Exciting events from the last chappie eh? Read on to find out more..

As stated before, this story may be a bit shorter than my ongoing ones like 'The Guy Next Door', 'Delicious Taboo', and 'Secrets'. 'The Scam' may or may not be short but it depends (for those of you who have been following my stories since 'Sakuras & Swords' and 'Crimson Rose' already know how twisted my mind is. XD

And wow.. I've bled out 20 stories on ff since September.. such an achievement .. lol..

To make up for the long time for updating, this is gonna be a bit long..

Thanks to all of you who have been following and all that.. :)

xoxo Lexi1989

Previously:

"I love you Mikan." He whispered.

But of course, unlike in those movies, we wouldn't have a happy ending because there was reality to face. Because just seconds after he uttered those words, an audible gasp was heard from the door, which to my complete and utter idiocy, I forgot to close properly. In my haste to find out who the intruder was, I didn't close the door completely and standing there, looking at us wide eyed was the woman he was due to marry in a few days. Nobara Ibaragi.

CHAPTER 6: HONESTLY

It was like Chronos hit the pause button on his remote control of time and everything froze for the three young adults in the room. Each of them caught up in a struggle of their conflicted emotions.

Mikan couldn't quite find the words to say while still being pinned under the man she loved, who loved her in return but was going to be married to the woman who was standing dumbfounded in the doorway. She wanted to be the bitch for a change, to claim her stake to his heart, but the honorable side of her knew it was wrong; Which was what had led her to avoid them at all costs. Hence, she had moved away from their neighborhood, quit her old job and gotten a new one.

Natsume was torn in between his yearning to be with Mikan, his annoyance of being interrupted as he confessed how he still felt for her, and his guilt for hurting Nobara. She'd hurt him before when she left him, and this, he felt, was his retribution. But he didn't feel vindicated. In fact, he felt bad for giving her heartache. She was first and foremost his best friend before she became his first love. And that made the guilt dig deeper into his soul.

Nobara was caught up in a tornado of diverse feelings. She felt as if she was being punished for what she had done to Natsume in the past. She felt like she deserved this anguish and despondency. Tears fell down her face though, as the excruciating sting of betrayal felt like a slap in her face. She loved him yet he had never told her about Mikan. She thought when she came back that she could still make their relationship work. But she felt angry as well. She was used to getting what she wanted. And she wasn't going to let them make a fool of her like they did when she had no clue of the events of the past.

Now all of it made sense. Mikan's awkwardness when she first met her in Natsume's office. Her angst during her song performance at the karaoke bar. Natsume's behavior when Mikan was mentioned. She now saw the substantiation in front of her.

NOBARA

The week that I realized it all, I decided to put matters in my own hands. I'd told Natsume I'd be out that day to check on some last minute things for the wedding and as I was accustomed to, he didn't deny me my freedom to go out. He said he was taking care of things at the office and would see me at the wedding. I would have been happy, hearing that from him but by the tone of his voice, I felt like he looked at it like a business meeting and not the happiest day of our lives.

A few months ago, I had a private investigator trace Mikan Sakura's whereabouts. I shelled out a hefty sum to get the information and I had been stealthily tracing Mikan for the past few days after receiving the data from the detective. I went to the small café that Mikan was a waitress in (disguised of course) and even chatted with her. I followed Mikan to the small and dingy, hole-in-the-wall kind of apartment she was renting. I couldn't fathom any decent lady who could tolerate that kind of living quarters as I was accustomed to living a luxurious life, but I just really wanted to talk to Mikan to ask her the truth so I sucked it up and pursued her.

I had every intention to confront Mikan that night. A surprise visit would be better but instead it appears like I was the one who got surprised. I'd noticed Mikan's awareness shoot up as she entered the door and was about to call the cops when the voice I heard from inside made me tense up and freeze.

"JEEZ MIKAN, IT'S ME." It was unmistakable. I would know that voice anywhere.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING TRESPASSING IN MY -?" Mikan had screamed.

I approached as I heard them arguing with each other when I heard something that made me feel dread at the pit of my stomach.

