A/N: Warning: Long chapter. Please read till the end. And don't forget to review. It means so much to me.

-----------------------------------------

When The World Was Turned Upside Down

Written by: Sorrowful Princess

-----------------------------------------

Chapter 7: Just the Beginning

-----------------------------------------

Fifteen minutes had already passed and yet, the two were still looking, penetrating each other's gaze. They hadn't moved an inch from their respective positions, and nobody was daring to utter a single word. It's not like they're still shock or anything. They weren't just in the mood to do anything else yet... except to stare. Or maybe, they just simply want to stare.

A guy with pink hair (pink hair?! Hmm, suspicious haha.) happened to pass by at them and he also happened to be one of the audience/mob who was watching the phenomenon a little earlier. Let's not jump to conclusions. He did not go there to watch again. God knows how he values his life. It's just that his classroom was rooted along this hallway and he left his lunch box (he makes lunch for himself because I say so haha) and now he was going back to get it.

But... as he stared at the two, he can't help but to stop on his tracks and... watch. What else could he do? His camera was dead now, so there's no way he could catch the following scenes on film. Right?

'At least, my memory won't be dead,' he thought, then added, 'as long as my body lives...'

He stared for about another 5 minutes but still, the couple lay unmoving. Okay, implying the word 'couple' was a little... dangerous. Considering that it was Natsume Hyuuga being referred to as having the girl part in the said word. And Natsume Hyuuga was just... well, he could burn you if he wishes.

'But he's a gay now... and he's already soften. I don't think he would want to burn someone hot like me. Who knows, he might have a crush on me but eeeww.. who wants a gay for a girlfriend? Or rather, a gayfriend?' he shuddered. He was letting his mind rant and rant inside him. And he mentally said eeeww... Shouldn't we be the one to say that when he said he was 'hot'? Oh, how much effort I had implied just to not puke. I won't describe how he really looks like. You might faint in disgust.

Finally, one of those two had stirred. The one who moved was the crimson-eyed flame caster. And the pink-haired guy hid more discreetly so that he won't be seen snooping at their conversation.

"Hey, my body's already going numb!" he whined and Ruka came back to reality---I mean, nightmare world---with the sound of his voice. "Aren't we going to stretch our muscles?"

He saw Ruka's funny look and corrected himself. "Okay, okay. I wasn't referring to morning exercise, you know. I just meant we should move. 'Cuz if we don't move, I think we'll turn to a complete structure here."

Ruka sighed. His best friend had a point. Standing here and doing nothing was just plain stupid. And could you guess why he doesn't want to move? Yup, you got it right. He's afraid that when they leave this hallway and turn for another curb, they would encounter a pack of student---which he was sure was busy talking about them and their scandal---and, of course, once they see the topic of their cheesy little talk, they would laugh. And there's nothing more that could save Ruka from embarrassment.

This was the safest place for Ruka at the moment. After all, no one's with them for the Ice Princess had sent death threats to all of the students who dared to stay here and watch. So yeah, this place, the hallway, was pretty deserted. At least, that was what he thought, completely oblivious to the pink-haired freak eyeing them from a distance.

"Hey Ruka! Could you at least talk?!" Natsume whined again, demanding a response from his best friend.

Ruka sighed again. "You got me into a real mess, Natsume."

"What mess?" the flame caster played dumb. "You mean our little affair in front of the public?" he laughed. Yeah, much to Ruka's annoyance, he laughed. "Oh, c'mon Ruka! That wasn't so bad!"

"But they saw us kiss each other! That Imai made you kiss me in public! In PUBLIC, Natsume!" Ruka fought to control his rage. After all, his best friend had just turned gay and he was taking into consideration the difficulties his best friend had encountered to just 'come out' and reveal his true self.

'Wait, what was I thinking?! My best friend wasn't gay! There's just something wrong with him... and I smell something very, very, very fishy.' the animal-boy corrected himself, fighting for his fate not to vanish. And that faith was that his best friend was STILL a man and that something strange and weird had just got into him, turning him to be 'gaylike' - but not at all gay.

"Yeah, but what's wrong with kissing? Friends kiss each other, don't they?" Ah, he was as dense as Mikan had been.

Ruka groaned in exasperation. "Kiss had different meanings and those meanings depend on how a person looks at them! Don't you see, Natsume? They thought we had some kind of forbidden relationship!" he paused, "And remember what you did?! You cried and you were angry at Imai as well! You were angry because you had kissed me and you were embarrassed as much as I was! So now, why are you telling me that it wasn't so bad when, in fact, it was?!" he ranted. Oh, how talkative Ruka can be when embarrassment kicks in haha.

'Now they're having an LQ (Lovers' quarrel)... Oh, how romantic. Yuck.' the pink-haired guy thought in disgust, commenting at every line the two was throwing off but I didn't bother to write them all. Too lazy.

Natsume quirked an eyebrow. "Hey wait, I cried? I actually did?" Now he was being an idiot. He held up his finger to his chin and thought thoroughly, reminiscing at what happened earlier, confirming if he really had cried.

Ruka gaped in shock. 'How could he forget a thing that happened less than 30 minutes ago?' he asked himself in disbelief.

