Chasing You

Chapter Two

Closer than the Surface

"Good morning, Natsume!"

It was her usual cheery voice which greeted him. Honestly, Natsume was used to it and would always ignore it. Giving her attention would just boost her already inflated ego that was only present to him. He could see her expression clearly as she walked toward him, her expression was like they had not seen each other for years. Like, she missed him so much. But surprisingly, he did not find it creepy. Also, the fact he was wearing a white shirt today didn't skip him. She was wearing white, too.

It was a lazy Saturday and every weekend Mikan would always visit the Hyuuga household which was just across their house. She was visiting consistently because weekend was the only time she could talk with Natsume about personal things without worrying the eyes of the other people. She knew it was consistently bothersome to Natsume but she was not doing anything wrong so there was no reason to stop. At first, Natsume was strongly annoyed in how her persistence reached that level but she just won't stop so he let her did her way.

Natsume, who was currently drinking his coffee while reading a book, scowled. "Go away. I don't want you in my house."

But it was too late. She was already inside their yard.

She smiled widely at him and slammed her hands lightly on the table in front of Natsume. "But we're neighbors. And our families are really close so I am really welcome here," she stated and crossed her arms as she walked toward the main house.

She opened the door and let herself entered. She really was welcome in the Hyuuga household. Her mother, Yuka, was the best friend of Kaoru Hyuuga, Natsume's mother. Mikan had been visiting every week for five years now and she never got tired of it because of many reasons and one of those would be the warm welcome the rest of the Hyuugas were giving her. Mikan glanced at her back to see that Natsume instantly followed her inside, watching her as she made her way to the living room.

Her actions were natural; like she was an official resident of the household.

Natsume raised his eyebrows. "You don't plan on staying here all day again, do you?" he asked with a not so welcoming tone. It had been five years already and he was still asking this question of his. He felt dumb for a second.

"Unfortunately, I do." she answered casually and jumped on the couch. "Have you finished your reading your book?" she asked as she tried to find the remote control of the television which was usually stuck on the sides of the couch. She really knew this household so much.

Natsume placed his empty cup and his book on the table and answered Mikan with rudeness. "What's it to you?"

"I'm planning on borrowing that." It was her simple answer. The rudeness didn't affect her.

"Again?"

She had always been like that. Natsume's interests were also becoming her interests. She would always borrow things from him not just because to have a reason to see and talk to him but also to know him better, his likes and dislikes. They were growing and things on people their age were dynamic so she wanted to be updated about his life as possible. She wanted to be a big part of his life.

She looked at him and glared. "Oh don't you dare refuse because in the end you always end up letting me borrow your things."

"Then my kindness vanished now. No." It seems like his answer was final but she knew better.

Mikan removed her slippers and placed her feet on the couch. "Natsume, why are you so mean to me? You don't act like that to other people," she asked as she made herself comfortable in the couch. "Does that mean I'm special? Oh my gosh! I am, right?" she said in glee.

"The fact is, you're not," he said in a harsh tone which caught up guard Mikan, "And you will never be. No matter what you do, I just don't like you. Please do me a favor and get out."

His words stung but she chose to laugh. "Darling, I'm used with those words. They can't hurt me now."

Mikan was just saying it. Words like what just Natsume said to her facemade her wanted to jump off a bridge. It hurt her feelings like hell. She could feel the tears that were about to escape in her eyes and fortunately she found the remote she was searching earlier and avoided being caught by Natsume that she was about to cry.

Natsume shook his head slightly. "You're crazy," he said.

"Crazy for you," she retorted with humor, her eyes fixed on the television.

"Will you stop that?" Natsume's tone was annoyed.

Mikan stood up and walked to him. "I won't. I've already come this far. Why would I stop now?"

Right now, she had zero plans of stopping. She was so sure of her feelings for Natsume and never will she let go of that. She would never give up until Natsume finally notices her. After all these years, the hurtful words, the way he ignored her, the fact that Natsume had not shown any romantic action toward her, she could endure it. She would endure it all because her hope never faded.

"Such an idiot," he mumbled.

Mikan's expression changed from happy to serious. The sound coming from the television echoed in the room. She stared at him intently in the eyes and asked, "If I stop, would that make you happy?"

