Chapter 7.5

"You what?"

They were in his private office. Natsume got it from his dad after his fifteenth birthday. Before, he didn't actually understand what the real purpose of it was until he turned eighteen and girls started to take interest in him. More or less, it was a place only for him. But sometimes, he uses the room to be with himself. It comes in handy at times since the room is soundproof. No one hears what could be going on in there. For Natsume Hyuuga, it is a goddamn good thing.

"Imai told me she'll be there to meet me, Ruka." Natsume took a drag on his cigarette before tapping it on the edge of the ashtray in front of him. "She told me what she wants, the song, the dance and well I told Mikan… I told her what I want."

"Thus, her leaving and you looking stupid." Ruka tried hard not to smile at his cousin. "Look, I think you're the problem here. Not her."

"Me? I'm the problem?"

"Yeah." Ruka took the cigarette from Natsume and threw it out the window. "You should stop that, you know. It's not good to see a politician—as young as you are—smoking like a senior citizen." He turned back at Natsume and leaned. "I think you're being selfish."

"I'm being me, Ruka."

"That's exactly my point." Ruka knew it was hard explaining everything to Natsume Hyuuga. No one could really make him do anything, actually. He knew what he wanted and he knew how to get it. Well, Mikan Sakura could be an exception. "Just give up on her then."

"I can't." Natsume looked at Ruka's eyes and let his crimson eyes do the talking. Ruka knew exactly why he can't. Since being little, he got what he wanted; the fame, the money, the girls and the power. And maybe not getting Mikan Sakura's heart like he told her he would was a big blow on his ego. Not getting Mikan Sakura could be the biggest disappointment in his life right now. "I have to prove to her that I could make her fall for me. I have to steal her heart."

"Well it's time to face the reality, Natsume." He said. "This isn't a game anymore. Mikan Sakura isn't a nice game to play."

And Ruka Nogi, being the cousin who had seen almost every side of Natsume Hyuuga, saw him look defeated and yet look so… angry in a way that it surprised him. "She isn't. I can't believe this. I can't believe her. I just have to prove her wrong, Ruka. You know who I am."

Ruka nodded his head half-way, staring at his cousin before standing up to leave. His eyes were looking at him in disbelief. Besides, it was only Ruka Nogi who could see Natsume Hyuuga inside out.

"Sometimes it's okay to fall. You don't have to force yourself not to. I understand. You don't have to catch yourself, Natsume. Sometimes, people fall together."

His eyes followed Ruka as the butler opened the door for him. "What do you mean?"

And Ruka, being the one who liked to have the last word, turned to Natsume with a Cheshire smile enough to mimic Hotaru's. "Sometimes, fate does the catching for you."

--

"Tsubasa, what do you mean… No… I didn't do anything with him…Hotaru?" Mikan took a whole minute before looking at Hotaru. She placed a hand over the receiver and turned to her supposedly best friend. "What are you planning? Is this a favour for Natsume and Tsubasa?"

"I'm just hitting two birds with one stone, Mikan."

"I…" She placed the phone back in her ear and called Tsubasa in. "Hey… I'll call you back again later… Yeah, yeah… take care of yourself as well. Bye." Mikan turned to find Hotaru only to see her moving ahead of her. "Where are you—"

Lately, people seemed to like to cover her mouth with their hands. It isn't very nice, actually.

"Be quiet and listen." Hotaru pulled Mikan to their biology classroom and it was then when Mikan heard Sumire Shouda's voice that something really bad or really good is going to happen.

"Look, it's between me, you and that… that lawbreaking faker. She's breaking every single rule in our club and nothing's going to happen if I do all the planning. Listen, I'm not doing this favour for you, only partly, but most is for me and the club…. You could do that too… The rat wasn't too hard. I made one of the club members do it as a membership challenge and it was pretty funny… Yeah, I think so too and—"

Before Mikan could register what was happening, the phone was already thrown to the floor and the LCD screen flew on the floor into little pieces. Hotaru was grabbing Sumire's collar as she pushed her harshly on the wall. "Who were you talking to?"

"Why should I tell you, eavesdropping freak?" Sumire tried to remove Hotaru's hands on her but she was as vulnerable as she is right now. "Mikan deserved what I did to her… She didn't only do it once, she did it twice! Don't you think I heard about what she did to Natsume yesterday? She practically lured him into the VIP room. I don't even see the reason why you hang out with her. You're a freak and she's a goddamn slut."

"What a dirty mouth you have…" The voice came from the door. Mikan was leaning on the doorframe coolly.

