Hey everybody!
So I know I said that I'd be MIA for a while (and I have been), but I updated sooner than I thought. Since I am currently writing a chapter for a different fic that I'm doing with my friends, it'll most likely be a while before I update again. 3 Hoping this longer than usual chapter will make up for the wait...
Well, I won't keep you any longer, so read on!
P.S. R&R if you have time :)
Chapter 9: Hook, Bait and Sinker
Mikan woke up to the continuous pounding of her head. She brought her hands up and held her head in them while closing her eyes tightly, willing the pain to go away and leave her alone. After a few moments with no change in her condition, she sighed and attempted to sit up. When she had finally propped herself up, she saw that she was not alone in the room.
Hotaru was sitting in a chair beside Mikan's bed, her head cradled in her arms as she rested on the bed. Mikan smiled at the rare sight of her friend with her guard down. She looked so peaceful and without worry that Mikan couldn't help but gently push strands of black hair away from Hotaru's face, trying not to wake her. However, Hotaru, being a light sleeper, felt the touch and stirred.
She blinked her eyes a few times to get rid of her remaining sleepiness, only to be met with the cheerful smiling face of Mikan. All traces of sleep gone, Hotaru's face was once again impassive.
"Morning Hotaru!" said Mikan cheerfully, forgetting all about the headache that she had been complaining to herself only a few seconds ago.
Without missing a beat, Hotaru glared at her friend and quickly whacked her over the head. "Baka. You had me worried."
The whack had hurt less than a shot from the baka gun, so it didn't really bring out a reaction from Mikan except for a short rub at the spot she had been hit. Her smile stayed in place, but now it held a hint of confusion. "What'd I do? What happened yesterday anyways? The last thing I remember is talking with Hyuuga san."
"You really don't remember anything at all."
"I just told you; I don't." Mikan whined, receiving another whack on the head.
Hotaru smirked as Mikan rubbed her head once more. "Whining is very unbefitting of you, but you still do it anyways. You're not a kid anymore you know?"
"Who cares? I'll always be a kid at heart."
Having had to get used to her childish behaviour over time, Hotaru simply sighed. "You fainted on the roof while talking to Hyuuga. He found me and we brought you back home. You've been asleep since then."
"Really? Then that's probably why I've got a massive headache right now…Hey Hotaru, can you ask Subaru-nii for some headache medicine?" She asked, flashing Hotaru her irresistible puppy eyes.
Hotaru didn't answer her question. Instead, she reached towards the bedside table to grab hold of the cup of water and packet of pills sitting on it. She handed the water over and popped out two pills, handing those over also.
Mikan gulped them down quickly, finishing off the cup of water. She hadn't realized until now how thirsty she had been. "Thanks Hotaru! You're the best!"
"Of course I am. We can't have it any other way, can we?" She stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world (which it was for her).
Mikan just shook her head at her friend's way of thinking.
"What were you dreaming about while you were sleeping?" Hotaru asked.
Before Mikan could reply, the door to her bedroom flew open and her mother ran in, hugging her tightly. So tightly that Mikan felt like she was going to faint again, but from lack of air this time. She smiled gratefully at Hotaru when she pulled her mother away from her.
"Mi-chan! You had me worried all night! Don't you ever do that again!" Yuka cried out.
"But Mom! It's not like I wanted to get sick. I'd rather not wake up to such a bad headache again." Mikan replied with a pout. She scooted over slightly so that her mom could sit at the edge of her bed.
Yuka hugged her daughter again, but with much less force than before. "Ok, ok. If you're feeling up to it, why don't we go down to eat breakfast? Natsume kun's probably already finished eating."
"Sure! Let me just get changed." Mikan agreed eagerly, hopping right out of her bed with no sign of illness. Chanting in a singsong voice, she drifted over to her closet. "Breakfast, breakfast, I'm going to go eat breakfast."
Hotaru knew right away that Mikan had tuned out everything after the mention of food. Instead of telling her friend that Hyuuga was actually still here, she waited to see what sort of entertainment it would provide.
Mikan pulled on a light pink dressing gown and tied it around the waist. She pulled her hair back into a neat ponytail and went to her washroom to get cleaned up a bit.
Yuka turned towards Hotaru as soon as the bathroom door was closed and said with a playful smile, "You don't think she's going to go out like that since Hyuuga kun's here, do you?"
"Let's just wait and see Auntie." A scheming smirk could be clearly seen on her face.
