Indigo's Corner
Hmm, yea. 9th chapter. They've gotten longer. I was going to say something here but I forgot. Anyway, enjoy
Dedication
To: Crimson Memories. Hell ya, you've brought back the flaming pashion of SumireKoko love to me :)
And... Romantically Loveless. This chick cheated, I tell you. I told her I was going to update at 200 reviews and bam! She reviewed me. So much for a lazy weekend...
Disclaimer
Disclaimed.
Grade 9
Best Friends
"What are you doing here?" she demanded vehemently, annoyed that this has been the third time her doorbell rang that day.
It was quite a sight to see Mikan in turmoil, even though he could see that she was disheveled from getting up. Furthermore, her cheeks were red and her words were slurred. It certainly did not take a genius to figure out that Mikan Sakura was down with something. The sniffing of her nose confirmed that.
"You are not supposed to show up at my door at this time of the day. In fact, Natsume," she hissed, "You are not welcome to show up at this door any time of the day."
He rolled his eyes. "Go back to sleep," he told her, forcing her way in. "I'm staying here for the night." Her flimsy arms were no barriers to him and before Mikan could digest what happened in her tired brain, Natsume found himself a comfortable spot on her couch.
Slamming the door behind her, she went on a furious rant. "How dare you show up and enter my house like you belong here?! As if it's not bad enough that everyone comes to me looking for trouble the very day I'm sick. Can't I just be relieved of your face for one day?"
Playing casually with a sofa cushion, Natsume drawled, "So who made it before me?"
She was tackled and strapped in bed earlier that morning, forbidden to move even one metre. Narumi and Tsubasa both eyed their daughter/sister, Tsubasa gripping the thermometer that stated 37.5 degrees Celsius. Mikan just bit her lip and whimpered like a poor puppy.
"I don't care if you have a presentation in English that's going to be worth 15% of your mark," the father growled, "You are staying home today missy. I'll make sure of that."
"He's right, you know?" The brother chipped in. "I'm not letting you go to school and pass out in one of your classes either. Not with a fever like this." He waved the thermometer in front of her for emphasis.
"Fine," she grumbled, "But I'll have you know I'm letting Sumire down. She'll be bitching at me later."
"Language, Mikan," and "I'm sure your friend will understand," spoken by both brother and dad in respective order.
So there she was now, her digital clock flashing 12:48pm, and her head feeling like it's weighing 10 tons. Yup, stuck inside a house all because her very lovable father and brother decided to make a tag team. But on the bright side, her English class hasn't started yet. Thank god for whoever made English fifth period on her schedule. She could still make it.
Flipping over her thick blanket, Mikan sat up, massaging her head for a few minutes to stop the throbbing. Finding her bunny slippers, she strode to her bathroom and peered in the mirror.
Gosh, did she ever look messed up. Her hair exploded and was sticking up in all sorts of places, the short strands spiking out everywhere and the long strands drooping down. Her lips were chapped and her nose, eyes and cheeks were red. Really horrible, yes, but nothing a little makeup couldn't fix.
After splashing cold water on her face and wiping it all off with a towel, Mikan concluded that she was hungry and ventured downstairs into the kitchen to make herself lunch. In doing so, she found a two notes on the fridge, one by Narumi, stating that he had to work late into the morning hours today, and another by Tsubasa telling them that he would be gone that weekend (it was Friday) with Misaki and Kaname to visit Tono. Narumi also told her in the note to take care of herself and not be reckless – oh, and to remember to take her medicine.
"Dad…" she muttered with a smile, shaking her head. "You worry too much."
She took out two pieces of whole wheat bread and popped them into the toaster, then went back for some margarine and fruit jam. The bread popped out of the toaster, crispy but not too hard, just the way she liked it. As Mikan was spreading her jam, she heard the doorbell ring and echo throughout the house.
She froze for a split second before concluding it was just one of those house to house advertisers, since there was no way it could be her dad and brother.
Mikan had just washed the knife and dipped it into the margarine before the doorbell began ringing repetitively. She dropped the knife and headed down the hall. Whoever at her door must be frantic. Really, opening the door in early February weather in her pajamas was not good for her health.
The cold breeze blew right in her face, making her body shiver. Whoever outside the door seemed to cold as well, as the stranger was warming their hands with their breath.
"Hello?"
Bright, green eyes gazed upon her, and a few black strands of hair leaked out of the furry hood. Her ears and cheeks were rosy red compared to the pale complexion she usually had. Sumire's face was red from the cold, but her eyes were red from crying.
Mikan stood there gawking, not knowing what to do exactly until Sumire yelled, "L-let me in dammit! I'm f-freezing!"
