Airplanes
O
Where a promise is made.
O
Where a heart will falter,
O
but that promise still is kept.
I've Perfected Imperfection
I stared sleepily at the dark, dull sky that seemed to have no shining stars tonight. Yawning heavily, I walked back inside the room and grabbed a familiar object inside my golden brown dresser. Pulling out my phone, I plugged in a pair of ordinary black earphones. Pressing a few buttons, I pressed play. Slowly dragging myself half-asleep onto the balcony, I leaned against the railing eagerly trying to find a silhouette in the darkness of the forest.
I felt a weak tremble of wind blow against my neck. "Boo," the black-haired boy murmured, his warm breath tickling my neck.
"Ah!" I shouted, feeling a surge of relief yet anger. "Why'd you have to sneak up on me? It'll drain more of your energy!" I whispered loudly, gritting my teeth.
"Calm down. I'm not going to drop dead any moment, Mikan. You should really stop the doubts, I'm not keen on dying anytime without you," Natsume waved my excuse off, smirking lightly. He wiggled his brows suggestively, smirking intact as my cheeks went red from embarrassment.
A vein popped out of my pale forehead. "Whatever. Just lie down on the bed and let me clean your wounds, please," I said, noticing his frown when he heard my off-the-edge tone. He knew that deep down inside, I was begging on my knees for him to live longer. To sustain his life, to maintain the balance of rest and fighting. His life was on stake, yet he was the hero in disguise. Fighting for the academy, albeit his undying hatred for it.
"Hn," he murmured weakly against the silence of the darkness. As he hesitantly climbed onto the king-sized bed, he rested on the backboard.
"What are you doing? You're meant to take your t-shirt off," I hissed quietly.
Natsume hesitated on how to voice out his reply, but got it out anyway, "Can't." I knew he regretted it immediately as tears formed in my eyes, making me wonder how he could see so vividly in the dark even during his worst conditions. My eyes widened slightly, feeling a pang of sorrow. "It's nothing that bad, I'm just feeling tired." I clenched my fists, angry. Hewas trying to comfort me when he was the one suffering in agonizing pain. 'He's good in hiding it…' I thought.
Nodding weakly, I got a pair of scissors and cut his shirt in half, ripping it in the process. What wounds I saw before me made me gasp and lose my breath.
There were so much bruises and cuts displayed on his stone chest. After a few seconds, I mumbled a quick, "Wait." He nodded meekly, closing hiseyes peacefully. I ran into the small toilet that was connected to my room, and grabbed a bucket of hot water and a clean, white cloth. As I walked back, I noticed Natsume was sleeping peacefully, even though hehad difficulty breathing. I frowned as I walked up to his crumpled figure. Slightly shaking him to keep him awake, I washed the cloth in hot water before cleaning his wounds.
"Would it kill you to clean my wounds a bit softer?" he whispered playfully. Glad Natsume's humour was intact although it was at the wrong time. I glared at him dangerously.
"Stop being such a girl. Be a man, rub some dirt in," I hissed, a smirk touching my lips as he shook lightly under my touch. Surprisingly, he laughed as his body vibrated as I tended to his wounds.
"I see you've been watching She's the Man lately," Natsume teased, opening one eye to stare curiously at me.
"Yeah, well we all need a laugh once a while, is that so wrong?" I defended myself, still cautiously cleaning hiswounds.
"I never said that."
"Whatever. Just stop talking. You need rest," I said focusing on a rather large bruise.
"How can I if you're washing my awfully hot, toned chest?" he teased again, chuckling.
"Arrogant now, are we Mr. Hotshot?" I said.
"Tsk tsk, a little girl like you shouldn't tease older people. Instead you should respect and admire me, since I am older than you," Natsume retorted, smirking that infamous smirk.
"Excuse me? I think you've forgotten that I'm older than you by two months. Get your facts right," I shot back, fighting the urge laugh.
"Well, I'm older than you in brain mentality."
"Hey! I'm not dumber than you!" I shouted in disbelief.
"Hey! Be quiet, people are trying to sleep!" an angry, muffled voice shouted from across the hallway.
Unsurprisingly, he snickered as I frowned deeply. "Jeez, people these days," I mumbled angrily to myself.
"Tell me about it. Can't get any stupider, like you idiot." Natsume shook his head mockingly, not disappointed as his comment threw me off the edge. I looked up, my eyebrows twitching. Lifting up a clenched fist, I mockingly smacked him on the head.
"Tch," he said, wincing.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!" I apologized bowing numerously on the carpeted floor.
"Kidding," he said, chuckling. "You really should stop the gullible acts, otherwise I'd really be frightened for you. I mean, who could be as gullible as a girl like you?"
"Why you-" I began, but was cut off.
"Hurry up cleaning my wounds. I need to sleep," Natsume mumbled suddenly, the serious look in his eyes snapping me to reality. Remembering what I was doing, I quickly resumed washing his wounds. After some time, I finally finished and dumped the now crimson cloth inside the bucket with the leftover water and rushed outside the balcony, spilling the water all over the ground. "What are you doing, Mikan?" he hissed.
"What do you think? Helping nature grow with water that shouldn't be wasted," I said, changing the song on my phone.
"Tch, idiot."
"Why thank you for your kind gratitude," I said sarcastically. Rinsing the blood out of the cloth, I took the aid kit and started bandaging his wounds. 'Luckily there weren't any other wounds down there… Or else I would've had to clean down there as well,' I thought, shivering.
"You're cold. Sleep here," Natsume offered. No scratch that, demanded rudely.
