A/N The action finally starts! I hope you're all excited now! :P anyway, enough with this author's note let's get to the story!
Mikan sighed in self-pity as she watched jealously as proud boys handed ruby red dance show tickets to their squealing girlfriends who hugged them adoringly, some even giving them kisses to show their love. Watching every other girl's happiness broke her heart even more, but Mikan couldn't help it. She had long since accepted that she was never going to go and see the most famous dancers in the world but it didn't stop her from sulking about it.
Deciding to go bother Hotaru, certain that she would cheer her up, she bounded somewhat cheerfully toward her best friend and pouted. "Hey Hotaru, do you think the Wonderland Show is going to be as good as everyone says?"
If there was anyone who was pessimistic enough to cheer her up, it was Hotaru. Usually, Hotaru would degrade any show or event, usually saying it was stupid or not worth it. Hoping that Hotaru would trash the company enough to lift her spirits, Mikan leaned forward eagerly only to fall backwards in misery.
"Of course it will be as good as they say. They're a world renowned company baka." She drawled out unsympathetically.
"Hotaruuuu you're supposed to lie to me and tell me it's gonna suck!" she whined, tears pouring out of her eyes childishly.
Looking up from her thick tome, Hotaru glared at her supposed best friend. "You're telling me you want me to throw away my moral standards and lie to you just to make you feel better?" she demanded in annoyance.
"Yes!" she exclaimed exasperatedly.
Pulling out her Baka Gun, Hotaru let her invention do all the talking for her. "Baka! Baka! Baka!"
Rubbing at her head in pain, Mikan pouted, before sulking over to Ruka who offered her a sympathetic smile. "It's alright Mikan, I'm sure you and Natsume will get to see a lot of shows when we're older." He offered comfortingly.
Sighing, Mikan knew he was right, but still, she didn't want to see a show later, she wanted to see one now! A hand pulling at her pigtails forced her upwards as she hollered in pain. "Natsume you idiot! What was that for?" she scowled at him before she noticed what he held in his palm.
Eyes shining, Mikan blinked. No, it wasn't a dream, Natsume was holding Wonderland tickets! "Natsume?" she asked, barely daring to breathe.
"Quit making such a big deal out of it Polka-Dots." He commanded, his face expressionless as usual.
"Natsume!" she squealed happily, throwing herself at him and hugging him tightly, "You're the best boyfriend I've ever had!" in pure bliss right then, Mikan squeezed the life out of her boyfriend who tried to look cool and uncaring, but couldn't help the small smile that spread on his face.
"I'm the only boyfriend you've ever had." He reminded her bluntly.
Stuttering, Mikan quit hugging him and turned away from him, crossing her arms. "It's not like I couldn't have had one. I just didn't want one." She argued stubbornly.
Smirking, he leaned in next to her ear, smirk widening as he felt her shiver. "That's because you were always in love with me weren't you." He murmured seductively.
Blushing, Mikan tried to formulate a decent comeback when Narumi-sensei strode in the room, a wave of happy pheromones following him. "Ohayo minna-san!" he called out cheerfully and the entire class sweat dropped collectively, minus Mikan of course.
"Narumi-sensei!" she called out cheerfully.
"Oh Mikan-chan! I didn't know you were in Class 2A." he smiled cheerily, totally lying through his teeth. There was a reason he volunteered to substitute for the regular teacher today.
Natsume rolled his eyes in disgust, seeing right through their girly teacher. Grabbing his girlfriend's hand, he pulled her down into the seat next to him and turned his head pointedly away from her, glaring at Narumi who looked away awkwardly. By now, Mikan was used to his odd behaviour so thought nothing of it, the sole thing on her mind being what she was going to wear to the show.
For the rest of the day, Mikan's head swivelled to the clock and she counted down the very seconds until the bell rang to signal the end of class. Excitement bubbled in her heart when the bell finally rang and Mikan sprinted out the classroom ignoring the shouts of annoyance from her classmates. By the time she reached the girls dorms; she was sweating and panting beyond belief. Her lungs burning for air, she paused for a moment at the door before remembering why she ran all the way there in the first place. Energy rejuvenated, Mikan threw open the door and hopped the steps two at a time until she reached the one-star rooms.
