Chapter 5 part 2 The Little Mermaid

Have you ever been in a library with a very strict librarian? The type that even a pencil dropped on the floor could caught every one's attention. Well that seemed to be the same scenario Mikan was in as soon as she, with the wrapped bear, jumped on his car. He didn't asked any question, nor bid her any greeting.

Just too silent. Just like the silent library.

"Hey." She said, a little too soft compared with her usual loud voice. She was trying to fit in the scene, trying to be mature enough and be a good companion to the seating beside her.

But there was no response, not even a grunt.

"okay, I know you are in a bad mood… which is fairly out of my business but… Do you remember the guy whom I introduced you with, 3 days ago?"

Still there was no response. But a good observation from her would have tipped his growing annoyance for the said topic.

"Well I happen to tell him about you and the hallow rose and he was very fasci—"

"You what?" He whispered in disbelief.

"If you are mad about that, well I'm sorry…. I never knew that fact was exclusive." Guilt written all over her face, she never thought about the consequences of her action, not even the possibility that the guy beside her would ever want a visible contact with her, the idea itself made her down.

He wasn't really concern about that even a slight bit, but decided to reason out in retaliation.

"To a stranger, way to go Sakura."

"What!" she exclaimed she tried to fully face him but the seatbelt was tight enough to stop her as she continue, "you thought my cousin was a stranger?" her statement bounced in the every corner of the car as she gave an amused grin.

His mind flew on how she happened to be related to renowned people when she herself locks herself in a book store.

"The master of the gaming world. Your cousin." He stated, not even a question to begin with. But her picky ears got it.

"What exactly do you mean?- For your information, we are related in the sense that my daddy happens to be his mom's younger brother. Genetically concluding that I, Mikan Sakura, am his legitimate cousin." she said feeling extra brainy with her choice of the word 'genetically' in a sentence.

She shut her mouth for a minute before she calmly said, "But—I admit. I am surprise you knew him."

"Umenomiya knew him from work." he lied. Of course, there is a very slight chance Anna would have known him from work. But Mikan wasn't keen enough to think of that, she happened to be a shallow person who believes people whom she trusts. And that made him a bit mortified.

"Aahh…. good for him then. By the way, so his girlfriend is celebrating her birthday today."

"So?" he asked. Perfectly masking his curiosity with a false uninterested act.

She thinks of a way how to ask if he wanted to come so she diverted the story towards the bear. "That is what the teddy bear is for. If you happen to wonder."

"And?" he said.

"A-a-and?.."

And there was the awkward silence again. Or at least for her. Her companion seemed to be in a better mood than ever. The change in his aura would have pleased her if and only if she wasn't in that humiliating part that he might say 'no' to her invitation.

"Well, it was traditional for everyone close to her, including my family and other relatives to be there, it always turned out as a family and friends reunion than a birthday family celebration. And Tsubasa-nii had been bugging me to ask you to come."

"Because?"

'Reason?' she thought, but even she herself doesn't really know. Nothing was clear in their last conversation, she was way to confused when it involved the guy infront of her.

"Apparently—cause he knew you were the grandson of Grandpa."

And he sighed. More like a relief sigh. But she seemed to misinterpret it. She thought that it was actually an act of disapproval and the like.

"I know you aren't in the mood, and is too busy to come, so—I believe that they can understand if you decided not to come. Besides, I know you hate crowds and you probably don't know anyone in there so you could just think I never asked you to co—"

"I'd come." Her heart skipped a beat. But that didn't stop her from giving him reason why he shouldn't come.

"But her place is really far, and the road's bumpy—"

"My car tanks full." He said as he turns around the corner, the mansion looking close straight ahead.

"But.. you're wearing a business suit." She then gave his loosen tie an odd look. She can't just imagine him seating in a chair surrounded by the gang. One word from them could make her his laughing stock forever. And she doesn't want to embarrass herself, especially to him.

"I can change." He murmured.

"But—"she paused for a few seconds before she said "Okay."

And she gave him the smile that she showed him the very first time they met inside the Pages. A smile enough to shake his complicated world back in motion.

"Grandpa!" she shouted as soon as she get the sight of the old man seating in his blue high back chair in his room. The Hallow rose lying on top of the tea table.

"Mikan-chan! You look lovely today." The old man greeted in return.

"And so are you!" she replied.

"Still a flatterer my dear. But you seemed pretty hyped up." the old man then gave a look on the surrounding, it's a wonder why his Grandson seemed to have a plan on joining their storytelling time today.

"Excited I can say! You see, I'm gonna attend my cousin's girlfriend's birthday party." She happily answered. Her companions seeing how she loved the idea of attending that party.