"Like I need an invitation, I always sleep here, so no point in inviting me. But thanks, I appreciate the offer," I said sardonically.
"Snappy now, are we?"
Ignoring the rude yet inhumanely handsome teenager, I slid next to him under the warm covers with my one earplug still attached in my ear hole.
"Why are you sleeping with your earphone?" Natsume asked curiously, snaking warm arms around my waist.
As I shivered once again, I replied, "It helps me sleep better."
"How so?"
"I feel like my mother's singing me a lullaby to sleep," I replied tiredly.
"How about I sing you to sleep?" he murmured, breathing his cinnamon scent on my neck that sent the hairs on my back stand up.
Surprisingly, I snorted and said, "You? Sing? Please."
"Sure. Any special requests?" hesaid, twisting my question. I could practically feel his huge ugly smirk.
"Hmm, if you're so serious, then I'll let you have your fun. Airplanes by Hayley Williams please."
"Whatever," Natsume said, purposely blowing against my ear lobe. Taking that as a sign, I paused my music before eagerly listening.
Remembering something, I said abruptly, "Oh! And not the rap bit. Just the part where Hayley sings."
Natsume sighed heavily and raked a hand through his raven, silky hair. "As your wish, milady." I giggled lightly before concentrating.
I felt him take a deep breath before singing quietly.
Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars,
I could really use a wish right now, a wish right now, a wish right now.
I couldn't breathe properly, but suddenly I felt even more tired than ever before. "Goodnight, Natsume…"
Before I fell into the welcoming arms of darkness, I heard him whisper, "Goodnight, Mikan." I smiled in sheer happiness before melting in his warm arms.
O
O
O
"Mikan. Mikan, wake up."
I stirred quietly, mumbling, "What's wrong?"
"I love you." My eyes shot open as I sat up on the bed, gaping at him.
Natsume looked so serious yet tired. Smiling, I laid back down and wrapped my petite arms around him and whispered in his ear, "I love you too, Natsume." Kissing gently on his cheek, I sighed in content.
Suddenly, I opened my eyes again, surprised at what had just happened. 'Did Natsume just confess to me?'
Looking at his face for any signs of doubt, I noticed he was sleeping peacefully. I smiled happily, brushing out some bangs out of his eyes.
I wrapped an arm around him before snuggling closer. 'Wait a minute…' I realized in shock that his chest wasn't moving up and down in rhythm.
Shaking his shoulders frantically, I saw his arm fall limply. Shaking my head, I shouted agonizingly, "No! Natsume, don't you dare leave me! Please, tell me this is a dream!"
Seeing that he wasn't responding, I started sobbing hard. I shouted, "Please! Natsume! Wake up, please! You can't do this to me!" He wasn't responding. Seeing as it was impossible, I whispered, "He's gone. And he's never coming back. Ever," my voice cracked at the end.
"Mikan! What's wrong?" My dear best friend asked, panting in the doorway.
I looked in her direction, tears falling down like an avalanche. "He's gone, Hotaru. And he won't come back anymore."
"Mikan," she whispered, pulling me into her warm arms and gently patting my hair.
"Cry all you want," she whispered.
She never said 'it's okay, you'll be fine.' Hotaru knew I wasn't going to be fine. Natsume was gone, and there was nothing I could do to change that. "Thanks Hotaru," I sobbed in her pyjamas.
In response, she kept stroking my hair delicately.
O
O
O
I took a deep breath as I stepped onto the balcony. I had to ask Hotaru to be left alone for a few minutes when I felt my eyes were finally dry for awhile. But that was the problem, they'd only be dry for awhile, but then I would start crying again, repeating the process all over again.
When I told Hotaru that, she said, "It's okay to cry a lot. If you cry a lot, you'll become a strong women when you're older when you've let it out. It also means that Hyuuga was worth it, worth your tears. Otherwise, you wouldn't spend so much time crying."
I snuggled my head in my arms, my breath hitching. Quickly I pulled out my phone and pressed shuffle.
Without warning, a familiar song boomed throughout the earphones.
Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars,
I could really use a wish right now, a wish right now, a wish right now.
Before I could stop, I broke down again, sliding onto the cold tiles of the balcony. After a while, I noticed something blinking in the dark sky. I blinked a few times to clear my vision and saw an airplane high up in the sky.
I smiled with pain etched all over my face. "Natsume, whether you can hear me or not, I love you, and I always will. But, just promise me one thing, Natsume," I said, pausing.
Taking in a deep breath, I wished for something in my mind.
I could feel a slight gush of wind against my neck. Suddenly, I heard Natsume's voice in my mind.
You don't need to wish on an airplane, just never think of me as a memory. I promised I'd never die and leave you, and I'm still keeping that promise. I'll always be here.
Grinning, I inwardly thanked the airplane for being my shooting star when I needed it.
'Watch over me, Natsume.'
O
Where a wish is made upon an airplane.
O
Where doubts will remain stray,
O
yet the wish is granted and will still be kept under the worst circumstances.
Okay, I've revised this one-shot! Not much changes really, I'm not too keen on changing it with any major changes due to the cause of me wanting to feel nostalgia ;D but not wanting to cringe too much at my grammar. There's probably still mistakes lying in here, but I've got a headache and I'm awfully sleepy T_T.
Oh, and if you didn't get the story, basically, Natsume comes back from a mission injured and Mikan helps him. And, Natsume knows he's on the brink of death so he sings to Mikan so she doesn't feel lonely.
~Joy.