Omg. How long has it been? I'm soooo sorry for not updating in forever! . I was so preoccupied with other stupid things, and now my summer is almost ending without me accomplishing anything. I feel so bad. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
"My, my. Look what we have here."
"Why? Why? Why?"
"Don't you love me?"
It was well over two weeks after the night Natsume barged into my room as if possessed and bit me. I learned to fit in well with my classmates; it gave me comfort knowing I wasn't the only human when I'm at school.
Not that vampires are bad or anything.
In fact, it was the complete opposite.
I spent almost all of my free time with the gang. They accepted me without complaint (well, there were a few whines now and then…) and treated me as if they knew me ages ago. It made me feel comforted.
I learned that everyone saw Koko and Kitsu as double trouble. They were partners in crime: playful, fun, cheerful, and incredibly mischievous. They were the kind of people you would never get bored with. I learned that Mochu is extraordinarily respectful and loyal to Natsume, though he dislikes him going near those lower than his status and is the captain of the soccer team. I learned that Yuu is incredibly smart and responsible in any occasion. He is the most mature: a good listener, a good leader, and very friendly, though he's very timid. He acts like a parent for the entire class. I learned that Hotaru has 'eyes' everywhere and loves to sell pictures of anyone in the gang to earn money. She's practically a money maker that can start with nothing and yet end with a fortune. Not to mention, she's an inventor of many amazing technology. Some even say her technology is almost 50 years ahead of society. I learned that Ruka is an animal lover (isn't that cute?), one of the most popular boys of the academy, and the 'prince-charming' of every girls' dreams.
The only person I haven't learned much about is, of course, Natsume.
He's arrogant, annoying, and unimaginably prideful, but I knew all of this the first time I saw him. The time I spend with him only increases my knowledge of these few traits, but I can never seem to uncover more information about him; whether it's about his past or his personality. It frustrates me.
We were currently lounging in, well, the school lounge, which seems to be 'especially reserved for the Alices,' since we always seem to find it empty. The room was huge, big enough for the entire class to fit in, with a large plasma TV, numerous fabric sofas, bean bags, coffee tables, a refrigerator and a book shelf. We were all crowding around the center of the room, in front of the TV and sharing snacks.
"So anyways…" Koko went on with that wide grin of his. "Eh…Mikan-chan?" I snapped out of my daze with the call of my name.
"Y-Yeah?" I blinked. "I was listening." They snorted at my obvious lie, and I had a strong desire to pout.
"As I was saying," Koko and Kitsu shared a toothy grin before they turned towards me again, eyes glittering with excitement. "Tonight's the ball!"
"Ball?" I repeated, confused, and they nodded their heads eagerly at me.
"It's the Blood Moon tonight." Hotaru explained while tinkering on a piece of metal.
"Blood Moon?" I asked and Yuu was the one to answer this time.
"That's right, Mikan-chan. The Blood Moon is the full moon closest to the fall equinox, also called a Hunter's Moon. It's really a normal full moon usually, but the moon turns red when aligned with a lunar eclipse, which happens only once every six years." I blinked at the information, but nodded nonetheless at the generous explanation.
"Wow, then it's quite a rare occasion, isn't it?" I exclaimed. "I wanna go!"
"You?" Natsume scoffed next to me. "Not a chance."
"Why? Mou, Natsume. Don't be such a meanie!" I cried disappointedly. "Ruka-pyon, help me persuade him!"
"Well…" Ruka started uncertainly, eyeing both me and Natsume. "I don't think it's such a good idea for you to go either. Sorry, Mikan-chan." I almost fell off the sofa.
"See?" Natsume smirked at me wickedly. "I told you so."
"Bastard." I hissed quietly.
"Eh, why not? It would be fun for Mikan-chan to come." Kitsu intervened and I almost hugged the life out of him for helping me.
"She'll just get herself killed." Natsume sighed, mocking a parent worrying over his child.
"I don't need your 'worry,' jerk!" I stuck my tongue out at him, earning a relaxed grin.
"So," Hotaru spoke in the midst of our bickering, not even bothering to lift her head to look at us, "you're treating her like a bird in a cage now, eh, Hyuuga?"
In an instant, everyone grew silent.
"What are you talking about, Imai?" Natsume spiked up immediately.
"What I'm saying," an evil grin broke out on her flawless face, sending a shiver down my spine, "is to let her go to the party."
"Are you mad?" He growled and, being in the middle of the pair, I wished more than anything to disappear from the scene.
"Aren't we all?" She bit back suddenly, surprising all of us. "The second she came here, we've all gone mad, have we not? You're accepting a human to live with you, we're accepting a human as a friend. Is that not mad?"
"She's got a point." Koko whispered.
"Are you going to keep repeating history over and over again, Hyuuga?" Hotaru continued without a glance at Koko.
"Don't you see?" Natsume hissed. "I'm trying to prevent the same thing from happening."
"By locking her up all the time?" Hotaru asked in disbelief.
"Yes." Natsume ground his teeth in irritation. "No."