"Thant's lovely!" the old man replied, Mikan then thought of a bright idea.

"I know, and maybe you should go with us. Right?" she said giving Natsume an assuring glance. But the old man seems too get the look his Grandson was throwing. He knew the young man too well to know his intention. He wasn't his protégé for no reason.

The old man gave her a warm smile as he said, "No need Mikan chan. Natsume's presence is enough for my part."

"But it would be fun!" she countered.

"And so is your story telling." And the subject was left alone.

She was in the car when he finally changed his clothe. It was a simple V-neck shirt. But there was nothing really simple in the way he wore it. She wondered if there really is a need to hire people for his companies' advertisement when he himself could have made it to be a model.

"So what do you have in mind?" he asked, knowing nothing about the celebrant makes him clueless on what to buy as a present. The question caught her off guard.

"Red suits you better than black." She answered mindlessly. Still ogling at him.

"What?" he asked, actually pleased in the fact that she, whom he thought was immune into his charms, was actually capable of realizing how utterly attractive he is. But it was a shame on her part.

"No. I mean—what's the question again?" realizing that she had just voiced out her moronic side.

"What do you want to give for your nee-chan?" he repeated. Smirking all the way. He usually didn't like repeating his words, but he found this case pretty entertaining to do so.

She pretended to look engaged on her views of what to give her. Mikan's thoughts automatically flew with the sign of the nearing corner.

"A snow globe. See that signage, a few meters away from that you could see a pink shop."

He tried to recall the stores he passed by in there whenever he visited his friend Shiki in there. "The one with fluffy chairs in display?"

"Yes. It's a princess store." She then took her bag and started pulling on its strap to flung it on her shoulders.

He gave her a quick peek, just to guage her reaction and stated, "Never knew you were the princess type."

"Cause I wasn't, but my brother is the prince type, so whether I liked it or not. I usually come here." She reasoned out as he parked the car in front of the store.

"I'd wait for you in here." And he leveled himself in the leather seat of his car. His fingers ran in his hair as he wondered what could possibly be inside of that store. It looked too girly for a man to fit inside, but he knew that a word from his companion could make him go.

"Nope. You would come with me. I wanna show you what's inside." There was something in that shop that she could always relate with Natsume, she thought it would just be right if he would be able to see it. For a moment she thought he wouldn't come, she wasn't practically aware of her unspoken power over the boy.

"Whatever." He answered as the two of them went off the car and strode towards the cottony looking door.

There was pink everywhere, even the wallpapers were colored pink. Fluffy designs filled the display stands, from accessories, to clothing and toys. There was an old woman sitting in the cashier area, unlikely of the princess types she was selling, simplicity was sketch in her being. She was the only simple thing in that shop. Mikan lead him towards the snow globes.

"This would be perfect."

She was holding a perfectly designed snow globe with a castle inside, she turned on a switch at its bottom part and it plays orgel sound. She shook it a little and the snow like particles covered the inside. White every where. She holds into it tightly and showed it to her muted companion. She walked towards the doll section, With the raven haired guy tailing behind her.

There rested a male ball jointed doll wearing a black prince charming suite. It sat looking alone in a small elegant looking maroon sofa inside a displayed glass box. It's an untouchable beauty.

"When I was I child, I badly wanted to have that doll,… but it wasn't for sale…"

He just looked at her, but the question never came. She continued anyway, Back then she realized that she's kind of used of him being the silent type guy.

"It was that old woman son who used to own that. He is a star now."

A star. Like how old the bed time stories tell, those who passed away became the stars we look up in the sky. Memories of love and happiness make them convince themselves that whenever they look in the sky, they would be able to feel their loveone's presence. Forever a star.

"You remind me a lot of that doll… mysterious… solitary…. and a little too scary." She nodded at herself for saying that. The more she looks at her companion, the more she thinks he stood just like that doll.

"Do you think I'm scary?"

"Not always, but I do,.. when you're scowling like this morning." Her honesty made him smirk. A smirk that is sufficient enough to haunt her down, enough to make her palm sweat in nervousness.

"I don't like your smirk. It makes me feel like you have something wicked inside your sophisticated mind."

And he smiled at the comment. Showing a side of him that even he himself wasn't really familiar with, something only she could initiate.

"But I like your smile. It makes you look more customary." She murmured, smiling brighter than always.

And right at that moment, he was sure he fell. Sure of something so new to him. If he was a peaceful snow globe on top of a table, she was the one who shook him and turn his timid emotion into a pandemonium. But she was too dense to took notice of it, too naïve to get the secret hints he may have been throwing at her unintentionally.

She tilted her head to see more of him, but his face was good at it. A façade of him being an unemotional jerk.

