I own no characters but I do own the plot. This story has been kind of inspired by Taylor Swift's song 'Back to December'. Hope you enjoy it. ;-)
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IS IT KARMA?
"It's been two years right….. You don't look same as before, just… prettier" said Ruka with an aura bordering on dreary.
"I don't know…" said a jittery Mikan "even you haven't changed at all. You are definitely the same old you. So where's your family? Are they doing well?'
"Uumm… yeah they are fine. They are doing terrific. They were insisting at tagging along for this meeting but had last minute appointment which they couldn't cancel. They are genuinely sorry for that." Came out through the blonde's mouth in a very official tone and try as hard as they could they weren't able to let go of the uneasiness of a long and painful separation. Although one had moved on the other couldn't…. the incident had been unexpected from both their sides but for different reasons.
"Look… umm… Ruka... I just wanted to apologize to you for that time. I shouldn't have ever let you go…. I made a really big mistake and I know there is nothing you can do… but I just wanted to let you know." blurted out Mikan knowing the outcome would be for the worse but couldn't keep the guilt in any longer and just had to apologize for the fateful September winter night two years ago.
FLASHBACK
2 years ago
"Come ONNNN!" whined a 19 year old Ruka "You are gonna absolutely definitely love the carnival! It's the very best in the country." He grabbed the soft hands of a slightly morose girl and started running towards the entry with little protest from the girl until they neared the huge double gates.
"Ruka stop I-I can't do this. I'm so sorry. Really I am and I wanna go with you too but I am just not prepared to face the world yet and definitely not ready to date yet…. Sorry" she said glumly, turned about and started trudging back to where they came from. Her plaid knee-length brown skirt swishing as she went and her leather boots going click-clack on the cement pavement.
A bunch of kids rushed past by her, all gleefully shrieking with a bunch of balloons trailing behind them. When Ruka out of the blue caught up to her and pulled her by the elbow forcing her to face him, eye-to-eye face-to-face, their noses inches apart and breathing hard. With each huff of air a puff of fog forming in front of them.
"Why the HELL can't you just forget about him? He's dead and not coming back…. It's already been a year" shouted Ruka, his face turning red because of all the anger bursting out of his veins. "Why won't you give me a chance? I can really be there for you!" softly he cooed with a hint of desperation in his eyes. "Can you please give me a chance? Just tonight…. Please?" he begged.
Tears had formed in her eyes and started shaking slightly but even she knew he was right. It has been a year since the love of her life died and she has been a zombie since that tragic day. Her friends initially tried to cheer her but landed up without any success. Today was the first time that she had come out for pleasure than for work and thought that she owed Ruka at least this much for all the trouble she gave him in the past year.
She slowly nodded in the affirmative and started to stop shaking. With her gloved fingers she wiped up her tears and removed her elbow from Ruka's palm. Slowly she looked up into his eyes and gave a bleak smile. "Let's go. We'll get late for the parade." She cited and once again started to walk towards the gates, now less crowded. Ruka was still awestruck that she decided to give him a chance and was stuck there. Quickly coming back to his senses he turned towards the gates and rushed to catch up to her with a loopy grin on his face.
"Yup! Let's go and have the best night ever" Exclaimed Ruka.
FAST FORWARD IN TIME (3 HOURS)
The two of them were sitting in a Thai food restaurant and having a trip down the memory lane and laughing at all their stupid debacles. They had been doing this for the past hour.
"You know what Ruka?" asked the girl.
"What?" Questioned Ruka with one eyebrow raised.
"I'm actually enjoying today. And I do miss him but I feel okay now. Like- like I can finally face the world and that I finally have the strength to do that….. Thanks- thanks-a-lot"
"You don't need to thank me. I will always be there for you. I'm glad that you are finally moving on."
"I-I don't know how to repay you. I have been so out of it in the past year and given you all so much trouble. It's a miracle that you all are still here with me… by my side…"
"We would never leave you even if you wanted us to!"
"I'm glad and lucky"
"Hey… I have something I wanted to tell you and ask you for a very long time…"
"Ask away my dear friend! I can in the least answer your questions! So what is it?"
Ruka suddenly donned a serious face picked up the rose from the vase on the table and got down on one knee in front of her and held her palm in his. With a very serious look he gazed into her eyes and spoke
"I have known you since elementary school and since the very first day I laid eyes on you I couldn't help but be dazzled by your beauty and cheerful aura. You could brighten the darkest days with your smile and hypnotize the whole world with a single glance of pure innocence and you still are that girl. In fact you are much more. You are the living embodiment of everything innocent and caring and compassionate. I have never seen anyone with a heart bigger than yours-"
"Where are you going with this?"She interrupted him in a scared and confused tone but he didn't stop and kept on going.
"So I, Ruka Nogi, ask you to give your heart to me and I will treasure it forever Mikan Sakura, I promise" ended Ruka with a heart wrenching confession and a crying Mikan. Her sobbing kept on getting louder and louder and it wracked through her entire body. She suddenly got up grabbed the rose out of his hand and threw it on the ground then she started stamping on it and letting out angry cries of disbelief. After she was satisfied that the rose couldn't possibly stand to live any longer she looked at Ruka with a look conveying so many emotions but strongest of them being of hurt and betrayal. After about a minute of staring and no reaction, Mikan made a mad dash for the exit gates just managing to grab her purse on the way. She ran and ran and ran until she reached a bus stop while Ruka still kneeled there in the park by the table in the Thai food stall with silent tears running down his eyes and his slumped body conveying to even strangers the pain and heart break he was suffering through right that very moment being rejected by the one girl he had loved (and still does) for the better part of his life.
FLASHBACK OVER
There was a pregnant pause and tears had started forming in Mikan's eyes as Ruka sat across her with a frown on his elegant features.
"Please Ruka say something…. Anything!" begged Mikan, now the tears falling down.
"It's too late. You should have thought of all this a long time ago. You REMOVED from your life COMPLETELY all this time. You didn't turn up for my wedding or when my daughter was born. I've moved on and I love my life and my family now Mikan… more than I ever loved you. I was broken when you left and Hotaru was there for me. You didn't even spare me a glance" Spited Ruka in a voice of disbelief. He had a ugly expression on his face and as soon as he finished he angrily got up ending up dropping his chair with a clank and hurried out there but not before telling a emotionless goodbye which emanated a sense of ending of their friendship forever.
As he reached the door of the small empty coffee shop Mikan stopped him "Ruka wait!"
"What now?"
"I just wanted to wish you a belated happy birthday and I hope you have many more to come to share with your friends and family." The only response she got was the bang of the door being shut. After that day no one could ever glance at that elegant and innocent face. No ever heard the merry laughter. No one ever saw the dazzling smile of an angel because when she got out of the cafe after hours of mourning she was slammed by an out of control truck, while lying there amidst the panic and the shocked gasps, awestruck voices and sirens blaring, while lying in her the pool of her own blood. Mikan could only thing 'Maybe this is karma. Good bye Ruka… I'm going to meet Natsume again.' Then she breathe her last breath.
I hope you enjoyed this story so please read and review! Flames accepted. I am super excited and can't wait to read your views…. BTW I am not too good with grammar so if you see any mistakes please do tell me I'll try and fix it as soon as possible. Thank you!
P.S. it's Natsume who died and was Mikan's lover in the flashback. He was murdered by some thugs in a street fight by a stray bullet.