Disclaimer: Don't own it.
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Reconciliation
by Little Miss Giggle
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Mikan groaned as she looked at her reflection; to put it bluntly, she looked like her grandpa. The bags under her eyes were not only coloured in an ill-looking purple but were also swollen, so much so that her eyes looked three times smaller than they normally were. "Stupid maths," she scathingly muttered under her breath as she cupped her hands underneath the tap only to splash the running icy water on her face.
She fell asleep at 2:30am the night prior only to wake up five hours later at 7:30am. Usually Mikan was one of those girls who slept at 10:00pm, despite how hard she tried to stay up late (she would never forget her complete and utter disappointment when on the 31st of December her friends had a house party to celebrate the New Year and her birthday but she childishly fell asleep before the clock struck twelve). The night prior however, Mikan drank cups and cups of tea and coffee throughout the night; kept slapping herself when her eyes dreamily shut, only so she could do some last-minute (and very needed) revision for her maths exam, that was in exactly two hours at 9:30am.
She kept on repeating the two words, stupid maths—a mantra, if you will, but she abruptly stopped when she heard her phone buzz and ring from her bedside table. After pulling her tee over her head, Mikan walked over to her bedside table to pick up her phone . . . and when she saw the name of the person who texted her, Mikan felt two things.
One, she couldn't stop her heart betraying her and increase in bpm. She got that tingly feeling in her cheeks when she saw his name.
Two, she felt her eyes narrow and her grip around the phone tighten in a sinister manner.
"Stupid Natsume." she growled as she opened her new text message.
Mikan was eighteen and although it was June and the weather was bright, in England, June meant exams so she couldn't really enjoy the beautiful sunshine as the foreigners she saw every day did. She especially didn't have time to relax when she was revising for her maths exam, her worst subject whilst wondering why the fuck she took maths in the first place. On the contrary, last month Mikan thought she would be okay for maths—she kinda understood the binomial and Poisson distributions but that was only because of her tutor/boyfriend, Natsume Hyuuga. But now, she had no tutor and didn't know how to even spell binomial let alone do it. Last night, if anything was a complete waste of time too, as, err, she only managed to read a quarter of the book when she had initially planned to read all of the 421pages.
An argument three weeks ago triggered the end of tutoring lessons from her boyfriend. On that fateful Saturday three weeks ago, Natsume was trying to explain matrix algebra to Mikan, and after explaining it to her for two and a half hours, she still didn't understand. So, in result, Natsume (being naturally impatient) called her 'thick' and Mikan, offended by this remark called him a 'lousy teacher' and other various nouns. The name calling continued and Mikan's fuse blew when he commented, ' I don't understand why I have such a stupid girlfriend' and it ended in Mikan throwing not only her books at his 'fat head' but also throwing him out of her house while claiming in a loud voice, "I can get a bloody A without your stupid help!" as she slammed the door in his face.
An A? An A? She'd be lucky to get a bloody D!
Of course she had tried to get her other friends, Nonoko, Yuu and Anna to teach her the syllabus but after three hours being with them and still not comprehending it, she felt bad and pretended to understand whatever the fuck a root of a polynomial equation was. Mikan even went to the extremes of asking her best friend, who not only made her pay for a one-on-one lesson but also made her feel even more anxious about the maths exam by writing a big fat F on Mikan's practice paper once she had finished marking it.
Mikan wished she had taken a language instead of maths, like Permy and the rest of her friends. Because at least a language would be useful in life, while maths could only be useful when you're trying to count your money—but we have calculators for that now! Like, no offence Maths, but when the fuckety-fuck will you have to calculate the surface area Xavier's apple when he had taken three bites of it, or what the probability of picking a red disc instead of a blue disc out a bag is? And if she took French, Ruka, who was patient and charming, could've tutored her instead of Mr. I-Grunt-Like-An-Ape.
Mikan audibly breathed out as her phone loaded her inbox sluggishly, which reminded her that most of her texts recently had been from Natsume, asking her if she wanted to revise with him. She wasn't that thick, she knew that was code for, 'do you want help with your revision, I can help you' because Natsume Hyuuga does not revise—he does not need to revise he's such a know-it-all already. He only ever "revised" with Mikan and that consisted of him teaching her everything she didn't understand.
Which was generally everything.
