Hi AN: Hello everyone! Sorry for the late update! My laptop got a virus so all of my stories are gone! Huhuhu! This is the second chapter already! 3 more chapters!
Dedicated to erinn. I love her to death!
Chapter 2: The Royal Brawl
"Give her back, Lucas!" King Sakura yelled out sword fighting with King Lucas
"Making up stories again, Sakura?" King Lucas smirked, "You've always been good at that!"
King Sakura dropped his sword. King Lucas pointed his sword towards his neck, "I swear, Lucas, if you touch a single hair on her head I will banish and kill you with my bare hands!"
"Oh dear, I am scared now," King Lucas sighed sarcastically, "Besides, your Highness, what would I want with your stupid princess?
"You know why you need her, Lucas. You've always known."
Back at the forest, Mikan laughed joyfully with Ruka. Ruka liked her from the first time he met her. Mikan didn't. She didn't even know. (Dense, dense, dense, dense, dense) She just felt like he was a friend to her. Ruka's stories amused her.
"Ruka, can you shut that royal pain's mouth. I'm trying to sleep," Natsume grunted.
Mikan stood up insulted, "HEY!! WHY DO YOU KEEP CALLING ME NAMES?! I AM A PRINCESS MIND YOU!!"
"So what if you're a princess? You're as dumb as a dumbbell!" he smirked.
"Ugh! Why are you so mean to me?!"
"Well get used to it, princess, because I won't want to change for you," he dictated coldly, "Nice underwear by the way. Who wears strawberries these days?"
Mikan grew red and looked down. Her skirt fell down as she fidgeted a lot debating with Natsume.
"You can look now, Ruka," Natsume said, "She placed them up already."
"N…N…NATSUMEEEEEEEE!!" she yelled, "YOU… YOU PERVERT!!
"Hey don't look at me," Natsume said, "You're the one who dropped her skirt. How royal of you."
"DO YOU THINK I WANTED TO DO THAT?! AND EVEN IF I DID, I CERTAINLY WON'T DO IT FOR YOU!!" (Haven't I used this line like… a gazillion of times already. Oh well, it kind of never gets old)s
"Psh, whatever."
With that, he left them with Mikan still mad at him and Ruka still covering his eyes.
"GRRR!! I HATE HIM!!" Mikan grunted.
Ruka looked at her staying still with streaks of red toward his face. Mikan sweat dropped feeling all embarrassed as well. Ruka stood up.
"I think Tsubasa is looking for me!" he said with haste.
Mikan just watched him trot off to who knows where. She sighed greatly and sat down thinking of what could be happening at the palace. Meanwhile back at the palace, the king paces back and forth worrying about his poor little princess.
"Your Highness, we've been searching for her for hours. We've searched North, South, East, and West but no sign of her," the captain of the royal guards reported. The king grew furious.
"Then search at the Northeast, the Northwest! I don't care how long it takes and how many lives must be sacrificed just find her!" the king roared then coughed a bit.
"Sire, please lower your temper. It won't do well for your health," the king's personal nurse suggested.
The king thought to himself while rubbing his fingers against his forehead, "Where can she be? Could it be that she has been very fed up with the palace that she'd do such a thing?"
Night fell once more. Outside the hideout, Mikan looked at the stars and once again thought of her mom. Finally, she felt so stress free and so calm. No responsibilities, no old ladies continuously badgering to grasp perfection. She finally felt one with everything which believe it or not made her feel graceful in her own little way. She smiled and curtsied to her imaginary partner. The raven haired boy watched her dance with such flawlessness.
"If you're trying to act like a princess, I'm not impressed," Natsume smirked, "You're movement should be consistent and those steps of yours aren't even real."
Mikan looked away, "Well I'm sorry mister perfect! Why do you always have to be so smug and how do you know anything about ballroom dancing?"
The moment she looked back, Natsume stood right in front of her reaching out for her hand. She was confused. After a few minutes, Natsume drew a face which made Mikan stare at him badly.
"Excuse me your Highness, but if I'm not mistaken this is how royal people dance at a ball," Natsume said sarcastically acting smug once again.
"I knew that! I'm not that stupid!" she said acting stubborn while accepting his invitation to dance.
"Then show me you're not that stupid," he smirked twirling her around.
She smiled. At every mistake she made like stepping on Natsume's foot, Natsume would make a rude remark like "Watch it big foot, I don't want to lose all my toes." After a few remarks, she finally got right and she wouldn't look at her feet anymore. She was at perfect balance with everything. Her posture was good, she wasn't tripping on her nightgown, and all she was doing was dancing.
"If I knew we'd be dancing tonight, I would've called the boys!" Tsubasa interrupted.
"Oh, hi Tsubasa! We're you there for a long time? Mikan asked releasing her grip on Natsume.
"Don't you think you should be going to sleep, Mikan. We're doing a lot of things tomorrow!" Tsubasa smiled.
"Oh, okay! Goodnight Tsubasa! Goodnight Natsume!" Mikan said skipping to her room.
Once Mikan left and the two we're left alone, Tsubasa looked at Natsume and smiled teasingly. Natsume has been different a bit ever since she arrived and Tsubasa knew it. He went towards Natsume and whispered to his ear. "You better not fall in love with this one, Natsume. She's a princess and we're just mere thieves. We only kidnapped her for one reason-- the money." Natsume's eyes grew wide in
shock but then softened. "Don't think I'm getting soft, Tsubasa. I know the mission. Don't be stupid. I'd be an idiot if I fell in love with her." Though that may be, Natsume secretly had a little crush on her but he was the one who would put aside his feelings for the betterment of others. And the money as he knew was the betterment of others.
a/n: Oh dear oh dear. Looks like a big mess of trouble is headed their way. Stay tuned for more!