ONE - I - 1

"Natsume! Where are you? Natsume? Naaaaatsumeeeeeeee!!"

Mikan is terribly lost. It's cold, windy, extremely dark not to mention late, there seems to be some sort of blizzard, and she's lost. She sits down on a tree stump that she's just tripped over and shivers miserably. Still no sign of Natsume. She decides to try one last time - "Heeeeeeeeeeellllp!!"

Her shout seems to be muffled by something as soon as it leaves her mouth. She draws another breath - and someone's hand covers her eyes.

"Eeyyaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"

"Shut up, idiot," says a familiar voice from behind her.

"Okay. Oh it's you!" says Mikan, latching onto Natsume's arm and grinning like a maniac. "I thought I'd lost you! Where'd you go?"

"Just wanted to surprise you," Natsume replies, shrugging. "I just like watching you get scared. Hey, are you cold?"

"N-no," says Mikan, shivering.

Natsume puts his arm around her shoulders and says, "It's nearly midnight."

"Brrrrr... that's kind of late, do you think we should get back? Luca and Aoi are probably really worried about us."

"Nnn."

Mikan gets up to leave, but Natsume pulls her back down. Lighting up their surroundings with a warm flame in his hand, he says, "It's traditional to kiss at midnight, dumbass, and if we start walking now we're gonna miss it."

"Oh yeah!" Mikan says, her eyes wide. "Like last year and the year before?"

You'd have thought she'd remember, thought Natsume. "Yeah."

"Wow, that is a long time ... we've already been through two past New Year's Eves with each other?" says Mikan, who can't quite believe it. Is that really true? She can definately remember last year's one - that was the one with the misplaced cake and Sumire's bathroom troubles - and she can remember one before that, the one with the awkwardness around Luca, so yes. That is two whole years. It didn't feel like so long before, not even when they celebrated their two-year anniversary, and Mikan doesn't really know why that would be so. How strange.

Natsume can't quite believe it either. "God, I can't believe I've managed to put up with you for more than two whole years."

"Hey! Stop it!"

"..."

"Is it midnight yet? How about now? Now? Are we there yet?" says Mikan, her questions interspersed with Natsume saying things along the lines of "Shut up".

Finally - "Yeah ... few more seconds, though."

"Coo-"

Natsume stops her words with a kiss. Mikan happily complies. With the snow falling around them, the warm orange glow of Natsume's flame surrounding them and the distant fireworks lighting up the sky, it looks like a scene worthy of the ending of some romantic movie. Mikan would love this film, thinks Natsume.

Pan out and rotate.

XXX

ZERO - 0 - Happy New Year!