It's time for the second chapter. This is slightly shorter than the first chapter. Slight. I'm sorry about that and thank you for those who reviewed the first chapter. I appreciate it a lot. So, enjoy reading! (^_^)v
Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or the song Only For You.
A Change In Time
Chapter II: Present
Recap:
—•=_/*~|^—^|~*\_=•—
Tears started to fall from her eyes as she said the few final words. "I really miss you, Natsume." She ended the call, tossed her phone somewhere and fell back to her bed, still crying.
"Should we proceed?" The woman asked.
"No, wait." Natsume stared at Mikan's crying face. "I... want to stay for a while." He whispered. Seeing her crying face feels like someone is pricking his heart. Despite that, he wanted to stay.
"Okay."
—•=_/*~|^—^|~*\_=•—
End of Recap
Natsume looked up to the woman beside him. He nodded at her letting her know that he's ready to leave at last. Mikan cried herself to sleep while Natsume watched her and let his heart cry with her. He deserve it because he broke her. Mikan may seem like a very strong woman who can face anything and anyone but in truth, she's a fragile little girl when it comes to the people she loves.
The woman nodded back and snapped her fingers.
Their surrounding shifted again. They appeared in Koko's bar, Natsume recognized. They caught sight of them in the VIP section where they usually sit since it's owned by Koko so it was obvious that they can sit there. They walked towards their table still hand in hand. Even with the noise, Natsume could still hear them talking. Or was it just the woman's power?
"He still doesn't want to see you?" Sumire asked straightly.
"Permy!" Koko and Ruka chorused.
"It's okay. She's right anyway." Mikan sipped her Tequila Sunrise.
"Would there be a day where I could watch the sunrise with you again?" She whispered to herself and the only people who heard are Natsume and the woman.
"What the hell am I saying," she muttered with a shake of her head before she stood up from her seat.
"Where are you going?" Hotaru asked when she noticed her stand.
"Washroom," she answered without looking back.
"Koko, follow her after a while. I have a bad feeling." Hotaru turned to Koko who nodded his head. Being a woman and Mikan's best friend, Hotaru would always have this certain feeling whenever something strange is about to happen to Mikan. And usually, this feeling would turn out to be right.
After exactly two minutes, Koko stood up and followed Mikan while Natsume and the woman followed them.
And they found her. Yet again in trouble.
"Hey, let go of me!" She jerked her arm away from a guy who is obviously drunk.
"What's the problem? Come on let's play!" The man grabbed her waist and slammed her body to his making her wince in pain.
"Let go of me! Pervert!" Mikan continued to struggle but the guy was too strong for her. Natsume wanted pounce on the guy and slam his ugly face on the table but the woman stopped him again. She shook her head.
"But she's—"
"Don't worry. Nothing bad will happen." She seemed to know what she was talking about and although hesitant, Natsume struggled to keep standing there and just watched but it was getting harder when he saw the guy's hand slowly moving down from her waist as he kept on smelling her hair.
"This shit-head." Natsume continued to cursed under his breath. That was the only thing he could do and he hated it. He hated not being able to do anything. Especially when his woman is being molested in front of him.
Out of nowhere, the guy was suddenly punched and Mikan was grabbed from his grasp, just in time before the guy's hand was able to go down further. The guy was pushed back and was stunned at the sudden punch he got that he didn't react fast enough.
"Are you alright?" Mikan looked up to see an unfamiliar guy looking at her with concern and worry all over his face.
"I... I'm fine," she stuttered. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." The new guy seemed relieved. "Um... Are you alone?" He asked with furrowed eyebrows.
Mikan shook her head and gave him a small smile. "No. I'm with my friends."
"Oh. That's good." He grinned at her. "I won't recommend a trouble magnet like you going alone to this kind of place." He teased but before Mikan could react, the pervert recovered and managed to land a punch on his face.
And Natsume couldn't be more satisfied. The guy was being all familiar with her. And it's irritating him!
Fortunately, Koko arrived with two big guys following him. Koko grabbed Mikan and positioned her behind him before punching the pervert hard on the face sending him on the floor a few feet away.
"Get him out of here and make sure he doesn't come again." He ordered the two men who immediately carried the man outside and did-who-knows.
"Are you okay?" Koko asked her worriedly and looked for anything that looks painful.
Mikan nodded. "I'm fine but how about him?"
Koko frowned and turned his head to the guy who was rubbing his cheek that was punched by the pervert. "Who the hell are you?" He snapped.
"It's fine, Koko. He saved me from that pervert." Mikan interrupted Koko before anything bad happens.
"Oh. Thank you for saving my friend then. For that, you can have any drinks you want." Koko said while the guy shook his head with a smile.
"No need. Just glad I could help. I couldn't possibly let anyone pay for my drinks." He said sheepishly. Koko grinned, "Who said I'm paying?"
The guy looked at the two in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"I'm the owner so of course I don't pay." Koko replied surprising the guy.
"Really! So that's why. By the way, I'm Ren Matsumoto." The guy offered his hand and Koko took it.