Finally, Natsume brought his eyes back to him and said, "Oh yeah! I cried! But it wasn't because I was embarrassed at our kiss! I cried because the bump her baka gun had produced in my head hurts, and because she didn't even tell me that she was planning to hit me all along. You know, if she had at least told me, I would've worn a helmet to prevent the bump. And I also cried because I knew she would get lots of money from capturing our kiss but would refuse to at least give me some share! I want a salary, you know!"

With that, Ruka stiffened. He can't believe what he had just heard. 'What the hell was he talking about?' he thought desperately in his head. Salary?! Why the hell would a special-star guy like Natsume want a salary?! He had plenty of cash, for Christ's sake! But then again, the mentality of his best friend was beyond his comprehension. And that mentality just got harder to understand... since the BIG CHANGE.

"I was proud of our kiss, you know! Even if we're both boys. Well, at first it was awkward. But when we were standing here and doing nothing a little while ago, I concluded that I should not feel embarrassed or anything. Kissing friends was the best thing a friend could do! Right?" the flame caster put up a sweet smile that made Ruka and the pink-haired guy from the distance shudder.

Yeah, so Ruka was speechless. What was he supposed to answer at his best friend's remarks, anyway? Say things like 'oh yeah, I loved the kiss as well! Let's do it again, shall we?' or 'It was the best! Let's tell Imai to do that to us again! Haha!'??

Well, no way was he going to agree at his best friend's perspective. Girls kissing each other was just ok... it was acceptable. But when boy kisses boy, it's absolutely different. He didn't know why was that... and it left a trailing question in his mind.

'Why does boy kissing boy looks so bad? Was it because they look like they were maniac-ing each other?' Okay, now he was turning crazy himself. He shuddered at the thought of him inside a mental hospital, struggling to be freed as he thought of himself as a bird. Wait, what?!

'I'm really going insane! Huhu!' he thought again, his mind screaming the word 'NO'.

But also, there was no way he would disagree from his best friend. He knew it would just lengthen their creepy conversation. And so, he just... sighed. That's all he could do now, it seems.

'This is turning more and more disgusting.' the pink-haired guy thought. 'I just wish they won't see me here. It would be too dangerous...' then he quickly corrected himself. 'Nah... what's dangerous here? Sure, Hyuuga could burn me, but his a gay now. And gays don't hurt men. They love them haha.' he thought smugly. (I want to punch his face right now, but I don't like doing that. His face-virus would sure cling to my hands. And that was just plain eeeewww... Don't you think so? Haha.)

Suddenly, Natsume lifted both of his hands to his neck and cupped them tightly... as if he was being struggled. His face screamed 'pain... and help'. Ruka panicked and became worried. What was going on??

"Natsume! What's wrong?!" he asked frantically.

The flame caster continued struggling, his body trembling and his eyes rolling up so that his irises won't be seen.

Ruka panicked even more. "Natsume! Hey! What's WRONG?!" he was already freaking out.

Shortly, a booming laughter loomed the hallway.

Ruka, startled as he was, didn't know what to do, or what was happening, or what was the cause of his best friend's laughter. He just stared, wide-eyed. Why was he laughing? Wasn't he in pain just a little while ago?

Then it hit him. Shame came across his face.

"You tricked me! How could you?! I thought you were dying or something!" he exclaimed, not at all pleased.

Natsume continued to laugh. "Yup, I tricked you! And you fell for it! You should've seen the look on your face! Haha!"

The blonde animal-lover growled. "That wasn't funny. You almost got me a heart attack! What was that for, huh?!"

"Oh, c'mon, Ruka! Have a little sense of humor!" Since when did Natsume acquired a sense of humor?! "It was just a joke! And besides, I'm thirsty! I knew that 'hey Ruka, I'm thirsty. Let's get a drink' line won't work with you lost in your own thoughts like I wasn't here! And who knows what's in your mind? I guess you were picturing the transformation of ugly duckling into a swan in your head, am I right?" Then he saw the look of his best friend.

"Okay, okay. I was just kidding, you know! It's just that... you were so still and you haven't even uttered a response for me. I thought you had already forgotten me. I just did that to catch your attention haha."

Ruka rolled his eyes. Yup, he actually did that! Usually, Natsume was the hot headed one between the two of them, right? Well, well, well, I guess Ruka had finally got annoyed of his best friend haha. But then again, who wouldn't be annoyed?!

"Huh. So much to catch my attention," he grumbled but Natsume just grinned at him.

"Chill, my friend." Natsume said, earning an annoyed glare from the blonde. Sure enough, Ruka was a nice guy and he rarely gets angry. But... he was kissed in public, humiliated, got laughed at, and then, out of nowhere, Natsume made fun of him. That was just sooo...

'What a perfect day,' he cursed inside his mind.

"Hey, I'm thirsty. Really, I am. Let's get a drink!" the crimson-eyed one said enthusiastically, like it was his first time to buy and drink a drink.

Ruka slapped his forehead. 'Huhu... I had experienced TOO much today. I don't think I could bear to experience more...' he shuddered at the thought of seeing the students inside the cafeteria laugh. And of course, he was the one they're laughing at, saying words like 'hey, here goes the great guy. He loves his best friend so much! So much that he even let him kissed him! Nyay!'.

He shook his head. "I think I'll go back to class now. I'm tired." he said, refusing at Natsume.

Natsume then pouted. "But why?!"

"Because I'm tired."

"Why are you tired?"

"Because a lot had happened. And it was just lunch time, for crying out loud."