Opening her door, Mikan gasped in pleasant surprise. There, lying patiently on her bed was a knee-length dress that shimmered in the light. Wanting nothing more than to run towards it and marvel at its simplistic beauty, Mikan knew that what she really needed right then was a nice, steamy shower. Hopping into her teeny shower, she revelled in the warmth that soothed her skin and soon, Mikan found herself thoroughly clean and refreshed. Wrapping a white fluffy towel around her torso, she grabbed a mini version and wrapped her hair in it, knowing it would dry faster that way.
Walking over to the dress, she picked it up as though it was made of delicate glass and twirled it around her. Standing in front of her mirror, she fingered the halter straps and marvelled at the intricate beading on the bodice. Patterns of sakura blossoms beaded in silver decorated the top just before the dress flowed outward into a flowy skirt.
Unable to wait any longer, she stripped herself of her towel and pulled on her underwear, thankful the dress had a built in bra. Unwrapping the towel from her hair, she twisted the remaining water out of her hair and using a banana clip, clipped her hair up high into a droopy bun. Sliding into the dress, she tied it expertly from the back and twirled around in it laughingly. The dress flattered her still undeveloped figure, making her chest stand out just a little bit more and showing off her slight curves. Throwing open her closet door, she searched the rack that held her shoes in search of a pair of silver flats she knew would definitely match. She was glad that she had let Anna and Nonoko convince her to buy them, after all, according to them, a girl always needed a pair of silver flats.
Content that her hair was dry, Mikan let it hang loose over her shoulders in the way she knew Natsume liked and smiled at her reflection. Yes, she had definitely cleaned up nicely. Looking at the clock, she jumped in shock and sprinted out her door and down the stairs. "Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!"
As usual, she was late.
The show started at seven and Natsume had told her before she left that he would come get her at 6:30. It was already 6:40 and she knew she was in for a lecture when she caught sight of his annoyed face. "Finally! Do you know how late you-"he stopped midsentence as he stared at her, a little blush popping up on his cheeks.
"How do I look?" she asked innocently, not noticing the way the breath left his lungs and how he wouldn't stop staring.
"Where did you get that dress?" he said instead, embarrassed to have been staring at her like he did.
"It was on my bed when I got there." She replied, slightly disappointed that he hadn't said anything, but knew that was just the way he was.
Walking over to the entertainment hall of their school, Mikan was glad when Natsume clasped her hand in his and proceeded to walk her into the auditorium. "Wow!" she gasped in astonishment.
The concert hall where Reo had once performed had been transformed into an elegant opera house style setting. Thick red velvet chairs were lined up in an orderly fashion and the stage was decorated with gold accents and silver ribbons. "Tch." Natsume looked around, unimpressed until a head of blonde hair caught his attention. "Ruka?"
"What's Ruka-pyon doing here?" Mikan looked to where Natsume was staring and gasped, "Is that…is that Hotaru?" shock ran thick in her voice and she could see Natsume gaping next to her.
"The hell is going on here?"
"Ruka-pyon! Hotaru!" Mikan waved her arm around like a beacon and soon enough the odd couple walked towards them, Ruka smiling, Hotaru having no clear expression. Not like that was unusual.
"What are you two doing here? Are you two together?" Mikan exclaimed loudly, extremely happy for her two friends, her excitement palpable.
"Calm down idiot, Nogi asked me and I said yes." Hotaru stated, putting a clear end to the discussion.
Not wanting to risk being attacked by one of her inventions, Mikan sweat-dropped and laughed awkwardly. "Well let's go sit together!"
"The seats are numbered stupid." Hotaru said bluntly, pointing to the number 64G on her ticket.