"Koko Yome and this pretty girl here is Mikan Sakura." He introduced and Mikan slapped Koko's arm playfully before giving Ren a smile. "Nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you too." He said before his phone rang. He excused himself and answered the call. When the call ended, he faced the two. "I would really like to chat with the two of you more but something came up." He said, a little bit upset.
"No biggie! We often go here so if you want to see us again just come to this place." Mikan said and Ren's face brightened.
"Okay. So, I'll get going then. Nice to meet you again!" He walked away and before we went out of sight, he waved.
"Nice guy, isn't he?" Koko said glancing at Mikan. "Yeah."
Nice guy my ass, Natsume thought.
"It should be Hyuuga's job to ward off freaks like that." Hotaru arrived with Ruka and Sumire.
Mikan fell silent.
"It's been three long months since you've last seen each other. He's neglecting you too much." Hotaru continued while Mikan didn't say a thing. She couldn't say anything in defense of her boyfriend. She couldn't think of anything.
Hotaru sighed at the lack of response of her best friend.
"Do you love him so much that you're being stupid enough to wait for too long?" Hotaru asked in exasperation. Exasperation for both her stupid best friend and stupid cousin. Sumire, Koko and Ruka fell silent and watched their exchange and Mikan's expressions.
For a while, Mikan still didn't answer. She slowly looked up to Hotaru with a heart-breaking expression. "Yes. I love him that much. That's why it hurts just as much."
Hotaru felt a lot of emotions as she opened her arms for her best friend. Sadness and pity for Mikan, anger and irritation for Natsume. Now, normally she would not let Mikan hug her or even initiate the hug but she knew her best friend badly needs someone to cry to. Seeing the action, Mikan's tears finally fell as she flew to her best friend's arms to seek comfort. Natsume watched helplessly as Mikan seek another's comfort with him being the cause of her pain.
He was guilty.
He remembered, he once promised that he would never hurt her and that he would love her forever but what he was doing to her is the complete opposite of his promise. He's hurting her and damn, he's doing a very good job with it.
"Mikan..." He called out to her softly even though he knew that there's no way she could probably hear him. "Mikan."
The woman beside him stayed silent all this while and let him call out to her. Mikan flinched. She looked around as if searching for something. "What is it?" Hotaru asked after noticing her flinch.
Mikan looked back at her and wiped away her tears. She smiled a little, "Nothing. I'm fine now. Thank you, Hotaru."
"What do you plan to do now?"
Mikan sighed. "I don't know. I'll try to talk to him tomorrow. I'll decide what to do after that."
"We're here for you. Always," Sumire hugged her while Koko and Ruka smiled at her.
"Thank you. I don't know what I'll do if you guys aren't with me." Mikan cried and they laughed. glad that even with their problems the Mikan they knew was never lost.
"Since we're in the present. We can't possibly skip. We have to watch them for a while." The woman said while they continued to watch Mikan and the others. Natsume just nodded without taking his eyes away from them. Particularly, Mikan.
The song ended and another one started. The song this time is different from the previous dance song. As if on cue, two figures froze at the same time. The woman looked at the guy beside her who suddenly froze and looked as if he had just seen a ghost.
[Only For You - Six Part Invention (Boy, Girl and Both)]
I, I have been waiting all my life for someone like you
"What's wrong? You're pale," she said while facing him.
Returning back to reality, Natsume shook his head and his eyes that previously stared into nothingness went back to Mikan who strangely has the same reaction as him. "N-no. It's nothing. I'm fine."
You, you make me feel like I'm new all because of you
Mikan's reaction was immediately noticed by Hotaru. "Something wrong?" she asked but Mikan didn't notice her.
"Mikan." She tried again. This time, Mikan heard her as she raised her voice a little.
"Uh-h.. Huh?"
"Is there something wrong, baka?"
Gotta make things right now baby
Mikan shook her head, "No. I just remembered something."
"What?"
Mikan's mouth curved upward slightly. "This song..."
Not really getting what she meant, Hotaru's eyebrows met in a frown. "This song? What about the so—" She trailed off after realizing what Mikan meant.
Hotaru's frown deepened and her eyes narrowed in irritation. "Who's the retard that played this song?" Hotaru said through her gritted teeth but Mikan is no longer listening to her. All she could hear is the music and it's lyrics.
Gonna get into your life now baby
Natsume is no different. He can still remember this song. They were both forced to sing this song together at the very same place. Actually, he was blackmailed by none other than his annoying cousin while he refused to sing no matter what.
That is, unless Mikan sings with him. Since they were both known as the most stubborn couple, Hotaru had to step in again. She threatened Mikan with things he'll never find out about. In the end, Mikan gave in making Natsume smirk victoriously.
[Chorus:]
I can be all you want me to be
When everything's small and I'd still be here
If the feeling is fading I'll still be waiting for you
Only for you
They asked for any duet song and that was how they ended up singing this song. Mikan could still remember how Natsume sang the song. He was out of tune at first and he looked and sounded very lazy but that all changed as they continued to sing. By the time they reached the chorus, Natsume's singing changed considerably.
