A/N: ehehe. I know this is like, 4 months overdue or some shit... but... ummm. At least I got it out, right? Right? TT_TT sorry
Disclaimer: I only own my plot line, none of the characters.
Burning Raindrops
10
Narumi wandered down the hospital corridor, with the intention of visiting Natsume in hospital.
He came to Natsume's door, and knocked politely.
No answer.
He gently pushed open the door and grinned at the sight before him.
Both Mikan and Natsume were curled up on Natsume's hospital bed, fast asleep. Mikan looked as if she had been crying; there were tear stains down her pink cheeks, and she whimpered suddenly in her sleep and huddled closer to Natsume. Naru laughed silently. He was overjoyed that Mikan was back, because he loved her like a daughter, but also because she had been such a good influence on Natsume. Since she had arrived, he had become nicer to be around, and to teach. He still did absolutely none of the work, but he answered questions every now and then, and he only missed the classes that he really detested.
Then she had "died", and Natsume had simply let himself go. It saddened Naru to think of what Natsume had become this last month. A cold and emotionless killing machine was what he was, and it was going to take a long time to improve that reputation. However, having Mikan around would definitely soften his image more than enough.
Narumi chuckled some more, and silently walked out of the room. Before pausing to shut the door behind him, he grabbed his mobile phone, [A/N: Do they even allow mobiles in G.A? Ahhh I just realized that I already used mobiles. Oh well. Lets just say the D.A members have two per group, and teachers have one each] and snapped a quick picture of them together. He giggled once more and shut the door.
One Week after Natsume is released from hospital...
Natsume sighed and rubbed his temples.
There had to be another way out of this right? He wasn't honestly going to be stuck here cleaning with Polka and Luna Koizumi of all people, right?
Please someone save me. He thought desperately, while dodging a speeding Luna running at him full force. He realised his mistake as soon as he was replied to by, guess who? You got it! That voice was back!
Sorry mate. I'm only in your head, I can't. It snickered at him.
'Fuck. Of.' Natsume muttered. Mikan overheard and shot him a quizzical look.
Trust me, (Natsume scoffed at that.) if I could influence the things you do, or the things other people do, you and Mikan-sama would be-
Ooookay! Hold that thought right there you perverted bastard! 1. Do NOT call Polka-dots… what you just called her, ever again! And 2. Will you stop with the sick comments already? It's my fucking head that these conversations go on in!
Well if you would just grow a spine and tell her!
Hn.
…Wow… that was… responsive?
Hn
… Hn!
Hn
… aghrr! Whatever!
Finally. Some peace and quiet! Natsume sighed.
It is probably worth explaining, that over the past couple of days, Natsume's – weird inner voice thingie– had been becoming increasingly perverted. It could relate anything he thought back to Mikan, and then continue to turn it into something… he'd prefer not to think about.
Sometimes, after a particularly indecent conversation with his inner, (well usually it takes two people to partake in a conversation, so you can hardly call it that, but anywho…) he could not manage to even look Mikan in the eyes. This lead to her believing that he was ignoring her, and she would often run off upset. Then, when he saw her next, she would run up to him and apologise – which he found odd; should he not be the one apologising to her? He would once again, be unable to meet her gaze, and the cycle would start again.
So, naturally, being stuck with Mikan, and on top of that, the Ultra-Slut herself (Luna, if you were wondering) was not making Natsume's day the best it could be.
Mikan heard Natsume mutter a 'Fuck Off' at thin air and looked at him quizzically. When he just continued to brood, she looked sadly away.
She had thought that they had been getting along great, but recently… She didn't know anymore. He still just 'Hn'd at most things that she said, and expertly avoided looking her in the eyes.
She began to wonder, as she absent-mindedly swept the floor with a broom she didn't remember finding.
Did he think differently about her now that he knew of her past? Did he feel sick just looking at her? Was he disgusted by the sight of her?
She felt her eyes begin to water at the thought of Natsume hating her. She blinked at the floor trying to un-blur her vision.
'Excuse me for a second Koizumi-san, Natsume. I am just going outside for a bit. I don't feel well.' She excused as she stepped out of the room, dropping the broom down next to her as she lent against the wall. Not that it mattered to them. If Natsume did indeed hate her, (Luna definitely did, no need to give that much thought…) they wouldn't care if she had gone outside to stick a sword in her neck.
Mikan sniffled, the tears threatening to spill over now. She was a highly skilled, well trained human weapon for God's sake! Why did the thought of one boy hating her bring her to tears, when really, if she thought about it logically, what difference would it make? It would be just one more person wouldn't it?
No.
...
It would make so, so much difference. To everything.
...
Natsume hating her would be the end of her world, now that she thought about it properly. She loved him like nothing else, and for him to hate her…
She clasped a hand over her mouth as the tears flowed freely. She clutched at her uniform over where her heart was, and sobbed. God she was doing a lot of crying lately, but she could not cope with this. So she sobbed and sobbed.
It hurts! She screamed in her head. It felt as if someone had ripped her heart out, and then poured acid on the wounds. She slowly slid down the wall till she was on the ground. 'Stop it.' She whispered.
