open, revealing the school's main basketball court. Most of the students were already sitting up on the bleachers waiting for the coaches to show up. Tying my hair into two loose ponytails, I followed Anna and Nonoko up the bleachers towards our usual spot.

Once the P.E teachers started showing up, they began with the attendance just like every day.

"Alright, those of you who are in a sport's team… out on the baseball field. Cheerleaders... out on the football field. As for everyone else... follow the cheerleaders since you guys will be out on the track." One of the coaches called out, getting the students moving.

"No way-" I heard Anna whimper next to me. "I was hoping we'd be allowed to practice here inside the gym." She pouted crossing her arms.

"It's not like we can do anything about it, Anna, our cheer coach isn't here today either," Nonoko added as she stood up. "Looks like Misaki is going to have to lead everything again."

"Ladies? Get a move on!" One of the coaches yelled out to us since we were one of the few students still on the bleachers.

"Come on Anna." I grabbed her hand and pulled her with me so we wouldn't get in any more trouble.

We picked up our pace and followed the rest of the class towards the track. By the time we reached the field, Misaki, along with the rest of the cheerleaders, were starting to warm-up by doing the usual stretches.

I think if we had been any later, Misaki would have said something to us. Thankfully I saw her smile and point us to our positions.

Anna giggled out of nowhere. "Someone seems to be in a good mood." She whispered loud enough to Nonoko and half of the squad to hear. The team, including myself, couldn't help giggle over her reaction.

I looked over my shoulder to see Misaki's expression, and it was undeniably obvious; She was blushing. I couldn't help but smile because of how nervous she was getting.

"Oooh, look at who we got here?" Everyone looked at Sumire since she caught everyone's attention next. "What?- Don't look at me!" She pointed over to the stadium entrance instead.

Curious to see who it was, I looked over towards the direction Sumire was pointing.

The person was still far away to be able to tell, but it was a guy from what I can tell from the black sweat pants and black shirt. He wasn't wearing the usual red and white gym uniform.

Odd...

I continued with my stretches while my attention remained focused on the person approaching the track.

I didn't know whether I kept looking because of curiosity... or because I already had an idea on whom this person might be.

By the time the coach started all the other students on the track, Hyuuga was barely stepping onto the track.

Now, I really couldn't focus because of their conversation. The gym coach and Hyuuga appeared to be talking about something. All that I got out of it was seeing Hyuuga take a seat next to track on the grass while everyone else continued running their laps.

"Mikan? -focus!" Misaki's voice startled me, almost making me lose my balance. "Everyone- back from the top."

The girls gave me a confused glance before returning to their positions. It even made me feel awkward.

I shook off some of the frustration and tried to focus myself.

I wasn't like this every day. It felt like I was having such an off day, to be honest.

I didn't want to admit it, but I knew the source… and it was Hyuuga. The whole thing about hitting him with my car was really rattling my head.

I breathed out a deep breath and steadied myself just before the routine started once again. I cheerfully called out the cheer as we all synchronized accordingly.

Little by little the track got emptier and emptier as the students finished up their four laps. The track eventually got empty as all the students returned to the blacktop area.

It wasn't until I caught a glance at the gym teacher over by the starting line that caught my attention once again.

Hyuuga was stepping up to the line.

I completely froze as I realized the coach was making him run.

The coach was making him take the evaluation!

"Mikan?!" Misaki's voice sounded even angrier than the first time.

Damn it- not again! "I'm sorry Misaki... I-"

"Save it, Mikan, it's serious you can't focus." Misaki huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "Go sit down-"

I quickly stepped forward. "No, Misaki, please -I promise I won't-" Before I even got the chance to explain myself, Misaki raised her hand, stopping me in mid-sentence.

"Go sit down, Mikan! Once you're more composed, I'll let you come back, okay?"

No use fighting the team captain. "Okay..." I nodded before walking away towards the stadium bleachers. I didn't dare look back to see the faces the girls were making because of my behavior.

Well, I guess I had no other choice but to sit around for the next few minutes...

I quietly mulled over the fact that I got kicked out of practice because of this guy. I really couldn't understand what was going through my head. Like I knew, I was concerned about his injuries, but this was beyond my expectations.

I crossed the track and climbed up a few of the metal bleachers before sitting down.

This definitely sucked… I kicked my feet around and played around with my loose hair strands before glancing up to watch the field.

The girls looked utterly okay without me being there, interrupting them. Misaki even appeared more relaxed now…

The coach caught my attention next as he fixed his stopwatch and counted Hyuuga off to a start. It made me nervous seeing Hyuuga take the starting position.

I could only hope his wounds wouldn't get in the way.

I tentatively watched as Hyuuga took off running into a full-on sprint.

"How in the...world?" I sprung up from the shock.

Like I knew, for a fact, he was injured yet... he made his running seem like nothing was wrong?

