DISCLAIMER. Blah, blah, blah.
"TWELVE HOURS!" came the frantic yell of the panicking brunette after glancing at the wall clock. She began to run towards and up the stairs, taking two steps at a time. "I wasted twelve hours of working time!"
Anna just shook her head and rolled her eyes exasperatedly. She sighed, catching Kitsy's attention.
"What was that all about?" the young man asked, while Anna attended to a bewildered Nonoko (whose mouth was open). Anna just shrugged, closed Nonoko's mouth, and dismissed the matter. "Kitsy, eat your breakfast."
Kitsy was still gaping at the staircases. "Anna, dear, what just happened?"
Anna gave another annoyed sigh and pulled Kitsy away from the doorway of the kitchen. "Don't be too surprised; that's typical Sakura Mikan drama. It's nothing new." That brunette really needs to sort out her priorities.
If ever possible, this answer just left an already-dazed Kitsy even more confused.
"Mikan! We'll be going out to the grocery store!"
She was focusing on her computer screen, and yelled "Okay!" without really paying much attention to what she was agreeing to. She just looked at her achievement. Two chapters in forty minutes, each chapter with fifteen thousand words each. She was happy, oh yes, very happy. And nothing — absolutely NOTHING — can get in the way of her joy.
Well, at least she thought so.
Well, after having typed thirty thousand words in forty-five minutes, the brunette thought she could push herself a bit more and resumed to typing happily away at the inhumane speed of 300 wpm.
Well, that was what she is. Inhumane.
Suddenly she dozed off...
They were standing on the edge of a cliff, him and her, hand in hand. They were staring out onto the horizon, wondering about what the future holds for them, whether it be good or bad.
"Ne, I don't wanna call you baby, but I guess I have no choice, right? Baby —bleah, this is disgusting— um..." said the girl, "do you know what lay ahead of us?"
The boy just smirked at the girl and looked back to the setting sun. "No. And nobody ever will."
The girl pouted and the boy chuckled lightly at the sight of the girl acting so childish. "Why? I want to know. Even Serina can't tell me what's to happen."
"Baka. It's because things change. You can't expect everything to go as planned. Inevitably, they'll wander away from what was written, thus, not making the future certain."
"Stop pouting; you look like thick-lipped dog."
She smacked him in the arm lightly, smiling.
And then the dream changed.
She was running through a thick black forest, through a veil of heavy rain. She heard a voice calling her name but she didn't listen. She felt so agonized, so alone, so...rejected. She wanted to go away because staying there was hurting her like a dagger. She just needed to get away.
"Mikan! Let me explain! It wasn't my choice!"
"You have every choice!" she dreamt herself scream back at her pursuer.
"Just...stop running away! Listen to me, please!"
No, she said to herself. I'm tired of listening! I've heard enough already!
And a firm hand grasped her arm, making her face whoever her captor was. She turned around with her eyes closed, begging them not to open, not to look the person in the eyes, but her heart failed her. Slowly her eyes opened, tears began spraying down her reddish cheeks. She faced the person, and she could barely breathe when she glanced upon the drenched shirt, and her eyes began travelling up to look at the person's face, but...
"Mikan! Mikan, are you alright?"
Someone was shaking her vigorously, jerking her awake. She raised her head and noticed that her heart was pounding and her breathing was heavy and labored. She brushed her cheeks and noticed that she had been crying all throughout the dream. She closed her eyes and cried, this time consciously.
"Anna! Mikan! She's not alright, I think she needs you!"
She heard the footsteps going up the stairs but kept her head down. She was still shocked, still rendered speechless by the dream. Why? she asked to herself. Why did you have to come back? Now you're bothering me again...
Suddenly, large, firm hands took hold of her. She smelled the perfume and held on to the person's shirt and cried herself out. She felt another pair of softer and smaller hands slither around her slender waist and the light hushing of another person. She was desperate...she wanted to be numb to this kind of pain.