'Please stop it.'
'Polka-dots?'
Mikan froze when he spoke.
Natsume?
'Oi! Polka?'
He sounded… very close to her. Very, very close. She slowly lifted her head, and was surprised to see him crouched down in front of her, so close that had she leant forward, she could have rested her forehead on his. She sniffled and buried her head in her hands.
'Do you hate me Natsume?' She mumbled. She heard him sigh.
Oh my God! She thought despairingly. He really does hate me!
She heard a rustling of clothes. Then there was a loud 'thwak' and a sharp pain on her forehead.
She snapped her head up to see a smirking Natsume looking down at her. His hand was still out-stretched, millimetres away from her face. He had flicked her. Hard.
'No Polka-dot's, I don't hate you.' He said casually. 'Do tell me, what the hell gave you that idea?'
'You… don't?' She squeaked. He shook his head at her and raised an eyebrow. Mikan's eyes filled with tears again. However, she was also grinning like there was no tomorrow. Natsume's eyebrows now both disappeared into his fringe.
This girl is crazy. First she's in the hallway crying her eyes out, and when I find her, she stops crying asks me if I hate her. Now she is smiling like an idiot, and crying again. At the same time!
He was interrupted from his thoughts, however when he was bowled over by a laughing Mikan. She had jumped up, flung her arms around his neck, and caused him to topple over backwards. Now she was sitting on his stomach giggling, and still ever so slightly crying.
He sighed, propping himself up on his elbows.
'Oi. What the hell is your problem, Polka-dots? I'm getting the distinct impression that you're crazy here.'
She smiled down at him, still giggling. Then she shook her head.
'I'm not crazy, promise! It's just that I'm so happy! Have you never cried with happiness Natsume?' She asked, tilting her head in a very (cute) annoying way.
'Nope.' He replied truthfully. He could never remember crying because he was happy before. Heck, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd cried.
'Ohh.' Mikan said, pouting. Then, there was a sound like static in her head. It buzzed quietly on and off. And even though she had heard it more than a hundred times before, it still took her some time to realize what it was.
She was being contacted via her telepathy Alice.
'Haineko. What have you been doing, may I ask? I have been trying to contact you for 10 minutes now.'
Oops. She thought guiltily.
'Sorry Persona-sensei…'
'Hmm. What's important right now is that you and KuroNeko are required out the front of the ESP's office now for a debriefing of your mission.'
'But…' She broke off as she realized that Persona had already terminated the connection. She gave a long drawn out sigh.
'What now Polka-dot's? You going back to being depressed after that little episode?' Natsume's husky voice penetrated her thoughts.
Ooops again. I forgot about Natsume.
Ya forgot about someone you're in love with and sitting on? Wow… that's just… wow. That voice she had been hearing butted in.
Shut up! I'm not in l-l-l-love with Natsume-baka! That's just dumb. And I didn't mean to forget about him, I just…
You keep telling yourself that girl. You keep telling yourself that.
.:: Meanwhile outside Mikan's conversation with herself ::.
Mikan's eye's glazed over again, and Natsume was left with an out-of-it girl sitting on his stomach for the umpteenth time that day. He groaned. As enjoyable as it was, it was also extremely uncomfortable.
'Oi Polka!' He grumbled. No response
'For fucks sake, POLKA-DOTTS! As much as it's nice to know how good a pillow I am, I'm really starting to get sore from lying here like this, so do ya 'reckon you could get the hell off me now!'
She finally seemed to register his voice, for she promptly turned bright crimson, jumped off him, stood up and stepped backwards onto the head of the broom which had been lying on the ground. It flipped up and whacked her hard on the back of the head, and she fell over in surprise clutching her head. He snickered at her misfortune and she lifted her head to glare at him.
'Oooooowww!' She moaned, pulling herself into a sitting position, and bringing her legs up under her chin. 'Don't laugh.'
He continued to smirk at her, but extended a hand to help her up anyway. She took it grudgingly and he pulled her to her feet effortlessly. God she weighs nothing. He thought.
'So, what was that about?' He asked. She had looked pretty weird for a second there, and he was curious as to what had gone on inside her head. She continued to look affronted for a moment, before sighing and turning away.
'Persona contacted me via telepathy Alice. He needs us outside the principal's office now. We have a mission.' She grumbled, still rubbing her head. 'And what was that for? You didn't need to yell at me, I wasn't going to sit… on… you…The whole day.' She lowered her eyes and looked at her feet. Gosh that was embarrassing. Why did I jump up and end up sitting on him anyway. That was so stupid! She mentally bonked herself on the head a few times to clear it. Then she put on a smile and turned back to Natsume.
'Well, whatever! We have a mission now, and Persona will be mad at us if we keep him waiting, so lets go!' She said brightly, and before she knew what she was doing, she had grabbed his hand, and was pulling him through the corridor, in the direction of the Principals Building.
Natsume was reminded of the first day she had come to class. He had left and she had come looking for him, and ended up dragging him all the way back to class. He let a smile show for a moment as he was pulled relentlessly along, though there was a nagging in the back of his mind.