Mikan walked out of the bathroom while wiping her face. She hung the towel over one of chairs in her room and smiled happily at her mom and herfriend.
"What are we waiting here for? Let's go eat! I'm starving!"
Yuka was the first to walk in to the dining room, with Hotaru and Mikan close behind her. Mikan had already switched her persona to the one she used at school so her face held an expression that was almost identical to the one Hotaru was wearing, but with a slight bit more emotion. When Yuka saw Natsume already close to being finished eating, she stood just so that she blocked Mikan's view of him.
"Good morning Auntie." Natsume said when he saw her entering.
Yuka smile at her newfound favourite sempai's son and replied, "Good morning to you too. I hope you slept well."
"Yes, I did. Thank you for asking Auntie."
The whole time the conversation had been going on, Mikan was busy wondering who it was her mother was talking to. She could tell right away that the other speaker was a male from his low voice. However, the only guy that she knew who called her mother 'Auntie' was her cousin Youichi, and nobody had said anything about him visiting. Unable to contain her curiosity anymore, she took a peek around her mother's head (they're the same height) to see who she was talking to. When she saw who it was, she quickly hid behind her mother again.
Mikan's mind was in turmoil. Why is Hyuuga kun here? Why's he calling mom 'Auntie"? Why didn't anybody tell meeeeee?
Hotaru smirked as she looked at the confusion on her friend's face. Even though her mask was still in place, Hotaru could read her friend like a book by looking at her eyes. After all, they'd been friends since they were babies.
"Ah yes, Natsume kun, Mikan's finally awake now. Why don't you say hi?" Yuka asked, hoping that Mikan wouldn't get mad at her later. She moved to the side slightly to expose Mikan who was currently facing the other way, trying to figure out what to do in this kind of situation. She really regretted not changing out of her pyjamas now.
Inwardly she took a deep, deep breath and turned around with her mask as a shield. "Good morning Hyuuga san. I heard from Hotaru that you were a big help yesterday. Thank you for all your help. There's one thing I'd like to ask you though, why are you here?
Natsume smirked at Mikan and pointed to Hotaru and Yuka. "Why don't you ask them?"
Mikan turned to Hotaru with a demanding look/ glare. Her eyes told Hotaru that she wouldn't be getting any big supplies of crab brain soon unless she answered. "He drove us here and he stayed to see if you would be alright. Auntie thought it'd be best if he just stayed over for the night." She finished in her usual monotone voice.
Mikan wasn't really surprised. Knowing her mother, she should have already expected this. With a barely audible sigh, she turned back to look at Natsume, who had finished his meal. "Well, I guess I'll have to say thank you again then. Sorry for all the trouble that you had to go through."
Natsume was now looking at her with this gaze that she couldn't quite undestand. The smirk he gave her next made her feel as if she should run out of the room to somewhere he wouldn't find her. "If you're really sorry, can you do me a favour?"
"What sort of favour would this be?" She asked, a feeling of dread creeping up on her. The need to run away was still very high, but she forced herself to sit down at the table beside Hotaru, who was already eating.
"Go on a date with me."
Mikan almost spat out the sip of orange juice that she had just taken and had to visibly make an effort to make sure that it went down. Natsume's smirk grew wider, if that was even possible.
"Excuse me? Could you please repeat that Hyuuga san?"
"I said go on a date with me." A few seconds passed before he added, "Polka."
She was absolutely confused. He was asking her to go on a date? Why? How would that make up for anything? She had never expected anything of this sort and thus, she had no ready reply to give. Mikan was brought out of her daze when someone stated, "She'll go."
Mikan turned towards the said person and stared into emotionless, amethyst eyes. "Pardon?"
"Didn't you hear me, baka? I said you're going on the date with him." Hotaru stated a-matter-of-factly while finishing up her soup and moving onto her omelette.
"Then it's decided. Meet me after school today at the garden by 4 and make sure to bring non-uniform clothing that you can change into." Natsume then looked towards Yuka who was watching the whole thing with an amused smile on her face. "I'll be leaving then Auntie."
"Of course Natsume kun. Come visit whenever you have time and bring your sister with you. I would like to meet her as well." Yuka smiled and watched him leave. She turned away when she saw one of the butlers bringing him his car keys.
Mikan still hadn't quite grasped the fact what had just happened, but she hadn't exactly reverted to her real self, who would most definitely be freaking out very loudly right now. Hotaru was watching her friend calmly as she primly ate her omelette bite by bite. She was enjoying the silent show too much to bring her friend back to reality. She sighed in disappointment when Yuka finally shook her daughter's shoulders to grab her attention.