Mikan probably would have said 'yes' to that text if her pride wasn't so goddamn big; being with Natsume for two years had that negative affect on her. Her pride was exponentially swelling and one could say it was even rivalling Natsume's awful pride now.
The text message had finally loaded and Mikan could only attenuate her eyes even further at the content of the text . . .
Don't forget your calculator. x
After clicking 'Reply' father ferociously she typed back,
I'm not that thick.
and sent it with no x's or o's whatsoever. He didn't deserve her affection, and, God, the bloody nerve of him! Sending her that text gave her the impression that Natsume expects her to forget her calculator! Does he honestly think she's that stupid?
"Mikan!" she heard her mother calling her from downstairs. "Are you up?"
"Yes." she answered in an equally loud tone.
"Come have breakfast, dear!"
Mikan threw her phone down on her bed. "Stupid Natsume." she muttered as she left to go eat downstairs.
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Before her English exam Mikan had been shaking all over, shouting random facts and analysis of Shakespeare every two seconds. When she entered her classroom that morning, ten minutes before her exam at 9:20am, that was what everybody else was doing, although her classmates instead of commenting on Shakespeare's sexual orientation, they were spewing out random equations to one another.
They look like headless chickens, Mikan mused to herself before Anna, Nonoko and Yuu captured her attention by waving at her. She also saw Natsume sitting with his head on the table in the back, alone as Ruka's French exam was on Wednesday, not today.
"Hey guys," she greeted as she took a seat between Hotaru (who was reading a Bible-thick book) and Yuu.
"How are you?" Yuu asked with a bright smile on his face.
"Tired." Mikan truthfully answered as she stifled a yawn. "But I'm cool."
After that statement, Hotaru's amethyst eyes inspected her. "You look calm." she observed. "I thought you'd be hyperventilating as soon as you came in, shouting about how you don't know anything."
"I don't know anything." Mikan confirmed. "But I just don't care anymore—I know I'm going to fail anyway so what's the point of freaking out?"
"Oh Mikan, I'm sure you'll do great!" Anna chirped as she sent her a sugary smile. "You're so much smarter than you say yourself to be!"
Mikan sighed, "Trust me, Anna. I mean, I want to do well . . . but who am I kidding?"
"Is that why you didn't bring your calculator?" Hotaru questioned, her eyes scanning Mikan's see-through pencil case that most definitely did not contain a calculator like everybody else's. "Are you not going to even bother?"
Mikan furrowed her eyebrows, "What on earth are you talking about—I have my calcu. . . my calculator . . ." Mikan's eyes bulged. A fraction of a second later, she frantically zipped open her pencil case and tipped its content on the desk before her fingers skimmed through it. "Holy shit!" Mikan cursed as she stood up, only to slam her bag on the desk. "No, no, I didn't forget it—" Mikan quickly assured herself as she rummaged through her bag but its content was also telling her otherwise.
"Fuck!" Mikan cursed as she threw her bag down and fell back down on her chair. "I forgot my calculator!"
Nonoko checked the time and then remarked, "You have five minutes to find a calculator," (which caused Mikan to choke, "Five minutes?") before Nonoko turned her head to the class to loudly asked if anybody had a spare calculator. Everybody shook their heads in response, and Mikan who had temporarily stopped breathing looked back at Nonoko with a 'what-now ' expression, who said, "Okay, Mikan it's a normal Monday for the rest of the school—quick, go downstairs and mug a Year Seven! Demand them for a calculator!"
"Bribe them with my cookies!" Anna added. "I've got loads today—"
"No, no!" Yuu cried, horrified. "The poor Year Sevens are already scared of us Year Thirteens, we can't possibly do that to them! We'd traumatize them!"
Mikan who half-listening to her friends' suggestion was breathing irregularly and suddenly gripped onto her best friend's shoulder to gasp, "Okay. Can't. Breathe." Her heart was panting fast and even though she panicking like crazy she couldn't help feel angry tears of frustration make their way up to her eyes as she fanned herself with her other hand.
He was always right.
It wasn't fair.
Hotaru, seeing her best friend's state, (and Yuu fanning Mikan with his text book) sighed as she closed her own book. "I knew you'd hyperventilate one way or another." She then clasped her hand around Mikan, turned to her and calmly said, "Come on. We'll go speak to Jinno; I'm sure he has a calculator you can borrow."
