Tachibana Higuchi owns Gakuen Alice. Always has and always will.


Chapter six

"Natsume?"

Ruka entered the manor, he shivered slightly. It was cold and dark as it always was. Which is why the fact that Natsume would still be willing to stay here alone didn't make complete sense to him. Ruka sighed.

Natsume worried him. Not like the aforementioned crime boss did it on purpose. But lately, Ruka could see Natsume growing dimmer. His friend was fading away, not quite literally but it was enough to strike him anxious of it.

He chuckled softly, remembering the day they had met. Natsume was on the run for a crime he had committed, he wasn't a big time criminal at that point. Ruka was a rich boy who had gotten involved accidentally into the crime world.

And there went a saying that once a part of the underworld, always a part of underworld.

Like a devoted dog one's past would always follow them. So would things done in the crime sphere.

Ruka had narrowly managed to miss getting shot at a fight but could hardly avoid being knocked out.

That time he remembered the light fading away, his world darkening before a firm hand pulled him in. Next day he awoke to a hospital bed. Natsume had saved him. Which didn't honestly make sense because Natsume was of the opposite gang they had been fighting.

Then again, most of the things his best friend did, never made sense to Ruka anyway.

From that day onward, they left their mob clans and started their own crime syndicate. Natsume's intuitive and fearless nature was the face of their criminal organisation while Ruka was the brains whose charisma succeeded in situations that needed diplomacy.

That was usually because Natsume could hardly keep a leash on his tongue when dealing with petty swindlers.

The last time, he shot the man in the head without a warning and walked out. And Ruka had to clean up the mess and stage the crime scene.

Which is literally why Ruka would now handle those businesses.

Moving on, Butler Lee came into his vision of sight.

"Young master is in the library, Mister Nogi." Butler Lee responded after greeting the blond.

"Natsume doesn't approve of you calling him young master." Ruka noted with a click of his tongue.

"You are aware of that, Mister Lee?"

"It is disrespectful and a gross misconduct for a butler to address his employer with nothing less than the manner of propriety." Butler Lee bowed low.

Ruka shook his head. No use in trying to turn water into wine.

"Please excuse my impertinence, Mister Nogi but may I please ask you a matter of personal importance?"

"Yes?" He answered before thinking. Rarely were there time when the well-dressed butler would put a toe out of line or ask anything except what's needed.

"I was wondering where young mistress Mikan was." Butler Lee stated, consciously. "She loves my chamomile tea and I reckon she has been missing it."

Ruka raised a brow at the fond affection in his voice. Butler Lee looked like he treated Mikan like an uncle or a father. They seemed to be more closer and amiable than Natsume and her. Speaking of which, he really needed to speak to this woman.

"Temporarily, she stays away. But I think she will return soon." Ruka lied. Because the old man looked too worried. His reply made Butler Lee relax significantly. "I should head to the library." Ruka cleared his throat.

"Of course."

The blond walked to the library, past the large oakwood doors.

"Natsume?"

"If it isn't a matter of life and death or a loss of money, Ruka. I beg you not to interrupt me." A stoic voice floated heavily in the air.

Natsume was sitting in his study deep in the end of the hall of stacked documents and papers. He had worn his reading glasses and was scrutinizing the heaps of paperwork before him.

"Well, it isn't either of them but you're supposed to be informed of it."

"Hn."

Ruka carefully observed the next words he spoke, "Your mother called."

Natsume's reaction, however, was intriguing to note down. The raven haired man narrowed his eyes to slits, his shoulders tensed and calmly kept the document down.

"And?"

"She wishes to have your presence at a family dinner in her Paris tomorrow."

Natsume considered this, placidly. His jaw clenched and loosened, he took a deep breath and Ruka felt a thunder was about to crackle. "Please arrange my private jet and-"

"Natsume, you can't be serious!" Ruka said, defensively. "Why do you even bother with them?"

"Because it's a formality."

"Formality? Formality? Are you fuckin' kidding me?!" Ruka demanded, infuriated. "They didn't have the formality to raise you up. They didn't have the formality to visit you once in all those years. They didn't have the formality to even send condolences on your father's death!"