"Why did a lot happen?"

"Because you suddenly changed."

"Why did I change?"

"Because--- hey! Why are you asking me those insane questions?! It's making me insane! And everybody looks at me now as insane! But why am I insane?! And now my dialogue was full of the word 'insane!' Oh, I'm hopeless! Huhu!" he began to sulk then, as he realized he was actually going insane NOW.

"Why are you insane?"

"Because--!"

"And why are you hopeless?!"

"Ugh! You're making me crazy!!!" Ruka screamed frantically.

Natsume clung to his arm... just like a pure gay seducing a man...

The pink-haired guy freaked out. 'Okay, I take back what I said. It's dangerous here. Dangerous... in a different way.' he thought as he eyed Natsume's arms that was clung to Ruka's. He didn't like the look of it, because Ruka looked as if he was being harassed by Natsume. And who wants to be harassed by a gay?! A cold shiver ran down his spine as he imagined himself being harassed by a gay. Yep, it was freaking dangerous, no doubt. But then again, who would want to harass a pink-haired arsehole who imagines things too much?! Even a bore won't harass him, I tell you.

"But Ruka!" he whined. "You're my best friend, aren't you? You should go to where I go!"

"Yes, I'm your best friend. But I'm not your babysitter, or chaperone, or anything!"

"Please!"

Ruka had lost all his patience now. Why was his best friend being so cocky? It was hard to deal with. He was hard to deal with.

He sighed for what was about the tenth time, trying to keep his voice low and even. "I want to go to class NOW. If you want a drink, you can get it yourself. Let's just meet later, okay?"

Finally, Natsume resigned.

"Fine, fine. Let's meet up, ok? Haha!"

Ruka nodded and turned away, as he heard his best friend's footsteps going the opposite way. He sighed in relief but still, he was clouded in disbelief. He couldn't believe he would lose patience to his best friend in just a half day. And what's more was...

'Oh shit! He would see me!' the pink-haired guy frantically screamed on his mind as he dashed away from the approaching footsteps of the blonde, stumbling with his own feet in panic. He then vanished by the corner.

And what's more was... he acts kind of Mikan. He was as dense, he was as idiotic, he was as loud, and he was as stubborn and persistent, and he was as cute.

'Ooops, erase the last part. You might jump to WRONG conclusions and I won't be able to bear another freaking event of embarrassment, I swear.' he though defensively as he walked.

But then again, he really acts kind of Mikan.

Suddenly, he thought of a certain raven-haired girl with a pair of stunning, deep, purple eyes, wondering at how she had managed to put up with Mikan all along. Sure, she's nice. And he likes her. But seeing Natsume today---and he still had no idea what's wrong with his best friend, he sighed. AGAIN.

'I sympathize Imai...' he said in his mind.

---------

The Faculty room was deserted since all of the teachers were busy gobbling their lunch in the cafeteria. Well, all, except for a certain frog-loving teacher. He was all alone in the said room by his desk, his ears pressed intently on the phone's receiver while his fingers made a drumming/tapping sound of impatience on his wooden table.

He was sweating hard. And he looked reeaally nervous. Wonder why?

Finally, the other line went to life as a woman's voice spoke.

"Hello?" the woman greeted, unsure.

With the sound of her voice, Jin-jin slightly jump.

'Well, here goes,' he chanted in his mind nervously. But what could possibly make someone like Jinno-sensei nervous??

He gulped, then answered in a very slight voice. "H-Hello?"

"Yes?"

"U-Um," Jinno stuttered. 'What're you doing, Jinno? Don't just say 'uuumm' there! Face her like a man! Cuz your a man!' he screamed in his mind, drawing courage from himself. He took a deep breath and greeted again, "Hello? M-Mama? Mama!"

So it was his mother. His freaking war-freak mother. Jin-jin's heart began to pound the moment he remembered the way his life had been in the hands of his terror mother.

"Wait, who's this?" his mother asked from the other line.

"M-Mama! I-It's me!" Jin-jin replied, totally freaked out. "Mama, where is it?!"

"Where's what? And who's this?"

"It's me!" Jin-jin repeated again.

"Your name is 'me'?"

"NO! Mama, it's me, your son! It's Jinno!"

There was a long pause and this made Jinno more nervous. From the other line, he heard his mom grunted.

"Fuck off, asshole. I know you're not my son and don't you dare use my son's name, you bastard! You're just wasting my freaking time! Go call and fuck someone else, jerk!"

With that, Jinno's body began trembling. His mother's reaction was what he had expected.

"W-Wait, mama! It's really me! I'm Jinno!"

"Shut up, asshole. I'm gonna hang-up. You're not worth my time."

"W-Wait! I just wanna ask you something!" But her mother had already hung-up on him. The line went completely dead. "Hey Mama! Mama!" he called but there was no one in the other line anymore.

Jinno grunted and dialed the number again. He's not going to lose hope. He's gonna talk to his mom and he's gonna ask something very important to her. He's gonna face all his mother's anger and will bear with the rest. That's what he decided before he even lifted this phone.

When he heard someone had picked up, he immediately spoke up. "Mama, please listen!"

He heard his mom growled and he sweatdropped.

"Cocky shit. Don't you call me Mama! I don't even know you!"

"But Mama! It's really me! I'm your son! I'm Jinno! Why don't you believe me?!"