Sumire couldn't turn her head but she knew she was found out. "How… How long were you standing there?"

"Quite a while now, actually." Mikan entered the room with her arms crossed on her chest. "If you hated me so much, you should've told me. I don't like backstabbers, you know."

"I don't give a damn, Mikan." Sumire said, her voice was cracking from the force on her throat. "You're just famous because of Natsume-sama."

The realization hit her like electricity going through her body. She dropped her arms and placed a hand on Hotaru's shoulder. "I've cut ties with Natsume Hyuuga already. I already told him to leave me alone so you should just do the same then." She hardened the hand on Hotaru's shoulder. "You can let her go, Hotaru. I think she understands what I'm trying to say."

When Hotaru did, Sumire cracked her neck and stretched her arms, yawning. She stood straight, dusted her clothes and looked at Mikan. "Reality hurts, isn't it? Fame is going to end for you sooner. Maybe you're right; I'll leave you alone for a while and let Natsume do the trashing. Like what he did with his other disposables."

Like his disposables... Mikan turned and looked at Sumire and Hotaru. Her throat seemed dry and words couldn't come out. "I'm… going to rest at home." It seemed like she ignored Sumire, but her words cut her through like knife on her body. It hurt like hell.

Truth hurts. Damn right it does.

--

Natsume spent the next hour replying to the emails he got from company CEOs and congress people. His mind tried to focus on whatever he should be saying to them—even though he didn't mean part of what he wrote—he tried to sound nice, but everytime he'd think of a sentence, he'd remember the look on Mikan's face when she said she was sorry and the next thing he'll do is press the backspace key until the screen will turn blank.

Just like his mind—a plain, white blank page.

He closed the computer and his face in his hands all the while running a hand through his raven-colored locks. "Damnit." He looked up and aside form Mikan's face, he could see Aoi. Aoi Hyuuga. His Aoi Hyuuga.

It was summer and the year was two years from the present. She was a year younger than him. But comparing her from him, she seemed so much younger than her age. She was lively, outspoken and read people like books. She was someone everyone thought Natsume would've hated. But he didn't. Instead, he loved her more than he did to any other girl.

She was his buriko after all.

They were supposed to go to Paris for her Sixteenth birthday and Natsume had arrived a minute late from the flight. Aoi told him to catch the next plane and he did. By the time he arrived in Paris, his father's secretary told him the big news.

Aoi Hyuuga didn't make it to Paris after all.

She was his broken dream and his faltered heart. He was supposed to look after his sister. But he failed her. He was seven and she was six, when he was in the playground by the swings and she was playing by the sandbox, she told him something about her heart.

That she wouldn't give her heart for all the money in the world.

He didn't give much thought to it. After all, he was seven and she was six. But when she turned ten and he was eleven, when he dated this girl and she was being courted by this guy, he heard the same line again. And when she turned sixteen and he was seventeen, a day before her death and he took her out to see the sunset, she told him the same line.

And then he believed her.

But it was too late. All too late.

Until he turned nineteen. Two years passed and he forgot about that line. He tried to forget about the tragic end of his sister. He did, for a while not until he met this girl, who looked a lot like Aoi did. The same smile, the same sparkle in her eyes and the same laugh. It reminded him too much of her that it hurt him.

But Mikan was different; he knew that, not until she pushed him away and told him something about her heart.

That she wouldn't give her heart for all the money in the world.

The line came back and this time, behind Natsume's altered jokes and his snide remarks, he inwardly believed in her.

But then she pushed him away and here he is.

Catching himself so he won't fall like an idiot. But Ruka told him exactly what he was trying not to do. Ruka told him that it's okay to fall. Sometimes people fall together. And in that time, fate does the catching for them.

But Mikan was different; he knew that.

And he'll show her how it's like to be hated by Natsume Hyuuga.

Natsume looked up from his position and pressed the intercom across the table. "Shiyo-san?" He called for the secretary outside by the halls. "Get me Tsubasa Andou's cell phone number."

--

Author's Notes:

Sorry it's a bit short. It's kind of like a chapter that explains the last chapter. It's a chapter 7.5 so that's why you don't see the introduction quote and the ending song. Some people got confused why it happened so fast or why Natsume acted like he did last chapter, so here it is. And Natsume's not happy about what Mikan did. He gave her a chance and she blew it. Oh no. Natsume's going to get revenge? :O

And who is Sumire talking on the phone with?

Oooh. More dramarama.

Stay tuned for more. Please review. :)