"Natsume! You have to come with me!" Mikan Sakura whined desperately to her boyfriend. The two teens were standing right outside the girl's room. The 14 year old boy just stared down at his girlfriend with a raised eyebrow.
"Why do I have to go?" he asked her calmly. "Why don't you go by yourself?" Mikan pouted and Natsume swore that it looked as if she was about to cry. It was Halloween at Alice Academy. Mikan was so excited about the occasion and was already wearing her costume. Natsume's face was already tinted with red as he stared at her. She wore a cute kitty costume. She had on a flowing pink dress that came down to her knees that had a white cat tail coming out from the back. She also wore frilly white arm warmers that matched her long white socks and she also had on little pink shoes. Tiny white cat ears graced the top of her head to complete the transformation.
"Because!" Mikan tried again. "They won't let you into the haunted mansion unless you have a partner and you have been my partner for the last four year!" Natsume gave her an odd look.
"Since when are you interested in haunted mansions?" He asked her curiously, a smirk gracing his lips. "Face it, you won't last five minutes in there." Mikan glared at him and puffed out her cheeks cutely.
"I am not a child anymore, Natsume," she replied simply, setting her hands on her hips to prove her point. "I can handle it." Natsume highly doubted that. He was about to refuse again when he got an idea.
"Whatever you say, Little Girl," he smirked at her. He rolled his eyes when he got another huff from his girlfriend and added smugly. "I'll go with you." His smirk widened when Mikan's face immediately filled with childish excitement. She threw her arms up into the air.
"Yay!" she yelled happily. She then froze and gave Natsume a look up and down. Natsume gave her an odd look.
"What?" he asked sharply. Mikan just continued to just stare at him and then gave a disapproving tilt of her head. She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Aren't you going to change first?" she asked him simply. Natsume looked down at himself before glaring at her.
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing now?" he demanded to know. There was nothing wrong with it. He was wearing black jeans that had chains down the sides, along with a plain black T-shirt. He also wore a black jacket.
"But you aren't in costume!" Mikan exclaimed disapprovingly. "Natsume, everyone is going to be in costume! You have to dress up!" The black cat was beginning to wonder why she cared so much about what everyone else was doing, but pushed the thought aside and asked another question.
"But why do I have to be in costume?" he asked her, stressing out he word "I." "It's not like they won't let us in if I'm not." Mikan just shook her head quickly.
"But I'll feel so awkward if you're the only one in costume!" she whined pitifully. Then her face brightened. "Wait here!" Before Natsume could stop her, she had already dashed into her room and shut the door behind her. The flame caster glared at the wooden door as he stood as patiently a he could in front of the girl's room. About a minute later, she came back out and thrust something into his face. He took a step back before staring down at the black cat ears that Mikan held.
"You can't be serious," he finally mumbled. Mikan smiled up at him brightly.
"Of course I am!" she exclaimed, setting the headband on top of his head before he could step away. She stroked the black cat ears happily. "There! Now we match!" And it was true. Mikan's white cat ears matched perfectly with Natsume's black ones. The black cat blushed very slightly, before grabbing the girl by the arm, forcing her to come with him.
"Fine, whatever," he finally spoke, as Mikan giggled from behind him. She quickened her pace and smiled up at her boyfriend. Together they headed outside toward the haunted house.
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"Hotaru! Ruka-pyon!" Mikan yelled, pulling away from Natsume and running toward her friends. Natsume just watched her run, before following quietly.
"Sakura-chan!" Ruka Nogi greeted, waving. Ruka himself, was a bunny this year, and has been for the last 3 years. Not that he got tired of it, but just so it didn't annoy everyone else as much, he picked a different bunny costume each year. This year, his costume was black and purple. Even after the 4 years that they've spent together, Ruka still has that feminine look he always had. His dark black shirt had dark purple sleeves that were slightly frilled on the ends. His dark black dress pants had a purple rabbit design on the side. He even had a fluffy rabbit tail sticking out of the back. Purple bunny ears sat perfectly on the top of his head.
"You two look so cute!" Mikan gushed happily. Ruka blushed slightly and smiled at Hotaru. The two were dating now and couldn't be happier about it.
Hotaru was actually the one who forced Ruka to make his costume black and purple in order for them to match. Hotaru actually went as an angel this year. Mikan of course was the one who suggested it, not that Hotaru really cared. Actually when Mikan suggested it she announced that she really didn't care what she was. The inventor wore a black dress that reached just above her knees. The skirt had many purple and black layers that made it puff out. Her short sleeved top was frilled on the ends and she wore black see through arm warmers that had violet designs on them. Her angel wings were also purple and matched her violet halo that rested just above her head.
"Oi! Polka-dots, let's get in line already," Natsume ordered impatiently, pulling his girlfriend along with him. Ruka and Hotaru followed right behind them. Mikan froze when she saw the haunted house. Her knees suddenly went weak as her eyes widened in horror. It has been 4 long years since the girl has entered a haunted house and even then, she could hardly keep from screaming and running away. She unconsciously clung onto Natsume's arm, slightly hiding behind him.
"What's wrong, Little Girl?" Natsume asked her playfully, noticing her sudden change in mood. He smirked. Mikan just shook her head quickly, still clinging onto her boyfriend's arm.
"I-It's nothing," she stuttered quietly, as they walked. They stood at the end of the line, patiently waiting for their turn to enter. The whole time they waited, Mikan never once let go of Natsume's arm, not that the fire\caster minded it one bit. He was slightly enjoying his girl being close to him and was fighting the urge to lose his pride and wrap an arm around her shoulders to pull her closer. The closer they got to the entrance, the tighter Mikan's hold on Natsume became. Mikan's stomach almost jumped out of her mouth as she watched Ruka and Hotaru enter. They would be next in a matter of time.