"Oh, so now you're asking why?" he heard his mom took a deep breath. "For you information, my son hasn't called me for over 35 years! He hasn't called even if he's already running out of briefs or something! He never gave me a word since he had stepped inside some stinking academy and I don't freaking know what the name is! He hasn't called even if I give him 50 letters everyday! He has completely forgotten me, that bastard son of mine! And there's no way he's going to call now and there's also no way that he was you because he was a complete dumbass!!! Do you understand me?! Stop pretending that you're him cuz I won't believe you! You can't fool me, dickhead!"

The voice of his mother boomed and Jin-jin's ears bleed. He began to panic.

"No, please! Listen to me! I know I haven't called you for a long time but that's because I'm busy! Look, Mama, I don't want to make you feel bad or anything. I just wanna ask, you know! Just let me ask the goddamn question! It's urgent, Mama! My whole life depends on it!"

He heard his mom snorted. "Urgent my ass, jerk! Fuck yourself!"

"But Mama!"

"Lem'me tell you something. Why don't you just strip yourself naked and run off to a TV station and began advertising 'the dumbass calling show', huh?! You'd fit the role! That way, you can earn some money and you can be a little useful! Show the world how much of an asshole you are!" his mother cursed.

"Enough with the cussing, Mama! Why don't you just believe me?! I AM YOUR SON AND I'M CALLING YOU NOW!"

"Enough with your little ass game, dickhead. You can't fool me."

"BUT...!" Jin-jin groaned, exasperated. "Okay, just let me prove myself to you! Let me prove I'm your son!"

"And how in the fucking world will you do that?!"

Jin-jin paused for a minute, thinking. Then, an idea popped in his head. "I know! I'll tell you things you and I were the only ones who know!"

"You don't know anything, jerk. A complete dumbass does not know anything besides dumbing and a complete asshole doesn't know anything besides fucking."

"Mama, would you just please listen?!! You're giving me a hard time here! Lunch time's almost over and I still haven't asked you what I should ask!"

"Fine. Explain yourself, asshole."

"Oh c'mon, Mama! Stop cussing!"

"I'll cuss whenever I want to and I cuss you because you're fucking worth to be cussed with. Understand?!"

Jin-jin sighed. His mother hadn't changed one bit. He closed his eyes, deep in concentration, and when he opened them again, he roamed it around the little faculty room, making sure he was still alone and that no one would hear what he was about to say. After all, the things he was about to say was not something you hear everyday.

He braced himself then, and exhaled a stressed, heavy breath. Finally, Jin-jin began revealing the revelations.

"Okay, so, um..."

"Get straight to the point, asshole. I don't have much time for this. You're lucky I was actually paying you attention."

"Okay, okay." then his throat tightened. "Um, remember when I was 2? You tied me on a rope and hung me on a tree beside the lake while a crocodile---which was just a foot down my head---was waiting patiently for me to fall off. I cried all day and pleaded but you didn't listen because you told me that I had committed a mortal sin. And that sin was..." Jin-jin hesitated, then decided that he must say this no matter what to make his mother believe him. "And that sin was... well, I played with your make-up and I used your lipstick as a soap but geez! Now that I thought of it, you were cruel to me back then! How could you do such thing to an adorable two-year old kid like me?!"

He didn't wait for his mother's response. He continued to rant on and on.

"Then when I was 3, you hit me with a whip even though I was already poisoned! I was bitten by a snake that time but you said that snakes only bite idiots and that I was a complete idiot the reason why it bit me. But don't you know that the real reason why I was bitten was because I tried to save a group of frogs from being devoured by that merciless snake?! I actually did something heroic and you didn't even acknowledge my greatness!"

The frog beside him croaked, agreeing with him and also trying to say that his parents were once saved by Jin-jin, too. Jinno patted his frog and kissed its forehead (eeww) and whispered, "Thank you, my love. You totally understand me." HuwAaAaTt?!! My LOVE?!!! Freaking Jin-jin's in love with a frog?! What a fucking revelation!

He continued his story telling then.

"I had once liked a cockroach when I was four. And you told me that it was dirty and all and that I should dump it and kill it but I refused! I love that cockroach! He was so tiny and vulnerable and CUTE! He was cute, mama! But then, I found him dead and crushed under your slipper one day! How could you do such thing to me, Mama?! Didn't you realize that you had crushed my heart the moment you had crushed my little 'krichy'?!" A tear formed on Jin-jin's eyes and a slimy, greenish, liquid escaped from his nose. (eeeww again.) He noticed this and quickly pulled out his handkerchief. He blew hard. (A/N: can't believe he was actually obsessed on a cockroach once hahaha)

He heard his mom chuckle on the other line. A vein popped on Jin-jin's head.

"What's funny with what I said, Mama?! It was all true, wasn't it?! You had killed all my pets when I was just a kid! You killed limy (leech), you killed cracky (cricket), you killed johnson (janitor fish), and the next thing I knew you killed my little white worm named Cindy! How could you, Mama?! I loved them all! They were my only friends and yet.. and yet!"

His mother continued to chuckle. "Oh c'mon, don't be such a baby. Those you call pets were nothing but pests, you know! Haha!"

Jinno groaned again. He knew her mother believes him now. But he doesn't want to stop ranting yet. He had a lot more to say, all that was piled up in his heart should be released.

