Author's Note: (April 2011) This story was originally posted two years ago (ha, ha, ha), with the title Seven is Love. This is an edited and reposted version, with changes about the flow of the story but with the plot untouched.
Disclaimer: Nuh uh.
Love in Seven Days
Chapter 1: It All Started With Strawberries
It was a boring Wednesday afternoon in a little town in Japan, with the sun lazily shining behind the fluffy white clouds, the crisp leaves of the surrounding trees softly moving along the moderate breeze, and the birds chirping above the simple houses cluttered together. No person could be seen lingering around the streets, just lamp posts standing in all its glory. Everyone is probably inside their houses, lazing around. Anyways, it's summer vacation. School was nothing to worry about. There was nothing to worry about.
Well, except for a certain sixteen-year-old.
In a half-organized room in an average household, boringly laying on her bed with a peach-colored Moleskin beside her is a girl with loose auburn curls spreading around her head. With a pen on her hand, she rolls over to face her open notebook, just to glare at some lyrics written on a page for like an eternity, tear it from the notebook, crumple it, and shoot it into a trash bin nearby, obviously failing in her attempt. "Ugh," she managed to let out, twitching her lovely brown eyes. She rolled over again to face the ceiling, and swung her pen between her thumb and forefinger in a rapid manner. "What to write, what to write…" she muttered to herself.
Music has been her passion ever since she was young; probably she was humming tunes already while she was still on her mother's womb! She used pencil cases as microphones as she sang songs she doesn't even know about when she was three, hummed melodies she heard on the radio when she was seven, got her first Walkman when she was ten, was taught how to play the guitar by her middle school classmates, and started to write songs last year. Clearly, music has been with her as she grew up, and she concluded that she will carry her love for it up to her grave.
But now, she was having second thoughts if she really loved music or not, now that she's having a hard time coming up of something to compose about. Come to think of it, she was not doing anything lately but eat, watch TV, or stare into space. She can't use any of those as inspirations in writing a song. Anyways, who writes songs about eating, watching TV, or moreover, staring into space?
Right now she needed something. An adventure. Something that would keep her out of this lazy and boring atmosphere at home, or more like, something that would bring back her motivated and outgoing spirit.
As if on cue, she heard a knock on her bedroom door and a moderately high voice calling out her name.
"Mikan!"
"Yes, Mom?" she called back as she turned her head to the opening door, revealing someone who's a Xerox copy of her, only that she was twenty-three years older and her hair was short and straight.
"You have a call for Hotaru," she said, handing a cordless telephone to her blinking daughter.
"Hotaru? Yay!" she shrieked as she excitedly grabbed the phone away from her mother's hand. After beaming out her thanks to her mom and seeing her smile and leave the room, she puts the phone over her ear. "HOTARU! I miss you soooooo much! What's kickin'?"
"You weren't still talking on the phone and yet you managed to make my ears bleed."
Mikan let out a tense laugh as she felt the coldness in her best friend's voice. "Anyway, why'd you call?"
She heard a sigh on the other line. "You busy?"
"Busy? Ha ha. I've been doing practically nothing here at home and I'm bored as hell! I wanna drag my bored bum away from here!"
"That's good."
Mikan raised one eyebrow. "Huh? Where's the goodness in that?"
She heard Hotaru sigh for the second time before she answered, "There will be a camp this coming weekend. It's called Alice Summer Music Camp or something—"
"Music camp?"
"Yeah, a music camp. It will be situated somewhere in Kyoto—"
"HOLY MACARONI FREAKING KYOTO YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME—"
"Let me finish," She heard her friend firmly say, enough for her to press her mouth shut. "And I'm not kidding about the Kyoto thing. It will be in Kyoto. It will start this Saturday and it will go on for about seven days. My brother was invited to this event but it seems like he isn't interested so he's passing the invitation to me. He said I can invite friends to come along. And as how you bloody reacted a while ago, I can sense you want to join me."
Silence.
"Now I'm finished."
