A/N: I don't own Alice Gakuen. Long, long chapter ahoy!
Stop Flirting With Mikan
2007
Mikan had just turned thirteen. Now thirteen, as we all know, is a difficult age: changes happen both around us and in our very body too and so thirteen can be disorientating, confusing but above all exciting.
The feeling of excitement is what coursed through Mikan when one morning she woke up, and got undressed for her daily morning shower, when through her sleepy morning yawn, her eyes spotted something in the mirror. That woke her up, oh yes it did—she gasped, and glanced down and then—"MUM! MUM! Mum, mum, mum!"
"What sweetheart!" Yuka burst into the bathroom, worried and scared at her daughter's cry, only to see Mikan standing, looking enourmously proud of herself.
"I've grown boobs!" the thirteen year old Mikan joyously announced.
"You—Wait, what?" Yuka did a double-take. "You? Boobs?"
"Yes!" Mikan happily confirmed. "I," she patted her breasts, "have," another pat, "boobs! I'm a lady now!"
Yuka felt her left eye twitch. What Mikan called 'boobs' were merely bee-stings, but Yuka didn't have the heart to tell this to her ecstatic daughter. Did she really leave the stove on downstairs for this? "Wow, I'm so happy, Mikan dear." Yuka's smile was tight. "I'm going to go back down to finish making breakfast with your father—"
"Wait, mum!" Mikan importantly stopped her mother. "We must discuss this weekend!"
"This weekend?"
"Yes! Now that I have boobs I have to buy a bra!" Mikan couldn't help but clap her hands in pure and utter delight—a bra, finally! All of her friends had boobs and it was about time puberty gave her a pair too! Just last weekend Sumire had shown the gang her green B-Cup bra, and all of them held up the bra carefully and with reverence as if it was the Holy Grail.
Finally she will have a bra too! Bra! Bra-bra-bra! Bra-vo!
Yuka didn't know how to reply. Awkwardly, but cautiously she answered, "Mikan, dear… you've not developed enough quite yet for a bra—" Immediately Mikan's face fell, all happiness melting. Seeing the new, sad expression on her daughter's face, Yuka hastily continued, "B-But this weekend we can go buy you a training bra! How's that?"
Mikan's face lit up once more like the spring sun, and she clapped around in the bathroom. Training bra, normal bra—what difference did it make to her! A training bra was still a bra! Hallelujah—ladies and gentlemen, Mikan Sakura is growing up!
The weekend came, and early on Saturday morning, Yuka took her most eager daughter to an inexpensive but cute underwear shop (perfect for early teens, the internet had said), and Mikan came out the shop with an important air around her, but as soon as she was tucked away in her mother's car, with a jubilant squeal she ripped the paper bag open to pull out her new polka-dotted training bra that she had picked out.
Tonight, the gang had plans to gather and have a study session (another name for sleepover) at Aoi's house. As she hugged her new training bra, Mikan decided that tonight would be the night that her friends see her for the new, fabulous lady she had become this week.
And so, that evening, with her new training bra on, Mikan went to Aoi's house, where all her friends were congregated. Mr. Hyuuga opened the door for her, informing her that the gang was upstairs in Aoi's room. She rushed upstairs, banged the door open.
"About time!" Aoi cried. "We were about to start a movie without you!"
Mikan threw her sleepover and school bags (they were going to do some work after all, maybe tomorrow morning) onto Aoi's bedroom floor, and before her friends could give Mikan the movie options, Mikan prestigiously stretched out her arms in front of her. "Gang! I have an announcement!"
Hotary had scooted over on Aoi's bed slightly, and patted the new space – taking the hint, Mikan, still with her arms outstretched, walked towards Aoi's bed before she sat down, at the centre of room, at the centre of her friends.
"What, what?" Sumire asked, curious.
"Is it good news?" Nonoko questioned.
Mikan's smile was rather gloating at this point, and then without warning, Mikan pinched the hem of her teeshirt with both her hands, before she rolled her top up completely, grandly revealing her new and very precious polka-dotted training bra. "Ta-daaaa!" was the victorious cry that accompanied this great exposure.
It was at that very moment, when Mikan's top was pulled up, her new training bra on display that Aoi's bedroom door flew open. All the girls snapped their heads to the doorway, to see Aoi's eighteen year old brother standing there. He looked as if he were to speak, but upon seeing the scene before him, Natsume froze and paled.
The gang's jaws (save Mikan's) all dropped.
There was a slight pause.
The pause ended: Mikan screamed, screamed and screamed at the top of her lungs, wrenching her top down, covering herself as the experience truly sunk in: Aoi's older brother had just seen her on Aoi's bed in her training bra! In her new polka-dotted training bra!
