I just noticed that most of my stories are planned and a little too boring I guess? Or too dramatic or… Anyway, I wanted to try something else. This plot is one of serpentine's fang stories, Rebound, not published though. I read the summary in her profile. She said she isn't going to write it anymore. So I asked for her permission and borrowed her idea.
Nonetheless, I dedicate this fiction to her. Thank you!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gakuen Alice.
MUTUAL BENEFITS
"The new love drives out the old."
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Having MIKAN SAKURA's heart was the very thing Natsume needed to prove to everyone just how powerful he is.
She was the girl with the most innocent smile, the most carefree attitude, as well as the only one strong enough to resist his charms.
Once he'll have her, the world will know that even the most stubborn girl—who had once promised herself and proclaimed publicly to never fall for him—would eventually bow down to his godly face. Though how fake it might seem to be.
There was only one problem though: Mikan Sakura... had a boyfriend.
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CHAPTER ONE: The hearbroken and the heartbreaker
The hopeless romantic and the helpless playboy
She believed in love while he thought it's a toy
Each with opposing characters and from opposite worlds
Heartbroken-heartbreaker, a story untold
"Get a grip of yourself, baka! It's not like he is your everything," one person said rather unsympathetically across the line.
Mikan sniffed. She pulled another tissue from the box as tears continue to fall down her literally pale cheeks.
"Hotaru!" She cried aloud. "Of course he is my everything! I love him! And he… he said he loves me. Where did I ever go wrong? I tried my best to give him what he wanted."
Hotaru sighed from the other end. "Eventually, you were too innocent to understand what he wants." Mikan heard her best friend mumble.
"What?" she croaked. Her voice was raspy from crying three straight days. She just basically locked herself inside her room and cried, relying on instant noodles all the time. She had cut off all connections. She didn't even answer any of her business calls, except Hotaru's. Mikan was afraid if she wouldn't answer her best friend, Hotaru would give her the silent treatment. And she wouldn't want to be ignored by her childhood BFF, not when she needed her the most.
"Nothing"
There was a brief silence between the two parties.
"What will I do, Hotaru? I don't want to go out yet. I'm scared." And Mikan broke into another round of crying.
"So you'll just lock yourself in your room and cry while your bastard of a boyfriend had the time of his life?" Mikan cringed from the intensity of Hotaru's yell. But heck! Hotaru doesn't care, clearly denying the fact that she did. But either way, she was also getting impatient. Mikan was being childish and, well, idiotic once again. Hotaru just wanted to knock some sense into her. She wanted to convince the 'most-emotional-baka' that it was basically not her fault. Mikan was just too innocent.
And yet, "Is it because I'm too innocent that he left me? So it really is my fault!" Mikan sneezed. "We… we had plans, Hotaru. He promised me he'll marry me when he thought it would finally be alright with all the media! But he… but he…"
"Thought? Is that the only best reason that jerk had to give you? Thought?! All he does is think! He doesn't act! Dammit, Mikan! Be mature will you? You're 21 years old. You have your family's businesses to take care of and yet you act like a three-year old crybaby!" Hotaru snapped.
"Hota-"
"Look, I'm busy right now. And you really need to go out of that tear-stained room of yours. Let's meet at Delicieux 3:00 pm sharp. If you won't come, I'll leave you to torment yourself and will never talk to you again for the whole month. So be there!" Then, she hanged up.
What a very understanding best friend. Mikan thought as she tried to beat back the tears. Then, she turned to look at the cabinet beside her bed. On top of it were two picture frames. One was taken when she was eight, a year before her parents died of plane crash. She, along with her parents, was at Hawaii that time, enjoying their summer vacation. A tear unknowingly dropped as she remembered the moment. She took the frame and held it in her chest.
"Mom, dad," she sobbed, "I wish you were both here. I felt miserable!"
After a moment, she stopped crying and placed it back on the cabinet. Her gaze trailed on the other frame and then froze. It was a recent picture of her and her ex-boyfriend, Tsubasa Andou. He had treated her on a date that time, two months back, to celebrate their third anniversary. She was so happy especially right after the dinner they had. He had held her hand like a lover should throughout the day. They both rode on the different rides of the park. Then, he had prepared a magnificent fireworks display just for her.
It was the most enjoyable night she had. Right those moments, she had believed she was destined for Tsubasa and he for her—that they were a perfect couple.
She was always sooo happy and contented whenever he's with her. His mere presence was enough to wipe out all her worries and fears.
But right now, she couldn't process what had happened. It was so fast. She doesn't even know what she should feel anymore.
Then, she remembered. So you'll just lock yourself in your room and cry while your bastard of a boyfriend had the time of his life?
Mikan sighed.
Hotaru was right. She needed to move on. She shouldn't let one gorgeous man haunt her forever—nope! She had to move on, even though how much it hurts. 'It's not like he's the only man in this world!' She thought to herself. She convinced herself. Mikan forced out a smile. Then, she slapped herself to keep her awake. No more tears! No more crying! She smiled once again, a genuine one.
Pleased by the sudden strength and vigor that washed over her, she wiped the remaining tears away.