"OF COURSE! Why wouldn't I want to come? I'll go ask Mom and Dad first Oh my gosh I hope they'll allow me! I'll just call you later!"
"Okay." The line went off, but Mikan was (finally) too busy to notice this as she was banging her bedroom door open and rushing down the stairs, screaming the good news to her mom and dad.
"What the hell took you so long?"
Seeing her black-haired friend glare at her made Mikan shiver a little, as she paced her way to the back of her friend's Volkswagen, dropping her things in the baggage counter. Making the Hotaru Imai wait isn't such a good idea.
"Hehe, wasn't able to sleep last night due to excitement!" she squealed at her position. She could imagine Hotaru roll her amethyst orbs. She then turned to see her teary-eyed mother and her father wrapping his arm around her shoulder at the front door.
Seeing them made the brunette pretty sad about her camping trip. Pouting, she ran to her parents to give them a tight hug.
"Be sure to take care, huh, sweetie?"
"Of course, Mom, I will."
"You better behave yourself out there, young lady. We won't be there by your side for a week, so—"
"Yes, Dad. I'm not a kid anymore."
He let out a smile as he rubbed his daughter's hair. "I know, that's why we trust you. Now go and fulfill your dreams, but don't break our trust, eh?"
Mikan smiled at her father's words. It was nice to have parents like them, she realized. She kissed his father on the cheek. "I love you, Dad. You too, Mom," she said as she faced both her parents. "Now I gotta go before Hotaru kills me!"
Her parents chuckled as she marched to her friend's car as she joined her on the front seat. She then waved at her parents.
"Bye, Mom, Dad!" Take care!" They both waved back as Hotaru started the engine. Mikan was still looking at her parents when the car started to run slowly. It then gradually gained speed until they were out of her sight.
God, was she going to miss them.
But she was going to somewhere she knows she would enjoy. Imagine, a music camp? There would probably be many people there she could make friends with, and share their love for music! How she longed to express her love for it aside from her cold-hearted best friend (whom she still loved, anyway). Most of all, this managed to bring back her outgoing spirit and energy. Ha, finally.
This wouldn't be a boring summer, I guess, she grinned at the thought.
It has been four hours since Hotaru was driving and all Mikan saw throughout their comforting ride was the picture-perfect scenery along the roadside: mountains and hills covered with lush trees, fluttering birds, lakes and ponds mirroring the cloudless sky drenched with pink and orange tints caused by the setting sun. Even the air didn't scream of pollution. It felt so refreshing to Mikan's senses, being out of the boring and lazy atmosphere at home. Having a smug smile on her face, she stretched her arms out wide, with her right hand released outside the car window and her left hand almost hitting the driving Hotaru.
"IT FEELS GOOD TO BE OUT— OW!" she hollered, only to be hit by a bullet from Hotaru's infamous invention. "Hey! That gun has been around for ages already!"
"It's to keep idiots like you from getting crazier."
"Hmph," she pouted as she turned her head to see again the view from outside. She suddenly noticed a big green sign on the roadside.
"Welcome to— oh hey, Hotaru! We've arrived in Kyoto!"
She only received a grunt from her best friend as a reply, but she didn't mind as she was busy getting excited, for finally, they were almost at their destination.
Minutes after, Hotaru swerved right to a pretty narrow road sandwiched by two rows of large trees, with their bent branches shading the road. Mikan can't help but gape at the beauty her eyes were seeing. Hotaru made a couple of turns before the glistening auburn eyes were caught by the sight of a high wooden gate not too far from them. The Volkswagen then approached the gate and paused in front of it. A middle-aged guard with a bulging tummy and a balding head walked towards them. Without even making him speak, Hotaru handed him a card. He stared at it for a while, then to the two girls inside the car, and then smiled warmly.
"So I see you're here for the camp," he acknowledged, then ran to open the gate.
"Ugh, what else for?" Hotaru mumbled while rolling her eyes. Mikan couldn't help but giggle at what she said. As the gates opened, Hotaru drove forward to get inside the camp site. She then drove a little to a parking lot nearby. Finally, they have parked.