Natsume's reaction came next: "Shit—"
"ONII-CHAN!" Aoi bellowed, springing up from her bed, standing in front of the screaming Mikan as if to shield her. "How could you!?"
"I didn't—"
"This is why you're not allowed in my room unless you knock and get my permission first!" Aoi stamped her foot. Seeing that Hotaru was glaring at her brother whilst the other three crowded around the now mortified and sobbing Mikan, Aoi took the initiative and walked to her brother as she commanded, "Out! Out!"
She pushed her brother out before he could utter anything else, and she too left her bedroom, closing the door behind them. She dragged her older brother to his room where the reprimanding commenced, "Onii-chan! How could you! You pervert!"
"That wasn't my fault!" Natsume defended himself. Couldn't Aoi think for a second how he felt?! It was mortifying on his part too—seeing your younger sister's thirteen year old friend's training bra was not what an eighteen year old wanted to see.
It was grossly awkward!
Not understanding Natsume's unvoiced feelings, Aoi vehemently continued to speak for her friend, "You pervert! Stop peeking at my friend! Stop being weird and flirty!"
At this, even the usually stoic Natsume Hyuuga flared up. "Jesus Christ, Aoi, I wasn't peeking at your friend. I just came to ask about dinner! And if for one second you think that that, whatever that was, is 'being flirty' then you seriously have a lot to learn!"
Aoi seemed to have misunderstood what her brother said, as she responded with the same angry determination, "Stop flirting with Mikan!"
"I was not flirting with a thirteen year old for God's sake! Who do you take me for? Humbert Humbert?!"
Aoi did not understand Natsume's literary reference and so bristled, "You're gross! Mikan's never going to get married now, all because of you!"
Natsume incredulously gaped at this before he slowly tried to explain to his naïve little sister, "This and marriage are completely irrelevant—"
"You better take responsibility!" Aoi snapped, with her arms crossed, as she glared at her brother.
Exasperated and irritated, Natsume derisively cried, "What, date and marry her myself?!"
Not quite realizing that her brother was being acerbic out of sheer impatience, Aoi gasped, shocked. "Oh my God," she clearly thought her brother sarcastic remark was in fact a sincere suggestion, "you are a pervert! Stop flirting with Mikan and that's final!"
2012, Mikan's 18th Birthday
The three Hyuugas were all invited to Mikan's eighteenth birthday party. In 2012, her birthday fell on a Saturday and being a stereotypically important age (although, technically in Japan one becomes an adult at twenty, not eighteen), Mikan made sure her birthday was a large and extravagant affair.
The Sakuras had invited family, friends and friends' family to their daughter's eighteenth – so it wasn't a typical eighteen year old party, saturated with alcohol, drunk teenagers and blasting with music, rather more a celebratory gathering. A gathering filled with genuine laughter, good music, good food, people of all ages and goofy dancing.
Natsume had initially been dragged to this party-gathering by both his sister and father, and climbed into the car with a slight sigh as his sister fixed his hair from the backseat.
It wasn't as if he had better things to do that night – no, that was not why he went with his family to the Sakura's house with a sigh – it was just that earlier, three hours beforehand, he had had another fight with his 'girlfriend'. Well, 'girlfriend' was not quite the right word… perhaps 'sex-friend' was more appropriate… but they weren't even friends.
He had found out earlier today that he was not her only 'sex-friend', and when he had called her to confront her, the girl had simply laughed at him over the phone, laughed and laughed, telling him not to be so surprised as they never were 'exclusive'. This was all true – she was right. She never said she was his girlfriend, and he never really thought of her as a girlfriend either. From the beginning, sex was the only reason they saw each other.
But even so, Natsume felt tired and very hollow… as if somebody had replaced all his insides with dead dust.
"Cheer up, Natsume," Aoi had said in the car, as she combed his hair back neatly, so it didn't fall messily on his face as it usually did, "you can leave early if you want to."
"Mmm." was Natsume's initial response before he sighed again and said, "I went to your other friends' birthday gatherings. It wouldn't be fair to Polkadots if I left her out."
Mr. Hyuuga smiled as he drove on. "That's very noble of you Natsume."
Aoi snorted, "She wouldn't care. Or notice. In fact, none of my friends care."
"Aoi…" came Mr. Hyuuga's first warning.
"What, it's just the truth…"
"Natsume's known Mikan and the rest of your friends for eight years now, Aoi," Mr Hyuuga said, "don't cast him off so cruelly like that. He probably knows them better than you think he does. He's like an older brother to all of them. He has every reason to be there for Mikan tonight."
Aoi nonetheless insisted, "They don't really care though."
