So I just updated Starting Over Again please go on over and R&R ;) And also I've adopted Katherine Kalissa Amara's story "Probability" so please R&R that one too! Chapter two for that is next on my story cycle update.

And now I'm updating this. I'm sorta on a roll despite the busy days at work. Thank you all for being patient!

xoxo Lexi1989

Previously:

"Ruka, I can explain." She said, reaching out to him with her hand but he brushed her off.

"No need. I've seen everything I need to see. Don't talk to me ever again."

She felt the weight of the world on her shoulders as he walked away. She'd feared his reaction should he find out the truth. Sadly, she was busted before she could even come clean.

CHAPTER 16: ACCOUNTABILITY

Classes resumed the next day but with a gloomy atmosphere. It was another day yet again that Mikan was in the center of controversy and rumors on campus. However, she was still at the hospital and no news was released of her status.

Their homeroom teacher, Narumi, entered the classroom with a grim expression which was very much unlike him. He cleared his throat to get everyone in the room to settle down. Ruka was noticeably absent, well to Hotaru anyway, and he would not answer her calls, texts, or instant messages. Natsume was present but barely listening as he sat in the back row alone.

"In light of recent events, the school board is conducting an investigation on the incident yesterday. I ask anyone who knows any information of the culprit's identity to approach me after homeroom."

"Sorry I'm late." All eyes turned towards the door where Sumire Shouda stood without a care in the world. She sauntered in and took her seat as if nothing unusual had happened the day before.

"So as I was saying. Please approach me at the faculty room if you have any useful information about the incident yesterday. We are waiting on news for our student council president's status so I will let you know if we have updates. Free period." Narumi announced before leaving the room. The moment he closed the door, the whispers amongst the students in the classroom began.

"I heard they plan to cancel the Gold Homecoming Ceremony.."

"They say someone already knows the culprit.."

"But Mikan's so nice. Who would have it out for her?"

The members of the student council belonging to the same homeroom class were bombarded by questions but kept silent. They had conducted an emergency meeting yesterday for those who were present at the venue, after Mikan was taken to the hospital, and after consulting Narumi, they were told not to divulge any information that they knew.

The murmurs stopped when a loud screech was heard from the back. Natsume was dragging his chair away from his desk, the legs scraping the tiled floor making everyone wince. He stood up, put his hands in his pockets and began to walk towards the door. Hotaru stood up as he passed by her and followed him as the rest of the class silently trailed them with their eyes until they closed the door behind them.

"What do you know?" Hotaru wasted no words as soon as they were out of earshot from the classroom.

"Why would I tell you? So you can lie to Ruka again?" He fired back.

"This has nothing to do with Ruka so keep that issue out of this. I'm asking you if you know who did it. You went after them yesterday, right?"

"Hnnn.." He walked past her without another word, lost in his own thoughts.

"This is bad." He recognized the voice. He'd heard it before.

"Shut up! We have to get out of here before somebody sees us."

"C'mon let's go this way." He heard their footsteps getting nearer. He stepped out behind where he was hiding making them shriek in surprise.

He came face to face with two girls he knew very well.

Luna Koizumi and her best friend Shizune Yamanochi.

"What is the meaning of this, Luna?" He could barely keep his anger in check. He clenched his hands into fists, fighting the urge to hit the wall.

"Go, Shizune. I'll take care of this." Luna kept her cool while she ushered Shizune who scampered away.

"Natsume I- I – can explain.." Luna was trying to reach out to him but he brushed her away.

"Then explain! You cast me away the moment you found some other guy to play around with. Then you scheme around with Shouda and now this. What the hell are you doing?"

"I – I realized I wanted you back."

"Well you could have just talked to me about it!" He was struggling to keep his voice down but he failed miserably.

"How could I? You were with her!" There was no mistaking the venom in her voice when Luna talked about Mikan.

"You didn't have to scheme to hurt her! You know me, Luna. We've been together since freshman year!"

"I didn't want it to go this far. Sumire said it would be harmless."

"Why the fuck do you need to follow her orders? Who is she to you?"

"She's my cousin, Natsume. We've been estranged for so long and when she approached me trying to make amends, I couldn't refuse her. And like I said, I wanted you back. I just didn't know how to do it. She promised me that after the dances, she would return you to me." She was crying now. She knew how he hated to see her cry. She had always been used to him giving in whenever she cried. But this time he could not be swayed.

"I don't fucking care. And to tell you honestly, I don't even want think I want to get back together with you anymore. Not after all this shit you pulled!" She kept reaching out to him but he maneuvered his way out of her reach.

"I'm sorry. Okay? I'm so sorry."

"Sorry's not going to cut it, Luna. Your stupid prank sent Mikan to the hospital! NO! Sorry's not good enough for you to get away with all of this."

"You fell in love with her, didn't you?" Her words made him look up at her. She had hit the nail right in the head. He fell for his own scam. Now everything was fucked up. It was all because he'd agreed to the stupid scam in the first place. If he had simply refused, none of this would have happened.

He turned his back on her despite her calling out his name. He had no more words for her. All he could think of now, was that all of this was his fault.

