Summary:
What is really the reason why the fire caster sleeps again? Before, he never sleeps that much during class hours. People say that once a person sleeps, he is half living and half dead. Whenever he oversleeps or forgets to breathe while sleeping, I bet his end comes. The Black Cat just wanted to meet her once more, gaze at her face, and hold her hand on Dreamland…. He just can't live without her!
Why is the Black Cat Sleeping Again?
Chapter 1- The Usual
"It's such a very good morning," said a brunette with a smile painted on her face. She had combed her brown wavy hair before she went to school. As she arrived at the front gate of Alice Academy, she exclaimed, "This is it!"
The school bell rang and Narumi- sensei entered his room with a pink with polka dots suit greeting his students, "Ohayo minna. We have a new transferee student." He asked Mikan to introduce herself. "Ohayo, I'm Sakura Mikan. Nice to meet you." "You may sit on a vacant seat there, Miss Sakura," said Narumi. "Hai. Arigato!," exclaimed Mikan. Narumi told his students that they don't have classes for the entire day since the school festival is coming. Mikan sat up to her chair and noticed a raven- haired boy closing his eyes with a manga covering his face. She also saw Hotaru and tried to embrace her but her best friend immediately let out an improved Baka Gun with Cannon Balls having sharp spikes (baka.. baka.. baka..). "Don't you ever disturb me, Moron when I'm doing something," the Ice Queen evilly said.
Mikan became bored and strolled around. As she became tired, she rested in a Sakura Tree. Natsume, the raven- haired boy saw Mikan on the tree and was irritated. He shouted "Hey polka- dotted panty girl, get out of my territory!" "Are you talking to me, Pervert? Well my name is not Polka-dots, FYI (for your information), I am Sakura Mikan," shouted the brunette back. Natsume smirked for he was entertained by how Mikan becomes angry.
One afternoon, after classes, Mikan fell asleep on her desk. She slept so peacefully with an angelic face. Everyone went home but one person was left sitting beside Mikan with his manga covering his face. He wanted to make sure she was safe. Before the girl had waken up, Natsume gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead and looked after her until she reached her dorm room.
When morning came, Mikan greeted everybody cheerfully as ever. Again, she was hit by the blackmailer's baka gun. She gazed suddenly at Natsume without even noticing how much time she spent before going again to the present world she's living in. When Natsume looked at her, she hid her blush with her bangs. However, Natsume noticed this blush of Mikan. He smirked.
Chapter 2- Unwanted Rain
It was the night of the dance ball. Mikan dared to go to the Sakura Tree where Natsume was lying. "Natsume," Mikan sighed in relief. Tch was all Natsume's reply. "Don't you want to dance?" The Black Cat just ignored her query. He was shocked when a soft hand touched his shoulder followed by a voice saying "Natsume, I want to dance with you." He turned his back and saw that Mikan had a big wound on her right leg. Natsume got angry. Mikan told him to not worry since the wound she had is just so small and not painful. She said that she fell down after her foot hit a rock before going up to the Sakura Tree.
Even with that pitiful condition, the pretty lady still managed to smile to cool down the worrying guy. Natsume quickly put out a handkerchief and bandaged Mikan's wound to stop its bleeding. After that, Natsume told Mikan to not bother going in darkness where he is living in. Mikan went away from him. She can't explain why tears were running off her rosy cheeks.
Chapter 3- Sometimes, Light and Darkness Meet
Natsume just watched the girl dancing with anybody else whom he's not familiar with. He eagerly wanted to dance with her, or even just hold her hand for a moment. "Why didn't I tell her? I don't want her to come to darkness, for we live in different worlds. She's in the light and if she desires to stay with me, I have never wished that someday, a fake smile will be painted in her face," he muttered. Looking from afar, Natsume sensed Mikan's grief through her expressions.
A sudden, unexpected event happened because the rain fell heavily. Everyone hurried going to their dorms. Mikan, who was wounded, had a bit of difficulty in running towards a shade. Her clothes were wet and she began to cough. Natsume, who was so pathetic never dared to go near her. Seeing the brunette coughing and sneezing, Natsume remembered all the times she was there to light his darkened state and who never forgets to smile. Mikan suddenly felt a little warm when someone put a coat on her shoulders. She turned around to see who that kind person was. She saw a raven- haired lad walking away at some distance. Natsume, not noticing that Mikan saw him just continued walking. He felt cold arms wrapped around his body and turning around, the brown- haired girl queried "Are you alright, Natsume?" "Hn," Natsume replied. "Arigato," said the girl.