Aoi was done with his hair now. Even though she was being slightly mean to her brother, she still had handled his hair with gentleness and made him look much better. She cared, even though she acted like a bratty sister and Natsume knew that very well.
He couldn't help the sigh escape from his lips though; the girl's incredulous laugh still rung piercingly in his ears.
"Mikan's not been at the house much, Natsume," Mr. Hyuuga said (this was true – for the past few months, the girls gathered at Hotaru's recently renovated house instead of the Hyuuga household, meaning that Natsume had not seen much of Mikan for over half a year), "so you should greet her with a happy birthday and ask her how she is at the very least."
"I will."
"If you're still feeling upset after that—"
"I'm not upset—"
"Uh, yes you are." Aoi pointed out.
"If you're still feeling upset after that," Mr. Hyuuga's loud voice interrupted his two children, "then you can leave and take the train home."
The rest of the car journey was filled with Aoi's excited talk about both the party, and the present she had bought for Mikan.
When they arrived, the door was opened to them by Mrs. Sakura (who had thanked them all for coming, then complimented both Aoi and Natsume for their good looks, and then patted Mr. Hyuuga's back in an almost sisterly manner) and soon enough, Aoi dashed off in search for her best friend, who Mrs. Sakura said was in the living room by the drinks.
The first ten minutes of the party were however ruined by a text for Natsume – when he looked at his phone, he saw he had a message from the girl (whose laugh still echoed in his brain), and when he opened it, he felt even more hollowed: the girl had asked him to come to her apartment tonight… obviously just to have sex, not to talk. She had probably forgotten about his earlier phone call.
Her message was incredibly barren: House free. Come to mine tonight.
There was nothing there. No emotions.
He didn't know what to say, to text, in reply.
He pocketed his phone with a sigh.
He decided he needed a drink.
Without his father (who was busy talking to Sumire's father), alone, he walked past the chattering crowd of young and old, and thankfully spotted the alcoholic drinks. There, laughing whilst pouring beer out to an old family friend was the slightly flushed birthday girl.
Seeing Natsume, Mikan waved at her friend's older brother. "Hey!"
"Hey," Natsume answered, but before he could wish Mikan a happy birthday, she came to give him a small hug, accompanied with a, "Thanks so much for coming, Natsume!" When letting go of him, she looked up at him with a warm and beautiful smile.
Wait, beautiful?
Oh, yes – very, very beautiful – Natsume looked down at her and noticed that in the past few months he had not seen her, Polka had become so incredibly… beautiful?!
Here, in her birthday dress, he realized that this was not the same young girl with the polka-dotted training bra – no, that girl had grown up into the beautiful lady standing in front of him.
Mikan Sakura was beautiful! Is, is, is beautiful!
… Or did she simply just look more beautiful because he was heartbroken? Like Romeo with Juliet and the backdrop of Rosaline? But wait – he wasn't heartbroken! No, his heart was perfectly fine; he was just feeling disillusioned and hollowed… maybe, it simply her genuine sincerity that was beautiful, after a day of false emotions… her sincerity filled the hollowness, like honey in an acorn cup.
"Where are the others?" he asked.
"Hmm, probably gone to sort out my surprise birthday cake that Anna made… don't tell Aoi that," she smiled, causing Natsume to blink once again at facing her beauty, "they don't know that I know. I can read my friends like a book."
When he looked her again (he couldn't stop!) he now saw that the earrings that Aoi had carefully chosen for Mikan were on her ears. This reminded him – he pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket, "I'm sorry I don't have a present. Just a card."
He then really wished he had bought her something.
Not knowing his wish, Mikan took the card from him with happiness. "You didn't need to get me a gift, Natsume. Besides," she glanced up at him, "I love cards."
"You do?"
"They're the best bits."
He smiled at her. "Well, don't expect poetry from me. I'm not a poet."
"Just words are fine. It's the act of writing I like. The world is full of paper. A pen always has a snug fit. You don't need to be a poet to write."
He wanted to talk to her more. Tonight, for some reason, Mikan was not his little sister's friend. He wanted to talk with Mikan Sakura, but soon after she had passed him a flute of champagne, a school friend squealed Mikan's name from behind.
And off she went – but not before leaving him with a grateful smile and the words, "Stay as long as you like! You're absolutely welcome!"
Natsume watched her dance with this school friend, and admired her uninhibited laugh and the way she threw her head back when she drank her birthday wine.
"Why, why!" an old man standing close by Natsume (maybe Mikan's grandfather's friend) clapped his hand, before tapping his wife's shoulder, "Look, there Mikan is! My, my, how she's grown!"
"Why, she's beautiful!" The wife gasped. "Grown up into such a lady!"
Natsume couldn't help turn to them and say, "And she's smart too."