"You didn't mean what you said." He told her. I hastened my pace and came in just in time to see him claim her lips and whisper the words he was meant to say to me.

"I love you, Mikan."

To be honest, I wanted to run away. But I stood rooted to the spot, not noticing the gasp that had made its way out of my mouth. They turned to me, eyes wide just like mine were. I wanted to be brave. I wanted to scream and slap her. I couldn't. I am in a state of disbelief. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. The tears wouldn't stop falling. I knew I hurt him but I didn't think I deserved to be lied to.

Mikan pushed him off of her and I could see the hesitance in her expression as she approached me. I clenched my fists at my side. I wanted to slap her but breeding and poise took over.

"Nobara." She said cautiously. My resolve crumbled and a red handprint embedded on her cheek as I slapped her.

"I guess I deserved that." She smiled grimly. "For what it's worth, I don't know if you know the truth, but I am sorry. It might make no difference, I just want you to know that I am really sorry. I'm not fighting for him. He belongs to you. He's going to marry you anyway. And I'm sorry I kissed him. This will be the last time I see him."

"Mikan!" My heart felt like it was being stabbed when I saw him rush to her side rather than to me.

"Don't say that." He scolded her but she brushed him away.

"I didn't ask you to come here Natsume. I spent months trying to bury the past behind. Don't make me regret my decision to do so. You came and said what you had to say but sadly I cannot accept that." Her voice was steady albeit the heavy words. And I could see her hands trembling. She didn't exactly lie. She didn't say that she didn't love him back. She only told him that she couldn't accept his confession.

"It's good that you know your place Sakura." I held my head up high as I spat out the words. I didn't want to be a bitch but I needed to lay claim to what was mine.

"Don't talk to her like that!" Natsume hissed at me.

"You both need to leave." Mikan strode to the door and held it open but neither Natsume nor I took a step towards it. Natsume's face was etched with shock and disbelief at Mikan's cold words.

"Mikan… please… don't do this…" It was the first time I'd seen him beg. He never did this for me when I left him. And it both enraged and pained me that she could easily make him do it.

"NOW." Her voice rose an octave and I saw Natsume flinch in the corner of my eyes.

"I will see you at the wedding." I told him as I walked out of the apartment without a glance. I mastered the art of poise in the most uncouth of situations and it was paying off right this very second.

I headed to my car that was parked a couple of blocks away when a tap on the window made me jump in my seat. I sighed in relief when I realized it was Natsume and I let him in.

"I'm glad you came to your sens—" He cut me off before I could finish.

"Take me to my apartment." He said. Before looking out the window with a glum expression.

The drive to his apartment was engulfed in a tension filled silence. And when we got there, he asked me to come in. I stood in his living room and I felt a sense of trepidation come over me. It was the first time I came here. Every time we would meet was either at my parent's house where I was staying before the wedding or in other restaurants or establishments. Never once did Natsume invite me to come over. And as I looked around, my heart felt heavy. I saw her everywhere.

He had framed photos of them together on the mantle of his fireplace. There was a charcoal portrait of her that was hung in the hallway. One photo caught my eye. It was one of Mikan smiling happily at the camera with Natsume at her side, looking lovingly at her. One could not deny the twinkle of passion and love in his eyes as the photograph captured his feelings for the smiling brunette. His expression was one that I was used to seeing directed at me. And it hit me. The gravity of what I had given up the day I decided to study abroad. I didn't realize I was crying until I heard Natsume clear his throat. I wiped away the tears that blurred my vision and we stood there in silence, with his head hung, looking at his shoes and me unable to look at him.

~I stand before you accused of many crimes.~

~But I wanna believe that love could still survive~

~You don't have to say it, I don't have to read your mind~

~To know that emptiness has finally arrived.~

"Natsume look at me." I knew deep in my heart that I lost. But I needed to hear it from him.

He tentatively raised his head and looked at me. It hurt me to see him this way. It hurt me more to know that he longed for her the way I longed for him. It hurt me most that this was all my fault for leaving. I was young. I thought I was getting what I wanted when I left. That I was doing what was right for me.