"Mikan, it's alright. It's just a dream," said Kitsy's voice.
"Mikan, it's okay. We're here, Mikan."
She nodded but kept her head buried in Kitsy's shoulders with Anna brushing her hair lightly. Nonoko ran out to get her a glass of water while Kitsy kept throwing Anna anxious and questioning glances.
"What's happening?" asked Kitsy when Anna had Mikan settled down. Anna shook her head vigorously and threw Kitsy a sharp glare.
"Oops," said the blonde, and he kept quiet until she had calmed down.
When Mikan was already settled upstairs, he approached Anna who was in the kitchen preparing what seemed like a Royal meal.
"Now?" he asked.
Anna rolled her eyes and sighed. "She never changed, you know. She's still hurt about the thing with him. You should know, you've been with Natsume ever since. She still can't get over what happened. She was unmanageable for the first three years after You-Know-What, but it's been calmer for the past two years, but since her meeting with him again, it's becoming more frequent."
Kitsy grew confused. He looked at Anna inquiringly, but she merely shook her head and said, "No. It's too complicated."
"Oh, well," he said, leaving out a long sigh. In an attempt to lighten up the dark mood thrown like a veil over the house, he smiled and spoke. "What's for lunch?" asked Kitsy sweetly, slowly snaking his way around Anna slender waist. Anna smiled but pulled away from the hug.
"Let's see," she said, looking at the grocery bags they had bought. "Chicken with mushroom in white sauce, Shrimp Ravioli, Swiss steak, baked pork chops, Lengua, Tossed Chicken Caesar's salad with ranch dressing, and...strawberry parfait."
Kitsy feigned a disappointed look and pouted at Anna.
"What?" Anna asked, giggling slightly at Kitsy's silly expression. "You look like a bulldog trying to be cute."
"No cookies?" whined Kitsy, still pouting like an oversized mutt. Anna just laughed at him and turned her back, reaching for the storage cupboard overhead.
"Hey! Woman, don't turn your back on me!" yelled Kitsy. "Where are my cookies?"
Anna turned around, holding a large jar of blue cookies.
"Of course there are cookies," she said in a tone of poisoned-honey. Kitsy became wary; she only used that tone when she had something cooking up in her mind. "How could I forget about Kitsy-baby's blueberry cookies?"
Kitsuneme backed off. "Alright, what's the catch?"
Anna smiled evilly and swiped the top of the refrigerator with her index finger. She showed Kitsy the finger and it was thick with dust. Anna smiled again and looked at the bewildered face of Kitsuneme.
Kitsy could have fainted. "I knew it," he said. Anna couldn't help but laugh.
Mikan's nose picked up the smell of her favorite Umenomiya dish: Lengua. Immediately, she left her desk and went down the stairs into the kitchen, only to find the entire table laden with foods of all sorts.
"Anna?" she asked, approaching the busy pink-haired girl, "why so many food?"
"Oh, Mikan," she said, wiping her hands on a cloth. "Well, you have guests this afternoon."
"Guests?" she asked back, "who? I don't recall inviting anyone over..."
"Hmm, let's see," said Nonoko's voice. She entered the room holding a bunch of dusty but ornate plates, placing them on the table. "We have...Imai Hotaru, Nogi Ruka, Yome Kokoro, and Tobita Yuu."
Nonoko looked like she missed someone; she pulled a face like that of someone who was trying to remember something. "Oh! I nearly forgot! There's also Hyuuga Natsume."
Mikan gasped and looked pleadingly at Anna. "No! Anna! Please don't —"
Anna simply couldn't answer. She just watched Mikan walk over to the table, in front of the Lengua and taking in its scent.
She just sulked on the table. She can't believe he was going here again! Oh how she wished her life was as sparkling as the refrigerator top...
Wait...refrigerator top? Sparkling? Now that she thought about it, everything was insanely clean. The whole place was unnaturally tidy. The refrigerator was gleaming, the smell of damp dust was gone, and the floor was white as snow again. And moreover, Kitsy was missing.