The old man raised his eyebrow at Natsume's sudden interjection, but the old woman's eyes glazed over (clearly she thought Natsume was beautiful too) and she pushed past her husband to get closer to Natsume to say, "Oh yes? Smart and beautiful? How marvelous! And you – who are you?"
"I'm," he paused, considered the question before he replied, "a friend."
"Oh! A boyfriend, perhaps?" This old woman's eyes were now hearts.
"No, nothing like that."
The thought and possibility then crept into his mind… Mikan Sakura's boyfriend? My, my, how would it be to be her's and she his! Would it be marvelous, as the old woman said?
The 'interrogation' came to a halt, as all of a sudden the lights had dimmed and the Happy Birthday song burst from the kitchen, and there appeared the girls with a ginormous birthday cake. He watched it all—her exuberant face, her laughter, the shutting of her eyes when making a wish, the blowing of the candles, then the clapping which clapped him out of his reverie too.
He stayed, and after a while found himself next to Aoi.
"Natsume," she squeezed his hand, clearly happy to see him still here, "you seem alright."
"Hmm?"
"I was slightly worried… you did seem quite upset before."
Oh yes. He had been upset. He had forgot. "I'm fine now."
The clocks had pushed forward and the night had deepened - the older generation had wished Mikan goodbye, and so those who remained now were the young'uns, still throbbing with youth. The lights were now dimmed, and the music raised – people were starting to dance, fuelled with silly effects of alcohol.
"I can see that," Aoi smiled, and then looked in the direction to where his gaze rested upon. Then, incredulously she asked, "Do you want to dance?"
"Hm? What?" He looked at his little sister, understanding what she had just said with a slight delay. "Dance? Me? Oh God no."
"Then what are you looking at?" she glanced again at where her brother had been gazing prior to her interruption. "Mikan?"
"Yeah," Natsume admitted, "she looks really beautiful tonight."
"Tonight? Natsume, Mikan's always beautiful!"
"Maybe she is."
As if knowing they were talking about her, Mikan met the two siblings' gaze, and responded by swaying over to them. Her cheeks were pink, and by her slightly dazed look, both Hyuugas knew Mikan was slightly drunk. Aoi pulled Mikan into her arms, and Mikan then pulled an arm out to Natsume, so they became a huddled trio.
"Mmm. Cosy." She happily sighed. "And if it isn't my favourite pair of siblings! My absolute favourite! … Don't tell Sumire that. Or Hotaru." She added as an afterthought. "But you guys are pretty great."
Natsume also put his arm around Mikan, and couldn't help but say, "You look beautiful, Mikan. Happy birthday."
Mikan drunkenly smiled in Natsume's direction, and tapped her finger on his nose before she drifted and waltzed away back into the dancing crowd.
When he heard his sister clear his throat pointedly, he looked back down at Aoi. "What?" he questioned her raised eyebrow.
"'You look beautiful, Mikan'?" Aoi repeated with slight disgust, now both her eyebrows raised.
"Well she does. You said so yourself."
Her eyes rolled. "You don't say that to her, Natsume! She's my friend. Got it? Stop flirting with Mikan."
But that didn't stop him that night from dreaming for the first time about Mikan. The dream woke him up, and at 2:18am, Natsume was wide-awake, staring up at his ceiling, his covers crumpled haphazardly around him. He put a hand up to his head, and exhaled deeply, trying his best to calm down.
He hadn't had a dirty dream in ages – and now, after her party, he dreams about himself and Mikan?! His little sister's friend who he had known for eight years?! Is this alright… is this even legal?!
He calmed down. Of course it was legal. He was allowed to dream about whatever – this isn't 1984, he can't be arrested for his dreams.
But wow. A dirty dream featuring Mikan in his bed.
He turned in his bed on his side, and took a deep breath.
But now he thought about it, the dream wasn't that dirty. In fact… now that he had calmed down a bit, he remembered that his dream was… sweet, romantic even. He closed his eyes, trying to replay it.
That's when he realized he wished his dream were real. He understood now – he understood that he hated his current cheap relationship, and as if fate was watching, his phone by his bedside table suddenly lit up.
It was her. Another emotionless text: Are you coming or not.
It was time to reply, and time to end this lifeless thing once and for all: No I'm not. I can't do this anymore. Just realized that I'm looking for more (not with you). Hope you have a happy life.
2012 New Year's, beginning of 2013
The Hyuuga's this year were having a New Year's Party in the spacious house. By 11pm, most of the invited guests were here, watching the final few minutes of Kohaku on television, eagerly awaiting moment the '2' at the end of the year would turn to a '3'.
The bubbly champagne was impatiently waiting for 12am and 2013 to come along.