Now that she asked it, would he be happy? That was his ultimate wish for ten years. Maybe he will. He didn't even like Mikan the way she wanted him to like her and he could not see a future with her, so when she stops, he would be happy. His mind was shouting yes but something was off because as time went by, her irking actions became a part of his daily life. If ever he would say 'yes', that would be a definite lie. He would never be happy because stopping her would also mean breaking the foundation of their friendship. She befriended him after all because she had a crush on him.

"Definitely," he answered after a pause, the words seemed foreign to his mouth. He regretted saying it.

Mikan clenched her fist but was not visible to Natsume. "How unfortunate. I don't have the plan to."

He simply shrugged and was actually relieved that Mikan said it. "Should have known," he muttered.

"Don't you enjoy talking with me?" she asked, her voice was full of hope like all she was waiting was his sweet 'yes'. She silently prayed he would say 'yes'. "Many people are praising me because I'm fun to be with. Don't you feel the same way? Even the slightest?"

Natsume stared at her for awhile; his face did not show any happiness. "Do I look like I'm having fun?"

Mikan bit her lip and placed her hands behind her, right hand over the left. "I hope so. Because when I am talking to you and you talk back, no matter how insulting your words are, it doesn't fail to make me happy," she said with sincerity evident in her tone. "I love your voice ever since because it could manage to be the most charming voice ever behind its rough exterior. It's just that, you are so different. From the very first time we met, I know we can reach this far."

The boy didn't know what to say after her short speech. In front of him was a genuine girl who he didn't even like. He rejected her a million times but until now, she was still here. He had not thought about her feelings for all these years. Ten years and he had not asked her even once why did she like him. He stared at her and felt tremendous confusion. He faked a cough and announced, "I'll be in my room. Don't disturb me."

Natsume stood up and went for the stairs.

"Hey, Natsume!" she called out.

He stopped but didn't turn. "What?"

Mikan's seriousness was intact. "I'm serious about you."

He flinched at the words. "Whatever."

Once again, she mumbled. "I like you. I really do."


"Why am I here again?" Mikan asked as she took her teaspoon to take a bite on her cake.

"Because I'm curious," her company said.

Mikan placed her elbows on the table and munched the pastry. "Care to tell me, why do I care?"

The other person grinned shortly. "Coz it's about you!"

She rolled her eyes. "Koko, what are you up to?" she asked in suspicion.

Koko watched her as she ate, smiling at her every action. "Nothing. Just want to ask some questions. Come on, Mikan. Trust me on this."

"Fine," she finally answered. "But, you're not on the school paper or anything, right?"

Koko chuckled. "No. Trust me. This is just for my personal best interest."

"It better be," she warned.

They were currently on Starbucks. Koko phoned her the moment she stepped out of the gates of the Hyuugas. She didn't know why Koko called because to start with they were not even close but she still accepted his invitation because his words tagged Natsume's name. Mikan was allowed to go anywhere near the perimeter of their house so she went straightly to Starbucks.

"So, how did you and Natsume met again?" It was the first thing Koko asked. He was curious as a cat on how Mikan's mind was running that he even bothered to invite her in a coffee shop far from his house but near hers.

Mikan answered quickly. "We're neighbors. My parents are close to his. Basically, we are childhood friends."

He nodded and continued. "What is it that made you like him?"

Mikan ate the cherry of her cake before answering. "I'm the kind of girl who wants attention and I always get it…that's until I met him. He doesn't care. I found him as a challenge so I thought of plans that could make him noticed me and then I got close to him. For a child, he sure was handsome. At first, it was just a plain crush, next was attraction, then I came to like him, and now…you know." She blushed at the last two words.

Koko was satisfied with her answer. He rested his elbow on the table and placed a hand on his chin. "Are you aware that after ten years, nothing is happening yet?"

She nodded and held her drink, ready to take a sip. "Yes. Very."

Here came the personal part. Koko had no idea if this interrogation would hurt her or won't affect her but he didn't really care about that as of now because what he really cared about was that he just had to know. Ruka seemed to know a lot about Mikan and Natsume while he barely knew anything. He was Natsume's friend too and besides, he was interested on how a girl could be so open about this kind of relationship with her best friend.

"Why do you think so?" he asked, his tone hadn't changed.

She shrugged her shoulders and took a sip on her cold drink. "Easy. He doesn't like me."

Koko's smile faded. "And you're okay with that?" he asked, feeling a little astonished.