"Oh. Hey mom…did Hotaru just agree in my stead that I'm going to go on a date with Hyuuga san today after school?" Mikan asked with a blank look.
"Yes, she just did. Now eat your breakfast Mikan." Yuka said as she dipped a piece of toast into her soup.
Mikan picked up her spoon to start eating as well. "Oh. Okay. Just checking."
Nothing else was said after that and the two girls left for school soon after. Yuka waved goodbye as they drove away, glad that Mikan had regained some of her senses. If Mikan had known what sort of plans her friend was scheming in her mind, then she would most likely have blanked out again.
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Natsume's POV
I have no idea why I asked her to go on a date with me in the first place; it must have been an instinct thing. However, all of my misgivings disappeared the moment I saw her shocked face. Really, I had to make an effort to not laugh outright at her. Unable to contain myself any further, I left as soon as Imai agreed to the date for prez. I made sure to hold in my amusement until I was back in my car; it wouldn't do to have my perfect image that I'd worked so hard for go to ruin just because one of the servants saw me laughing like a mad man.
End POV
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The day went by quickly for Mikan as she tried to push away all thoughts about her after-school date. She focused more than usual during classes and tried to ignore the crimson-eyed teen sitting right beside her. It didn't really help that he was smirking throughout the whole day, even during lunch time. She ate her lunch as fast as she could and hid herself in the student council room until the bell rang for the beginning of afternoon classes. Subconsciously, she marvelled at how she had been able to get so much work done, equivalent to that of how much she would have finished in a week of when she was being a bit laid back.
Mikan continued to go through her classes unfeelingly and responded mechanically to others. The time flew by, too quickly for Mikan's liking, and it was already 2:45, the end of school. As all of her classmates left for home or club activities, she responded to their goodbyes solely out of habit.
She went back to the student council room with the rest of the members, Natsume having disappeared some time ago. Her more-than-usual stoicalness must not have gone unnoticed, for she could sense Anna and Nonoko giving her worried looks.
Mikan immersed herself in her work so that the others wouldn't try to ask her questions she didn't really know how to answer. She relaxed as the everyday chatter of her friends enveloped her. She was able to forget all about her later meeting until Hotaru gave her a meaningful look. Mikan sighed as she said her goodbyes and left the room full of questioning looks. She couldn't really blame them for she was the one that usually left last.
She walked through the quiet hallways, her footsteps echoing in the silence. Mikan paused in front of the roof door before pulling out her key and walking in.
Natsume was already waiting for her at the bench that they had talked on before. His eyes were closed with headphones covering his ears and Mikan took a moment to actually look at him. She'd never bothered before, what with him doing all the staring, but now that he wasn't, she took a moment to just take it all in. Her eyes travelled up from his well worn black converse to the black skinny jeans that hugged his legs perfectly. She found that he could even make a normal t-shirt paired with a simple black leather jacket look very stylish. Her eyes roamed over his messy black locks and she, for some reason, felt the urge to run her fingers through them. Traveling down a bit, her chocolate orbs were met with crimson ones... wait a second. Crimson orbs?
"Enjoying what you see?"
Mikan blushed the slightest tint of red as she diverted her gaze. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"I'm sure you don't." Natsume stood up while pulling down his headphones so that they hung loosely around his neck. "You haven't changed yet?"
"No. Sorry, but I forgot to bring a change of clothes. Would it be fine with you if we go out another time?" Although her face didn't show it, inwardly she was hoping that he would say "yes".
He smirked as he picked up a shopping bag from the bench and Mikan wondered how she could have missed it before. When he held it out, she looked from the bag to his face. One of her eyebrows rose in a questioning way. "And what am I suppose to do with that?"
"Imai gave it to me. For you." The bag continued to dangle from his hands. Her hands stayed beside her for a few more seconds until he finally grabbed one and dropped the handle on to it. "Change into those so that we can go."
Natsume sat back down and resumed listening to whatever he had been listening to before. Sighing heavily, Mikan turned and exited the garden to find a place to change.
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When he heard the door open, he waited a moment before opening his eyes. She wasn't looking at him just yet, so he observed her, appreciating and approving of everything he saw. He liked the way her tank-top hugged just the right curves and how her legs were elongated by her shorts.
Mikan must have felt his intense gaze for she turned around, making her light camisole flutter slightly. This time, she was the one to smirk. "If you're done staring, we can go now."
