The Reason behind Your Words

I've always wondered.

When.

When have I…

"M-Mikan-san! W-will you please go out with me!?" I snapped out of my daze upon hearing a voice declaring his love for me as he bowed a good 90 degree angle right in front of me. I took my surroundings and noticed that I was standing next to a tree behind the gym building. Oh right, I received a love letter and came to the meeting spot to decline the feelings that I appreciate but can't return.

I came back to my senses again when I saw movement from the corner of my eye. He was still bowing, shaking in fact. "Aaaaahhh," I scratched my cheek nervously, "um, I'm sorry..."

"No way!" I saw a tear forming at the corner of his eye.

"I'm grateful for your feelings, but I can't return them." As the last few words left my mouth, he ran away crying 'W-why!?' with his arm covering his eyes like his heart was just broken. Well, I did break his heart actually… didn't I?

I noticed my two friends popping out of the bushes; I knew they were going to spy on me. "Eh! Even Ooyoshi of class C was shot down!" My black haired friend shouted out from behind the bush. "That's half of the boys in the entire school already! And we're still in our first year of junior high!"

I blinked twice as I felt a sweat gland slide down the side of my face.

We walked out of school and down the usual road we always took every day in the afternoon. "Hey Mikan, why don't you go out with any of the boys even though you're so popular?" My black haired friend, Sachi, asked.

Yami appeared in my mind.

Eh? Why...—

I shook my head. "…well I'm not really interested in those kinds of things, that's all," I replied without missing a beat and… maybe truthfully… or that's what I wanted to believe. Something in my guts told me that that wasn't all, that it was more than that. But right now, I can't really think of what that reason is.

"That's because Mikan has someone wonderful already, right~" my chocolate haired friend leaned in as she teased me.

"Wha— why are you bringing that up, Mami!?" I tried to stay calm. My heart was beating a little faster than normal. I tried to think of anything other than a lover. Taking deep breaths didn't help either since my friend bumped into my shoulder to continue her joke.

"The way you suddenly became serious and rebuke the idea is suspicious~" her grin could be seen— or in my case— felt, even though I wasn't looking at her. I tried to ignore it, but I can feel her eyes piercing into my soul to spill out the truth.

Just when I thought the subject was going to be dropped and when things couldn't get any worse, Sachi just had to join in the conversation again, "What kind of wonderful person do you have?"

"Introduce him to us one day!"

"He's not all you're making him out to be!" Er…

"…" Oh no… this silence…

"Oho~ so you do have a boyfriend then~" I bit my bottom lip from saying anything further. Great, Mikan you dummy!

Ten minutes later of being teased, I parted ways with my friends. Remembering something, I decided to take the long route on my way home and I ran into Yami, of all people. Just thinking about what happened earlier I felt my cheeks getting warm.

"Mikan," Yami noticed and acknowledged me with a nod as she made her way towards me from the Taiyaki shop. I swallowed all the words I wanted to say to her, and instead, I just nodded back as I averted my gaze elsewhere.

I waited for her to walk beside me before continuing my stroll down the store outlets. It was quiet, well, except the fact that there were many commotions coming from all of the sales going on today, but it was quiet around just the two of us, like the world was closing in on us.

This isn't like me… normally, I would usually cling and ramble on and on to Yami about everything and nothing in particular and she would listen, even if it looked like she wasn't. I don't know what has gotten into me, but I don't like this feeling in my chest.

It doesn't feel healthy…

I didn't realize that a warm feeling touched my lips as I was drifting off to my own world. Focusing on the object in front of me, I noticed that it was the head of a taiyaki; also trailing from the hand holding it, my eyes laid on Yami's lips before I looked up to those usually empty eyes of hers, but I can see a small glint coming from those gorgeous red orbs looking back at me.

"Eat it, it's good," she pushed the fish towards my slightly parted lips until it dangled in my mouth before she let go.

Smiling a little, I knew that Yami was worried about me even though she didn't express her feelings. She already showed me through the small gesture she did. I grabbed the food hanging out of my mouth and took a bite from it.

It's funny. It's like Yami knows what I am thinking and vice versa.

"Mikan," I heard the soft and gentle voice I had come to love, "is there a reason why you took this path to head home?"

I looked to my side and stared at my companion, blinking a few times before a light bulb lit up. "Ah! I was going to buy something for someone! Thank you, Yami-san!" I looked around us and spotted the store I had intended on browsing inside.

We stood in front of a store called Yumi's Gift Shop with the sign "Grand Opening" in a big red banner, attached to the bottom was a small "30% off first 10,000 customers." If only the 'u' in the name was changed to an 'a.' Catching my thought, I mentally kicked myself. W-why did I just think that…? Looking over at my friend, I noticed that she was still standing by my side.

