Inspired from the manga, "Half & Half".
Disclaimer: The author of this fanfiction does not own GA, its plot and any of its characters. More so, the author does not own the manga Half & Half, its plot and its characters. This is a fiction and is purely fan made.
"Mikan!" was what Natsume exclaimed as soon as his eyes flew open. He ran to his bedroom to check where Mikan was. Unfortunately, he found no Mikan. He searched all over his condominium but Mikan was nowhere in sight. All that was left were two wrapped dishes on the kitchen table and a letter right beside it.
Natsume,
If you're reading this letter right now that would probably mean I'm not around any longer. You know where I've gone and it's not your fault. I just wanted to tell you that the days I've spent with you were the happiest days of my life. And I am the happiest of all.
"Six more days!" a deep, soothing voice echoed throughout the place.
"Six more days?" A puzzled brunette repeated the question with tears welling up the corners of her eyes.
"And on the seventh, two shall become one!" the voice proclaimed.
"This is not happening!" the brunette wailed as she glared at the raven-haired guy in front of her. "This is your fault!" she added to blame. The raven-haired guy did not look bothered though. He was as calm as the breaking dawn but was as expressionless as a sleeping Buddha.
"If you hadn't pushed me on the street, we would never have gotten into this mess!" the brunette practically yelled.
"Sakura Mikan and Natsume Hyuuga, since one is shared, two must make a whole. However, when two are separated, no one exists at all." the voice finished off the riddle and in a split second, everything came back to normal. The thick, blanketing clouds were gone and the endless light vanished. Before the two mortals could notice, they were back on the ground.
"I don't want to die!" Mikan started wailing again.
"Shut up idiot!" Natsume couldn't stand ignoring her anymore.
"It's your fault! Totally yours!" Mikan accused Natsume the second time around.
"Whatever"
"What are we going to do now?"
"Go home" and with that, Natsume started walking away, opposite to where Mikan was standing. He didn't go far though because before he could take another step, he felt a terrible sting coming from his chest.
"Are you okay?" Mikan asked the pain-stricken Natsume as she paced closer. In that instant, the throbbing pain that Natsume felt subsided.
"Guess we can't split up after all" Natsume realized as he started gaining back his composure.
"Of course! When two are separated, no one exists at all! That must be what Kami-sama meant!" Mikan stated in an unbelieving tone as she covered her mouth to prevent herself from gasping.
"Great!" Natsume sarcastically commented.
"Of all the people, why you?" Mikan said as she pointed a finger at Natsume. "What luck!" she added with a disappointing look.
"That goes the same for me!" Natsume grunted back.
"But since we have no choice, I'm Sakura Mikan!" Mikan said as she offered Natsume a huge smile and her hand.
"Natsume" Natsume replied without accepting anything Mikan had offered.
"You're rude, but I hope we could get along just fine!" Mikan said with the smile still plastered on her face as she patted Natsume's broad back. "But it is getting dark!" Mikan said with a worried face.
"Why are we in my house again?" Natsume irritatingly asked.
"Because we can't stay at my place, I live with a cousin!" Mikan answered with a goofy smile.
"You're making that up" Natsume stated.
"No I'm not!" Mikan huffed.
"Whatever!" Natsume said and then he proceeded to sit on the couch of his mini living room.
"Nat-su-me!" Mikan chirped with her goofy smile. Natsume only looked at her so she proceeded. "Do you have any food around here?"
Natsume stood up and started exploring his kitchen, he too was starving. After a moment of scavenger hunting, Natsume turned back to the patiently waiting brunette.
"How does fast food sound?" Natsume asked.
"It sounds great!" Mikan agreed.
By the end of the night, Mikan drank too much alcohol and she started blabbing about while Natsume carried her onto his back.
"I never wanted to die you know!" Mikan started, "but either way I will! Did you know I'm sick? That I could never get cured? Well, that was what the doctor said but screw him!" And Mikan laughed out loud. "Natsume, did you know? I never went to the sea before. I never swam in it because my doctor said I couldn't. My heart would stop if I would, do you believe that? And then here's six more days! I'm never going to see how those fishes would swim away when I'd go near them, would I?"
"You're drunk" Natsume said.
"I may be but I can still talk!" Mikan said with a giggle. "Natsume, do you know you're really good looking? You should live because a lot of girls would cry if you die!" Mikan finished.
The rest of the walk was silent now. No one spoke another word.
I wasn't joking that time before. When I told you that a lot of girls would weep when you're gone, that was no joke. I may have been drunk, but that was no joke. If you were gone, I'd weep together with those other girls. But I know I'd cry the most because unlike those other girls, I got to know you. Most importantly, I'd hurt the most because unlike those girls, I came to love you.