~How was I to know right from wrong~

~Words were hardly spoken~

~So where did I go wrong?~

I tried my best to be perfect for him when I came back. I was the manifestation of a lady. But it wasn't enough. Because he'd already given his heart to someone else. The only thing I could do now, was to accept defeat. But not before he would admit the truth to me.

~Tell me honestly, if you're still in love with me~
~Looking into my eyes, honestly~

"You don't love me." It wasn't a question, nor was it meant to be one.

"I'm sorry Nobara." Sorry? That was all he had to say? I snapped.

~Words have more meaning, if they're said at certain times~

~I need you now, so I can feel alive~

~How would you know if, you won't give me some time~

~to see if everything could work, you'll be mine~

"I DON'T NEED YOUR FUCKING APOLOGIES! I WANT TO KNOW WHY? WHY CAN'T YOU LOVE ME? WHY COULD'NT YOU TELL ME THE TRUTH? WHY COULDN'T YOU GIVE ME A CHANCE TO PROVE TO YOU THAT WE CAN MAKE THIS WORK! WHY, NATSUME?! DAMMIT TELL ME WHY!" I had my hands on his shoulders and shaking him as if making him wake up from this wretched nightmare of mine.

I held on to him like he was my lifeline. Because I knew I'd be lost without him. I never really loved anyone the way I loved him. And I just wanted things to go back the way they used to be. I needed him to see that. To stop being blinded. To come to his senses. But I knew deep in my heart that he wouldn't.

~I'll be lost forever or someday I may find~

~the words that I've been searching for~

~Or just some peace of mind~

He held me as I sobbed on his chest. His touch was far from romantic, and it killed me to know I yearned for it to be as such. It killed me to know that I was still very much in love with the guy I fell in love with at the tender age of fourteen. But he wasn't in love with me anymore. He changed.

~All the nights I sit and wonder there must be more to life I'm sure that~

~days and years go by while I am living with a lonely feeling~

If you were in my position, you wouldn't really know that a couple of years from now you'd meet the right guy for you. You wouldn't know that the heartache you are feeling now would lead to finding someone better. How could you? It would be virtually impossible unless you had the power to see into the future. I would spend nights in utter desolation. Inconsolable, holed up in self-pity until I would decide to venture into the now scary reality of life. Years from now I would take a step outside of the walls of ice I'd built around myself, forgetting the memory of him walking away after telling me the words that would haunt me for three years.

~Tell me honestly, if you're still in love with me~

~Looking into my eyes, honestly~

"I love you Nobara. But I'm not in love with you anymore. I'm sorry I didn't say it sooner but I am in love with Mikan. You will always be special to me. You will always be my first love. But you aren't meant to be my last. Mikan is."

END OF CHAPTER 6

Whew .. such a sad chapter.. well from Nobara's POV.. and though Natsume finally admitted the truth to Nobara, how will Mikan feel after she rejected him? Will she take him back?

Stay tuned to find out!

Song used is Harem Scarem's 'Honestly' (DONT OWN IT, NEVER WILL)

Anilissa – well he made a decision, but as for the merger, well that has yet to be discussed.. and the wedding is only days away! And the real question is, will Mikan take him back?

Seiren Rindo – Haven't heard from u in awhile kouhai, I hope you are alright! Well Nobara did act bitchy here but I hope I've conveyed enough reality in her emotions to make you guys see why she did what she did. And we don't know what will happen with the wedding yet, so stay tuned!

bukspiks – She did.. by pushing him away. Will she continue to do so? The next chapter will reveal hehe.. and no its not wrong.. she is selfish in this story.. a little OOC for her, but I couldn't think of any other character to pair Natsume with for now.. lol..

I guess everyone is kinda busy these days with the number of reviews dwindling but the follows and favorites numbers aren't bad.. if you feel up to it, it would make me inspired to receive a review from you guys! But not to worry, regardless of a review or not, I will still update.. it may take awhile as I do have a job and a life outside of ff, this is more of just a hobby, a very time consuming one, but I love to write and think up new ideas that sometimes I can't help it.. lol..

STORY CYCLE: TGND - DT - SCAM - SEC - KN

You'll see the cycle once you look into my profile!

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Ja Ne!

xoxo Lexi1989