"Jinno?" Mikan squeaked as she pictured her maths teacher Jinno laughing manically whilst lighting bolts zapped behind him dramatically. She gulped. ". . . Jinno?"
But before Hotaru could answer, Mikan saw the silhouette shadow of a tall figure standing behind her only to then feel a gentle prod in her back. With tears glistening her eyes, she turned to see Natsume looking down at her.
"What?" she snapped, her frustration turning into anger. "Come to rub it in my face that I forgot my calculator? Come to prove your point on how thick I am?" at this point the noise levels of the class dimmed down as they all curiously turned to look at Mikan Sakura stand up and argue with her boyfriend. "Well congratulations, Natsume because you're right yet again—I am thick, and stupid and I did forget my calculat—"
"No," was Natsume's very low and calm reply, which contrasted with Mikan's tone and amplitude, "I just want to give you this." And by this, he meant a calculator, which he presented to her in his left hand.
That completely shut Mikan up; she silently gazed at the calculator in his hand and when she didn't say or do anything for five seconds, Natsume sighed and took her hands to slip the calculator in her hand. "Take it."
Confused, Mikan opened her mouth and closed it. She tried again and this times words came out, although they were stuck in her throat nevertheless; "T-Thank you."
The corners of Natsume's lips upturned, "You're welcome." but before he could turn back around to his desk, Mikan grabbed his hand and asked, "But what about you? Do you have a calculator? Was this your spare calculator?"
"Yeah, I just . . ." he coughed, "found that one in my locker this morning."
Which was code for, 'I brought it in just for you, just in case.'
Mikan's anger had dissolved into gratification and affection for her boyfriend, who was just so bad at expressing himself; she smiled at him and just before she was about to kiss his cheek in appreciation, the classroom door skid open and in strode in Jinno.
"You can thank me later. Meet me outside after the exam. Good luck." Natsume murmured to his girlfriend, not before he squeezed her hand for good measure. Feeling rather flushed and peachy, Mikan sat back down only to receive Cheshire Cat smiles from the twins, a thumbs up from Yuu and a rather disgusted roll of an eye from Hotaru.
"Class," came Jinno's baritone voice, "in exactly a minute we will proceed to the Great Hall, where the maths exams will take place. Please make sure you have all equipment such as rulers and calculators as they will not, I repeat not be provided."
Mikan considered herself very lucky at that moment.
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Mikan made her way towards Natsume who was sitting on the benches outside their school and she made her presence known by clearing her throat. Natsume who was had a firm gaze held on a pebble in front of him looked up and smiled at his approaching girlfriend.
Mikan sighed as she sat down on the bench beside him before she held out his calculator to give back to him. "Thanks, Natsume."
"It's fine." was his reply before he took it, and threw it carelessly in his bag, which was by his left foot. "How'd you find it?" he asked her as his crimson eyes flickered in her direction.
"Pfft." She laughed. "Absolutely impossible."
"Yeah, it was pretty damn hard."
Mikan raised her eyebrows dubiously at that remark. "Come on, Natsume. That wasn't hard for you—you finished it in the first forty minutes! I didn't even finish it." She snorted at the thought before her hazel eyes turned to his crimson eyes. ". . . You know, Natsume," she softly said, "just because we're in a fight doesn't mean you have to lie to make me feel better. To be honest, it's making me feel more like an idiot."
Natsume gazed back into her eyes for a few seconds before he admitted, "Fine. I found it easy. But just because you didn't doesn't make you an idiot, Mikan."
She felt her heart skip a beat. She loved it when he said her name. Nevertheless, Mikan looked at him incredulously and replied, "You said I was thick! And you proved my thickness by guessing correctly that I was going to forget my calculator today—"
"It was not my intention to prove anything by lending you my calculator—"
"I know, I know!" Mikan interrupted loudly before she took a deep breath whilst she gently closed her eyes shut. "I know, Natsume." she said again, but gently this time as she opened her eyes to meet his. "You did it to help me. I know."
Natsume responded by taking her hand and entwining their fingers together.
"You know what's really unfair though, Natsume?" She didn't let him answer; she continued, "The fact that you are always right. I feel like an even more bigger idiot when I'm around you than I already am . . ."
"I'm not always right—"
Mikan ignored Natsume's protests and continued, "Like how you knew I was going to forget my calculator today from the very beginning and—"
It was Natsume's time to interrupt. "I didn't know you would, I only thought you would and not because I think you're stupid enough to do that but because I know you like the back of my hand and, well, you're sometimes a bit forgetful."