"Ruka." Natsume rejoined, tired. "It doesn't affect me-"

"Natsume, you were ten and Aoi was six when they abandoned you with only a little money. You were on the streets. You used that money to educate Aoi because you couldn't afford it for yourself!" Ruka flared but he was on a roll now. " You took your father's organisation, and built it up again from a scrape and worked with blood, toil and all to become what you have.

"I respect you, Natsume, I really do. For what you've become and how far you've journeyed. You can find it in your large, generous heart to not care about what they did but you can hardly expect me to behave the same." Ruka folded his arms sternly. His face had flushed pink due to blind rage.

After a few moments, he managed to compose himself and Natsume took the opportunity to speak again.

"I don't expect you to disregard what they've done, Ruka." He quietly stated. "But I am under obligations. I don't care for them in the slightest. Also, there's literally no harm in having a dinner with them."

"They might poison your food." Ruka pointed out. Natsume rolled his eyes but crackled a smile that went halfway.

"About my private jet-"

Ruka groaned but nodded and assured him that he would inform the pilot, Mister Kenta Anderson about it.

Natsume was dressed in a dark blue Gucci suit custom made for him. His features sharply defined, he looked by the window in his private jet. Cities sparkling in dots of light but it also felt frigid and surprisingly it wasn't the temperature that had dropped.

Could something that looked bright feel so cold? He stared, bleakly. Funny thing to ask.

Within a duration of fourteen hours or so, Natsume had stepped foot in Paris and had been driven to the Fitzgerald Villa. It had been several years since he had last been here. The last time was when he was ten, he had been forced to leave and by chance had come across the streets of Tokyo.

Natsume stepped out of the car with his head held high and arrogance dripping from his crimson eyes.

"Oh Natsume, you're a sight for sore eyes." His mother, Karen Fitzgerald, a famed NGO worker in her twenties and was now a reputed hairstylist. A promiscuous woman who had left her first husband, Ioron Hyuuga when the debts piled over his desk like building blocks. She had an affair with a half- German half -Japanese man who was initially under Ioron but led him to bankruptcy.

This man was Reo Fitzgerald. In Ruka's unfiltered language, a fuckin' asshole. When a child, Kuonji, was born to the two of them, Aoi and Natsume were shamelessly thrown out of the house to face the cold streets that were terribly merciless.

"Thank goodness you came." She exclaimed.

"Of course, Mrs Fitzgerald." Natsume's cool reply came unhinged.

The fair Mrs Fitzgerald dimmed her smile and Natsume knew why. Because he would never call her his mother. She was just a woman unfortunately related to him. Nothing more, nothing less.

He was led into a spacious dining hall which much to distaste had every member of the family present. Reo and his son, Kuonji who were both observing every step taken by him.

Reo was in charge of a crime syndicate in France and Italy. Hardly comparable to the enormous potential and influence of Natsume's empire throughout countries.

Natsume looked at the food embellishing the plates kept on the table dressed in satin white and golden cloths. No expense spared. He greeted them casually and across Kuonji. Natsume faintly remembered Ruka telling him the chances of poison being added to his food.

What an easy way to die, he morbidly chuckled, taking a bite. When he did not die three minutes later, Natsume shrugged disappointed.

"Do you find something strange, Natsume?" Reo asked as they began eating.

"Nothing that concerns you." He assured.

"So how have you been Natsume?" His mother asked sipping on the wine glass. "Has the business been doing fine?"

"As it always did. And what of you Mrs Fitzgerald? How's your hairstyling endeavours going as of such?" These were the times Natsume would recall and envy Ruka's fluency in being conversationalist.

"Oh it has been spectacular. I recently got a personal call from Metia Gamlins, the actress, a striking beauty if you must ask."

"And what of it, Karen?" Reo asked.

"Oh she wanted me to style her hair for her upcoming wedding." She chirped.

What. A. Joy. Natsume thought. Like I fucking care.

This was the atypical nouveau riché conversations he tried to avoid. Keyword being tried.

"Kuonji is being educated furthermore in the sciences, Natsume. Isn't that wonderful?" Karen flaunted and that's when Natsume began catching up with the gist of the circumstance he was in.

