Author's Note: You know, I keep skipping time and making things uneven, so I thought I'd just do a story with twelve chapters, from grade 1 to 12. I'm rushing here cause I have to go eat dinner :D but enjoy. I'll try to update this weekly, every Friday evening.

Disclaimer: Rushed disclaimer but you get the point :D

Grade 1
Beginning of School Year

Six-year-old Mikan Sakura was starting first grade. She unpacked her backpack and took out a colourful notebook, her agenda, and her orange pencil case. With a smile, she hung her backpack at the rack located at the back of the classroom and advanced to sit down on the carpet with the rest of her classmates.

Their teacher was a very kind looking woman with brown hair and gray eyes.

Mikan took her time and arrived later than the rest. Without hesitation, she walked over to the only spot left on the carpet, next to the boy with the stunning crimson eyes. She sat down, turned to him and smiled brightly. He gave her an angry look and scooted as far as he could from her.

"Good morning, children," the woman said.

"Good morning!" everyone replied.

"My name is Serina-sensei, and I will be your teacher for this year."

"Hello, Serina-sensei," everyone greeted her.

"Now, how about everyone find partners and sit at a desk?" Serina suggested.

The desks were split into groups of two lining up into rows. Soon, the class seemed to partner up into twos and sat down. Mikan looked around and saw that all her friends already had partners. She bit her bottom lip and looked to the crimson-eyed boy next to her. He didn't seem to move at all. In fact, he didn't even seem to pay attention to the teacher.

"Hey, do you want to be my partner?" she asked, hoping that he wouldn't mind.

He lifted his head and glared at her. "No."

She frowned. "Well then, do you want to be my friend?"

He gave her a look that showed that he was obviously annoyed by her. "No. Go away."

She frowned. "Fine, meanie!"

Cold. Arrogant. Malicious. Those were Mikan Sakura's first impressions of Natsume Hyuuga.

By then, all the people already partnered up and found a desk. Mikan turned back to the boy.

"Please?" she asked desperately.

Natsume looked at her in disgust. He thought that she looked like those desperate, pitiful fan girls. "No."

He walked over to an empty desk near the window, sat down, and stared blankly out into the sky.

She looked around the classroom and bit her bottom lip once again when she realized that she was the only one that was left. Serina saw this and walked over.

"Is something the matter, honey?" she asked.

"I don't have a partner," Mikan mumbled, trembling when Natsume's glare landed on her.

Serina quickly scanned the room and spotted Natsume sitting by himself. She escorted Mikan, who was trying to avoid eye contact, to him.

"Why don't you sit next to him? He looks lonely," Serina commented. "You two get along now."

Natsume gritted his teeth while Mikan hid behind her, terrified. Slowly, she came out and sat down next to him, shivering from his glares.

Serina left to deal with another group of children who were bickering over who gets to sit at which desk.

"I told you that I don't want a partner," Natsume hissed, "Especially if it's you."

"Sorry," she replied, unsure of what to say.

Mikan felt uneasy for the rest of the day.

The second day was not that different from the first. Well, in Mikan's aspect it was slightly better. Natsume had not bothered her nor did he even talk at all. He just sat there, alone.

"Don't you want to join in?" Mikan asked him when they were given free time and the others were playing Simon Says.

"No," he replied, saying his favourite word. "How about you leave me alone and I'll do the same?"

She scrunched her face up in confusion. Why would anyone not want attention? The boy must have been a very antisocial person. She shrugged and strolled over to where a group of her friends were.

When she came back, he had a manga in his hand and was reading it. She looked at him curiously.

"Hey, you can read?" she said, surprised and amazed.

"Hn."

What kind of reply was that?

She frowned and sat down. "You're really weird you know?"

"Hn."

It didn't seem like he was going to stop the one worded replies any time soon, so Mikan got up again and joined another group of kids, but not before looking back at him worriedly.

And the rest of September passed by just like that. Not once did Natsume join in by himself. Sometimes, the teacher would force him to, but other than that, he always backed out of their activities and sat quietly in the corner. It didn't seem like anyone but Mikan noticed either. The children in the class were too occupied by their own activities.

October came.

"Natsume, play with us!" Mikan exclaimed, tugging at his sleeve.

"Hn." He replied. Not much had changed between them apart from the fact that he allowed her to call him by his name. He yanked the sleeve out of her hands and glared at her.

"Ahh," she sighed, "Why are you so… alone?"

"I like being alone," he snapped, "Do you have a problem with that?"

"N-no," she told him, nervous. Somehow, Natsume always seemed to intimidate her.

"Then stop bothering me," he growled. "I already had to put up with your loud mouth for a whole month."

Mikan gasped. "How rude!"

She stomped away from him and joined one of her friends. Not long after that, though, she had second thoughts and peeked back at him. She was shocked. He was talking, perfectly talking with a blond boy. Mikan felt happy that he made a friend, but she was hurt that it was not her. She tried so hard to be his friend so why did he just go and befriend someone else? It didn't make sense to her. It was as if he singled her out among others as someone that he disliked.

"Hey," she asked him after pondering on the subject for a few days.

He didn't even reply this time. He kept on reading manga.

"Do you hate me?"

Natsume glared at her, annoyed. "What kind of question is that? Of course I hate you."

She looked like she was about to cry. "Ok then."