"And remember when you discovered I was the one using your stockings?! You grounded me! And I say grounded, because that's what you really did to me! You plugged a thousand volts into my body and I was electrified and you were laughing like a maniac! Damn, what a mother! You actually made me eat a lightning!"

Sparks appeared in his background as bolts of lightning threatened to come out from him. What a freak. Haha.

"Then... Then!" Okay, so he had said the things he wanted to say to his mother. Things he wanted to complain but now, he was going to admit a crime. A very serious crime.

His voice came a little low this time. "Um, remember when you caught dad hiding a bra in his closet? You thought it belonged to another woman and you thought he was cheating on you but the truth is"---sniff, sniff---"I-I-I.... It was MINE!!! That bra was mine! I bought it from a nearby store and... wait, wait! Don't jump to conclusions! Just because I owned a bra doesn't mean that I'm gay! I-I'm just curious, you know! On why women wear bra! I was just curious! And I just want to experience the feeling of having to wear it even once so..." he trailed off as he sensed a black aura slipping from the phone's receiver.

His mom's dark atmosphere was actually reaching him! He gulped and sweatdropped.

'Oh no...' he thought in his mind.

"Mama, wait! I can explain..."

"JINNO, YOU BASTARD!!!" his mother shouted and Jin-jin's eardrums flew out from his ears. "So that bra was yours, huh?! Didn't you know what your father and I have been through just because of that fucking bra?! YOu little---!"

"I'm sorry! I was just a kid back then, and I didn't really know what I was doing! You can understand as much, can't you?!" Jin-jin defended.

"You're really...! Fucking shit! You, Jinno, have made such a big mistake back there! The next time I see you, you're dead!" his mom threatened.

"Oh c'mon, mama! Let's just leave the past behind! We can't do anything about it anymore, can we? What's done is done. Let's move on!"

There was a long pause again, longer than the first. He then heard his mom sighed an exasperated sigh.

"You're lucky I wasn't there to where you are. If I was, you'll regret calling to me."

"I know," he answered, trying to be calm. "That's why I didn't tell you where I really was." then Jin-jin threw out a triumphant short laugh.

"You won't laugh for long, you dumbass son of mine. Once I find you, you won't see the sun anymore."

"Mama, enough with the threats. I'm gonna ask you something."

"Whatever."

"Okay, um, so, Mama..." he gulped as another streak of nervousness hit him. "W-Where is it?"

"Geez... Where's what?! Can't you at least tell me what you were looking for?"

"Y-You know i-it! You really do! Now tell me, Mama, where is it?!"

"WHERE'S WHAT?! DAMMIT JINNO, JUST SAY THE FUCKING THING!"

"Okay, okay! I was just looking for... you know... the um, ... t-the.."

"You got 5 seconds and I'm outta here." his mother warned.

Jin-jin took a deep breath. "I-I.. I was just looking for the SKIRT!!! W-Where is it?!"

"Skirt?! What skirt?!"

"Oh c'mon, Mama! You know it! The one I wore when I was little! The one I hid in my closet!"

Silence. Jin-jin waited. Then...

"Ah! Skirt! I remember now!"

Jin-jin's face brightened. "R-Really? Where is it?!"

"I burned it."

With that, the world shattered like broken glasses and disappeared. A tear formed on Jin-jin's eyes again.

"W-What?" he asked.

"Are you deaf? I said I burned it."

"B-But why?!! That skirt means a lot to me, Mama!"

"Oh no, it does not. It was your sister's not yours. And besides, why would you want something girly like that?! I thought you're not gay?!"

"I really am not b-but!"

"I have no time for your sulking moment, Jinno. I have to go. What's done is done. Just move on cuz if you don't, it means you're a complete asshole. And don't forget I would be looking for you. Hide while you still can. But you won't be able to run away from your loveable mother, that's for sure. So... see yah, my bastard son. Cherish your last days! Haha!"

And with that, the line went dead. Jin-jin didn't care about the threat, though. His mind was on other thing. He put the receiver down and went to a corner, sulking. He fell to his knees and from his eyes, a fountain of tears gushed out.

"M-My skirt! M-My precious little skirt was burned! It was gone! Huhu!"

So Jin-jin was busy sulking and all when suddenly, Misaki-sensei entered the faculty room. Misaki-sensei saw the Emo Jin-jin and sweatdropped.

'W-What the hell...?' he thought in his mind.

"The world's so unfair... how could such thing happen? It was so cruel!" Jin-jin cried like a maniac.

Misaki-sensei then walked towards him slowly. "Oi, what's with you, Jinno-sensei?"

In just a tick of a second, Jinno was already in front him as his hands were on his shoulders, shaking him frantically.

"H-Have you... Have you ever lost something so precious to you? Do you know the feeling like the world has betrayed you?!"

"Hey, take your hands off me, Jinno-sensei! You're a mess!" Misaki said, horror stricken. He didn't know what to do in such a scene.

"Have you, Misaki-sensei? Have you ever once lost something so important to you?" Jinno continued to sulk. Damn. Haha.

Misaki sweatdropped. He was puzzled. Jinno sense's words didn't make sense to him.

"W-What're you talking about?! Cut off this crap, Jinno-sensei! Class is about to start! I need to go!"

Jinno tightened his grip.

"No! You can't leave me here! I can't bear to be alone in this world again!"