Natsume stood up and said "Let's go."
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Mikan wondered exactly what Natsume had planned for the day. They'd been driving in silence (well, he was driving while she was sitting shotgun) for a while now and all she knew was that they were somewhere in the city. Their surroundings were unfamiliar to her and the only people she could see outside were couples. Couples walking on the sidewalks holding hands, couples going in and out of small boutiques, and couples buying food from kiosks and sharing them between each other; wherever Natsume was taking her was clearly a hot spot for couples to be.
She had been so busy staring out of the window that she hadn't noticed Natsume parking the car. When he got out from his side of the car and walked around the front to open her door, she observed that he could actually be a gentleman. Shockingly. Mikan took the hand he offered her and stepped out of the car. She looked around her surroundings as he locked his car. When he took her elbow to guide her, she glanced at him to see that he was looking away from her.
Natsume led her to a small, cutesy cafe. The cool air washed over their faces as they stepped in to be greeted by a waiter. They were led to a slightly secluded corner and were left alone after they had each been given a menu.
"You can order whatever you want." He muttered, almost too low for her to hear.
Mikan read over the whole menu, but something still seemed to be stopping her from choosing what she wanted. "You don't want anything?" Natsume asked, causing her to look up from the menu.
She took a few seconds to figure out just how she should answer that question. "Well, Hyuuga san, the thing is…. Aren't all the things on the menu a bit too, for the lack of a better word, too cutesy? I mean, what's with 'Bun Bun Strawberry Shortcake Delight'? Wouldn't it be more practical to just call it 'Strawberry Shortcake'? It would also lessen the printing costs."
Natsume smirked at her odd reply. "I thought girls liked cute things?"
"Most do, but I don't consider myself one of them. If you haven't noticed yet, I'm known at school for not being into cute or sweet things. It goes together with my personality after all."
One of his eyebrows rose, disappearing into the midst of his bangs. "You could be pretending. I bet you actually really like girly things."
Something flashed in her eyes before quickly disappearing without a trace."I don't believe I've ever given you any reason to think that I might be pretending." Mikan replied calmly.
"Yes, yes. None whatsoever. Waiter, we would like to order now." He turned back from where he had been motioning for the waiter and looked at her. "I hope you don't mind if I order for the both of us."
Mikan closed her menu and pushed it away. "Go ahead; I don't have any idea of what I should order anyways."
As Natsume ordered , Mikan looked around the café. She hadn't really had a chance to see the interior while talking and she was curious as to what kind of place Natsume had brought her to. With every single lacy cloth she found decorating a table, she wanted to gush out loud over its gorgeousness. And with every single doll, she felt like rushing over and glomping them, just like the ones she did at home (in secret of course). Sadly, she had to control herself since she was sitting across from someone who didn't know her secret.
Unknown to Mikan, Natsume had finished ordering long ago and was now simply sitting quietly while observing her. He saw how her eyes brightened when she gaze landed on the girly table cloths and how a smile grew the tiniest bit when she found the dolls sitting around the café.
Natsume got the feeling that he'd be winning the challenge that he had accepted just yesterday night by the end of the day.
Both of their individual observations were cut short with the arrival of their food.
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Mikan was feeling very hyper inside, although she wasn't being very obvious. Even though she didn't show it on the outside, little Mikans were jumping up and down within her mind. The cake that Natsume had ordered had been so cute and delicious that she had been on the verge of squealing all over it. Somehow, she had kept herself in check.
Now they were walking down the sidewalk and her hand had, for some reason, found its way into his without her noticing. She wondered who had been the one to take hold of the other first. A slight tug on her hand brought her out of her musing and she glanced up to be met with crimson orbs. He pointed to the store behind him and said, "This is our next stop."
She looked past his shoulder at the door decorated with all the cutest things possible. Her eyes wandered over to the windows to see all kinds of dolls imaginable filling up the shelves inside. "Is this a doll shop?" She asked slowly, unsure as to whether her eyes were playing tricks on her or not.
"What else would it be?" He shot back, with his ever-present smirk in place. He tightened his hold on her hand, just in case she tried to run away, and opened the door with a push.
The bells on top of the door jingled as they stepped into the world of dolls. They were surrounded by dolls from all over the world: traditional japanese dolls, teddy bears, puppets and so on. Mikan's eyes were wide, from shock or happiness he couldn't really tell. However, when she was the one to move towards a stand holding teddy bears for all occasions, he knew that he was closer to his goal of seeing her real smile.