"You two can go in now," the guy standing by the entrance told the two calmly, motioning to the inside. Natsume rolled his eyes when Mikan wouldn't budge.
"Hurry up, Polka," he demanded coolly, putting his hand on her back and pushing her along. When she took a couple shaky steps forward, Natsume gave her one firm shove that sent the girl stumbling into the house. She would've fallen, but Natsume was able to grab her by the back of her shirt, before she could hit the ground. Natsume helped her to her feet before walking ahead of her, making her panic and grasp his arm once again.
"You can't just leave me like that!" she yelled at him, hitting him on the arm lightly. "You're horrible!" Natsume just stared at her before grasping her hand in his, making the girl's face heat up.
"Then maybe you should try keeping up, Baka," he scolded, dragging her farther into the house.
"N-Natsume, did you hear that?" Mikan asked for the 5th time. They had only been walking for about 5 minutes and the poor brunette was already hallucinating. Natsume was starting to get annoyed.
"For the last time," he spoke slowly, finally stopping and turning to face the girl. "I didn't hear anything and you really don't have to be afraid. None of this is even real and I'm here with you, aren't I?" Mikan just stared up at him with her large almond eyes. She blinked before nodding slowly. Natsume once again grabbed her hand and began to walk down the dark hallway.
"Natsume!" Mikan suddenly screeched, making the Kuro Neko turn around swiftly.
"What?" He yelled back, but then froze and narrowed his eyes. Some guy in a mummy costume had his hands grasped onto Mikan's shoulders. Mikan's eyes were squeezed shut as she tried to stay calm and pull away. She tried to remind herself over and over again that it wasn't a real mummy, but she continued to shiver in fear. The mummy was making loud breathing noises and the girl could feel the guy's warm breath on her neck. Natsume's dark maroon eyes narrowed as he stared at the mummy who was getting way too close to the brunette. The mummy pulled Mikan slightly closer to himself and that had done it for Natsume. He leapt forward and punched the mummy hard in the face, sending the poor guy into the opposing wall with great force. He slid down to the floor, unconscious.
"Natsume!" Mikan yelled at him. "He was just a guy in costume! You didn't have to hit him!" Natsume now had the chance to look her over. She didn't seem harmed, much to his relief. Her face was slightly paler then before and she was shivering. Noticing this, he ignored her and shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around the girl. Mikan shut up immediately.
"What kind of idiot would forget to bring a jacket?" he spoke in annoyance. He set his hands on her shoulders and turned her around. He glared down at the now unconscious mummy before pushing Mikan forward.
The rest of the walk seemed normal enough. Natsume only had to deal with Mikan screaming whenever someone or something would pop up, but nothing that he didn't expect. After the mummy incident, Mikan never left his side. Natsume made sure to always have an arm ready for her to cling to until she calmed down. They were both relieved when they were nearing the exit. Once Mikan spotted the big sign that said "Exit" with a black arrow pointing around the corner she almost cried out with joy.
"Finally!" she yelled, running forward before Natsume could stop her. She then screamed loudly as a giant spider dummy fell from the ceiling and landed in front of her. She leaped backwards right into Natsume and the two went stumbling backwards. Natsume's back hit the wall hard and before they realized what had happened, they were falling through a trap door that had been hidden by some cobwebs. Mikan screamed as Natsume held her tightly to his body as they fell through. They hit the floor with Mikan on top of Natsume with a hard thud.
When Natsume opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Mikan, lying on top of him. He stared up at the hole they had fallen into and cursed when he realized it had to be a good 12 feet from where they lay.
"This cannot be happening," he mumbled dryly, as he sat up with Mikan in between his legs. She looked up at him cautiously before looking up at the ceiling and then back at him again.
"I-I'm sorry," she mumbled lamely. Natsume just glared down at her in response. He looked around and found themselves in a small room with no door and windows. The hole that they had fallen from was the only way out.
"Why do I feel like this has happened before?" Natsume asked to no one in particular. Mkan just shrugged.
"W-what now?" she asked, beginning to panic. Natsume ran a hand through his dark raven hair.
"I either burn this stupid haunted house down," he began, but rolled his eyes when Mikan gave him a look. "Or we wait."
"I-I guess we should…. Wait," she spoke a little unsure. She screamed when she heard people screaming above them. She dove at Natsume once again and buried her face in his chest. A chill ran throughout the boy's body as he felt Mikan's body melt against his. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly against him. Seeing how frightened she was, he leaned down and rested his chin on her shoulder.
"Oi, Polka," he whispered into her ear. "Cut it out. I'm right here." Suddenly feeling secure and safe in the boy's strong and protective arms, Mikan immediately relaxed. She knew that she was safe with Natsume.
"Thank you," she whispered, wrapping her arms and his neck. Mikan smiled up at him and just as she was about to pull away from him, Natsume leaned down and kissed her tenderly on the lips. Mikan's eyes widened, as she froze, not knowing what to do. Natsume however, knew exactly what to do. He put a hand on the back of her head and brought her closer to him. His kiss was firm, but at the same time gentle. Mikan slowly lifted her hands again and wrapped them around the boy's neck, resting her arms on his shoulders.
When they finally pulled away from each other, they stared into each other's eyes. Mikan was blushing furiously, but Natsume just stared at her calmly. Without a word, he sat back down on the hard floor and pulled Mikan down with him, so that she rested on his lap. She rested her head against his chest as he played with her hair absentmindedly.
"I-I love you, Natsume," Mikan finally whispered, leaning into him. Natsume just smirked and kissed her temple lightly.
"I know," he whispered back.
And at this point in time, it didn't matter whether or not they got found. They knew though, that they just had to be together.