"Attention. The following students called, please report to the Student Council's Office immediately."

"Natsume Hyuuga"

"Luna Koizumi"

"Shizune Yamanochi"

Natsume was the first to rise from his chair and proceed to the door without sparing anyone a glance, followed by Luna, who was quite panic-stricken. Shizune who was from a different class, joined them as they trudged silently in the hallway.

The atmosphere in the Student Council's office was tense as they arrived. The high ranking Student Council Officers were assembled. Yuu was named interim Student Council President and was presiding over the meeting. Hotaru was there with Misaki and Sumire. Also in attendance, were their respective homeroom teachers, Narumi and Misaki for Shizune's class, as was the high school principal, Himemiya, and the school district representative, Shiki Masachika.

With a nod from the principal, Yuu started the meeting.

"Are you aware of why you are being called here today?" He asked the three with a stern look. Yuu was a nice guy but he could be scary when angry.

"I would imagine it has something to do with the incident yesterday." Natsume answered dryly.

"Are you somewhat implying that we are responsible for what happened?" Luna expressed mock outrage, interrupting the calm yet tense atmosphere inside the room.

"No, Luna. We know you were responsible for what happened yesterday. So it's better for you to tell the truth than continue with this farce." Hotaru responded in her own outburst which was unusual for the stoic A/V Club President. Natsume remained tight-lipped throughout the debate.

"Give me the proof. You can't pin anything on us."

"Oh I have enough proof Luna. Shall we review the school surveillance tapes backstage?" Hotaru gestured towards a small flat screen monitor perched near Yuu's spot. She aimed the remote, at the monitor but before she could press the button, Shizune stepped forward much to Luna's displeasure.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean for things to go the way they did. They told me it would be a harmless prank!"

"They?" The principal was quick to pick up and looked curiously towards the crying girl.

"Luna and Sumire." Gasps of shock came from the faculty present in the room whilst the Student Council members found it to no surprise.

"THAT IS A LIE! YOU'RE JUST TRYING TO PUT THE BLAME ON SOMEONE ELSE!" Sumire lost her composure and shrieked at Shizune who was still sobbing at the thought of expulsion. Luna also exploded in return, pointing her finger at Sumire.

"YOU'RE THE LIAR HERE. YOU COME TO ME, PRETEND TO MAKE PEACE AFTER ABANDONING ME FOR HOW MANY YEARS AND THEN LEAVE ME AGAIN NOW TO SUFFER? WELL TO HELL WITH YOU SUMIRE SHOUDA, IF I'M GOING DOWN, THEN YOU'RE GOING DOWN WITH ME!"

Natsume had been smart enough to anticipate this kind of confrontation and quickly held back Luna who was trying to get to Sumire. Yuu did the same when Sumire made another step towards the two accused students.

"That is enough." The principal thought it was wise to completely intervene and take over; sensing that the longer the ruckus goes on, the likelihood of rumors would spread from outside the door.

"Sit down all of you. We will discuss this in a civilized manner." The principal nodded as the students quieted down and waited for her to speak. She approached each girl and spoke to them directly.

"Miss Yamanochi, I appreciate you coming forward and confessing your part in this incident. You made a stupid mistake. But a weighty one. Regardless your remorse, you were still fully aware of the act that you committed." Shizune bowed her head down in shame.

"Miss Koizumi, I've seen your performance in this school for the past few years. Your list of absences in class are lengthy as Miss Yamanochi's yet both of you perform above averagely in tests and examinations. I am so disappointed in what you've done."

"And out of all the people in this room, I didn't expect you of all people to be the mastermind in all this, Miss Shouda. And to think you are a student council member…" Sumire protested as she heard the words.

"But I had no part in this! Believe me! These two are trying to make me their scapegoat!" The principal gave her a knowing look.

"Is that your final say in the matter? I recommend you to think about this before you answer. As your demeanor will be taken into account once we confirm the verity of what happened during this incident and who caused it." The principal gestured to the video that was yet to be played on the monitor.

When she received no answer, the principal asked Hotaru to play the video. The video was grainy, and the audio was slightly muted but still audible, as expected of typical surveillance tapes. All eyes were glued to the screen as it showed Natsume confronting the two girls.

"Natsume I- I – can explain.."

"Then explain! You cast me away the moment you found some other guy to play around with. Then you scheme around with Shouda and now this. What the hell are you doing?"

"I – I realized I wanted you back."

"Well you could have just talked to me about it!"

"How could I? You were with her!"

"You didn't have to scheme to hurt her! You know me, Luna. We've been together since freshman year!"

"I didn't want it to go this far. Sumire said it would be harmless."

"Why the fuck do you need to follow her orders? Who is she to you?"

"She's my cousin, Natsume. We've been estranged for so long and when she approached me trying to make amends, I couldn't refuse her. And like I said, I wanted you back. I just didn't know how to do it. She promised me that after the dances, she would return you to me."

"I don't fucking care. And to tell you honestly, I don't even want think I want to get back together with you anymore. Not after all this shit you pulled!"