Mikan snorted again before she turned to look at her boyfriend and kissed him briefly on the lips. She rested her head in his torso before she quietly said, "You really hurt my feelings Natsume."
They both knew she was referring to that Saturday. Especially to the moment where he said he didn't understand why he had such a stupid girlfriend.
"I know," Natsume answered, equally softly as he put an arm around her and kissed her on the head, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."
"And I didn't mean to call you a lousy tutor . . . I mean, you're the best tutor ever."
Natsume snorted, sceptical about that statement before he replied, "And you're the best girlfriend ever." Mikan smiled at that and couldn't help kiss his hand that rested on her shoulder. "I'm sorry for calling you thick and stupid," he swallowed, "I should have been more patient."
Mikan wryly smiled as she looked up at him, her eyebrows dancing, "Well two and a half hours of trying to teach me that nonsense; I say that's pretty good in your book."
Natsume returned the smile but it disappeared as he seriously said, "But you're not."
Mikan furrowed her eyebrows, "I'm not what?"
"Thick." Natsume answered. "Or stupid."
"Well you're not lousy in any way, nor do you have a mental disorder, nor do you have a fat head, nor do you—"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it."
Mikan laughed. "But yes," Mikan held him tighter once she ceased with the laughter, "I'm sorry too."
"I love you."
Mikan smiled, a real big one at that one. "I love you too, Natsume."
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Advanced Level General Certificate of Education Results
(The passing grades for A-levels are A*, A, B, C, D and E)
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Natsume Hyuuga
Chemistry – A*
History – A*
Mathematics – A*
Physics – A*
Politics – A*
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Hotaru Imai
Biology – A*
Chemistry – A*
Design and Technology – A*
Mathematics – A*
Physics – A*
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Yuu Tobita
Economics – A*
English – A*
Chemistry – A*
Mathemathics – A*
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Ruka Nogi
Biology – A*
Chemistry – A*
English – A*
History – A*
French – A*
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Anna Umenomiya
English – A
Geography – A*
Mathematics – A
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Nonoko Ogasawara
Biology – A*
Chemistry – A*
Mathematics – A
Physics – A*
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Sumire Shouda
Drama – A*
Music – A*
Spanish – B
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Kokoro Yome
Drama – A
Music – B
Spanish – C
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Kitsune Me
Drama – A*
French – B
Geography – A
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Mikan Sakura
English – B
History – A
Mathematics – D
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Koko: Haha, my grades are an anagram for CBA – can't be arsed!
Sumire: Well that's perfect for you. (sighs before giggling) I can't believe you took the exact same subjects at me, you plonker. Like Spanish (laughs); you can't speak that language to save your life. You would have done so much better if you did subjects you actually liked, you know.
Koko: Well, I wanted to be in all the same classes as you!
Sumire: I can't tell whether I want to hit or kiss you.
Koko: The latter, por favor!
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Hotaru: I see I've done better than you . . . again.
Ruka: What! (checks results) Hotaru, we both got five A*'s.
Hotaru: Your French one doesn't count. You are half-French after all.
Ruka: Well . . . well then all your sciences don't count! Because your second language is science!
Hotaru: Adorable attempt, but no. I win again.
Ruka: . . . Did you just call my attempt adorable?
Hotaru: . . .
Ruka: (gasp) You did!
Hotaru: No, you must be imagining things again.
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Mikan: Natsume, my results spell out BAD!
Natsume: Have you been listening to Koko's anagram banters?
Mikan: (giggles) Well, it is kind of funny!
Natsume: I guess I have to thank Koko for making you laugh.
Mikan: Don't worry about that; I'm over it.
Natsume: But you know, Mikan, I am really, really proud of you.
Mikan: (smiles) You know what I realised?
Natsume: What?
Mikan: You're plenty smart for the two of us! You make up for all the things I lack and vice-versa. I have enough cheerfulness and conversation for the two of us and you have enough knowledge for the both and us . . . and probably more but whatever. Annnnd, if the stars are in our favour the children will inherit your brains!
Natsume: Genes, not brains.
Mikan: See, my point is proven . . . but I like how you didn't correct the children part . . .
Natsume: I don't think it takes a genius to figure that one out.
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Fin
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