"Why's it so loud this early?" Mikan irritatingly stated as she tried to sit on Natsume's bed where she ended up sleeping in last night. She wandered her weary eyes and tried to materialize the flimsy images she saw between her half-awake eyes.
"Get up!" Natsume ordered as he continued throwing the things he took out from his wardrobe and into his bag.
"Where are we going?" Mikan asked as she rubbed her right eye and then yawned. "The sun isn't up yet?" she added.
"I'm doing business and I can't do it unless you're butt is still on that bed" Natsume boringly answered.
"Alright, alright! Sheesh, you sure are grumpy in the morning!" Mikan proclaimed as she slowly got out of bed. Mikan slowly moved around as she could feel pangs of pain surging through the temples of her forehead. She had a hangover because of her recklessness last night.
"Meet me outside in twenty minutes" Natsume said and then he left.
"Twenty minutes? I don't even think I could stand up in this state!" But before Mikan could continue with her complaints she saw a steaming cup filled with liquid on the bedside table and when she tasted it, it was a blend of honey and hot water. She felt embarrassed all of a sudden. She was complaining yet here was a cup of anti-hangover already prepared for her. After a moment of embarrassment, she collected a smile. Natsume must have already known she'd have a headache this morning. But at the thought of Natsume, the headache was almost gone and with the anti-hangover, she knew she would feel a lot better.
"Let's go" Natsume announced as soon as Mikan stepped out of the bedroom.
The first time I saw you, I had this light feeling towards you. Like, I wanted to know more about you and I thought that even if we were in this situation, it will be all worthwhile because I would get to know what Natsume is really like. And I did.
The Natsume I know looks as if he's always bored whenever he's with me and acts as if he doesn't even pay attention to whatever I'm doing or saying to him. When in fact, he's the person who's very interested to listen to every word I say and he's the person who would be the first to remember every bit of nonsense I'd spout or random things I'd tell him.
"This is…" Mikan unbelievingly said as she quickly turned her gaze towards Natsume who was setting up the camera tripod on the sandy shore. "Why are we here Natsume?" Mikan asked happily.
"I'm working" Natsume simply replied.
"No, you're not! You're not the photographer here, I am! Taking pictures is what I do! You're a businessman!" Mikan pointed out as she frantically waved her hands in the air.
Natsume on the other hand didn't mind answering her retort. He carried on with what he was doing. Mikan however, went closer to where Natsume was and planted a quick kiss on Natsume's cheek. This made the wide-eyed Natsume turn to the scarlet red Mikan.
"T-tha-t was f-for bringing m-me here. I have never gone to the sea with a f-friend. Thank you!" Mikan stuttered. To minimize the embarrassment, Mikan started to turn away and she galloped closer to the sea.
Mikan squatted down right in front of the line where the foams of the sea would actually reach. She didn't notice Natsume had followed her, not until he splashed water on her face.
"Hey!" she protested with a giggle as she splashed water on Natsume too.
"You want to go in?" Natsume asked while he stared at Mikan.
"I do, but I don't know how to swim, I might drown. And I can't!" Mikan frowned. All of a sudden Natsume stood up and pushed Mikan into the water soaking her and her clothes.
"Why did you do that?" Mikan screamed as she horrifyingly watched Natsume.
"You don't need to know how to swim just to go in the water. And you'll be perfectly fine; I'll stand by and watch you." Natsume assured.
"Okay!" Mikan agreed as she pulled Natsume into the water too. She was waiting for an angry retort from Natsume but instead she heard a chuckle. Mikan couldn't believe what she heard so she turned to look at a laughing Natsume.
"That's great! You're laughing!" Mikan happily announced. Natsume drew up a grin and then started splashing water onto Mikan and Mikan did the same to Natsume. This scene had only ended when Mikan pointed up the sky and shouted, "The sun is rising! Isn't it wonderful?"
"YAY! It's time to eat!" Mikan exclaimed ecstatically. "I'm starving!"
Mikan opened a picnic basket and then made a face.
"What's all this?" Mikan pouted. "It's all Onigiris!"
"So?" Natsume replied as he got a piece and chomped it away.
"Do you by any chance…" Mikan suspiciously eyed Natsume. "…just know how to cook ONIGIRI and nothing else?" Mikan finished off.
"No." Natsume replied flatly.
"Then, they might be your favorite dish, right?" Mikan said as she plastered on a huge smile on her porcelain face.
"Hn" Natsume briefly replied as he took the fifth Onigiri from Mikan.