"That's a very half-assed answer." Hotaru crossed her arms against her chest. "A 'yes' and then a 'no.' What is it really, Hyuuga?"
"I don't know." He answered with a sigh of annoyance. "Humans are a pain in the ass. Do whatever you want; take her and get her killed. It'll be better for all of us." Then he elegantly made his way out the door like nothing happened.
"Hotaru, you pushed him too much." Ruka chided, earning a scoff.
"I always get my way." Hotaru twirled her hair playfully before turning towards me. I gulped nervously as Ruka gave a small chuckle before following Natsume out the door.
"Well then," Hotaru grinned at me. "You shall be coming to the ball with us."
The second I opened the door to my—well, Natsume's—mansion, I was hit with a wave of noise.
"Hyuuga-sama, this would look great on you!" Anna chimed as she held up a crimson suit.
"No, no. Blue should fit him better." Nono held up a second suit. Natsume sat on the sofa, boxes and clothes littered the living room. He looked about ready to snap, with a deep frown on his face and his eyebrows knitted together in irritation. I almost burst out laughing at the adorable scene.
"Oh, welcome home, Sakura-san!" Anna was the first to notice me standing in the doorway, and slowly the other two turned to look my way. I smiled at them friendlily, giving them a wave.
"I'm home." I set my bag down on the floor, making myself comfortable on the sofa, earning an annoyed groan from Natsume.
"What're you guys doing?" I asked curiously, lifting up a fancy, silky red tie.
"We're picking out clothes for Hyuuga-sama to wear for tonight." They answered, happily rummaging through the pile of clothes. I nodded in understanding, clapping at a suit they showed me.
"Are you going, Sakura-san?" Nono asked.
"Oh, but she's a human." Anna stated with a finger against her chin thoughtfully.
"I—" I was about to answer when another voice interrupted me.
"She's going." Natsume stated before standing up and stretching lazily. "I'll be in my room." Then he was off.
I caught a small smile as he disappeared up the stairs and I furrowed my brows at the unexpected expression on his usually expressionless face.
"Sakura-san's going." Anna whispered to Nono, and they gave each other a mutual nod before turning towards me with a sickly sweet smile.
"W-What?" I stuttered in fear as they cornered me against the sofa.
"Shall we help you pick a dress?" Nono asked sweetly, batting her long eyelashes.
"Oh, Nono, don't be silly. Of course we'll help her pick out a dress." Anna giggled. "Right, Sakura-san?"
Crap.
Natsume Hyuuga, I'll get you for this.
I was forced through a long, long makeover; almost three hours to be exact. Anna and Nono practically turned my room upside down, looking for a suitable dress. I barely even opened my lovely walk-in closet ever since my first few days here, since I spent most of my time in school uniform or a plain old T-shirt I used to wear all the time in the orphanage, so I was surprised when they were able to dig up at least twenty beautiful dresses.
Picking the dress, putting on makeup, and fixing my hair each took an entire hour.
I was dead tired even before I went to the ball!
"Sakura-san, you look absolutely wonderful!" Anna praised as Nono nodded in agreement. They dragged me in front of a full-size mirror, and indeed, I looked amazing. Appearance was not something I usually cared much about, after all those years living in a small community filled with children, so I never knew I could look like…this.
In fact, was that really me?
The girl in front of me, staring right back at me, wore a stunning pale pink and sunset orange, floor-length strapless dress with a colorful jewel-embellished waist. With every step, the waist band would wink and sparkle with fabulous shades of violets, azures and ambers, the glittered pink and orange fabric would blend together like endless waves of sand. She wore light makeup, but just enough to bring out her feminine charm, with faint blush, pink lipgloss and a small amount of eyeliner. Her hair was in a half-up, half-down princess braid, allowing her naturally curly hair to cascade down her back like waterfalls of silk and a sparkly pink bow was clipped to keep her hair in place. Her five-inch champagne peep-toe satin high heels made her slightly taller than usual and they gleamed under the light.
There was no way that could be me.
I was completely convinced that the one in the mirror was a complete different person, but then when I was ready to walk away, I wobbled on the unfamiliar shoes and nearly fell face first on the carpeted floor. Anna and Nono caught me just in time and tried to steady me, and when I looked down at my feet, wondering what had made me fall, I saw the shoes I saw in the mirror.
I was wearing those beautiful shoes.
"I-Is this really…me?" I asked in a confused daze and the two girls nodded at me enthusiastically.
"Yes, Sakura-san."
"This…isn't a dream?" Anna and Nono giggled at me as if I was joking as they hooked their arms in mine, leading me out the door.
"Now then, let's not waste any more time. Hyuuga-sama should also be about ready." Anna opened the door and they forcefully dragged me out, and I was unable to fight back as I couldn't walk in such high heels. I gulped inwardly. I didn't want to see Natsume like this, but at the same time, I wanted to see his reaction.
Dragging me back and making me stop before I made it to the stairs, Anna and Nono signaled each other. Nono continued holding my arm, keeping me in place, while Anna sneaked over to the stairs and peeked down as if looking for something. After a few short moments, Anna turned towards us and gave us a thumbs up. Nono nodded in return before resuming her mission of dragging me downstairs.