"What the hell! You're insane, Jinno! Let go!"

"No! You must understand! I'm mourning for something that I've lost! It hurts so much, Misaki-sensei!" Again, a slimy, greenish liquid, slipped from Jinno's nose. Misaki was disgusted. Then, much to his horror, the frog teacher suddenly grabbed his sleeve and blew his nose on it! EeEeew!!!!

"Dammit, Jinno!" Misaki panted, pissed off. "This is fucking gross!"

But Jin-jin wasn't listening. "I should've taken it with me. I should have protected it! But I was irresponsible! And now… and now! The skirt of my precious childhood was gone!!!"

With that, Misaki freaked out. "What did you say? A skirt?! Holy crow, Jinno! What's happening to you?!"

"I loved it very much... It was my favorite!"

Misaki sweatdropped. This doesn't feel so good. Something's up to that frog-teacher and it's making his hair stand up. He had to get away before anything bad happens.

"U-Um, Jinno-sensei. I-I really need to go. L-Let's just talk later."

"No, you're not going anywhere, sensei."

"But I really have to...!" Just then, he saw Jin-jin sparked up. His eyes were hid behind his bangs and he was trembling.

'Uh-oh... not good…!' Misaki thought as he frantically tried to get away. When he had finally managed to wreck himself from Jin-jin's hold, it was too late.

"I SAID YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!!!" Jin-jin shouted and suddenly, the whole room was covered in a blinding light and a stunning strike.

Before he knew it, Misaki-sensei was already on the ground, his hair a rumple mess as it became spike-like disordered hair-style, his body flopping wildly on the floor. Yep, he was electrified... badly.

Jinno then came to him, his face no longer crying, no longer moping, but instead, a devilish look was plastered on his face as an evil smile played along the corners of his lips.

"Now, do you still want to go, Misaki-sensei?" he asked in a mocked tone as his eyes glowed red and as he laughed like an insane maniac.

Misaki froze in horror. A little while ago, he was crying like hell and now, he was laughing like a mad man?!

Oh My God... Jin-jin has just turned crazy. Yea. Haha.

-----------------------------------

Meanwhile...

The flame caster found a vending machine. He didn't want to go to the cafeteria just to drink. It was way too far. So he will just have to do with a mere vending machine. He fished some coins from his pocket and stared at the said machine for two whole minutes.

'Hmm... I wonder what I should buy...' he thought as his finger was on his chin, seemingly deep in concentration. 'Hmmm...'

Just then, he found something interesting. He stared at the subject of his interest and quirked an eyebrow.

"Orange-strawberry juice??" he said to himself, gawking at the pink and orange coloured can. "Hmm… I wonder how it tastes like. I mean, it's not like I find this kind of juice flavor everyday, you know." He continued as if he was talking to someone near him though, in fact, he was all alone.

"Yosh! I'll buy it!" he then put the coin in the machine slit, pushed the button, and waited for the juice to fall of.

Nothing came out.

"Hey! What the hell...?" he exclaimed as he pushed the button over and over again. "Give me my juice!" he demanded.

But of course, no matter how much he whines, the machine won't give it. So he decided to just put another coin.

When he had already put the 2nd coin, he pushed the button again and waited for his juice.

Still, nothing came out. Pissed off, he clenched his fist as he pushed the button over and over again. "Hey!!! This machine's challenging me! Give me my juice, you shit!" he exclaimed, pounding on the Vending machine's glass. It didn't budge.

"Fine, if that's what you want, I won't give up! I'm gonna get my juice, you'll see!" he fished out another coin and repeated the process. But nothing came out.

"Mou..! I'm not gonna lose!" He put another coin.

And another.

And another.

And another.

And another.

And another.

STILL, nothing freaking came out. Natsume's face reddened with anger. He had no more coins left. He left his money at his room this morning.

"You stupid--! Give me my juice! Give me my juice! You stupid coin monster!" He pounded and kicked and punched the vending machine but the said machine didn't even had a scratch for it was made specially to be strong enough to stand any alice which would try to harm it.

Natsume stood in a fighting stance. His eyes screaming bloody murder. He clenched his fists hard and shouted, "YOU'RE DEAD!!!" and lunged for the machine. He threw fireballs and even used his greatest technique called the 'fire tornado' but there was it, still standing, and much to Natsume's annoyance, it didn't even budge. It was an alice proof thing. Natsume growled in frustration.

"I want my juice! I want my juice! Give it to me, you greedy coin monster! Give it to me!!!" he whined, completely oblivious to the fact that someone was watching him. "I just want a drink! Was that so much to ask?! How could you do this to me, machine-san?! How could you be so cruel?! Give me my juice!!! Huhu!"

Natsume started to cry waterfalls. He wanted his juice that badly. Suddenly, he heard a soft thud. A pink-orange coloured can rolled to him. He stopped crying and stared at it for a while. Then it him. He picked the can and hugged it tightly to his chest.

"My juice! My juice!" he cheered merrily, like it was his first time ever having to see and touch and own a juice. One second he was crying waterfalls and then the other he was sparkling with glee like an idiot. This person has a very dangerous mood-complex. He changes moods too fast. Yeah, no doubt haha.

He began drinking it. And there was no way he's going to deny that it actually tastes good. And that it was actually quite addictive. He then vowed to buy another one after class.