"Y-you don't have to come along, Yami-san—" I began but was interrupted as she walked passed me and into the store. My cheeks heated up again and I followed the blonde inside as soon as I finished the taiyaki she had given me, feeling the cool AC hitting my face as the sliding door opened.

G-great… now I have to buy the present together, but… how am I supposed to do that if she's with me!

I followed my blonde friend to the center of the store until she stopped dead in her tracks. "What is it, Yami-san?" I looked over her shoulders with ease, thanks to our height similarity, and saw a stranger in a weird get up. His head was covered with a fancy looking hat that I couldn't tell if it was a woman or a man, but the tall posture along with big boots told me that it had to be a man... for some odd reason. His red trench coat though… told me otherwise. I don't know why he was dressed in such phenomenon clothing, but he looked like an alien if you ask me, considering the strange outfit. Only foreigners wouldn't know how to fit in a new country. Yup, definitely an alien.

I felt my arm get pulled the opposite direction by Yami and let out a small yelp. Before I turned around to keep my balance, I saw the strange man look our way and I guess we sort of made eye contact, maybe… kind of? I'm not really sure, since he was wearing dark glasses, but I felt his gaze penetrate me enough to send a shiver up my spine. I even felt the back of my hair stick up as well as goosebumps crawling up my arm. I shook the feeling away and scanned the crowded room. Yami was next to me the whole time but I was able to grab what I wanted and managed to buy it without her noticing exactly what it was that I had bought.

"Thank you for your purchase! Have a wonderful evening!"

I bowed and gave my thanks to the cashier before heading towards the exit with my friend in tow. Mission accomplished! Now I just need to wait for a week. The corner of my lips curled into a smile.

"What's wrong?" I heard the blonde ask as she eyed me from the side. I blinked a few times and tilted my head slightly with a hum. "You were giggling."

"I was?" I patted my cheeks with one hand as I carried the small present bag with the other. I hadn't noticed that I was giggling. "It's nothing~" I replied, grabbed my friend's hand and walked out of the store.

-x-

"I found our target. Proceed to follow, I repeat, proceed to follow." A dark figure appeared out of an alley before disappearing again out of sight.

-x-

I opened my eyes with trouble as the memory flashed before me. It felt like it was yesterday that I went shopping with Yami. Tasting copper in my mouth, I knew that my lip was bleeding; I can also feel my tongue and cheek swollen as if my jaw had been bruised for quite a while now.

Trying to remember what happened, I didn't realize that there was another occupant in the room with me. I tried to move my arms but found my wrists chained to the wall behind me. My brain processed on what was going on around me and I finally remembered how I got here in the first place. I looked up to meet red eyes peering from the shadows.

I remembered what happened.

I was cooking dinner earlier than usual. It was then that a knock came from the door, I didn't think any of it since we always had guests come around late at night all the time, so I didn't suspect anything to happen the way it went. Since Rito didn't come through the door, then it had to be someone else. A visitor, perhaps?

Upon opening the door a man in a, I believe it was, mailman suit smiled at me as he handed me a small envelope package. I couldn't see his eyes since his cap was in the way. I signed it after confirming that it was for Rito. How strange, mails don't usually get here late at night.

As the mailman bid his farewell, I closed the door and set the brown envelope down on the kitchen counter, and resumed my cooking.

It was then that I felt a weird sensation that something bad was going to happen. I turned around quickly and didn't see anything suspicious or out of the ordinary—besides the envelope I had signed off. I walked over to the counter and reached over, but before I could touch the package, the roof caved in and I dived down covering my head and screaming in the process.

"W-what the! W… what was that?" I coughed the dust particles that fogged up my house.

"Yuuki Mikan, you will come with me quietly or I will use force," said a voice I didn't recognize.

Before I knew it, I was tied up in a metal cell, here to be exact. I think it's been half a day? A day? Since I've been here. I couldn't really tell because there were no lights coming into the room no matter how carefully I scanned the dark cell room. I looked up at the occupant again, trying to remember the face that had kidnapped me, but nothing came to mind.

"You sure took your sweet time sleeping," the same voice from earlier echoed from the shadows.

A/N: I know YamixMikan isn't popular, but I adore this pairing~ :3 I hope it won't be so confusing. Also, the whole beginning was a memory of the past, just for those who didn't quite catch that; and the end is obviously the present. So?~ Any comments, complaints, concerns?~ Thank you very much! Hope to see you next chapter!

~Kano Ai