He watched as she left, biting her nails and forcing back her tears. It was none of his business, that much Natsume knew, but he couldn't help but feel this guilt come over him.

She never talked to him after that day. And sometimes he would find himself curiously gazing at her, wondering how she was doing. He knew it made him seem like a stalker, but he couldn't help it.

She was making more and more friends. There was something about her, maybe her cheeriness, that attracted people. It was different from how he attracted people. With him, they were just fans; with her, they were really sincere, not just a fake act. Heck, she even made friends with Sumire Shoulda. Now that was an amazing accomplishment. He also noticed her getting closer to his best friend, Ruka. She loved the bunny he always had around him and he saw that Ruka enjoyed her company.

Now he felt left out. It was weird. He had never wanted to be a part of something as much as he had now. It was like she suddenly left him and took everything along with her.

He saw her talking to the teacher a few weeks later. He pretended not to notice her, but he was secretly eavesdropping.

Mikan had a hand to her mouth and nervously commented, "Serina-sensei… I was wondering if I could trade places with Ruka-pyon."

Serina was surprised. "Why? Don't you like sitting with Natsume-kun?"

She glanced his way nervously and he quickly whizzed his head around 180 degrees.

"No," he heard, "It's just that… I feel that he doesn't like me, and he never talks."

Natsume could practically feel Serina's gaze landing on him. He silently clenched his fist inside his pocket. Why did she have to take him so seriously?

"I think he'd talk if Ruka-pyon was sitting next to him," she continued.

"I'll see what I can do…" Serina commented reluctantly.

Natsume turned back and saw Mikan smiling brightly. "Thanks, sensei!"

She hopped off to her group of friends. He could hear the laughter from where he was standing. It pissed him off. He slowly clenched his fist and scowled.

He didn't notice Ruka making his way to him.

"Natsume."

Natsume snapped his head back and gave him an angry glare. Realizing that it was just Ruka, his expression softened up.

Ruka took a step back in surprise. "Are you ok?"

Natsume nodded and continued to gaze at Mikan and her friends. Ruka's eyes flashed to the direction that he was looking and he saw them.

"Do you wish you didn't do that?"

"What?" he growled, fully aware of how aggravated he sounded.

"Driving her away."

"Whatever…"

He pretended not to care, but Ruka could tell by his expression that he really regretted it.

"Maybe you should say sorry," he suggested and shrugged.

Natsume didn't respond. He was too occupied, but he decided what he would do.

After school, he saw Serina arranging desks and he stayed behind. Don't get me wrong. Natsume was not volunteering. I mean, when did he ever volunteer for anything?

"Hey, hag."

Serina took a step back out of surprise. Who knew that a first grader could use such offensive language? "Excuse me?"

Natsume rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Listen. I'm only going to say this once. I heard you and that idiot talking earlier. If you make a new seating plan, I'll make my dad fire you."

Serina nodded slowly and hesitantly. She was aware that Natsume's father was the head of the school board and could accomplish that easily. It really disturbed her, though, that a first grader was already making threats, but she let it go this once.

"Glad you understand," he commented and left with satisfaction on his face.

And he didn't even notice Mikan behind the door, taking her time and putting on her coat and backpack. She overheard everything and turned around seeing the smile on his face for the slightest second through the crack. Her eyes widened.

Natsume did not understand. Mikan was going all bright and sunshiny on him today. She had been ignoring him for so many weeks now, so why did she decide to bother him again today?

"Hey, Natsume!" she exclaimed, "Can you teach me how to read?"

He felt her sit in her seat securely beside him.

"It's not my fault if you can't keep up," he growled.

Her mouth was ajar for a slight moment, and she put the face back on. "Ok!"

They got up after the lunch bell rang and went to the coat rack to get out their lunch. She hung her stuff right beside his so she could continue talking to him.

"Hey, you want to be friends?" she offered again.

"Whatever."

She beamed, taking that as a yes. "Yay!"

She tugged his arm and skipped back to their desk, "C'mon! I'm hungry!"

"You're annoying," he told her.

She just beamed again.

Natsume gave a sigh.

They sat down at their desks and Mikan took out her lunch. She was about to open it and dig in but she turned to him first and saw him reading manga again.

"Where's your lunch?" she asked.

"Don't have one."

"It's not good to skip lunch," she protested.

He shrugged.

"Don't you miss out on all the food?"

"Not really," he growled. Man, she was getting on his nerves.

Seeing that he was impossible, she took out hers and started nibbling her sandwich. He said that he wasn't hungry, but she could see his eyes dart to the people eating food. Without hesitation, she split her sandwich in half and offered him the unbitten half.

Natsume looked from the sandwich to Mikan back to the sandwich.

"Take it," she told him.

"You probably put something in it," commented Natsume and turned back to his manga.

"I did not!" she yelled. "You're hungry, aren't you?"

He was hungry. He wondered how she noticed. Natsume hesitantly took the sandwich from her hands. "

"Thank you." It was the first time that he ever thanked someone.

"Right!" she exclaimed. "My dad makes the best sandwiches! They're the best in the whole wide world!"

He gobbled it down in huge bites, not even bothering to savor the taste, but it did taste like the best sandwich in the whole world. Not because her dad made it though. It was a whole different reason.

End of Grade 1

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