He began to walk off back to class. Suddenly, he remembered something and took the other course, away from the classroom.

'I had to do something first...' he said in his mind as he ran.

-----

Along the pathway of Sakura trees, the flame caster stopped when he saw what he was looking for. She was there; her back leaned on the trees trunk while her eyes were glued to her manga, as she rested ever so peaceful under its shades. Natsume walked to the brunette and stood beside her.

"Hey," he called, smiling. "Can I sit here?"

The brunette smirked. "Hn. Whatever."

Natsume sat and stared above for a while. The birds were chirping softly and a few streak of sunlight managed to slip from the shield of the leaves. The wind was gentle, and the scent of it was fresh and relaxing. He closed his eyes.

"It's nice here," he commented. "Is that why you're always in this place?"

"..."

"Hey, I'm talking to you. Won't you at least respond?"

"I thought you just want to sit?!"

"Yeah, but I also wanna talk, you know."

Mikan rolled her eyes. "Talk to yourself then. Don't involve me in your idiocy."

A wave of annoyance suddenly hit the flame caster. He stood up and put his hands on his waist, his eyebrows raised. "Hey! How could you be so mean?! I'm trying to be nice out here!" he whined.

"Nobody told you to be nice." was Mikan's cold reply, not bothering to even look at the flame caster. This made the flame caster more annoyed.

"Why do you always act like an ass?! How could you be so---!" his words were suddenly brought up short when a strong gush of wind blew. His hair became messy then.

When the strong breeze had finally subsided, Mikan smirked. "You were saying...?"

"Oh, oh yeah. How could you be so inconsiderate?! I'm trying to be as nice as possible but you just have to ruin the moment away! Didn't you even realize that was the reason why you were alone here?! You should be grateful to me that I even bother talking to you like this!"

Mikan smirked again. "Who would be grateful to someone who wears disgusting, checkered briefs?"

"C-Checkered... b-brief??" Natsume stuttered as his eyes widened in shock. "Y-You peeped?!!" he accused, his tone a pitch higher.

Mikan shrugged, "Not really. You showed it to me."

Suddenly, Natsume began trembling as his face flushed all red. His eyes were so damn deadly and he was clenching his fists. "Y-You.." he started, and Mikan didn't pay attention to him. "POLKA-DOTS, YOU PERVERT!!!" he shouted, steams gushing out from his ears and nose. The ground literally shook with the sound of his voice.

"Pervert? Am not. You are the pervert one, jerk. Were you really so desperate to get me?! Showing your undies to me like that proves your undying feelings for me. Would you really go that far?" the brunette taunted, not at all affected by the flame caster's dark aura. (Haha a very familiar scene)

"I didn't show it! You peeped on it! You're such a pervert, polka-dots!" Natsume defended; his face still red.

"Don't pass your pervert-ness to me. And why are you getting so worked up? I should be the one that's furious, you know. I should be the one yelling at you for seducing someone hot like me." Mikan said, her face all in the teasing mode.

A vein popped out of the flame caster's head. "S-Seducing?! Me seducing you?!!" he grumbled. "Who would want to seduce an inconsiderate witch like you, huh?! You got a lot of nerve to say that!!! Seduce my ass, witch!" he yelled.

Mikan lifted her face up to the fuming flame caster. She sneered. "Didn't you know? Those who defend themselves too much---like you---are actually those who are guilty. So, why don't you just admit that you want me? There's nothing wrong with that."

Natsume's face retorted bloody disbelief. He clenched his fist harder as he took a step closer to the brunette. "YOU REALLY GOT A LOT OF NERVE! Thick-faced witch! For your information, I DON'T WANT YOU!!! YOU JUST WISH!" he screamed, out of control. He was steaming like a volcano.

"I do," Mikan teased. She stood up and faced him. Their faces just inches away. "You know, if you really wanted me that badly, you should've just told me."

Natsume could feel the brunette's sweet breath on his face. He got mesmerized and unfocused. "S-SHUT UP!" he jumped back. "Stay away from me, you pervert! You're a menace! A maniac! And a danger to all MEN!!!"

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Oh, what a beautiful danger I am. No wonder why men like you would risk everything for me."

Natsume couldn't believe what he was hearing. Mikan really has a lot of nerve. She's worse than the real Natsume himself. The one watching them from behind a bush smiled evilly.

'I see now some of that 20 percent…' that someone thought evilly, completely in a bliss. The camera in that someone's hand clicked endlessly.

"I would not! I actually want to puke at your face, you perverted brief-freak witch! Don't be so damn confident about yourself!"

"Well, not confident, really. Just being plainly honest." Mikan smirked again. "Anyways, I couldn't believe you're actually wearing such a cheap, disgusting brief. It was just as disgusting as you are. You two match."

"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!" Natsume yelled. "Don't you dare insult my being!!! You're the one who's disgusting, peeping on my underwear like that!"

"Blame the wind, jerk. It was the one which blew your skirt away. And besides, I won't peep even if you want me to. Just seeing your horrible legs was too much for my stomach. I couldn't quite subside the churning."

"H-Horrible legs?!" Natsume repeated. "You cocky witch! How dare you say that! For your information, my legs were more flawless than yours!!! Yours looked like deformed radish!"