"You should try my Mikan's Special Soup! It will leave you breathless!" Mikan said and then giggled. "But first, let me try your Onigiri!"
When Mikan tasted Natsume's Onigiri, she coughed a little.
"You call this food?" Mikan stared at Natsume. "You sure do make it look that tasty? But don't worry, next time, I'll make you real Onigiris!" And with that they ate happily.
Oh! I almost forgot! I left a specially made Onigiri and my specialty too, Mikan's Special Soup! I told you I'd make one for you. I wrapped them just like you did in the picnic. Too bad I can't see your reaction and I'm not there so you could thank me! But I kept my promise; I hope you'd keep yours too.
However, we have to part Natsume. I choose to die for your sake. You have your whole life ahead of you while I have a limit to mine. I'm happy however, to have been given this chance. Even before I die, I was given the chance to meet you. To have died for you wasn't in vain. Just one thing though, even when I'm not around anymore, always remember that I'm with you, always loving you.
If we meet again in the next life, I hope we'd meet again with you still being you and me, still being me. If that happens, I would still love you even if you wouldn't love me back. I'll just have to find a way to make you love me and if that wouldn't work, I'll just push both of us in front of a speeding train and end up as how we are now. I'm sure Kami-sama would give us a chance like this again. But next time, I hope I wouldn't be sick anymore so that I could live a longer life with you.
"Natsume, it's the last day today" Mikan said with a smile on her face.
"I know" Natsume said.
"Days do fly really fast when you're having fun, right?" Mikan said as she stared at Natsume who was sipping his coffee. They were talking in the living room, quietly spending their last night together. "Kami-sama gave us a second life after we got ran over by a speeding train in the station."
"If I hadn't been in a hurry, I wouldn't have bumped you into the tracks" Natsume recalled as he had a painful look shown upon his face.
"It was no one's fault!" Mikan cheered him up. "I'm thankful though because I met you. Six days are over Natsume, and tomorrow, one of us should die for the sake of the other. I want you to live for the both of us!"
"No, I have no intention of letting you die."
"I 'm contented enough to have lived this long and to have met the most wonderful person in my life!"
"But you could live longer and meet more people!"
"No, this lifetime is enough. You're enough!" Mikan said with a genuine smile on her face.
"I love you. Would that make you change your mind to keep living?" Natsume practically pleaded with his eyes and his voice was stressed out.
"I love you too, and this is the reason why I'd want you to live instead!" Mikan told Natsume as she held his face. "Just promise me, you'll keep living?" Mikan held Natsume's gaze. "My life is through, yours is beginning!"
"No, you WILL live!" Natsume stated as he hardened his gaze on her.
"But if I won't, will you promise me that you'll continue living your life?"
Natsume hesitantly answered. "I-I promise."
The next morning, Mikan was gone. She must have woken up first and she must have asked Kami-sama to spare Natsume's life.
Natsume went up to his room after reading the letter. As he entered the room that Mikan once used, he saw a sight that took his breath away but crushed his heart to pieces. His bedroom was filled with photographs on the wall. His photographs that were purely all candid.
'She was a photographer' Natsume thought, devastated.
There were pictures of him making Onigiri, and him as he slept on the couch. He had a picture taken when he was changing. Whether he was grumpy or laughing or grinning his heart out, it was captured and printed onto paper and now stuck onto his bedroom walls. He picked up one of the pictures and drew it close to his chest. It was the picture of him and Mikan on their last night. Mikan was kissing him on his lips while he was deeply asleep. He flipped the picture onto the other side and there was a note stuck on it.
'You weren't the only one who had surprises!' was handwritten on the back.
Natsume took another photo and saw it had a note too.
'Keep smiling!'
'I love you!'
'You're Onigiri tastes bad, but I love it!'
And many more. Natsume was left dumbfounded for a moment. After a while, he lay on his bed, closed his eyes and started thinking of Mikan. Tears were falling from his eyes of course, but aside from the creeping motion of his tears on his cheeks, he made no other movement at all.
Six years had passed and Natsume had continued with his life. One Sunday afternoon, a knock on his door came that made him wake up from his slumber. Natsume walked over the door and opened it.
"This must be my next life. I hope you're still Natsume?" a familiar voice chirped.
Natsume was wide-eyed with shock at first but when he regained his composure he said, "Natsume Hyuuga" as he reached out his hand.
"I'm Sakura Mikan; I hope we could get along just fine!" and she took his hand.
"Welcome back" and with that, Natsume sealed all the talked with a passionate kiss. He wouldn't wonder how she'd come back alive, it must've been another miracle, but she was there and that was all that mattered.