Thank you again to those who reviewed! Sorry I didn't update sooner.
It Takes Time To Heal
"Okay, this will be an easy mission for you, Black Cat."
Natsume just stared at Persona. Persona told Natsume about what he should do.
"Good luck. Just come back here in this place when you're done with the mission. Saga will be waiting here to heal if ever you have wounds." Those were Persona's last words before he disappears.
Natsume then looked at Saga and he stood up. They stared at each other for a while as if it is the first time that they see each other. Without saying a word, breaking their eye contact, Natsume ran off to where his mission is.
Saga stood there watching his figure disappear.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Natsume returned hours later.
Damn you, Persona. You said that that mission will be easy. It was more like a death mission. Natsume thought as he coughs and spits out blood.
Feeling someone's presence behind her, Saga turned around and found Natsume limping his way towards her.
Seeing that he is badly hurt, she rushed to his side and urged him to sit down.
She scrutinized him for a while. He has a lot of wounds and his mask was even torn into half. She looked at his face and gave him a look of sympathy since even his face was full of bruises.
Though he couldn't see well her face due to the mask that she is wearing, he can tell that she is giving him a look of sympathy.
"I don't need your sympathy. Just heal my wounds and this will be over and I can rest." Natsume spoke turning his head to his left, not looking at her.
Hiding her frown using her mask, she stopped for a while.
How dare he command me just like that?! Can't he even say it nicely?! She thought.
But she did heal his wounds, anyway.
She placed her hands on top of his wounds on his knee, then on the wounds on his arms, then, on top of his stomach.
At her touch, Natsume flinched a bit. Not that he doesn't like her touching him, but because her hands were so warm and soothing.
Finally, she was done healing his wounds except the cuts on his face.
She looked at him for a while. She examined the cuts and bruises on his face.
He has cuts under his eye, on the cheeks and even on the lips.
She placed her thumb on his bruised lips while her palm and other fingers were on his cheeks while the other hand was on the other side of his face.
He watched her as her hands glow. Feeling the warmth, he closed his eyes. He felt the pain go away as her hands stopped glowing.
Saga was about to pull her hands off of his face but Natsume placed his hands on top of hers. Obviously, she was surprised.
But she was more surprised of what he did next. Even I was shocked!
He embraced her, wrapping his arms around her. He didn't know what came to his mind, but he did.
He then pulled her closer to him, making her lose her balance instantly and giving in to him.
Saga just stared at the ground wide-eyed. She was even afraid to move. She doesn't know what to say... or do.
There was an awkward silence.
Noticing the silence between the two of them, Natsume loosened her arms around her.
Saga looked up at him with a confused look as if asking him why he did such things.
He simply stared back at her, also shocked of his own actions.
He looked at her face. Then, his gaze lay on her lips. Her lips that looked so smooth and soft.
In a blink of an eye, he pressed his lips on her. He closed his eyes enjoying the warmth and the kiss.
Her eyes widened. Heck, she couldn't even think properly.
Wha- What is he doing? But... It feels right... I don't know why but it felt like the tenderness of his lips is familiar to me. Why?
For a moment, Natsume thought she wasn't going to kiss back but he was surprised when he felt her kissing him back.
The kiss lasted for minutes. Then, when they were out of breaths, they pulled apart.
They stared at each other for awhile.
Natsume was the one to break the eye contact.
"I- I'm sorry." Natsume mumbled.
"It's... okay." She replied.
"We should go."
"Yes." And they parted going off to their respective places.
Unknown to them, a pair of eyes is dangerously watching them, amused.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
In the morning, Mikan woke up groggily.
Recalling the night's events, she blushed. (I guess now you know that Mikan and Saga, also known as the masked lady, is the same person.)
She dressed herself up and got ready for school.
She greeted everyone she passes by cheerfully although she is really tired.
Then from the corner of her eye, she got a glimpse of Natsume.
She lost her thoughts and absent mindedly, but not, dreamily stared at Natsume.
Natsume, seeing this, glared.
At their eye contact, Mikan blushed. Last night's scene flashed in her mind.
Natsume didn't notice the tinge of pink on her face.
The day passed by quickly. When classes ended, Mikan wandered around the school. She was walking happily alone, singing songs to herself when she came upon a large sakura tree.
Then, a scene flashed through her mind.
In her mind, she saw a little and a little girl playing happily. The girl was at the other side of the tree while the boy tries to tickle her
She recognized the little girl as herself but the boy... that boy... She knows deep inside her heart that that boy was a person that is very close to her... someone who was very close to her... but unfortunately, she couldn't see the face. The face was badly blurred.
Without her noticing it, a tear escaped from her eye.
She snapped back from her trance.
Wha- What?! Why am I suddenly crying? Why is my heart aching? It feels like I need to see someone... That scene... The scene that I saw in my mind... Who was that boy? I... I don't remember any scene like that before. I don't remember a boy like that because the only person I remember being very close to my heart is Hotaru... and grandpa... but that boy... he seemed familiar to me.
Her heart started to ache as a flow of events went through her mind. There was always the boy in each scene but his face was blurred. She couldn't remember the boy. That boy...
"Saga." A voice pulled her out of her daze.
She wiped her tears away with her arm. She stood up and gave the person a questioning look.
"What is it, Persona?" she questioned Persona.
"The other people I sent on missions just came back and they're badly wounded. Change your clothes now and meet me at our meeting place."
She nodded as they disappear.
Natsume's POV:
"Natsume, are you okay?" Ruka said, concerned for his friend.
"Yeah." He said.
You see, that day Natsume has been daydreaming. Last night's events played back in his head.
He remembers her lips... those lips of hers.
Those lips... Her lips were somewhat familiar to me. It gives off familiar warmth. They are actually like... like Mi-chan's...
"Ruka, I need to go somewhere."
"I'll go with you."
"No, Just stay here. I need to be alone for a while, please." Natsume insisted on Ruka.
Ruka nodded and Natsume left.
While Natsume was walking somewhere in the woods, he heard a voice.
It was Persona's cold voice. He was about to walk away since he just wanted to be alone and rest.
"Saga." Persona said.
That name then, got his interest.
Persona started to speak again. Natsume followed Persona's voice.
He has to see Saga. He needs to talk to her. Talk to her about last night, about her. Yeah, mostly about her. He needs to know her better.
He needs to know if she really is Mi-chan.
When he heard Persona say 'Change your clothes', his face lit up. No, not because he's a pervert or something. His face lit up because he thought that he would finally see Saga's face... without the mask.
When he finally reached their voices, he saw them disappear before him. He didn't even see her face. He didn't even see her back.
He was, of course, disappointed.
If only I had come here a few minutes back.
He went closer to where he saw them disappear. Then he noticed the large sakura tree.
He sat under its shade, recalling the moments when he used to play with Mi-chan under a sakura tree.
The moments when they used to be together, happily talking with each other...
... Laughing together...
He even remembered the time when they accidentally kissed.
At that memory, he smirked.
Yeah, that kiss was like the kiss Saga and I had last night.
He recalled more memories.
More memories when they were used to be happy.
Memories when she used to be alive.
Then, the horrible event appeared before him.
He clenched his fist as he blames himself for her death.
I wasn't there...
I wasn't even there to save her...
I let those stupid old men try to save her. But they couldn't! They're just bunch of idiots! They couldn't save her! But... I was to blame also... I wasn't there for her...
He thought as a tear escaped from his eye.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Awright! I updated!!!
Please review! And also, to all those who reviewed, namely:
jeje3693
Arahi Sakura
Nephie-Chan
heya-gurl
Cuna999
glenda23
ARIGATO!