Suddenly, her eyes became tender and her facial features softened. "I'm not surrendering yet, Kokoro Yome. Someday, maybe, he will see me as a girl. He will have the same feeling as mine and finally we'll be together. I'm not losing hope. We have heard stories about waiting for so long and how everything was worth it in the end. I wanna prove myself that it's going to happen to me."

Koko was amazed with the way she answered. In school, she was so loud and with that most of what she said became nonsense but now as he was asking her questions, he realized that maybe Mikan Sakura wasn't bad at all. "What if that did not come?" he inquired again.

"I'll try my best to be happy for him," Mikan managed to say and looked far away after. "It's always the best thing to do, as the movies and dramas implied," she added.

This time, Koko developed an admiration to her honesty and determination. She was kind, no doubt about that. Mikan Sakura was not superficial. Mikan Sakura actually was an actually deep person that had a lot of stories that might inspire people. She was more than 'the girl obsessed with her own best friend' as others would say. She was the same but in a very different way. The typical type but somehow the unique one. Now that Koko was thinking deeply about it, he knew. He knew that Mikan Sakura already accepted that Natsume won't like her but she was driven by her hope.

Koko faked a cough as he felt being drowned by his thoughts and asked, "How did you know you love him already?"

Mikan shrugged. "He's everything that I could think of," she answered casually and easily.

Koko nodded, his eyes narrowed, and an awkward smile appeared on his face. "Why do you act stupid at school?" He was afraid to ask that question coz he might be wrong but then she laughed, proving his theory correct.

She smiled at the question but answered still answered it. "Because, I sense, that somehow my stupid side makes him laugh."

"All for him?" Koko wanted confirmation.

Mikan nodded and smiled. "All for him."


Mikan just came from Starbucks and was now a few steps away from her house. She was looking down, not paying attention to the road since it rarely had cars for their community was a subdivision, and suddenly looked up when she felt she was already in their street to see if Natsume was outside again, like he did every night. He was admiring the stars, she assumed. Up to now, her assumption has not yet been proven correct or wrong.

Her prayer was answered again. There he was holding a pencil and his precious sketchbook. Mikan knew the moment he saw him that he was sketching the dark sky splashed with stars and the half moon.

She ran near the Hyuugas fences and she immediately said, "Hello, Natsume! Goodnight, Natsume!"

Natsume diverted his attention to the girl, surprised that she was still out at this time of night. He made a scowl. "It's late, little girl. Where have you been?"

She smiled when he said that. "Ooooh, is my darling worried?" she teased as she dared to took a peek on his sketch.

The boy noticed what she was doing and quickly pulled away the sketchbook out of her sight and snarled, "I'm not and don't call me darling."

Mikan sighed in defeat. "I met Koko at the café and he treated me some snack. Just that."

"Koko treated you a snack?" he asked in disbelief. "No way."

Mikan loved the reaction she got. It was like Natsume was being jealous. She tried to reach for his face but unluckily, Natsume made some few steps backward but still she said, "Do not be jealous, Darling. You're still the only one."

He grunted. "Who said I'm jealous? Go inside your house, lil' girl. Don't bother me anymore."

She nodded like a child. "Goodnight!"

Natsume just waved back shortly and turned around.


Sunday came so fast that Natsume had no time to kick Mikan out of their house. It was two in the afternoon and he should have known she will barge into his bedroom, like always, and took the effort to take a bath earlier.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Natsume was only clad in a towel, tied around his waist. He just came out on the bathroom when he saw Mikan on his room, no, on his bed rather, doodling in his computer. She was lying in the bed in the most comfy position; her tummy lies on the bed, feet on the air, left hand under her chin, right hand on the mouse. If he didn't know any better, he will think of her as a pervert for barging in like that.

Mikan was used with the sight of a half-naked Natsume. This wasn't the first time she saw Natsume at that state but even after so many times, she could still feel her stomach crunching and her cheeks heating. This move of hers, hanging in a boy's room, may garner negative comments from people but the Hyuugas didn't mind. They knew how much friendship there was between Mikan and Natsume and they all trust the both of them.

She stared at him shortly and pouted. "Don't act as if this is the first time. You know how much I love your room. Do you want me to tell you again?"

"Yah, as much as you love me, right? That's stupid. Go home." He ordered as he went to grab clean clothes.

"Not yet. I'm taking pictures on your laptop," she said as she made a pose and clicked the mouse.