Mikan let go of his hand to reach out and take a black teddy bear from the shelf. She gazed into its' red eyes and realized that it greatly reminded her of the boy standing next to her. Holding it up to his face she said, "This one looks like you, Hyuuga san."
He watched with interest as she continued to look through each and every one of the dolls, her previous hesitation forgotten. Even though she had said she didn't like cute things, here she was, in a store that was the epitome of cuteness. Natsume wondered if she had realized just yet that her words and actions were contradicting each other.
Mikan didn't squeal even once during their stay in the store (an hour and 30 minutes), much to Natsume's disappointment. He had been hoping that she would start smiling hugely, but his wish had been too great. When they finally walked out, Mikan was holding the black bear that she had seen in the beginning. Natsume had bought it while she had been on the other side of the store and now she had no choice but to accept the teddy bear as a gift.
Their hands found each others once again as they walked back towards Natsume's car in a comfortable silence, the background noises washing over them. Natsume opened the car door for her again and they drove off to somewhere else in the city.
Tired from her excursion in the doll shop, Mikan dozed off with the bear held tightly in her arms. During the ride to their next destination, Natsume glanced at her many times. The sunlight coming through the window danced across her angelic face and he had to remind himself continuously that this date wasn't actually for romantic purposes, but to find out if she could still smile like before. In spite of everything he told himself, he took every chance he got to look away from the road and steal a few seconds to watch her sleep peacefully.
Natsume reluctantly shook her awake when she refused to wake up by herself even after he had parked the car. Her lids slowly opened to show her warm brown eyes and he felt as if he was going to drown in those pools of chocolate. The moment she blinked, he shook himself out of his daze before she had a chance to notice.
"Oh. Are we here already Hyuuga san?" He nodded in response. "Where is here by the way?"
Natsume opened his door as he said, "The movie theatre."
Mikan quickly followed suit and got out of the car before he had a chance to come around and open the door for her."You don't really have to treat me like a lady you know. We're out today as friends, so you have no need to treat me like you would a girlfriend."
He felt a slight throb in his heart when she said that, but quickly ignored it for he had no idea why his feelings should be hurt. As they walked out of the parking lot, he took her hand without even thinking about it. "If we are friends as you say, then call me Natsume instead of Hyuuga san. It makes me feel like an old man whose got nothing better to do than spend money on expensive, but unneeded things.
"But Hyuuga san-"
"Oh, and I'll start calling you by your first name so that it's fair. And I also won't respond if you continue to call me Hyuuga san."
A sigh escaped her lips as she wondered what she should do. She didn't think they were close enough yet for her to just call him by his first name without any honorific, but she felt that Hyuuga san did sound a bit stuffy. After much pondering, she came to a decision. "Then I'll call you Natsume san."
"I guess that's the best you can do, huh, Mikan." He gave a quick glance her way and then looked forward again to push the button for the elevator.
Mikan's heart started beating a bit faster for some unknown reason and she silently admitted to herself that she liked the way her name sounded when he said it. It was different from Hotaru's monotone and her mother's cheerful voice. His low voice somehow made her name feel special.
Without her realizing, they had already reached the floor with the movie theatre and they stepped out of the elevator. Suddenly, she was very conscious of the fact that they were holding hands and she had an inner debate as to whether or not she should continue holding on to him, or let go. The choice was made for her when Natsume let go of her hand to take out his wallet to pay for their tickets.
Her hand felt cold without his. The loss of their contact made her realize that she actually liked holding onto his hand. Her sudden realization made her wonder why it was so.
When he turned back from paying for the tickets with his trademark smirk and held out his hand for her to hold, she found her answer. She took his hand and smiled at him, not one of her cool smiles that only lifted the edge of her lips, but a real one that stretched across her whole face. She, Mikan Sakura, had started liking Natsume Hyuuga.
So caught up was she in her happiness at finding her answer that she missed the look of utter surprise on his face.
This time instead of Natsume leading them, she was the one to walk first towards their destination.
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The movie had been a sad one, about a much loved girl losing everything she had cherished. However, it had a happy ending where she finds her long-lost childhood friend and they fall in love.
Two people in the theatre were not paying attention at all though. They were too busy, each deep in their own thoughts.
Mikan had quickly grasped the fact that she had let go of her mask unconsciously and was using the time in the darkness of the theatre to put her façade back up. Natsume on the other hand, was exultant at finally having seen her smile after so long.