"Wait, wait, wait! Are we really doing this?" I whispered harshly out of fear and nervousness.
"Of course! Hyuuga-sama will surely be pleased with your dress." Anna and Nono answered with great confidence, and stopped once again right before the opening of the staircase and made me hide behind the wall.
"Now listen," Anna said softly to me, her face serious and strict. "Walking in high heels can be quite hard if it's your first time. Try to keep a sense of balance and watch your step." I looked at her blankly. Well surely they couldn't keep me up-straight throughout the whole night, but they can always say stuff like this later, and with less secrecy, so I didn't understand what was happening.
"Huh? But—"
"No buts! Hold your head up high, puff our your chest in pride, make your steps graceful. Now go!" They cut me off with such weird words and before I could even comprehend it, they spun me around and nearly pushed me down the stairs. I was barely able to stop myself from falling by grabbing onto the wooden handrail.
With my heart beating fast from the fear of falling, I was left there at the top of the grand staircase alone and panting. My breath hitched as I saw, at the bottom of the staircase, Natsume Hyuuga was standing there and staring back at me. Our eyes met and for a moment, everything stilled. I wanted nothing more than the ground to swallow me whole.
Tearing my eyes away from his, I looked to the side where Anna and Nono were hiding and silently begged for help, but they merely waved me on with entertained smiles.
There was no way I could turn back now.
So I did the only thing I could do. I straightened my back, lifted my head and puffed out my chest like Anna told me to do. I took my first step down the staircase, and my foot wobbled unsteadily, and I silently held my breath. A fall from here could leave me seriously injured, so I needed to be careful.
I fought my urge to kneel down and cry for help as I slowly but surely made my way down the stairs to where Natsume was. I had a tight grip on the handrail and I continued my pace steadily, eyes locked onto Natsume's. I didn't know when, but at some point, I had no trouble walking on my own and did not feel scared or nervous anymore. I was completely lost in those deep, deep pools of scarlet.
Finally, after years, I made it to the bottom of the endless flight of stairs and Natsume held out his hand for me like a gentlemen would to a lady. I could hear the loud cheering of Anna and Nono on the second floor, and I felt relieved. Who knew going down those flight of stairs could be that tiring?
Feeling like I had just achieved something spectacular, I grinned like a little girl happily. Almost unbelievably, I saw Natsume smile back at me as if he was genuinely proud of me.
But then my feet gave out and I fell forward, only to land into Natsume's embrace. Nono and Anna let out a squeak of worry.
"I-I guess I'm really not good with these shoes." I mumbled, trying to laugh the embarrassment away.
"It's alright." Came Natsume's calm voice as he steadied me. He looked so gorgeous in his jet-black suit and crimson tie. He leaned down so his mouth was directly over my ear and breathed out hotly, tickling me. "You look beautiful."
I felt the blood rush to my face and with the grin on his face, I must look like an idiot. He was so sweet tonight it was almost like a dream. I wanted to scold myself for feeling so giddy with that fact that he complimented me.
"…Was that what you wanted me to say?"
A~nd the spell was broken.
I pushed myself out of his embrace and fumed. He had to cover his mouth in order not to laugh out loud. I wanted nothing more than to slap that smirk off his face. He held out his hand for me again but I refused to take it and walked out the door on my own, yelling out a goodbye to Nono and Anna who must also be giggling in a corner.
The cool air hit my face and calmed me slightly. I was dazed as I stared at a carriage that was waiting in front of the mansion. It seemed like it was dragged right out of a fairytale, though it was completely black and almost blended in with the night sky. Four dark horses neighed and swept their smooth manes magnificently when they sensed me.
"It's better if you just take my hand." I jumped at the voice, not knowing Natsume was standing right next to me.
"As if I would—!" I tried to argue but his eyes looked at me so stilly, they seemed to look right through me and I froze.
"They will target you the first chance they get. It'll be safer if you were with me." He kept his hand out patiently, not moving a single muscle and his eyes seemed to never blink. The people he referred to as 'they' must be the heads of the academy, and I became restless.
I suppose it would be safer to be with him.
So I cautiously took his hand and he guided me into the carriage before the coachman closed the door silently behind us. I looked out the window and saw Anna and Nono waving at us in the doorway and I waved back, but Natsume couldn't care less.
A few moments later, the horses gave a loud neigh and the carriage started moving. Soon, no matter how much I looked back, I couldn't see the mansion or Anna and Nono anymore.
My heart beat fast as we entered the Northern Forest, shrouded in darkness as if it was just an illusion. No matter how much I was starting to regret going to the ball, the carriage never slowed down once.
How was it? Comments, critics, suggestions are always very welcome! The info about the Blood Moon was taken from 'universetoday.' I know I didn't include all of the things I promised would be in this chapter last time, so for sure they'll be in the next chapter. So look forward to that. Once again, sorry for the long wait and thank you for bearing with me.
Please R&R!