Natsume too was waiting for the clock to strike midnight.
New Year's meant four things: family, friends, alcohol and a New Year's Kiss. And this year, Natsume hoped to get his kiss from Mikan Sakura.
Surely Aoi couldn't say anything about that! New Year's Kisses were a tradition after all! Not to mention they were, well, innocent.
Bah! Innocent!
Natsume did not feel so innocent as the clock marched forward. Surely planning to have 2013's first kiss with Mikan was past the point of innocence. When Mr. Hyuuga had mentioned a New Year's Party in November, Natsume had just shrugged. Aoi on the other hand wholeheartedly agreed, and thenceforth urged her father to make this talk a reality. Now, Mikan had been dancing in his mind ever since her birthday party, and every time he saw her after her party at his house, he just wanted to speak to her. That didn't happen very often though. But when Aoi had convinced her father and announced the following day that all her friends were coming, suddenly a party seemed like a good idea to Natsume.
And it was around Christmas when he thought to himself, 'oh, wouldn't it be great to kiss Mikan on New Year's?'.
His 'planning' was exactly a meticulous planning procedure or anything – it was just past the point of simply hoping, for Natsume planned to be next to her when the clock struck. Simple as that.
But alas alack! It seemed Natsume wasn't the only one who hoped to kiss Mikan at midnight, for throughout the night, Natsume spied a brunette boy tailing Mikan. Fine—maybe 'tailing' was too harsh, but either way, this boy (who was one of Aoi and Mikan's classmate – Kei, to be exact) seemed to enjoy Mikan's company and regrettably Mikan seemed to enjoy his company too.
"Hey, Natsume!" Luca called.
He turned and saw that his best friend had a worried expression on his face. "What? You alright? What happened?"
"I'm fine," Luca said before he explained, "Koko on the other hand isn't feeling too good."
Natsume groaned. "I told him to stop with those jaeger bombs."
"He's upstairs in your bathroom."
Bathroom, more like barfroom. In the short time Luca had come down to get Natsume, Koko had vomited all over the bathroom floor, and was now heaving over the toilet bowl.
"Jesus Christ," Natsume groaned as he covered his nose with his hand, "how much did you drink?" Despite his harsh tone, Natsume crouched down and rubbed his friend's back and asked Luca to get the bleach from the cupboard. "You okay? Have you thrown it all up yet?"
"I think so." Koko moaned back, still clutching the toilet bowl. "Fuck—I'm never drinking again!"
"I seem to recall that you said that last New Year's Eve too." Luca said, as he passed the bottle of bleach to Natsume.
"Well, let's get you to bed then." Natsume said to Koko, as he put the bleach bottle down for now—cleaning will come after. He put Koko's arm around his shoulders and Luca followed suit by putting Koko's other arm around his own shoulders, and together, they encouraged Koko walk towards Natsume's bed. Natsume made a mental note to clean all of his sheets, as he helped his friend (who smelt more than disgusting) into his bed. Very soon, the grateful drunk was asleep.
Before Natsume could sigh in relief however – he heard the countdown. Both him and Luca looked at each other, before they skidded out of the room and thundered down the stairs.
5
4
Natsume spotted Mikan—
3
But she was too far to reach!
2
And she was looking at Kei, not at him.
1! Happy New Year!
He watched as Mikan and Kei enthusiastically kissed each other.
"Happy New Year," he muttered to himself with a slight sigh, tasting nothing but defeat in his mouth.
Mikan had her eyes shut as she kissed Kei, and was about to wound her arms around his neck when she suddenly split her champagne all over him, causing them to spring apart from each other. Shocked at her clumsiness, Mikan gaped at the now-drenched Kei who stared at her back with equal shock, but then Mikan started to laugh before apologising.
The kissing was over.
"I'm so sorry Kei!" Mikan apologized to her friend. "I'll go get some tissues, one second," and now she was walking towards him. Seeing that the box of tissues was close by him, Natsume picked it up, and reached it out towards her.
"Oh! Natsume!" Mikan smiled at him. "Thank you!... But how did you know I needed tissues… unless—oh God! Did you see me—" by Natsume's smile she knew that he had indeed seen her spill her drink all over Kei, "oh God that's so embarrassing. Tell me, why are you always there to witness my embarrassing moments?"
Natsume passed her the box of tissues. "It's in the job description." Natsume joked.
Mikan laughed. "Well, happy New Year, Natsume."
"Happy New Year." When he said it this time, he no longer tasted defeat in his mouth.
Smiling, she went back to Kei and apologized for her clumsiness. Natsume watched this interaction for a few seconds, but then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked to see Aoi standing beside him.
"Natsume… why did I just see Mikan by your side?"