As the credits for the movie rolled up, both of them were ready to see the other again. Both of them also wished though that the other wouldn't ask about anything that had to do with the movie.
Natsume and Mikan were pushed along by the wave of people and lost sight of each other. Only after they had made it outside the doors of the theatre and into the shopping centre did they find each other again. He took her hand and said, "So that we don't get separated again."
Mikan nodded to show that she understood and looked around where they were standing. Her eyes lit up slightly even though her face was blank again when she spotted an ice cream shop. Pointing towards it she asked, "Would you mind if we have some ice cream?"
He didn't reply. Instead, he just started walking towards the shop while gently pulling her along.
"Welcome to Sammy's. What can I get for you?"
Mikan told the worker, "I'd like strawberry ice cream and he'll have…"
"I'll have the same as her."
The worker handed each of them an ice cream cone with a scoop of strawberry ice cream. As Mikan reached towards her purse for her wallet, she was stopped by Natsume who was already in the process of handing over a few bills. At her inquiring look he said, "Since I was the one that asked for the date, it's only fair that I pay for everything."
Instead of starting an argument she knew she'd lose, she simply thanked him as they walked out of the store.
They walked around in silence as they passed many stores. While finishing up the last bite of his ice cream, an arcade caught Natsume's eyes. "Why don't we go play a few games?"
Seeing as how he was already making his way towards the arcade, Mikan inwardly shook her head at how all boys seemed to be into gaming, her cousin included. She followed him in and saw that he was already putting some coins into a machine slot.
"Is there anything you'd like from in here?"
Mikan looked in through the glass window and saw a plain white rabbit. She pointed towards it and said, "That one."
With a single nod, he moved the joystick expertly so that the crane was right above the rabbit's head. He pressed a button like he had done it many times before, releasing the crane. The metal fingers dropped down and grabbed the rabbit's head, but it dropped as the crane was returning to its' original position. His brows furrowed as he tried again. This time, he missed the doll entirely.
After many tries and a few more coins, Mikan couldn't take it anymore. She touched him on his shoulder to get his attention and asked, "Mind if I try?"
He moved slightly so that she had access to the controls and watched with hidden surprise as she picked up the rabbit in her first attempt. A few more dolls followed suit until all the tries that he had already paid for were gone. His arms were now laden with a total of five dolls and he wondered how she had gotten so good at the game.
"Since you're the one that paid for it, you can keep all of them."
One of his eyebrows rose at her statement. "And what am I suppose to do with five dolls? No thank you, you can keep them all."
She bit her bottom lip slightly as she debated what to do and he wondered if it was a habit of hers. "Then how about we do this. Since I already have the bear that you bought me before, you can have this brown teddy bear. I think your sister would like the puppy and I'll give the bird to Hotaru. We can give the rabbit to Ruka, I know he actually has a thing for cute stuff. I'll take the stuffed black cat. Is that okay with you, Natsume san?"
"Hnn."
Taking it as his way of agreeing, she smiled slightly, careful not to let her mask slip again. Her phone suddenly vibrated in her purse and she took it out to see that Hotaru had sent her a text. 'Where r u, baka?'
"Sorry, but Hotaru's asking where I am." She quickly texted back, 'I'm still out with Natsume san.'
'Well get back here baka. It's already late.'
"Natsume san, what time is it?" Mikan asked, looking up from her phone.
He glanced at his watch and replied, "It's around 11."
"I'm sorry Natsume san, but it seems like I have to go back home." Mikan said with an apologetic look.
Natsume felt slightly disappointed, but didn't let it show. "Let's go back to the car then."
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They drove in a comfortable silence with soft music from the radio filling the background. The car rumbled to a stop in front of the Sakura mansion's front doors and they both got out. Mikan didn't forget to bring her dolls with her and also took along the two that she'd be giving to Hotaru and Ruka.
Before she went in, Mikan turned around and said, "I had a lot of fun today and thank you for the presents." She leaned in quickly and brushed her lips over his cheek for the briefest of moments. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."
It took a few seconds for Natsume to come out of his shock and when he did, all he had to say was, "Hnn."
She watched him walk back to his car and drive away before she closed the door behind her.
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A/N:
- just in case I confused a few readers... the movie theatre is attached to a shopping centre and it has an underground parkinglot...
hope that cleared up a few things :P
- not sure yet, but there will most likely be more NxM moments in the next chapter :)
* a VERY BIG THANKS to my newfound Beta RukagixShinme, I'm sure there were a lot of things to correct so thank you for the hard work! 3*