"Well, that's because unlike some. . ." Kuonji glanced side long at Natsume, "We value literacy and education."

This was an underhand method of trying to remind Natsume of his formal education. Which he would admit was true. Running around building an empire and keeping it that way didn't let him reach the ink of a pen. However, he read books more or less often in the well-stocked library he had.

Natsume wasn't educated sure but that didn't mean he was dumb.

"Hn. Of course, you do. On a completely irrelevant note, however, I heard about this raid that happened to an Italian port." Natsume kept his eyes on the plate as he ate the steak.

"Truckloads of cocaine was seized by the police. It hopefully wasn't your organization's imports was it?" He innocently asked as Kuonji's face twisted in malice.

"You fu-"

"Moving on." Karen sternly glared at him and sweetly smiled towards Natsume who could see through her like glass.

"We have heard that you've got married, Natsume."

Natsume's grip on the fork slightly stiffened but he continued to remain collected.

"And?"

"You could have invited us. Or at least, brought her here today." Reo suggested, smirking. "We don't bite."

That broke Natsume's façade, he broke into a chuckle that caused the three of them to stare at him, bewildered.

"You've got it wrong. It'd be the other way around. My wife is rather wild."

"Figures." Kuonji stated in a tone that Natsume disapproved of.

Mikan might have been many things but to hear anyone refer to her with any lesser respect was downright vexatious to him.

"I beg your pardon?" He asked, protectively. Not like Mikan needed to be protected, he had a gut she could very well do that herself.

"I meant to say that seeing as hideous as you are in nature it's obvious that your wife is-"

Natsume's hand automatically reached to the shotgun strapped on his waist and shot Kuonji's shoulder who yelped out in pain. Karen shrieked, the fork slipped out of her grip and Reo screamed for the guards.

A circle of men armed with guns aimed at Natsume who now kept his weapon down on the clothed dining table.

"I could bear listening to you slandering my image but a word upon her and Mrs. Fitzgerald will receive your body in a coffin." Natsume glared at the man who was clutching his shoulder that had blood oozing out. He stood up and continued to make his way out.

"She'll never love you." The loud assertion made Natsume stop and froze every nerve beneath his skin.

"She'll never love a monster like you." Kuonji spat out like spewing venom that grew flames of their own.

"You will never have anything to hold onto, Natsume Hyuuga, you hear me? You'll have nothing. Nothing!"

Natsume's breath was caught in his throat as the bitterness of that statement seeded in. He walked out of the Fitzgerald Villa. He dismissed the chauffeur as he drove the car away at speeds that could get him a ticket but really that's the last thing he was worried about.

Maybe Ruka was right about not going in the first place but then when had Ruka ever been wrong?

He continued waiting in the traffic and took deep breaths to calm himself down lest he would end up shooting someone dead.

And Natsume wasn't keen to be jailed again. He'd already seen enough of it few months ago.

Natsume loosened his tie and threw it on the side and opened two buttons as he sighed heavily. He touched the back of his neck a habit he had inculcated when he would be stressed. Natsume's hand came in contact with a metallic chain that attracted his attention.

The rosary.

His body relaxed as he closely inspected the rosary. It was a simple piece, the entire chain was made of a single silvery metal, no divergence of colours whatsoever. The cross had a jet black stone at its center. It wasn't new, it had a few scratches here and there and had a blunted shade.

This had been with her for a long time, He realised with insight.

A warmth churned over his belly, coiling strength in him enough to change his course and go back to the airport.

Natsume clutches it closer to his chest.

Perhaps Kuonji was right. He may never have anything to hold onto. Perhaps he really was a monster. Perhaps there was never really any rest for a wicked like him.

But for now this is what he would hold onto.

Something that had made him feel.


Soo apparently y'all can't review my chapter because fanfiction is being a bitch. Which is sorta really sad cause you have no idea how precious your reviews are.

Reviews are like fortune cookies. Can't imagine why fanfiction would do that or have I just not been around for a long time?

*Sigh*

Welp, it is what it is. I shall see you next week. Stay tuned for another update, my hearts.