"Ne, Anna-chan," she began while looking around for Kitsy or even a trace of him. "Where's Kitsy? And what happened to the house? Everything's so...shiny."
"I don't know," said Anna, chuckling lightly while cutting the potatoes into julienne slices.
As if one cue, Kitsy entered the room looking severely exhausted, making Mikan jump in surprise. She turned to look at him and was trying to contain her laughter. Anna also looked behind her and turned around again, shoulders shaking with suppressed giggles. Mikan roved her eyes around Kitsy's body, stuffing her knuckles into her mouth to stop herself from laughing; he was wearing a black skirt and a cleaner's bonnet, holding a duster and a dust pan, with smudges of dirt all across his face.
"Where are my cookies?" he said, slurring and looking at them through crossed eyes. Just as Anna was about to hand over the jar, he fainted.
The knocks were loud and incessant.
"I'm coming!" she yelled, running down the stairs towards the front door. She fixed herself and prepared for the usual Hyuuga-Sakura spat and put on a big smile on her face.
"Hello!" she said cheerfully. On the other side of the door were a violet-haired girl with amethyst orbs holding hands with a familiar blonde boy with blue eyes (who was holding a rabbit in his other arm), along with a young man who looked remarkably like Kitsy, only with open hazel eyes, and another one with butterscotch eyes behind a frame of round glasses with messy dirty-blonde tresses.
Mikan had to look around again before noticing that another raven-head was missing.
"Where's Natsume?" she asked of the blonde boy.
"He didn't come. He was still writing a new song when we left. He said he'd catch up later."
"Why?" asked Hotaru suspiciously, scrutinizing Mikan. "You should be glad."
"Well, yes, I am," said Mikan. Somehow, I feel like I'm convincing myself that I'm glad...
"Mikan! Let them in!" yelled Anna from the kitchen.
"Oh," she said. "Well then, come in you guys!"
They entered the kitchen only to be welcomed by the scrumptious smell of the French toasts that Anna had toasting. On the enormous dining table were meals of all sorts; Mikan was drooling, her stomach rumbling loudly, and Koko gave her a raised eyebrow and a curious look.
They sat around the rectangular table; Anna and Mikan at both ends, while gathered around them were Koko, Hotaru, Ruka, Kitsuneme, Yuu, and Nonoko. Beside Koko, however, was an empty seat.
"Okay, so let's get on with the introductions, shall we?" said Anna. "Koko, you go first."
"Well, let's see, I'm Koko, I love food!" he said, a goofy smile all across his face. Mikan chuckled and said "Koko-kun!"
"Oh, crap," said Hotaru suddenly. "What's with all this meet-and-greet-and-introduce nonsense? This is Yuu, Koko, and Ruka. Now can we eat? I want crab brains and crab roe. Got any, Anna?"
Anna's cooking was a feast. The taste buds in Mikan's tongue were ecstatic and were begging for more for more food. She was eating at an alarming speed, and would never have stopped, until she finally choked on a piece of meat from the Lengua.
"That's what you get when you eat too much, baka," said Hotaru, patting her back none-too-gently while handing her a glass of water.
"Sorry," the brunette said, "good thing Natsume wasn't around; he would've taken the mickey out of me if he were here."
"True," said Hotaru, nodding slightly.
The rest of the meal was spent in silence, occasionally punctured by some light conversation topic. After the happy lunch they had (which was, in Mikan's opinion, because of Natsume's absence), they moved out the dining to room to the living room.
"So," said Hotaru in her cold voice. "We'll wait here. Go dress up, you four. And be quick."
Mikan looked at her. "Dress up? Why? Where are we going?"
"To the mall," she replied nonchalantly.
"Mall?" Mikan said with her eyes growing wide. "What are we going to do there?"
"To shop, obviously, baka," said Hotaru, her eyes flashing dangerously. "And if you're not coming, then you'll be in for a spank from me. And it'll hurt, I tell you."