Regaining her senses, Mikan jumped and cried, "Oh!" before ushering Sumire into the blissful warmth of the house and shutting the door behind her. Fiddling her hands, Mikan commented nervously, "Uh, Permy, about the presentation. My dad and bro ganged up on me today but I can still go make it to English on time and – oh my gosh, Permy, you look horrible! What happened?"
While Mikan was ranting on about the project, Sumire had taken off her jacket and hood, shaking snow everywhere as she did, and giving Mikan a good view of her face and hair. She didn't look quite as bad as Mikan but she was getting there.
"You look horrible!"
Sumire rolled her eyes as she took a hanger off the hook and draped her jacket around it. "Speak for yourself." She put the hanger back on the rack. "I feel like shit…"
"Permy, you're a mess. Your mascara's running. Let's get you cleaned up before that harmful substance gets into your eyes."
She compelled Sumire into the bathroom and started splashing her face with water until Sumire got angry and announced that she can do it herself, thank you very much. Mikan stood to the side, but she saw that as Sumire was washing off her mascara, she was also washing off the tears that made their way down her cheeks as she gave small, almost inaudible sobs.
"Honey, your eyes are going to get red if you keep rubbing them," Mikan intervened, before Sumire started scraping off skin.
"What do you want me to do!?" she half yelled, "First you tell me to wash off and then you're all like 'stop'!! What do you expect of me, Mikan!?"
Sumire's yelling was giving Mikan a headache, but she stood there with a hard face nonetheless, lips tightly shut. It did the trick, for as soon as Sumire stopped yelling, she immediately felt remorse and apologized.
"Oh I'm being a bitch again, aren't I?" she said in a half bitter, half melodramatic tone. "I'm sorry Mikan," sincerely this time. She started hiccupping from her sobs.
"Dear, dear," Mikan sighed, patting Sumire's back. "Come into the kitchen and we'll talk it out, kay dear?"
Hic – nod – hic.
While Sumire sat on one of the chairs, Mikan quickly made two cups of instant hot chocolate and another sandwich. She caught the feeble attempts Sumire made to rub her eye and stop the tears out of the corner of her eye. She made two quick trips back and forth – one for the sandwich and one of the cups of hot chocolate, before seating herself beside her friend.
"Eat up, you'll feel better," she suggested with a smile.
"No I won't," Sumire grumbled, but obliged anyway, yet only taking small nibbles and sibs. "What is this on the toast? Butter?"
"Margarine."
She dropped the sandwich immediately like it was a hot potato. "I'm eating a sandwich covered in fat!?" Sumire all but screeched.
"Sumire," Mikan stated seriously, "I don't think that's a problem for you. In fact-" her eyes flashed over Sumire' s skinny wrist and hands that showed the shape of her bones and veins quite clearly "- you're too skinny for your own good. If I knew better, I'd say you were anorexic."
Instead of snapping back with an "I'm not anorexic; you're just jealous!" as the normal Sumire would have, she bit her lip and stared at Mikan for a long time before murmuring, "Mikan, tell me the truth, do I look like a whore?"
"Not really."
"Not…really?"
"No," elaborated Mikan, "You do wear some very revealing tops and short skirts, and you put on a lot of makeup. When boys flirt with you, you'd flirt back, and you can be really bitchy sometimes but you're not a whore Sumire. It's not like you go around stealing other people's boyfriends and sleeping with everyone."
"But that's still what whores do, and even if I'm not a whore, I'm still a slut."
Mikan sighed exasperatingly. She did not want to go back and convince Sumire all over again that she wasn't a slut either. "Do I have to get a dictionary and define the meanings of the words before you're convinced that you're neither a whore or a slut?"
Sumire hugged herself and stared at the table in response.
"So what's gotten you so hung up over the subject anyway?" Mikan asked carefully, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. "Did someone call you a whore?" Sumire flinched. "Oh my god, someone did! Tell me who he is right now!" Before she could help it, Mikan turned her head and sneezed. She reached for a tissue, "well… after I get better that is."
"Don't," the word escaped Sumire's lips before she could stop and Mikan's ears perked up. "Never mind…"
"But really, what's the reason you came here anyway? I didn't even know you knew where I lived! And don't even try to lie, Sumire Shouda. I know something's wrong. You wouldn't normally get upset if someone called you a whore."
"Wakako has second lunch, so I couldn't talk to her. And it's not like she knows the whole story anyway."
"What about Koko?"
Every tissue, cell, and organ that made up Sumire froze on the spot. Mikan opened her mouth to inquire if she was okay but the words never made it out of her mouth. Sumire let out a teensy sob before screeching out, "Don't even mention him!"