He was fast- really fast, like something I've never seen before.

I checked to see what kind of expression the coach had, and to no surprise, he was just as shocked as I was.

By the end of the fourth lap, I noticed the coach raise one of his hands, signaling Hyuuga over. I assumed this was the part where the coach offered him the possibility to join some of the sports teams.

I couldn't hear anything, so I stood over by the railing to see if I could at least get a hint of what they were talking about. To no avail, I couldn't hear much. All I got out of it was Hyuuga shaking his head, saying no to something.

Maybe that was it? -maybe he wouldn't have to complete the rest of the evaluation...

"Mikan?" Misaki's voice sang my name out. "Ready to practice now?"

YAY! Finally! "Yes!" I smiled.

Natsume's POV

Dammit, the left side of my chest felt like it was on fire! I knew I wasn't doing much to hide it- fuck... it wasn't easy keeping a straight face right now. Not only that, but the coach had been rambling in front of me for the past -whatever minutes, and it's not fuckin' helping.

It wasn't until I leaned down to support my weight by placing my hands on my knees that I gave him the heads up that I wasn't doing so well.

"You alright, son?" I felt him place his hand on my shoulder.

The fuck did it look like? He seriously couldn't tell? I shook my head and walked past him without saying anything.

I held onto my side as I walked over to the field bench. Without caring that the cheerleaders were practicing a few feet away, I lifted my shirt to check if my left side was beginning to show any signs of bruising. No surprise to it—there was a line of purple bruises starting to line up from the side of my ribs down to my hip.

It wasn't bleeding or anything, so I considered that a good sign, at least. Well, besides the fact that the pain was getting worse…

I got too caught up with concern I didn't notice the few whistles from the nearby girls had been directing them at me.

I had to look up and realize these girls were pointing and waving in my direction.

"What the-" I couldn't help give them a weirded out expression. Their attention was the least of my worries; it pissed me off more or so like it.

I clenched my fists on the hem of my shirt and roughly pulled my shirt down.

I remained seated while I waited for some chance that the pain might subside. I needed to continue the evaluation or whatever.

I glanced over my shoulder to see if the coach was still nearby, but he was suddenly busy talking to someone. He was talking to this person about me apparently because I watched as he pointed at me seconds later. They continued talking a few seconds more before they turned and headed in my direction.

As he got closer, the more he flipped through his clipboard. "Natsume Hyuuga?" He called me out.

I got up from the bench and walked around it to meet them halfway. "Yeah..."

"I'ma have this girl take you to the nurse's office to get you checked out, alright?" He tipped his head in the girl's direction, making me look to see who it was.

Yeah... just my luck… It was the very same chick that had hit me with her car earlier. And by the look on her face, she knew it too. It's as if she was trying to stare me down for some reason.

"Is there a problem?" The coach's voice caught our attention.

She immediately shook her head, "Nope, none, what's so ever." She made a somewhat forced smile on her lips. "I'll take him right away."

No argument there; at least it got me out of the evaluation.

I followed her a few steps behind in the direction of the stadium exit. She was walking at a much faster pace, so I was slowly starting to fall behind since I couldn't move as fast.

I breathed out a deep breath and held onto my side to walk faster. At the end of the hallway, I turned into another hall seeing her standing by near a door.

"You could have asked me to wait for you." She walked up to me.

I let out a sigh and walked past her. Wasn't that what she was doing just now?

I turned the handle to the office and pulled the door open. I walked in, expecting to hear the door close behind me, but heard it creak open again.

"Is the nurse in?" I heard the girl behind me ask as she walked to the center of the room.

I glanced around and noticed there wasn't anyone else in the waiting room.

"This is ridiculous. How can there be no one?" I watched her cross her arms and walk past the right doorway. "Did everyone finish playing sick for the day? -Geez."

She returned to the waiting room at the same time I carefully sat down on one of the many empty chairs.

I sighed, closing my eyes and leaning back all the way, trying to keep my back straight.

"Uhmm... you don't talk much, do you?" Her voice made me peek one of my eyes open to see her take the seat next to me.

Instead of answering, I purposely stood up and walked over to where the nurse's desk was.

What—she expected me to make small chitchat after everything? The only reason why I was here in the first place was because of-

"It's my fault." I was surprised by how her tone of voice completely changed. I looked over my shoulder and noticed her sitting up straight with her head down, making her hair cover her eyes.

"If I would've checked when I was backing out, you wouldn't hate me because of this." She sniffed while using the back of her hand to rub away the corner of her eyes.

...Hate? -Really? Is that what she thought? I tried not to laugh and waited to hear what else she had to say.

This girl was definitely on the dramatic side, but then again, what chick wasn't now a day?

"I mean come on- I must have made your first day at this school horrible! -And...and..." Her voice got to the point that it was shaky to the verge of crying. The whimpering she was making while trying to hold back her sorrow was only proving harder to suppress my urge to laugh.