So basically a statement like that means you have no choice.
Mikan quickly threw on a yellow hoodie over a white tank top, a mid-thigh brown plaid mini-skirt, and knee-high boots. A final look in her ancient mirror and she was good to go.
The trip was a little less than fifteen minutes and she felt the not-so-cold winter air hit her face. It felt so good to be out, but she felt a pang of guilt when she would remember what she would have been doing: typing chapter ten.
She felt the burst of cold, scented mall air when they went through the door. Suddenly, from behind her, she felt warm spurts of breath. She froze.
"I suppose you're glad I wasn't able to make it to the lunch," said a husky masculine voice. She closed her eyes and opened them slowly. She registered the fact that he was holding her by the waist.
"Yes, but I missed the spat too," she said spitefully. Something that had crossed her mind a few times for the past three days suddenly came to her, and it dawned upon her that now would be the best time to put the plan to action. One hand grasping tightly his other hand, she crooned sweetly.
"But I still haven't forgiven you, so how about a little revenge?"
His eyes widened by a fraction of an inch, wondering what she might be thinking.
Apparently, she was thinking evilly. Holding his hand tightly, she drew a large breath and let out the killer blow.
"Hey! Hey, everyone! It's Natsume! Hyuuga Natsume of Cire!" she yelled throughout the mall. A moment's worth of silence where Natsume swore loudly and Mikan sniggered inwardly, and suddenly, the whole mall was thundering with the footsteps of hundreds of fan girls coming from all directions.
"Natsume!"
"Kyaa! Natsume-kun, marry me!"
He ran to get away, and he shot Mikan a horrid look as he went off at top speed just to save his life.
Mikan and the gang watched him at it for a minute, before Anna nudged Mikan and said "help him, Mikan-chan. I think he really needs it now."
She just shrugged and thought the better of it. But then again, she was a kind person, and so she thought it would be just right to held a man in need, especially one that was being swarmed by vicious fan girls.
She walked around for a while before spotting the bathrooms, which was currently being over-flooded with people. And most weird of all, they were all girls. She laughed lightly and went through.
She pushed hard against the sea of violent women towards the door of what looked like the men's comfort room. It wasn't easy, either. She was nearly killed by the pressure and her thighs had many scratches now, from the overlong nails of the girls all around them.
She finally made it to the first line, and she saw the men's comfort room. She walked past the other girls, earning hundreds of glares for which she cared nothing about, and confidently strode into the room.
Yes, into the men's room.
"What are you doing here?" he said, glaring at the brunette. She gave a silvery laugh and took his hand. "I'm saving you," she replied.
The moment their palms made contact, a huge voltage of electricity surged into their bodies. She looked at him and said, "Let's go" with a faint blush on her cheeks.
They exited the bathroom, but before the girls could jump all over Natsume again, Mikan spoke in a loud voice.
"Listen, all of you," she said, making the girls shush. "Do not bother him, if you do not wish to die a painful death. And I assure you, you will if you do."
"And who do you think you are?" yelled one of the girls in front. Her protest led to several other "Yeah!"s and "She's right!"s, and the uproar began again.
Before she could retaliate, however, she felt his arms snake their way around her waist. Her body went rigid and her cheeks began to blush crimson, a feat which he joyfully smirked at.
"Listen, you babbling baboons," he said. The girls immediately fell silent at his words. "I don't want you messing around with me anymore."
"But...b-but...why? Natsume, oh, my Natsume," said one of the girls who was now on the verge of tears. He could've rolled his eyes and vomited if it hadn't been for his social manners. He merely smiled, squeezed Mikan tightly, and spoke through his deep voice, smugness traceable in every note.
"I'll tell you why," he said. "Because here is my girlfriend, and she's doesn't like it when she's jealous."
And to erase all doubt from the rabid girls' minds, he kissed her.
Again.
Edited.
~Ash.