Mikan embraced him tightly to give her warmth. She rested her head on Natsume's back and wished that the night will never end for them. Natsume closed his eyes and felt every second and every minute she had been embracing him. He realized how much he sincerely loves Sakura Mikan and how precious she is to him.
Chapter 4- Don't you ever sleep, my Black Cat
Mikan knew Persona was watching over them but she pretended not to mind it and she didn't tell him. Natsume didn't know that Persona was just around. He carried Mikan to their hang- out place, the Sakura Tree. The two felt they were safe and comfortable because of each other's loving presence. The brown- haired girl made her head land on the crimson- eyed lad's shoulder. When she nearly fell asleep, Mikan handed Natsume a recorder while he put it in the pocket of his pants.
Finally, the brunette spoke. "Natsume, if I can, I want your embrace to receive me when my end comes. This is my wish leaving the night in vain that shall bring in the morning. Promise me, don't you ever sleep my Black Cat." She delivered these statements in a tone different from before. It was a sorrowful tone and there's a sign of grief in her dark brilliant eyes. Natsume just ignored this.
After saying these, there was a long pause. She can't help just staring at his crimson eyes. "Natsume, do you love me?," queried the girl. She knew she was already hit by someone's bullet but she did not express any face of hurt nor even winced so it won't be noticed. Mikan kept a few breaths for she wanted to still hear his reply. "I love you, Mikan," Natsume answered after some seconds. After the three words stung onto her ears which she longed to hear even before, she felt she's ready to leave him. Then, she let go of her remaining breaths.
Natsume saw blood dripping off Mikan's white dress. He went near Mikan's ear and whispered, "Liar… but," with a mixture of sadness and joy, he continued "Arigato." His chest became lighter the time he saw Mikan's smile which was real and full of contentment. He embraced the brunette while drops of tears fell down which he did not realize.
The school year ended.
Chapter 5- Back to the Routine
"It's such a sunny day."
Everyone in Alice Academy was so excited going to their respective rooms for it is another school year to begin with. Students in Class 2-B were so noisy except for a raven- haired fire caster who was reading a manga with a cold expression on his face. The Ice Queen was as usual, blackmailing the blond- haired boy, Ruka who was also the fire caster's best friend. The great blackmailer sent out the latest and newest pictures of Ruka hugging Giant Piyo and his other pets in the barn, having a dollar sign on both of her eyes.
A gay teacher, with a magician- like costume speedily entered the Class 2- B room and greeted his studs an "Ohayo minna." "We have a new transferee student. Kindly introduce yourself," he said. "Ohayo, I'm Eri Kanagi. Hope I can have many friends in this academy," said the girl with an evident smile on her face. "You may sit on that vacant seat there, Miss Kanagi," said the gay teacher. "We'll not have classes for today since some guests will be visiting the school. Sayonara!" Then Narumi- sensei quickly stepped out of the room and grinned.
"May I sit here?," asked the new girl. She does not know that she was talking with a dangerous ability type boy feared by most students. Natsume ignored her and didn't reply. The lad gave her a death glare and she ran away for her life, since she rightly hypothesized that he was the Natsume the fan girls were busy talking about.
Natsume smirked and he got out a recorder from his pants. He inserted a pair of earphones and started to play it. But before doing so, he remembered the girl he met a year ago cheering him up by giving a cheerful smile, who also happened to be his partner. He silently said, "Polka- dots." Then, he heard a jolly voice but full of feelings saying, "I love Hyuuga Natsume, I love Hyuuga Natsume," repeatedly. He slowly closed his crimson eyes and began journeying to Dreamland. He dreamt of the memorable times he was with the brown- haired girl he met a year ago.
From that time on, everyone wondered why Natsume was always sleeping even during class hours instead of just covering the manga he is reading over his face or cutting classes.
Natsume woke up and climbed up the Sakura Tree, the tree which knows all the secrets of his personality and the unrevealed mysteries of his life's film, which wasn't known even to his best friend. Bringing the recorder with him, he listened to it. He again remembered the girl telling him not to sleep. But he thought that sleeping is so near to death. From the time the brunette was never seen by his eyes, he wished to be taken by Death gods as he sleeps.
He wanted to meet HER once more endlessly.