Maybe I should have answered her question earlier, that way I wouldn't have to be hearing all this.

Alright, Alright...

Something to make her stop crying; I looked around the room for something that might help.

This should do. I spotted a jar full of different colored lollipops over by one of the medicine cabinets. I took out what seemed like a strawberry flavored one and walked over to her. Without trying to make my side hurt, I knelt down slowly in front of her to see if she was looking down. Getting a good look, I noticed she had her eyes pressed shut, and for some reason, her nose was a rose pink. Maybe it was because she was holding back from crying, her eyelashes did have teardrops stuck on them.

I opened my mouth about to say something, but at the same time, the front door opened, taking my attention instead.

"I'm sorry did you two wait long?"

I'm guessing this lady was the nurse to this place. She didn't seem like it, though. She looked more like a college student.

"Or maybe I should have taken my time?" She commented before walking toward her desk.

Wait- I looked at the figure in front of me, and I noticed her shocked expression from seeing me kneeling in front of her.

...Yeah, I guess this would look awkward. I slowly stood up while placing the candy on the chair's armrest.

At the same time, the nurse walked back to us. "Mikan, did you fall again? What did you hurt now-"

"Oh, hmm, no, it's not me this time." She whipped the corners of her eyes. "He got... injured, so I was told to bring him here."

For some odd reason, the nurse circled around me once. "Well then, I need you to sign in and meet me in the next room." She handed me a clipboard. "Mikan, you look worried. Would you like to stay and wait?"

"I really shouldn't, Ms. Serina. Misaki is leading the squad again today, and being gone this long already is bad enough. I should get going."

"If it helps, I can write you a note, so Misaki knows where you were at?" The nurse insisted.

"Oh no, it's fine, really." I heard the crunching of the candy wrapper as she grabbed onto the armrests of the chair.

I handed the clipboard back to the nurse while I watched the other girl stand up with a confused look on her face.

"Well then, Mr. Hyuuga, follow me into the next room so we can get you checked out." The nurse hugged the clipboard in her arms and walked away into the next room over.

I turned to leave without saying anything, but the girl next to me stopped me mid-turn. "Wait-" I looked back at her to notice her clutching the lollipop in both her hands. "Umm... I-"

"You have something that belongs to me," I finally spoke. Her eyes widened in surprise. "I expect them back tomorrow."

She nodded her head speechless and tried to hide her expression instead.

Without saying anything more, I turned to leave for the next room.

Now then, let's see what my real damage is…

Mikan's POV

"Mikan, can't you just eat the damn thing? You've been fiddling with it since we got here!" Nonoko shouted since the blow dryer being used on her hair was much louder than her.

I didn't say anything and continued to twirl the lollipop in my hands while I waited for Anna and Nonoko at the hair salon.

This- he was giving me this. He wanted to cheer me up! How could I eat this? Call me weird, but I was seriously considering keeping it instead.

I smiled thinking more into it.

"Look at her." Anna's voice called out to Nonoko. "She's smiling at a simple candy." Anna giggled.

Nonoko Smiled. "I think it's the thought behind it that's got her looking like this."

"You think so? Then that means someone must have given it to her..." Anna clued in.

"Oh, I know!" Both Anna and Nonoko chimed at the same time.

"Mikan?" Anna's voice caught my attention.

I had totally zoned out on everything they were talking about, "Yeah?"

"Ruka gave that to you, didn't he?"

Huh? No wait. "What-"

"No wonder you're holding it like that." Anna winked at me from the mirror in front of her.

They think Ruka gave this to me?

"So a lollipop can have so much meaning to you because he gave it to you?" Nonoko asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.

I looked down at the candy in my hands making me smile yet again. "Crazy, right?"

"Why don't you tell him how you feel already?" Anna also jumped into the questioning.

"Tell who how I feel?" I looked up confused. Wait, "What?" Did I earnestly ask that?

I looked at the confused stares both Anna and Nonoko were directing towards me.

"You gotta be kidding me." Nonoko was first to speak.

"Mikan, Ruka didn't give you that, did he?" Anna's face went from confused to sad.

Me, on the other hand, I seriously didn't know what to say. I was confused enough as it was for questioning myself for something so small.

I...I... "Guys, uh- umm how much is it for highlights in this place?" I quickly stood up and avoided the question. "I'm gonna go check."

I could feel their eyes following my every step.

Sorry hair...

Chapter 1 END

This chapter continues to need a lot of work, but I work with no beta and it's just me working on this, so I hope its not so bad anymore. Thanks for reading and I'll continue to update the next chapters soon.

I didn't really how much work this was going to be until I noticed spending at least 3 or 4 hours on each chapter trying to repair damages.

Follow, like, review, even PM. Let me know if you spot any cringy errors so I can go back and make more corrections.

Thanks.