"Hooray! We have arrived!" Mikan exclaimed, stretching her arms.
"Get down, idiot. We still have to go to the reception," Hotaru said as she got out of the car and closed the door, leaving the blinking Mikan inside.
"Hey, Hotaru, wait!" the brunette remarked as she also got out of the car and followed her friend at the back, who was already getting her things out.
It wasn't a long walk to the reception booth, good thing for Mikan who was having a difficult time carrying her bags and her guitar altogether. The reception booth was a small one, though it had a large banner on top of it with "WELCOME TO THE ALICE SUMMER MUSIC CAMP!" written on it. Inside the booth was a man dressed in… ladylike clothes? He had blonde hair that reached up his shoulders and dancing purple eyes. And he had a warm smile on his face as Mikan and Hotaru neared him.
"Good evening! Welcome to the Alice Summer Music Camp!—"
"Yes, yes. Banner."
He let out a nervous laugh at what the amethyst-eyed girl had said.
"Oh, please excuse my best friend, S-Sir, for her attitude is naturally like this. Heehee," he saw a brunette talking beside the cold one, who shot a glare at her.
"Oh, it's okay. And your names are?"
"Hotaru Imai."
"Mikan Sakura!"
"Oh, haha, I'm Narumi," he said cheerfully as he began to scan a large hardbound notebook. "Your cabin's number is… 16," he continued as he then pointed to a group of wooden houses nearby, "and here are your keys. Your other roommates are already there."
"Roommates?" Mikan asked with eyes widen open as she received the keys, which Hotaru immediately snatched.
"Yes. Each cabin is fit for four people so you could take time to mingle with each other!"
"Oh, golly! Isn't that great, Hotaru?" Mikan beamed out, turning to her best friend who just rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Sir Narumi!" she cried out as she and Hotaru started to gather their things and walk out towards their cabin.
They didn't have a hard time finding their cabin, thanks to the rooms arranged in rows and in chronological order. They were all made of wood, with wooden doors and walls, except for the translucent glass windows and aluminum roofs. All cabins have a lamp post beside them, which gave campers sufficient light outside, especially at that time of the night. Hotaru and Mikan then made way to a cabin with the number 16 etched on its wooden door. They both climbed to a little set of stairs which led to the cabin's wooden balcony. Eventually, Hotaru knocked on the door.
Seconds after, the door opened, revealing a girl with eyes that matched her straight navy-blue hair.
"Oh! Our roommates have arrived!" she exclaimed. In an instant, a girl with curly pink hair and light blue eyes appeared behind her. She let out a big friendly smile.
"Welcome!" they both said, and the door was opened wide, giving Mikan and Hotaru a view of what's inside the cabin: a cozy living room with a couch, two bean bags, a radio set, and a wooden center table that matched with the floor; a kitchen behind the living room; four doors across both rooms, which they thought led to their bedrooms; and two doors at the near end of the cabin, which led to the toilet and the shower room.
"This room is sweet!" Mikan announced happily.
"You bet!" the pink-hair girl reacted. "I love the kitchen the most. Oh! I'm Anna Umenomiya, and this is my twin sister, Nonoko," she continued, introducing the navy-haired girl, who waved her hand rapidly and greeted, "Hello!"
"Hi, too! I'm Mikan Sakura!" the brunette replied.
"Hotaru Imai," the amethyst-eyed answered. "I'm hungry."
The twins sweatdropped, while Mikan let out a laugh.
"I saw a cafeteria nearby. After all, it's dinner time, so it would be nice if we would now eat dinner there."
"Well, shall we go then?" Anna said.
Mikan smiled. "Yeah, sure! I'm pretty starved, too, anyway!"