She turned and looked at the picture of them once again. She smirked. Tsubasa Andou, it's your loss for letting me go. And I'm going to slap that fact at your face over and over again someday soon!
She put down the frame and bolted straight towards the bathroom.
-Mutual Benefits-
"Tomorrow then, bro. Same place?"
"Yeah!"
"Ok. I'll hang up then."
A certain raven-haired lad sighed the moment his call ended. "Who was it, baby?" the voice of a woman, whose waist was loosely wrapped by his strong arms, broke his momentary thinking. She was the daughter of one of the small company owners in Japan—a blond he had met on one of the bars.
"It's nothing," he answered before he kissed her senseless on the lips. They broke a while after, with the girl very much pleased with the train of events. She thought that she was finally the girl fit for Natsume Hyuuga, the most wanted playboy bachelor of their age. Why wouldn't she be? As far as she knows, she was the only girl Natsume had allowed to enter in his office. And as far as everyone is concerned, it is already a big achievement.
When he smirked at her, she thought that she couldn't go wrong. Her heart skipped a beat, especially when she sensed him nearing her once again.
His hands cupped her cheeks. He is about to kiss me! He is about to kiss me! For the fifth time! Oh my god! She thought. However, he stopped and neared her ear. Her body hairs stood up from sheer pleasure when she felt his breath on her nape.
Just then, "We're done," he whispered.
.
.
.
The elevator dinged open. CLICK!
Reporters were already lined outside to witness the very same scene they had all grown accustomed to.
Inside the lift were two people, probably an ex-couple. The girl was facing the ground. It was awkwardly very silent besides the occasional hiccups from her. When she tilted her head up, it was clear that she had cried. CLICK! CLICK! Both her eyes and her cheeks were red from the 'intensity' of her emotions. When she realized the paparazzi were there, she took no hesitation to run away and hide her puffed face from the public.
Other cameramen followed her leave. Most stayed on their place. It was not like it's a very unusual commotion anyway.
"Tch." They heard someone complain.
All then turned to face the figure left in the elevator.
It was no other than the chick magnet himself, Natsume Hyuuga with his infamous signature smirk.
His hands were inside his pockets. His feet were crossed as his back lay comfortably on the wall. CLICK! CLICK!
"As you may have witnessed, Mr. Natsume Hyuuga, Ms. Lee had just expressed her anguish with this recent event. How about you? What do you feel with this 50th break-up you had? What can you-"
"Is there anything that I should feel about?" Natsume intercepted the asking reporter as he walked out of the elevator. Some who followed him and heard him were taken aback by his direct answer. Others just kept their straight face, seemingly expecting that kind of reply from him.
"Well, don't you feel sorry or guilty?" another asked.
"It's not like I'm the one who asked them in the first place. Girls just basically throw themselves at me. Why should I be guilty? I was just being a gentleman to them. Their romantic fantasies were the ones that added the drama."
"So you do claim that every girl in this world were the ones who willingly fling themselves at you?"
Natsume smiled teasingly. He walked out of the building of his office.
"Mr. Natsume Hyuuga! Mr. Natsume Hyuuga!" The paparazzi persisted and kept on following him. The irritated Natsume stopped and turned to face them.
"Then, being the most world-recognized hottest bachelor, can you please give us this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness and record how the great Mr. Natsume Hyuuga work his way into every girl's heart."
"You're really wasting my time, do you know that?" He protested.
"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Natsume Hyuuga but I-I was just-" He playfully smiled and neared the concerned reporter. He could sense her nervousness as he saw her fidget with the recorder in her hands. He tipped her chin and leaned near her ear.
"Fine! For you, I'll do it," he whispered. Yet, it was still loud enough for the rest of the media crew to hear.
After he said those unexpected words, which by the way made the reporter blush, Natsume then looked up and searched among the crowd for his new prey. A few moments later, his line of sight landed on a girl silently walking on the other side of the street. Her carefree appearance showed that she was rather oblivious of the commotion he had set. She may do. He said to himself. A triumphant grin was on his face.
"I'll do this straight and direct," he told the media. Then, he marched towards the brunette and stopped in front of her.
He could tell that she was confused. But he ignored her expression. He cupped her cheeks. Her curiosity grew to alarm. But even before she could react, he slammed his lips into hers before the growing crowd.
CLICK! CLICK! Then, for some reason, Natsume couldn't bring himself to pull away anymore.
CLICK! CLICK! This was not what he had planned. It was supposed to be a brief kiss.
CLICK! CLICK! But then he had realized that she wasn't responding to his kisses like other girls. Though to a third party, it might look like she had.
CLICK! CLICK! Her unnatural stubbornness intrigued him.
.
After a few passing minutes, he finally broke their contact. He withdrew his hands from her cheeks and placed them inside his pockets.
He turned to face the girl whose head was shyly bowed down to the ground.
Natsume smirked as he faced the breathless media.
"I expect you're already satisfied with this proof," he said, "and that you already get what you wanted. Now, GET LOST!"
He was about to leave when he felt the girl poke him on the shoulder. Goddammit! And I thought she wasn't a fangirl!
He impatiently turned towards her when, in front of all the people-
SLAP!
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TO BE CONTINUED
Enough said, please review.