Now, now is the right time to say, things left unsaid
He was perfectly singing it with his smooth voice and his face no longer held the same lazy look from earlier. He looked straight into her eyes and stared. He looked like he really meant everything that he's singing and it's like he's singing it all for her.
We, we can make this work for love, all because of love
Somehow, the song became like a promise for the both of them. It's not their theme song or anything. Natsume thought it's too cliché to call it theme song like all couples do and so to be different it was a promise. Their promise.
Mikan sighed. But all that, It was all in the past. In the past when they were still talking, when they still see each other and when love was still evident. Now, Mikan isn't sure if love is still present. At least for her it is. She has no idea why Natsume is burying himself in work and pushing her away. Did she do anything wrong? Or is it simply because the feelings they used to have is slowly fading? What will she do now?
Mikan closed her eyes and listened to the song. "I know what to do now," She whispered to herself and no one but herself heard.
Natsume turned away and spoke. "I've been stupid."
"Huh?" the woman tilted her head to the side like a confused child.
Natsume continued, "I've never realized how much I've hurt her and I forgot about the real reason why I've been working so hard."
"The real reason?"
He closed his eyes. "Mikan. She's the only reason I even took my company seriously. I've always wanted to be free from that suffocating business world since I was little. I've been raised as an heir, trained. Before I knew it, I've skipped being a child and had to be an adult faster than other kids my age."
The woman stayed silent and just listened to him. She felt that was what he needed right now.
"It's different with Mikan. I can be... everything I want to be. I can be myself around her. I loved her. So much. More than anything. I was more than willing to give up everything I have just to be with her but she convinced me not to. And so I decided..."
"Decided what?
Natsume opened his eyes and looked at the woman. "I entered the world I hated. I worked hard so that I can give her the happiness she deserve, the happiness I wanted to give. Just seeing her smile was enough for me. Her happiness was mine too. As time passed, little by little I forgot the only reason I even worked so hard. I pushed her away, I ignored her and worst of all I've hurt the woman I love continuously all because I got blinded by my ego."
Natsume heard a sniff and he turned to look at the woman, startled. "Why the hell are you crying!"
The woman wiped her tears away but Natsume still couldn't see her face. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. I never knew you had a heart!"
Natsume glared at her.
The woman faced him, now serious. "Just kidding. So, do you want to go now?" she asked.
"Hn."
Surprisingly, the woman understood. "Our next destination is the future. Are you ready?"
"Really, how many times do you have to ask?" He said sarcastically.
The woman hesitated. "The future is never certain. What you will see depends on the choices you'll make. For now, I'll take you to your possible future where you had no knowledge of Mikan Sakura's sufferings while you are busy with your company. A future where you had never met me and continued hurting your girlfriend, consciously and unconsciously. You can choose to stop now and we'll return to your office or you can let me show you the future."
Without hesitation whatsoever, Natsume decided. "I want to see the future."
The woman sighed. "Okay. Here we go."
She snapped her fingers again and they appeared in front of a door. Recognizing the place, Natsume frowned. "Why are we in the main mansion?" He noticed that even though he recognized the place, there was a big difference with this mansion and the mansion he once knew.
The woman passed through the door and Natsume followed. He was no longer surprised at the passing through doors and walls thingy. Only an idiot would be surprised for the second time. Inside, Hotaru, Ruka and Aoi was standing in front of the door of the bedroom.
Aoi knocked, "Please open the door, onii-chan!"
Onii-chan? What was he doing there and why does their expression bother him. He saw different emotions on their faces. Sadness, pity, worry and a little bit of irritation from Hotaru.
Hotaru glared at the door. "Hyuuga, open this door or I'll break it down."
"H-Hotaru, calm down." Ruka placed his hand on her shoulder to calm her down.
"Ruka, that idiot cousin of mine is irritating the hell out of me! Aunty and Uncle is pestering me to help that idiot. They're worried about him so much that they keep on calling me. No matter how much help you give to someone who doesn't want to be helped, all your efforts will only be wasted in the end." Hotaru said in anger before putting out one of her inventions.
"What he needs isn't a talk but a hit on the head to wake him up and make him face the truth." She said before activating her invention. It was something that looks like a canon.
Hotaru fired and the door broke down. Hotaru went inside followed by Ruka and Aoi who both looked frustrated and worried. Natsume walked inside with the woman and saw someone sitting on the floor facing the window.
"Hey,"
Slowly, he turned his head away from the window and looked at the intruders. Natsume's eyes widened at the person he was seeing. What the hell is going on? Who is this person?
"Natsume..."
That's it! Wait for the next chapter okay? It's the last one and I'll be finished with this one. Don't hate Natsume too much. v(^_^)v
Most people would not wait for three months but Mikan did. Is she still willing to wait longer for him or will she finally give up and let someone else take care of her? Someone who can take care of her and someone who will love her more than he ever did. And what did that last scene mean? Who is the guy staring out the window?
What will become of Natsume and Mikan's love? What will their FUTURE be? Find out the answer to all these questions in the last chapter!
-MitsukaiYuki