Crestfallen, Mikan stared at the floor disappointedly. She made a sad sound in the back of her throat and was going to say something when Natsume nudged her shoulder. "Quit looking so depressed Polka; we have seats 63 and 62G. We bought our tickets together. So quit pouting and let's go." Perking up almost immediately, she smiled brightly and tugged all four of them to their seats.
Since they were all sitting together, they didn't really care who sat in which of the four seats so Hotaru claimed 65 as hers with Ruka, Mikan and Natsume on her left respectively. The seat on her right remained empty. Grinning with excitement, Mikan squeezed Natsume's hand and whispered another thank you, kissing him lovingly on the cheek.
With that, the lights dimmed and the stage curtains opened to the cue of dramatic music. Dancers of all sizes leapt on stage and dazzled the crowd with spectacular twists and turns. Throwing one dancer up into the air just to flip and be caught by another. It was a beautiful show that captivated Mikan's young eyes until the very end. Holding Natsume's hand and watching the dancers unfold a story as beautiful as life itself, Mikan had never been happier.
From on top of the stage, a man in binoculars gazed out into the audience and grinned sadistically as he locked on his target. Pulling out a black phone, he flipped it open and dialed a frequently used number. "Sakura and Hyugaa are in place exactly as planned. Proceed with Part B as soon as intermission starts. Allow no witnesses and lock all the exits as soon as the tubes open. No one is allowed to leave until Team C evacuates, understood?" the dial tone rang and behind think shades, the man's eyes laughed.
After an amazingly executed finale, the curtains closed for intermission and Mikan brought her hands together enthusiastically as she clapped and cheered delightfully. Turning her head to comment on the show, Mikan paused when she felt her chair shift beneath her. A soft click was heard and in that one second of eerie calm, Mikan whimpered in fear. "Natsume?"
Her hand reached out just as her seat disappeared and she found herself falling down, down, down. Wanting to scream but too scared to even think straight, Mikan hugged herself tightly and closed her eyes in fear. What was happening? What was going on? Where was she going? What was happening? Five seconds later, a bright light entered her vision and Mikan soon found an end to the terrifying tunnel she had just been in. Two men in matching electrician clothes caught her from below and threw her like a sack of flour into an open truck. Wincing in pain, Mikan spun around trying to figure out what was happening. Around her, men in a variety of clothes stood on guard, all staring at the ceiling as though waiting for something.
That something happened when Ruka flew through the ceiling and was caught by the same two men. Looking around, he widened his eyes when he caught sight of Mikan. "Mikan!" he yelled, trying to reach her. The men who had caught him grabbed his arms back and forced him to stay put. "Mikan! Mikan!" he yelled, trying to desperately to get free.
"Ruka!" she screamed back, wishing she could leap over her guard's head and get away.
From her left, a man in a navy blue suit strode elegantly into the room and turned his nose up in disgust. "Where is Hyugaa? Why is that boy here?" he demanded furiously, walking straight towards Ruka who was trying to be brave, but winced when he came close.
"Why were you sitting in Hyuuga's seat?" he hissed angrily.
Turning his head away from his, Ruka refused to answer. Bringing his arm up, the man hit Ruka on the side of his head and yelled. "Where is Hyuuga!"
"Ruka!" Mikan screamed, launching up on shaky feet and sprinting toward her friend, throwing her elbow into the guard's side and ducking the grabbing hand from beside him. "Don't touch him!" she yelled protectively, throwing herself in front of him and stretching her arms out wide.
Smirking as though amused, the man snapped his fingers and Mikan suddenly found herself in the air, her arms pinned behind her back. "Don't interfere little girl." He commanded coldly.
"Now I'll ask you one more time, where is Hyuuga?" he leaned in close, raising his arm up threateningly.
Dropping in from the ceiling, a voice filled with anger commanded their attention, "I'm right here you sorry bastard. Now let them go before I burn you all to hell."
A/N I just love Natsume, don't you? Anyway, Mikan's heroic sacrifice is coming up, better get started on that...