Natsume went inside the bathroom again, not bothering to close the door, and wore his clothes. After a minute, he was already dressed.

"The hell. Get off my bed," he said in a harsh tone.

Mikan ignored her and made a pose again. "Why are you irritable? Of all people here, you know very well that I visit your room every Sunday."

"Without my permission," he added, walking towards her.

She gave him a knowing smirk. "Geez, Natsume. Stop complaining because I know in the end you'll let me do my way anyway."

He pulled a pillow and hit her in the head. "Stop saying that."

She winced a little and scratched her head. She stole the pillow and fired it back to Natsume and said, "Why would I? It's the truth."

Natsume hated the fact that she always had comebacks with every insult he throws. And the pillow hurt.

"What are you doing there?" he asked in suspicion.

"Nothing." Mikan lied.

Natsume growled and sat on the bed, leaning down toward the computer, their distance lessened. He snatched the mouse from her and started opening new windows. Mikan coukd sniff his scent due the distance and she did not miss the chance to. She inhaled his manly scent, being careful to be unnoticed. His features stumbled onto her sight and she was staring at him, checking her very own best friend again. His eyes, nose, lips, cheeks, and skin. Everything was beautiful.

His wet hair was producing droplets of water which Mikan found sexy. Her best friend was indeed a handsome lad. No wonder many girls were after him but he didn't go out with anyone of them and Mikan knew that she was not the reason. He had other reasons. Mikan could remember clearly the day when Natsume said that love was troublesome, commitments were meaningless in the end, and girls would always be there. She lectured him for saying so and after that, he hadn't said it again.

"Do you still chat with her?" she asked absentmindedly.

"Who?" he asked, still looking at the screen.

She made an awkward shrug. "You know! The Ibaragi girl."

"None of your business," he answered as he typed something on the search bar.

She frowned. "I wanna know my rivals, Natsume. If I will be really serious in courting you, I should start knowing my rivals."

"Can you hear yourself? Just now you sounded so moronic." He cannot believe she could actually say those words without feeling embarrassed. What did he do to deserve this?

"I'm serious," Mikan said firmly.

"Really?" he mocked.

She hit him in the arm. "I am! Hey, you wanna order pizza?"

He glared at her. "Shut up, bipolar."

Mikan chuckled and changed position. Now, she was completely lying on the bed, her back resting at its soft texture, her eyes rested on the beautiful ceiling. It was Natsume's idea. How the ceiling was beautifully painted. "Funny, right? Who the hell is allergic to cheese?" she teased him.

"If you have nothing good to say, go home." He said again. Even he was getting irritated with his own words.

"Any new sketches?" Mikan asked, her both legs towered over Natsume's.

"No inspiration," he replied.

"Then let me be!" she suggested, playing with his hair.

Natsume smiled with that. "Can't you say anything but promote yourself in our every conversation?" he asked, chuckling a little.

"Just kidding. It's your stuff. Do your best with it."

No matter how irritating she could be, when she talks like that, he could not help but smile. She barely talked in a serious manner, rarer in an encouraging manner. Somehow, he could think of something to draw when she was saying those magic words, 'Do your best with it.'

"How's your studies?" It was now his time to ask her.

"Wow. So sweet of you to ask, darling." Mikan said in a teasing manner again and Natsume glared at her, her smiled faded. "It's bad. I can barely understand the subject."

Natsume removed the laptop from his bed and placed it to his study table and lay beside Mikan. They always do this, every Sunday of the week. They talked about a lots of things may it be about school, family, friends, or just everyday circumstances. Little did everyone around them know how much Mikan and Natsume knew each other. They were closer than they think. Their friendship was never the superficial type.

"As expected from an idiot like you."

She waited for him to say that. "Sorry if I'm not a genius like you but at least I try my best. It just wasn't enough."

"Don't go drama on me," he teased.

She smiled and shut her eyes. "I am not."

Sometimes she wished that her normal days would be as wonderful like this. Talking to Natsume about anything made her feel closer to him than anyone else. They weren't hesitating to talk about things may it be light or personal and that's how it always roll. Mikan's thoughts travelled a little. If ever the time comes that Natsume will make a serious choice, will they do this like they always does? Will things ever be normal?

If we chose to.

She remembered.

End of Chapter


And how was this chapter? What can you say about Mikan and Natsume's relationship?

Thank you for the feedbacks. Now, I feel like continuing this story.