And they walked together towards the counter. A smile still imprinted in her jolly face. The old lady greeted them a good afternoon, that further lighten up the mood.

"Would I still need to wrap it young miss?" picking up a little gold card her companion was playing with.

She shook her head in response, "Not really, we'd just take a small paper bag for it."

The old lady then stood and got a pink paper bag enough to cover the roundness of the snow globe. "It was a long time since I last saw you… And your brother."

"Yes, he's now abroad studying." she always knew where Aoi get her cute post-it notes. Yoichi used to buy for her from this store. She thought of how she wouldn't be surprised if the two of them would end up together.

"Here." The old lady then placed the pink paper bag on top of the table, with a ribbon hanging on its handle. She pulled out her purse and started digging for some money.

"Thanks... Here's the payment."

The old lady looked at her in wonder. "No need young lady. Your boyfriend had paid it for you."

She looked at the guy beside her instantly and saw him smirking while twirling his little deviant gold card in his fingers. That was fast. She never even noticed he had already paid it. Not that he intended her to notice it.

"It's not like I can come with you without a share even on the gift?"

Trying desperately to cure her depleting pride, she gave him a glare.

The old lady clapped her hands in awe. "What a lovely couple!"

She quickly tried to amend it, "No we are not, you seemed to miss inter-."

But Natsume beat her with it. "My girl's always in denial."

The look on her face was priceless as she exclaimed, "What?"

"Come on hon', we'd be late" and he stride towards the door, grinning widely. Leaving a certain brunet gawking at his direction. A crazy though drawn in her head 'Is there a possibility he hit his head pretty hard sometime she wasn't looking?'

"Really,.. We aren't dating." She pleaded, still under recovery of what he had just said. It seemed like her stomach was then a butterfly sanctuary to react normally. She wondered if butterflies also have humans in their stomachs when they get too excited.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't tell a soul, not even your brother. No matter how fond I am of him."

She didn't debate no more. It would have been pointless anyway; the old lady would believe what her multimillionaire phony boyfriend had just said. She just took the bag with her and walked towards the door as she shouted.

"Thanks again!"

"Always welcome!" the old lady replied.

She ran towards the car and opened the door with haste just to greet him with a bizarre comment, "I can't believe you did that!"

"Well believe it because I just did. As if I'd met that old woman again." He watched as her small face took an offended course to deal with.

"How about me! Yoichi could come there and I'd be doomed." Her hands fumbling his cars seatbelt, desperate to buckle up.

"That's your problem to solve not mine."

"Self-centered brat..." she took a pause before interjecting the location of the event, "The party is straight ahead." She said as he pulled in to the highway. As soon as they hit the road, the awkward event passed smoothly of hook. She was looking blankly at the window when he spoke.

"Tell me the ending of the story you had told grandpa?" he then tapped on the steering wheel as he tried to remember the title of the story. "The jealous mermaid something?"

She laughed on him in an instant. "silly!"-laugh-" It's the little mermaid… Not the jealous mermaid!"

He didn't comment no more, he just let her laugh until she was over it. But behind his cool face, hides a little shame on his part. It wasn't his fault he was never good at fairy tales, or that at least is what he was telling his self.

"You're wonderin' if she ended being a human right?" Mikan teased, expecting a positive response from the raven haired lad.

"More like a tuna, if you asked." He corrected, amusement written in his voice.

She didn't take it humorously, but she still retold the ending of the story, the part when he needed to leave and change his clothing. "She was presented a dagger of which he was supposed to use to stab the prince in return of hers, but rather than killing him she jumped into the ocean and died by turning to bubbles… I pity her."

"I don't."

"You meanie! She deserves pity since he died trying."

"Idiot. That's exactly the thing; she died 'trying', not slacking off. So people should never dare pity her."

Mikan thought for a moment, but insisted on pursuing her opinion. For her, the mermaid deserves sympathy form the readers, and she wouldn't just let him ruin it by over lapsing his point of view with hers.

"But she died."

Natsume stepped more on the gas pedal, their speed went faster as he explained, "It's her decision making you should blame. She chooses to die."

Her eyebrow rose as she thought she realized what he meant. "But she doesn't have a choice. It's not like she could kill the prince or anything."

Natsume sighed "Not the killing part, idiot. Remember this- life is a gamble. She took it in exchange of human feet but luck didn't favor her, so she had to stand in her decision."

She grew silent for a minute. But answered anyway.

"You are an emotionless fox." She then grinned at him, trying to pull a lighter side of him. And her heart almost stopped when he gave another glance at her as he said;

"No I'm not. I'm just being realistic."

A/n: Prelim sucks. College sucks.

Question: in one word describe a prince charming.