"Why? Aren't you two best friends? I thought you liked Koko, Sumire."
And before you knew it, a stream of words erupted from Sumire's mouth in the form of sobs and cries. "I – I – No, I don't like Koko. I love him." Her tears were now running freely. "He's the only person in my life I give a whole fucking damn about – no offense Mikan." Mikan nodded. "But he doesn't give one damn about me. He's just off with his best pal Kitsuneme and the two of them are like sun and moon! He doesn't even look at me let alone talk to me! And when he does, it's always something wrong about me – what I did, what I said, how I look." Hard sob. "And – and I do everything for him, Mikan. I put on showy outfits and put on makeup like a whore and I flaunt myself shamelessly but he's never wanted to look at me!
"And today in Hospitality, he called Anna Umenomiya pretty. He's never called me pretty, never! What's so good about her anyway Mikan? She has the ugliest shade of bubblegum hair that flies all over the place, and she's not even popular!" Mikan handed over a tissue, which Sumire happily took and wiped her face. "I was so angry! I screamed at him but he wouldn't so much as bat an eyelash, so I slapped him right across the face. And he – he – he smiled at me and said, 'don't touch me, you whore!' He meant every word of it, Mikan, he did," Sumire exclaimed, slurring the words as a fresh stream of tears trailed from her eyes.
Face buried in arms and crying shamelessly, Sumire sobbed, "I never meant to become a whore, Mikan, really. All I wanted was for him to call me pretty, even once! Once would be enough for me."
"There, there," Mikan sighed, patting her back, "I understand, Permy… But he seriously smiled while saying something so horrible?! I know Koko smiles all the time, but surely he can't smile while doing that!"
"He did," she sniffed, "That's the only thing he ever did for me. He was miserable when he first came, so I told him to smile. He smiled, and now, never once has he frowned. Ever. It's killing me. If he's mad at me, can't he at least scream? But no, he just has to have that permasmile on his face. At least if he scowled, it wouldn't hurt this bad."
"Wait, Sumire, it was you who told him to smile?" Mikan inquired, "To smile always?"
She nodded, reaching for another tissue and adding a used one to the pile. "He never smiled when he came. It was painful how he frowned all the time. But once, when we were alone together, he grinned. He has such a beautiful grin, Mikan! I told him to smile always. And he did." She had a little grin on her face as she said that.
"But Sumire, wouldn't that also be constricting him? He can't freely cry or glare or even scowl when he feels like it. Even if he smiles always, he can't always be happy, can he? There are times when people need to let it out. He may smile, but don't you think it's forced at times?"
"I – It's not like I don't want him to let it all out, but that he won't. He just won't anymore. He only smiles."
"Well I'm sure he'll do that if you ask him, Permy. It worked the first time, didn't it? You can make him do miraculous things that normal people can't. It just shows how much you mean to him." Mikan peered at the clock. "Now darling, we'd better get to school before English starts."
Sumire sniffed. "I'm going, but there's no way you're going Mikan. You can't last thirty minutes, let alone an hour fifteen in that state of yours. Besides, you'd just spread your icky germs to everyone in the class."
"Pfft, if I'm not going, neither are you. You're not going back to school in this state and making a complete fool out of yourself. Besides, everyone's going to be doing their presentation today and you can't do ours without me. Now listen here, you and I are going to stay in this house and watch movies and pig out on chocolate until we're as fat as pigs, you got me? You need to put on some weight anyway. Bony people scare me."
Sumire rolled her eyes.
"You know, a friend once told me that he hated it when I cried because humans look ugly when they cry. But darling, you have this radiance of confidence around you that makes you pretty no matter what. Even if these words are from me, not Koko, you know it's true. You know what, I think I should talk him into getting glasses. If you're not pretty in his eyes, that guy has to be blind."
"Okay, Mikan, you can stop."
"Glad to know the old Sumire's back."
Some three hours an hour later, Sumire was blubbering like a baby and clinging tight onto Mikan. On one side of the couch was a huge pile of chick flicks that Mikan owned, and on the other was a bowl of popcorn. They were currently watching He's Just Not Into You and Gigi just lashed out at Alex, leaving him speechless.
"Did you see that?" Sumire half sobbed. "She shunned him. Oh my god, that was so sad. He totally has a thing for her."
"Uh, you know," Mikan said, "I'm beginning to think this is not such a good idea… I mean the movie is called He's Just Not That Into You… We wouldn't put any ideas in your head."
"But it's just so emotional!" said Sumire, clinging tighter.