"I'm sorry. Okay? I'm so sorry."

"Sorry's not going to cut it, Luna. Your stupid prank sent Mikan to the hospital! NO! Sorry's not good enough for you to get away with all of this."

"You fell in love with her, didn't you?"

Hotaru stopped the video, knowing there was nothing more to show. Natsume sat, hard faced and silent while the two other girls sobbed beside him. Sumire was shaking, yet said nothing, knowing whatever she said would no longer be believed.

"Mister Hyuuga, though you seem to be in the center of this controversy, it is clear you are not the one who instigated this so you and the student council members with the exception of Miss Shouda may now leave." The principal then looked sternly towards the three girls seated.

"As for the three of you, we will be calling in your parents and in the case of Miss Yamanochi, her guardian, to discuss what happened and the appropriate punishment. Please bear in mind that this incident is basis expulsion. We will have to deliberate heavily on this with your parents and the school board."

Yuu, Misaki, and Hotaru were gathering their notes and on the way to the door but Natsume stood rooted to the spot.

"Mr. Hyuuga, if you weren't paying attention, I believe I already informed you that you are to return to your class."

"No. I have something I want to say." He said, looking straight into the principal's eyes.

"None of this would have happened if it weren't for me. Like you mentioned, I am in the center of this controversy and it would not be fair to them, especially to Shizune, to let them all take the consequences. So please, let me take responsibility for where it not for my decisions on certain matters, they wouldn't have been led to do these things to Mikan. In fact, I request for you to at least just provide consideration for Shizune in this matter, she has been directly involved but she was goaded into it. Don't expel her."

"Chivalrous, Mr. Hyuuga, however irrelevant. They were fully aware of their actions and as I see it, they did not initially intend to physically harm Miss Yukihira, they still ended up injuring her. Not to mention, these scandalous flyers that are considered to be defamation of Miss Yukihira's character. I stand by what I said. This is a valid case for expulsion. We will be discussing the matter with those directly involved and their parents, but if you insist, you may bring your parents along and join us."

"Ok." He responded.

"Are you sure about this Mr. Hyuuga, taking responsibility for this is not something you can take back once we have decided." A final warning given.

"I'm sure."

END OF CHAPTER 16

Ok, so basing on your reviews, most of you thought it was Luna and Sumire who threw the eggs on Mikan. Well, I sorta mislead you on there. One of them was Luna but the other wasn't Sumire. Didn't mean Sumire wasn't behind it though. XD just a shake up on a predictable plot XD

And the threat of expulsion is hanging on their heads.. Stay tuned for what happens next!

newroz – I wasn't planning on getting to that intense moment either. It just sorta happened in my mind.

animegirl no 1 - Sorry it took awhile. Real life adulting sucks lol.. and thank you. I had to channel an inner bitch moment to get that part the way I wanted it to be. Like a huge burn on Sumire's ego. Lol.

N Risa – So deeply sorry for making you wait. And yeah, school/work does get in the way of the good things we have in life. So we have to take it one day at a time to get through this. I'm thankful I have a sorta slightly slow day at work so I was able to write this chapter. Less than 8 hours to get this chapter up. LoL. That must count for something right?

Kiran Nanami – Thank you for the good luck. I seem to be having a couple of slow days this week hence I was able to write up this chappie! Enjoy!

Millie – well yeah, I never intended for her to be the real enemy but with all the stories having Luna as the major villain, I guess I just wanted to change it up a bit ;)

Anilissa – Yeah, my mind is brimming with ideas but I'm holding off until I can get a couple of these stories done. I'm still facing a mental block as to how Secrets ends. Hahaha And I've put it in pending for the meantime.

Derp1Derp2 – The Rukaru plotline will be expounded on a few chapters from now so don't worry. No guarantees on the outcome though, you'll have to wait and read when I get there so stay tuned ;)

pennYnnep – I know! Kids nowadays! Haha. And Mikan is MIA as of the moment. So her status is in the balance. Definitely someone's getting expelled.. or maybe not. We'll see so stay tuned!

badasschick404 aka Bubble4T – no worries at all my dear. You've been a badass follower for quite some time now and I'm grateful you still stuck with me and my stories ;) Greatly appreciate the quick review! :* Looking forward to the revision of Perfectly Imperfect!

deviedra – So the question now is, what's Hotaru going to do about it? XD

ToukaKaneki Ulle – Hope your exams went well! And yeah I struggled with Science and Math when I was still studying so I feel ya. Sorry for making you wait for the update. Enjoy!

YoNaMe – Hopefully RukaRu will pull through, they still have a lot to talk about if (and only if) Ruka decides to talk to Hotaru.

lychiis – of course I would spend time to write a lengthy reply! I put my readers first always and want to make sure you guys aren't confused at how the story is going! And yeah, drama, drama, drama..

LIKER234 – Thank you so much! Sorry for the wait and enjoy this chapter!

So story cycle update:

Probability (ADOPTED/NEW) - Philophobia - Secrets - Fairie Tales - Starting Over Again - The Scam

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Ja Ne!

xoxo Lexi1989