"Because she's at our New Year's party?"
"Yes, but why was she by your side right after the countdown?... You didn't by any chance kiss my friend did you? Kiss her at midnight?"
"No. No I didn't."
"Then why was she just here talking to you? The countdown was a few seconds ago."
"She needed tissues."
Aoi sceptically looked at her older brother. "Stop flirting with Mikan."
Natsume sighed. "Happy New Year, Aoi."
"Happy New Year, Natsume."
As Koko was asleep in his bed, he spent the night on the couch. And his first dream of 2013 went something like this: at 11:59pm, he had found Mikan, made her laugh and when the clock struck 12:00, it was him kissing her, not Kei, and then indeed in his dreams too she spilt her drink on him (instead of Kei), and he laughs at her clumsiness along with her, before stopping her in getting tissues by pushing her hair behind her ear, and then pulling her towards him to kiss her all over again.
It was a good dream... but bittersweet, as it showed him what could have happened that night...what didn't happen.
2013
He didn't see much of her at all – studying for university had taken control over his sister's life, and so he assumed all of her friends were in similar positions.
But one evening, Aoi came back home with both a tired expression on her face and Mikan besides her. Mikan's face silently spoke of exhaustion. Natsume had been cooking spaghetti Bolognese for dinner when the two entered, and Mikan rather tiredly said hello to him before she followed Aoi into the living room, one wall away from him in the kitchen.
Aoi closed the living room behind them. Ten minutes later however Aoi reemerged and said to her brother, "I'm going to the convenience store. Do you need anything?"
Natsume said he did not, and so Aoi left.
Wasting no time, Natsume knocked the living room door and opened it to see Mikan hunched over a thick textbook, her hands desperately clinging onto her hair, as if hoping her strands of hair would have harvested some vital information from her brain.
"That was quick—oh," she thought it was Aoi, "it's you."
"You don't look too good."
"Ugh," Mikan sighed, "I'm alright. Except that I hate biology… hey," an idea seemed to have come to her, "any chance you remember high-school biology?"
Ah. Biology was Luca's forte, not his. No matter, he wasn't going to turn down a potential opportunity to help (and maybe impress) Mikan. "Let's see," he now hunched over the text book too, Mikan's hair nearly brushing his face, "… ah, yeah I remember this."
He took the chair beside her and started to explain.
Mikan's hand then flew across the page as she made notes, whilst nodding vigourously. "Ohh," she finally said, when the light-bulb switched on, "I get it!" Happily, she scribbled the answer down.
"So, what's the plan for you? What are you going to study at university?"
Mikan dropped her pen to speak to Aoi's older brother. "Well, I'm taking a gap year with the rest of the girls. I think I want to study Literature… but I'm not sure yet."
A gap year! Ahh, yes, Aoi had mentioned how she wanted to travel with her friends for the year… that would mean he would not see Mikan for a year, if their plans truly did materialize as they hoped it would.
A year is a long time, he thought to himself. Perhaps during the course of such year his lil' crush on his sister's friend would fade by the time she returned. Who knows, maybe he'd even have a girlfriend by then. A real girlfriend, not a sex-friend.
The door opened—"I bought brain food—hey, Natsume… what are you doing?"
"He helped me with the biology – I finally got the answer to that stupid question!"
Aoi seemed pleased at first, "Oh really? Finally!" but then she her eyes narrowed, and they followed her brother as he stood up from beside Mikan and told them he was going to finish cooking the spaghetti. Mikan thanked him for his help before he left to the kitchen. Not fifteen seconds passed when suddenly Aoi was by his side in the kitchen, having left Mikan in the living room again.
"Natsume. I think I've said this before to you but stop flirting with Mikan!" Her voice was lowered so Mikan could not hear from the room next door.
"How is helping her with biology flirting?" Natsume innocently questioned.
Aoi simply suspiciously sniffed at him in response.
2014
They were all back from their travels; not necessarily any wiser but they all felt a little bit older, and happy to be back in Tokyo at any rate.
To celebrate their nostos, the Shouda family booked a meal for all the girls and their family. "A proper homecoming party is in order!" was Mrs. Shouda's declaration before she called a fancy restaurant in Akasaka to make a reservation.
Dinner was booked for 7pm. 7:15 was the important time though – the time when all finally became clear to Natsume. Mikan was already there with her mother and father, sitting, chatting to the Shoudas when the Hyuugas arrived at the restaurant. Like Aoi, Mikan's hair was longer and her face slightly thinner. She was turning 20 soon and there was a definite air around her that told Natsume that not everything she saw in the world was good and pure.
And when she saw the Hyuugas, and smiled at them all… well, that was when it all made sense. When it all became clear. When Natsume finally understood.