"You might not wanna do that cause I'm still sick and –"
Mikan was interrupted by another rude series of doorbells. Heavily sighing, "I'll get it," she slipped her feet into her bunny slippers as Sumire scowled, "No way you're leaving me alone here, you're supposed to be watching the movie with me," and paused the movie. Said two girls made their way from the living room to the front door and opened it.
And Mikan realized that it was probably not a such a good idea for Sumire to have followed after all, for standing outside the door, his hands in his pockets and a brilliant smile plastered across his face, was Koko.
"You!" was Sumire's first reaction.
Her second was to slam the door in his face, but Koko was faster and thus the door was blocked with his arm. "Wait just a minute Permy. I haven't even said anything! It's rude to slam the door in someone's face, especially since I've been looking for you all over. Oh, hi Mikan! Can I come in?"
"Sure…" Mikan said, at a loss for words, gaining a hiss from Sumire.
So that was how the second uninvited visitor invited himself in.
After the door was shut and before he could walk any further, however, Sumire blocked the hallway with her arm, her palm slapping the wall and startling both Mikan and Koko. Her green eyes flashed angrily as she confronted the last person that she wanted to see at the moment with a "why are you here?"
"I was looking for you."
"Leave."
A flash of hurt came across Koko's face. "Why?" he asked.
"Because," Sumire said contemptuously, tilting her head up and looking down at him, "I don't like you. And when I don't like someone, Koko, the Natsume and Ruka fan club does not like someone, the cheerleaders and jocks don't like someone, Alice Academy does not like someone."
"I'll…just…go now," Mikan squeaked and slipped out of the hallway up the stairs, not that either one of them noticed. But unknown to them, their loud voices echoed throughout the house, and she could hear them quite clearly.
"But you do like me Permy," Koko protested, "You always have. We're besties, remember? You said so yourself."
Sumire crossed her arms stubbornly. "Times have changed and people have changed. Maybe I don't want to be friends with you. Maybe I like my groupies better."
"Really now?" Koko was not convinced. "Well I'm just here to apologize. I know you're upset that I called you a whore earlier." Sumire flinched. "I didn't mean it, really. I know you're mighty sorry that you slapped me too, so now we can be friends again!"
A loud smack was heard as Sumire's palm came in contact with Koko's cheek for the second time that day. Upstairs Mikan flinched and muttered to herself, "Ooh, that's gotta hurt…"
"Ah, so you really don't miss me," Koko commented, rubbing his now red face. "Oh well, I tried." He turned and walked toward the door.
At a loss, Sumire stayed frozen on the spot. Then, when his hand reached for the knob, it all slammed back on her. She hissed through her teeth, "Kokoroyomi you liar. You say you never want to hurt me yet you insult me with a smile on your face. At least if you scowled, it wouldn't have hurt that much. You say these endearing words to be about how you'd put me before anyone else, then turn your back and walk out on me without half a decent apology. Tell me the truth for once! Say it to my face. I'm worth nothing to you, am I right?"
It happened so fast. Koko whirled around 180 degrees and with three huge strides, stood right in front of her. He put his hands on her shoulders and leaned down on her, his face serious and unsmiling for the first time in years. Sumire blinked twice, slowly coming to the realization that this was a guy who was bigger than her, who could tower over her skinny body, who could hurt her.
"You mean everything to me, Permy."
Despite his height, she held her head high. "You lie. Why don't you just admit that I'm an ugly hag who's going to grow old and single because let's just face it, I'm nowhere as pretty as Anna Umenomiya."
"So that's what this whole thing's all about? Really, I mean, you've always liked looking in the mirror, but I never thought you'd be that vain."
"I am not vain!" A frustrated screech came, "The truth of the fact is that you've never called me pretty Koko. Not once in my life. Is it too much to ask of you to compliment me once in my life like you've never done?"
An exasperated groan escaped Koko's lips and he reached out and embraced Sumire in an affectionate hug. It wasn't a couple hug – more out of reassurance than passion – yet it was not purely platonic either. He stroked her hair repetitively.
"You're not that kind of person Sumire. You're pretty because you know you're pretty. You don't need people to tell you that. It's your confidence that's appealing to others. You don't know how others envy you."
"It'd be nice to hear it from your lips for once," she grumbled.
He let go of her and cupped her face in his hands, lowering his face to her level and beaming. "Alright, if it makes you feel better, you're pretty okay? You've always been pretty. You have a pretty face, pretty eyes; even your perms are pretty. All happy now?"
"If you promise never to smile while call me a whore again. Be angry while you're angry okay? Don't feel one emotion and show the opposite."
"Deal."