The cafeteria was a spacious one. It was a wooden one, too, which sheltered about twenty-five wooden tables with four wooden stools each, and a large food counter across the glass entrance. The cafeteria was jampacked with so many people, from ones who are getting food from the counter, to some sitting in the tables, graciously eating their dinner, but it didn't really take long for Hotaru, Anna, Nonoko, and Mikan to grab some food and find a vacant table. The brunette relished on a chicken sandwich, the twins dug in on mixed vegetables, and Hotaru ate a bottle of crab roe, a trait of hers that Mikan found pretty odd. As she continued to observe the rest of the cafeteria while munching on her dinner, she noticed a girl with dark brown tresses, walking while carrying a bowl of red treats.
Strawberries.
In an instant, Mikan slightly drooled, showing that she was starting to crave for some.
"Uhm, excuse me," Mikan called for the dark-haired girl, who then stopped on her tracks to face her. "Would you mind telling me where you got those strawberries?"
The girl then smiled in a friendly manner. "I got them in the dessert section," she replied as she pointed to somewhere near the food counter.
Mikan eventually jumped out from her chair ecstatically. "Thanks" she exclaimed to the dark-haired girl, who smiled again in return and walked away. "I'll go get some strawberries!" she then said to her roommates before dashing out to the dessert section.
The brunette was quite surprised to barely see people when she arrived at her destination, but she was more astounded to see that there were only a few left of her favorite fruit.
To be specific, there were only seven pieces left.
Well, it's better than nothing, she thought, as she stretched out her arm to grab the bowl containing the strawberries, only to see a hand about to lay itself on the bowl.
Mikan, with bewilderment evident on her face, turned her head to see who owned the distracting hand who was, surprisingly, a guy. She lifted her head a little, just for her sight to land on a face that made her gape unintentionally. He had raven hair which was messed up but in a darn good way, a well-sculptured nose, and high cheekbones. But what made her stare was his crimson eyes who were staring at her own auburn ones. Hers were plain boring, but his were a sight to see, something captivating, amazing, breathtaking. Something that made her mind go blank for a moment.
To say that he was handsome was totally an understatement.
But she wouldn't let someone as… indescribable as this tall guy, interrupt her from getting something she was craving to have, would she?
"Uhh, sorry," she started to speak, "but I had my eyes on the strawberries first."
She saw his perfectly-carved eyebrows (Damn, why does every thing on his face have to be perfect?) meet.
"Who said you had your eyes first on my strawberries?"
Mikan raised her eyebrows at what she heard. What the hell? This boy is too gorgeous to be true, not to mention his voice made my ears go wild! But I can't believe… he could be this arrogant! "Excuse me?"
Not seeing how the brunette reacted, he simply took the bowl of strawberries into his hands, got two red pieces, and popped them into his mouth.
"Hey!" she shrieked. "Those are mine!"
He cocked his eyebrow. "Mine," he remarked casually as he got another strawberry and ate it.
"Ugh mine!"
"Nuh uh," he uttered as he ate two more.
She let out a loud, frustrated sigh. "Okay, I give up," she declared while throwing her hands up as if admitting defeat. "But… can I have just one piece?"
"Hmm, let me think. No," he answered dryly as he chewed on another strawberry.
"Why you—"
"Hey, Nat! We should get going!"
Mikan tilted her head to see the direction behind the raven-haired guy's back, only to find a blonde boy, who was as tall as him, calling out to the boy who just stole the fruits she claimed a while ago as hers. She turned back to him who, much to her despair, showed the last strawberry to her teasingly, shot it into mid-air, and made it fall straight into his open mouth.
Mikan had hers also open, only because of the scene she just saw.
He then turned his back on her, but had his face turn to her side, flashing a triumphant smirk. He placed his hands inside the pockets of his jeans after that and started to walk away…
… leaving a certain brunette behind him burning up in anger.
"Argh! ARROGANT JERK!" she eventually shouted, only to receive no reaction from him. He only faded away from her sight. She had her jaws gritted. She had a gut feeling that having that bastard around, this music camp that she thought would be wonderful for her, wouldn't be like what she thought it would be.
Oh, definitely not.
Author's Note: There. :) Finally better than the previous one, haha. Whadyathink?