Like a firework, everything lit up and burst. Or maybe the illumination was more like a volcano – he had been dormant for a while, but upon seeing her again the explosive eruption started, the lava gushing from the mouth of the volcano… he was no longer dormant. Here he was and here she was too.
Mikan Sakura inspired such explosions in his heart after a year. If this wasn't real, he didn't know what was.
He found himself sitting next to Hotaru's older brother, Subaru. He liked Subaru - he had always gotten along with him. And despite the fact that Dr. Subaru Imai was explaining to Natsume about the complicated but deeply interesting potential evolving nature of the Ebola virus (which was the talk of that summer), Natsume, who usually loved talks of science, couldn't help but look in Mikan's direction from time to time.
He was distracted and had to keep reminding himself to concentrate. His words stumbled a few times, and at one point his spoon missed his mouth, hitting his cheek instead.
As they were all sat down, Natsume could not speak to Mikan that night as she was sitting on the other side of the table (their only exchange being: "Hey Natsume! Could you pass me the salt?" "Hey. How are you? Here you go." "I'm good. You? Thanks!" "I'm fine. You're welcome.").
Natsume drove his little family home that night, as Mr. Hyuuga had perhaps one too many glasses of wine. Mr. Hyuuga was softly dozing off in the backseat, and patting her father's hand, Aoi rested her head on her dad. She had missed her family terribly when she was travelling.
"Did you have a good time tonight?" Aoi asked her brother.
His eyes on the road, Natsume answered, "Yeah I did."
"I'm glad."
Then after a while, the car steadily rolling on, Natsume asked, "Do any of your friends have boyfriends now?"
His tone was casual. But Aoi was immediately suspicious and raised her head from her father's shoulder, her back straightened now. "Why?"
"Just curious. I mean you're all older now."
"And if I said 'yes'?"
He shrugged, "I'm just curious."
Aoi sighed. "Why don't you just ask Mikan yourself?"
"I—" he then realised what she had just said. After a pause, Natsume replied. "I didn't say Mikan."
Natsume saw Aoi raise her eyebrows in the mirror. She didn't answer straight away. But then, she held Natsume's shoulder and pulled herself closer to him from the backseat. "Natsume… stop fl—"
He knew what was coming and so interrupted her, "'Stop flirting with Mikan' – you've said so, time and time again."
"And just why do I have to keep reminding you time and time again?" Aoi poked his shoulder before falling back deeply into the backseat. They drove silently for a while, but then came Aoi's answer, "She doesn't have a boyfriend. Just so you know."
She was staring outside the window, her arms crossed across her chest.
Later on in 2014
The girls were all going to university now. In two weeks' time, they would be university students. Once again Mrs. Shouda decided the girls and their families needed a celebratory gathering, so invited everyone to their house on Saturday night.
And once again, that evening, Mikan looked lovely to Natsume, and lucky for him there was no arranged seating plans– everyone stood and sat at their leisure, and seeing her sat alone on the sofa with a mini-burger in her hand, he went to her.
She waved at him as he approached. "Well, you look happy! Hi, Natsume." Mikan teased once he was close enough to her.
He sat down next to her, "I am happy."
She raised her eyebrow. "Really? If I didn't know any better, you're actually desperately upset that your precious little sister is leaving to university soon. She's growing up."
"We all do."
Mikan ate her burger and said, "You should get one too! They're so yummy."
"I will in a bit." He wanted to stay by her after all. "You're going to Ali-U, right?"
Mikan swallowed before confirming, "Yup. Ali-U for me!" She smiled at him and said, "I'll still be in Tokyo so maybe I'll see you around."
This statement alone sounds very promising, but Natsume felt disheartened by her tone. Her tone was so incredibly friendly, that Natsume knew then that to Mikan, he was only Aoi's older brother. By being Aoi's brother, he was inadvertently placed and locked in Mikan's friendzone. And the sad thing was, before she had said this, Natsume was actually planning to ask for her number tonight.
But he felt disheartened now. He just felt like an older brother all of a sudden.
Later that evening, he lay on his bed, on top of the covers. He didn't notice Aoi coming in to his room – only when she sat down on his stomach did he acknowledge her presence, with a guttural groan. "Aoi—"
Giggling, she slid off his stomach and lay down on his bed next to her older brother. "Hey you."
"Hey."
He looked at his little sister, and she looked at him. They spoke for a while – about random things: from the washing machine at home to future time machines.
Then she said, "I'm going to miss you, onii-chan."
Feeling brotherly, he put his hand on Aoi's head, "I'm going to miss you too, Aoi."
"You didn't flirt with Mikan tonight."