Mikan sneered. "Oh really? How did you know? Have you already seen it? Did you peep on me?" she asked in a mocked tone. She didn't wait for his response, though. "Haha I knew it. You're such a perv, checkered fart."

Natsume's eyes widened again. He can't believe he was suddenly turned upside down. Now, he was the one being accused as a pervert and a peeper. Haha.

"T-That's not true!!!" he defended.

"Then how did you know it?!"

"I-I.... I just know! That's it!"

"Huh. Perverted fart."

"SHUT UP, WITCH!!!" Natsume yelled for a hundredth time.

Mikan winced. Her eardrums were already bleeding. "You shut up. You're way too noisy, little boy." She then sat back, leaned his back to the trees' trunk, and opened his manga.

A vein popped out of Natsume's head again. "Don't you dare tell me to shut up!!! You aren't my mother!"

"I didn't tell you I'm your mother. So shut the hell up. You're destroying my ears, jerk."

"I'm not a freaking Jerk!!!"

"I said shut the hell up!!!" Mikan shot back, yelling as well. "Don't you get tired of opening your mouth at all?? Geez, I'm already getting deaf here. If you don't shut that damn mouth of yours, I'll sew it shut!" she warned dangerously with a deadly look.

Natsume didn't budge. "This is what I get?! This is what I get for trying to be nice to you?!! And to think that I brought you lunch!!! I shouldn't have bothered! Hmp!"

Mikan was surprised with what she heard. Natsume actually brought lunch for her? Wow. That was... well, whatever emotion she felt that moment, she hid it well. She looked as if it wasn't a big deal when in fact, it really was.

"Nobody told you to get me lunch. Throw it away. It might be poisoned." she said in an emotionless tone.

Natsume scowled. "It's not poisoned! Even if you're the worst person in the world, I won't kill you by a poison!" then added, "I preferred other ways."

Mikan's eyebrows shot up. "Ways like what? Drowning me to death with your love?"

Natsume's face reddened even more. "T-That's not it! Actually, I was planning to kill you slowly. Torment and torture were already sure on the list. So brace yourself, witch! You aren't going to live long!!!"

The brunette smirked. "Well, I guess I'll just wait for the big day. The day where you will torment me with your love. Haha."

With that, Natsume exploded. "THAT'S IT!!! ENOUGH!!! YOU'RE SUCH AN ASS, POLKA-DOTS! I SHOULDN'T HAVE COME HERE! I SHOULDN'T HAVE TRIED! AND I SHOULDN'T HAVE BROUGHT YOU THESE FLUFF PUFFS!!!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. He was panting hard.

Mikan's eyes widened with the mention of the word 'fluff puffs'. She tilted her head to the side.

"Fluff puffs?" she repeated with a different tone. Natsume sensed this and he smiled inwardly.

"Yep! Fluff puffs! Wanna see?" he took the box in his hand and opened it for the brunette to see. There, in that small claustrophobic box lay the cute, pink, fluffy, delicious-looking fluff puffs. Mikan's eyes sparkled but she quickly hid it so that Natsume won't see. (Note: Even though they switched personalities, Mikan's love for fluff puffs hadn't changed one bit.)

She focused her eyes on her manga. Natsume smiled openly. "Look, they smell soooo wonderful!" he exclaimed in a dreamy tone. Mikan fought the urge to look at it.

"Here, smell it!" Natsume said as he picked one and shoved it in front of Mikan's face, near her nose. The smell of fluff puffs overwhelmed everything and Mikan felt something wet from her mouth coming out.

'Shit! I drooled on my manga!' she cursed inwardly as she wiped the drool. Natsume laughed with the sight.

"You're drooling!!! The witch's actually drooling! Haha! So your weakness is this, huh?! Now I know! Haha!" he declared merrily, like he had found a way to win 5 million dollars with just one click.

Mikan groaned in exasperation. "Shut up, checkered brief-boy. You're pissing me off."

Natsume laughed even more. "Ooops! Am I?! Oh, I'm so sorry for pissing someone like you! Haha!"

Suddenly, Mikan stood up, her eyes hidden behind her bangs. Natsume was abruptly brought up short with her look. Then the next thing he knew, the box of fluff puffs was no longer in his hands and that the brunette was already walking away. Mikan had snatched the fluff puffs.

Natsume's eyes widened. How could she do that so fast? "H-Hey wait! Give me my fluff puffs back!" he called.

Mikan continued to walk away, her back facing him. "No way, jerk. It's mine."

"It's not!"

But the brunette didn't listen. Instead, her answer was, "You better change your undies if you want to be a little more decent, little boy. And by the way,"---she lifted up his right hand which carries the fluff puff box---"thanks for the treat."

And then, she was gone, and Natsume was left all alone in their tree.

She said thanks. And that made Natsume feel a little... warm. It made him ask himself why he felt that way.

"Well, she's a witch. She might have cast a spell on me." he said to himself as he, too, walked back to his class, his mind playing the word 'thanks' over and over again. It felt kind of good, hearing her say that.

"Well, she's a witch." he repeated again. "A perverted brief-freak witch." he then snorted and dashed forward.

A lot has already happened.

Yet, it was just the first day.

It was just the beginning.

---------------------------------------------

A/N: Wow… this was a loooong chapter. Did you like it? I hope you're no disappointed anymore. Please review.

Thanks for reading.

-The Author-

PS: I hope you liked it. Proceeding chapters might be long as well.