What kind of mission does that bastard want us to do now?
.::. O_O_O_O_O .::.
Mikan and Natsume stood silently out the front of the Principals office, masks and uniforms in place. They could hear muffled voices from inside the room, but could not make out specific words.
Natsume was getting agitated. They'd been here for over half an hour now, and nobody had come to brief them.
'Perhaps what they're discussing in there is too important to be postponed. You never know.' Mikan said calmly, noticing his sour mood.
'Yeah well whatever the fuck it is, they'd better hurry up because I'm leaving in ten minutes.' He decided.
As if on cue, the double doors in front of them that had stayed annoyingly shut for the past 30 minutes swung noiselessly open. Persona stood between them and beckoned them in. From where they were standing, his form blocked the view of what was inside, so neither of them were any the wiser as they stepped into the large posh office. Persona finally moved to shut the door and they were greeted with a vaguely familiar sight.
There was a man sitting behind a desk directly in front of them (who Mikan assumed to be the principal), and to the left stood another, slightly older man in a suit. There was something standing behind the man too, though his slightly pudgy legs and stomach obstructed their view of what it was.
'Ahhh! KuroNeko and Haineko! Welcome!' The principal said joyfully. 'I apologise for calling you both out here, but our man here wanted only the best. KuroNeko Haineko, meet-'
'Mr Hijiri.' Natsume said flatly, and Mikan let out a startled gasp. Of course, how could she forget? Mr Hijiri was the man they had been hired to guard for her first mission. Him and…
'Ah good KuroNeko, you do remember. Well then, you should also remember Mr Hijiri's son Youichii, yes?'
Natsume and Mikan nodded affirmatively, and Youichii stepped out from behind his father to stare impassively at them.
'Good, very good. Well then, I am happy to inform you that the young Hijiri heir is joining our academy, and your D.A class.' He smiled sickly at them, and Mikan poked her tongue out at him from behind her mask.
How could he ask an eight year old to join the Dangerous Abilities? That's cruel beyond belief. She thought angrily.
'So I thought that you two could take him out, show him what you do, and show him the ropes? That way he'll learn quickly, and master his Alice quickly too.' The principal continued.
'Yes Sir.' Natsume said emotionlessly.
'Very good. Well then, why don't you take him outside while we finish the deal hm? Take him to the D.A room, and get him to show you his Alice, and show him yours.'
'Yes Sir.' They replied in unison.
Mr Hijiri bent down and ruffled his sons silver hair. 'See you soon kid.' He said affectionately. 'I'll come and visit, and you can write all the time. Ok?'
'Yes papa. Goodbye.' Youichii mumbled, and then was pushed gently over to Mikan and Natsume. Mikan grabbed his hand an lead him out into the corridor.
Mikan squatted down once the door closed behind them and pulled off her mask.
'Hey Youichii, do you remember us?' She asked, and he nodded.
'Cool, well, now that you're part of D.A, you can call me Mikan. That guy over there,' she gestured to Natsume, who had also taken his mask off to reveal a scowl on his face. 'is Natsume. He looks really mean, but he's actually quite nice once you get to know him 'kay?' She said sweetly.
Natsume gave a half-hearted 'oi' in her direction at her description of him, but said nothing more. Youichii nodded subduedly at her words, not lifting his gaze to even look at Natsume. His hands were balled into fists, and suddenly Mikan noticed they were shaking.
'Hey, Youichii, you alright?' She asked worriedly. He glared at the ground for a moment more before finally looking up into her eyes. His eyebrows were drawn tightly together, and his eyes were shining, wet with unshed tears. He stared at Mikan, bottom lip wobbling treacherously for a moment, and then suddenly, he burst into tears. He jumped forward and latched onto Mikan, holding her in death grip, and she gently, slowly reached her arms around his small frame. She threaded her fingers through his soft hair, and murmured soft incoherent things to him. She cradled the small boy in her arms in the middle of the hallway, trying, in every possible way, to express to him that everything would be alright.
'It's okay to cry, Youichii. Let it all out. Everything's going to be just fine.'
Well, there it is.
Hn... Yeah, I know Natsume's inner seems OOC, but that's what it's supposed to seem. It is the embodiment of all the things that Natsume thinks, but doesn't show. Same with Mikan's one.
Once again, big thankyou to all Revewers:
alicedream14
Kafuya-chii
dancer48id
mikanXnatsumeforever
I'm sorry. Goodbye
The Burnt Jewel
akjupiter
sapphireangel09
Emmorgia
waffels
Maddie 123321
blueTyanu1
Katie
Evil-Kitty-Kat-666
kuroneko
JigokuTenshi834
gakuen alice addict
Xxkirbylover11xX
Hime Nadeshiko
Yellow Mellow san
ArielLuna
Death Melody
NijiKuro
JigokuTenshi834
And Extra Special Super Thank you to:
XTheEvilKitty059X
(for supa ninja skills, amongst other things ;)
Love You all!
~FuziCloud~