He raised her eyebrow at this sudden statement, but coolly he replied, "You told me to stop after all." He patted her head.
Then, with a Cheshire cat smile, she left his room, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
Aoi always said he flirted with Mikan. Truth was, he never really had. Maybe it was time to start flirting with her, he thought. If he ever wanted Mikan to look at him not as Aoi's older brother but as a man, he probably would have to make his interest in her clear. He couldn't simply confess his feelings, as he feared if he did so without getting her attention first, she would simply say no, just because he was Aoi's older brother. She probably wouldn't even consider for a second the possibility of them dating, let alone loving each other.
Yes, yes. He knew by now that he really did like Mikan.
The next time he sees her… he'll make sure to get her attention. He'll make sure to do something or say something that would make her see him differently.
Before sleep took him, he wondered when he would see Mikan next.
May 2015 – The 'next' time he saw Mikan
This was it. It was now or never. She was sitting next to him, so close to him, and the mahjong table hide their legs. With an ardent resolve, he slipped his free hand under the table, and touched her leg.
At first, she flinched, and apologetically smiled at him.
His resolve hardened. That was no mistake, Mikan.
He touched her again, now firmly putting his hand on her thigh. She froze. From his peripheral vision he saw that her cheeks and neck were now flushed and that her hands were faintly shaking.
He stroked her leg.
He shuddered ever so slightly.
He hoped this worked. And he hoped to God that Mikan didn't now think of him as a pervert – the pervert that Aoi had once accused him of being, many years ago.
A/N: As you were all so interested in knowing when Natsume's feelings for Mikan started, I decided to write this chapter. It's really long but I hope you enjoyed it!
Be excited for the next chapter – the two may or may not finally do more than holding hands… who knows… ;)
Thank you ALL so much for your reviews! Review replies:
Chewybillabong: Yes, expensive French wine, haha. The best! Hope you enjoyed the update. Thanks for your review!
ResistanceLover: Thank you for your review and your kind words about my writing. I'll probably update Resistance in Autumn time when all the leaves are falling haha.
kristie123: Glad you love it! And your question: 'When will Natsume and Mikan officially become a couple'… well… perhaps in the next chapter, perhaps not. ;) Thanks for your review!
Carolle Royale: Firstly, thanks so much for all your reviews, both on this story and on Resistance. I love Whatsapp too, haha. Thanks very much for all your kind words!
Haruhi-chan131: I'm glad you sympathise with Mikan, because I admit that sometimes I am writing from the heart when writing of Mikan's experience with loneliness. I agree with you though – it is a part of life, another lesson to learn. And haha, me too my friend – I'm always too nervous to text first, so I never do. Thanks so much for your review! I enjoy them every time.
MiharuEndou: You're right – flirty Natsume is the best haha. So glad you're enjoying my story! Thanks for the review!
elleemina: Ah, thanks so much for your review! I'm glad you find my characters real and relatable – that's the kind of story I set out to write after all. Hope this ranks among your favourite chapter list! Thanks again! Really appreciate it.
Anilissa: They're not quite an 'item' yet, but they will be soon (maybe… or maybe not ;)) Thanks for your review!
AiramEnayle: Yay butterflies! Thanks for saying that my story is simple but deep – that's really sweet of you. Thanks so much for your review!
LeValStillin: Thank you so much for your review! Now you know when Natsume started to look at Mikan in 'that' way, haha.
JZ56: Glad you stuck with me thus far! I'm not very good at catching attention, but I am really glad you stuck around! Thanks very much for your review, I appreciate it. :c
EPICEST OF THE EPIC: Well, your penname is epic, I must say! Glad you like my story, and hope you liked my update!
Vermillion Steps: Thanks so much for your review! Yes, I felt that we needed to see them have a deeper conversation. After all, Natsume wants something real now :)
Natsumemikan123: This chapter should have answered your question (which was, in case you need reminding, 'does Aoi know that Natsume has a thing for Mikan? Why does she always say stop flirting in a joking way' – voila!) Hope the answer was satisfying! Thanks so much for your review.
CrazyShortie: Glad you loved the previous chapter. Glad you like the wine metaphor too, haha. I just noticed this story probably has too much alcohol references though… ah well. Thanks so your kind review!
Animaddict: Wow, thanks so so so much for your lovely review! Especially for calling this 'art' haha. So lovely of you! You're great for leaving such kind words. Thanks so much again.
YellowOrangeRed: Hahahaha, glad you 'frickin'' love my writing. So sweet. Hope you liked this chapter too! Thanks for the review!
Night'sWarrior: Thanks for your review! Glad you enjoyed my last chapter!
shadowmanipulator: Thanks for the review! Glad you're enjoying the story so far.
Until next time!