She hugged him again. "You're my best friend and marriage alternative, you know? You've always been."
"Oh really?" he exclaimed brightly, stroking her hair once again. "I never knew!"
"Yea."
"Soooo, best friend, want me to walk you home."
She got her coat off of the hanger and put her arms through the sleeves. "Be my guest. Mikan!"
"Yesss?" she answered from upstairs.
"Lock the door for us, mmkay?"
"Mmkay."
So that was the end of that ordeal. Now about that unfinished movie and the big bowl of popcorn…
"It's not really of your concern," Mikan said to Natsume. "Why are you here in my house sitting on my couch?"
Natsume's crimson eyes darkened a shade, growing black around the edges. "You know why." He got touchier lately when it came to the subject of his dad. At least, that was what Ruka told Mikan. She hadn't a proper conversation with him for a while.
"Well you have Ruka for that."
"Well I went to his house but no one was there. When I called him, he told me his mom just came back from France so the whole family's going out for tonight. Look, you're the only other person I know who's at home. I came here dreading that you weren't. Where would I go for the night then? I'd probably freeze to death on the streets or something. Seriously, what kind of father kicks his son out in the middle of deadly winter?"
"Well you came at the wrong time. I'm home alone, and my dad's policy is that you cannot be home alone with a member of the opposite sex at any time unless it's a relative."
Natsume narrowed his eyes. "So you're going to send me outside and freeze, aren't you, because Mikan Sakura is such a nice and generous person."
Mikan's jaw tightened. "No, I'm not going to send you outside, god, so you can stop with the assumptions. You act as if I hate you or something."
He threw the pillow cushion on the other sofa and replied dryly, "No, you don't hate me, Mikan, in fact, you just can't talk to me without being sarcastic and edgy. You just don't like seeing my face let alone the whole of me outside of your door. You don't hate me at all."
Mikan plopped onto the couch beside him. "I don't. Really."
Silence.
"What happened to us?" she finally sighed, "You were my best friend Natsume, my first friend."
"But he was your first boyfriend," Natsume deadpanned, "So naturally you'd choose him over me."
"We're on friendly terms now."
"Oh really?" her best friend questioned, raising his eyebrows at her. "So you don't feel anything for him. You're not mad at him for pinning after your best friend right after he broke up with you – and as a matter of fact, Imai probably has a thing for him too. You don't think it's suspicious at all. You don't feel awkward around him whenever he jokes about the things he would have done if you two were still together. You're not convincing yourself that you're over him."
"I'm not," Mikan growled, "And he was also your best friend."
"Was he now? So if Imai steals Mr. Bear, your favourite teddy, and keeps him forever and ever while rubbing it in your face, she's still be your best friend?"
"That is irrelevant-"
"It is completely relevant!" he hissed. "In this whole damn world there's really no one you can trust but yourself. Only you know yourself inside out. Best friends will only ever be best friends, won't they?"
Pause. "I was once your best friend too."
Natsume closed his eyes and gulped. He did not miss the "once".
"I really am sorry about the breakup, you know?" he finally said. His response was neither genuine nor apathetic. It was more of statement than a question, actually, a confirmation statement. He wanted to know if she had forgiven him.
"Yea… It was really a messy breakup, wasn't it?" She smiled solemnly, "Despite Ruka-pyon and I still remaining friends. You know, now that I think back on it, we probably haven't been thinking much when we got together. Too caught up in the moment, you know? Albeit an awkward one." She chuckled at the memory of seeing him in a suit, red as a tomato.
"I'll never forget his face," added Natsume.
Mikan rolled her eyes. "You never even saw his face. You were too busy arranging textbooks and talking with Hotaru in the corner." She made a face.
In turn, he growled, "Sick people like you should just shut up and sleep."
She batted her eyelashes at him mockingly and said in a sugary sweet voice, "Only if you tell me a bedtime stowy, Nattie."
"No, just no, Mikan, never again. You're too old for stories. Just think happy thoughts."
Mikan growled and glared at him. "I. Want. My. Story. Nattie."
"Okay, fussy woman. Chill, seriously. Fever's getting to you, ain't it? Okay, so once upon a time there were two best friends. One of them was called Natsume…"
She beamed. "And the other was named Mikan..."
She woke up the next day leaning on his shoulder. She couldn't help the small, but warm smile that spread across her mouth as she closed her eyelids blissfully.
End of Grade Nine.
Ooh, yes. Catch the references? ;) It was fun making them. Love Alex and Gigi in He's Just Not That Into You.
And just when you thought my chapters are shortening ;)
Reviews are LOVE.
Heart,
-IndigoGrapefruit
