The Raven Bride
Chapter 11: Paper Roses and A Caged Bride
A fairytale made by humans always imply a happily ever after…
A story made by humans will end in realization of facts and solutions to their own problems…
But what if your story began to happen in a supernatural way, where your lover and admirer are not human beings?
Will it end in a happily ever after as well?
Or will it end as a bloody tragedy?
"Idiot, what are you thinking? "
I stopped walking when I felt Vermillion's hands tighten my own.
We were walking along the forests hand in hand, since we can only meet each other every night, we agreed to cherish our time together as we might not know when we will see each other again.
The moon rose high and the navy blue sky is clear and filled with stars, it was a perfect ambiance for a moonlight walk, a perfect time for old fashioned romantic date.
I growled inwardly, my mood is the reason why this moonlight walk is becoming more and more boring and unromantic.
I've been dreading the whole time while waiting for him, contemplating on how the heck will I tell him or how to fabricate a story about what happened to the ring that he gave me.
And I'm afraid of his reaction, Vermillion is beautiful and rare, but at the same time, he can be quite…
Intimidating…
I breathed deeply, preparing myself for my explanation, in my opinion, I think it will be better if I tell him why I'm not wearing the ring, instead of him noticing it then bombard me with questions afterwards, that might disappoint him even more.
Well, it's not like he won't be disappointed when he finds out, but at least he knows why I don't have it.
And now here it comes…
Clenching my fists, I quickly spun myself to face him, grasped his biceps and looked intently at him, slightly lowering my eyelids and flattening my pupils.
"I…I…I'm sorry! " I confessed as tears started to form in my eyes. "The ring that you gave me, the ring that held all of your promises…it was... " I breathed and looked away. "I…I..broke it… " I lied.
I don't want to tell him the truth, if he found out that Yoichi broke it, he might go after him...
And I'm not quite sure if he has the heart to let Yoichi live.
Silence followed after that.
I bit my lip, preparing myself for the thunderous bolts of flaming words that will come out form his mouth.
Suddenly, I felt his warm hands grasp my chin, and he whirled my face to his.
"No, you didn't break it… " He said in a matter of fact tone. "I know you, despite the short time that we've been together, and I can tell that you're lying, someone broke it, and that person is not you. "
I widened my eyes. "But how- "
He put a warm finger in front of my lips to shut me up.
"Why don't you tell me all about it? " He proposed instead.
In shock I nodded in agreement and let him take my hand.
And so, we walked together around the forest, until we found a huge rock and I sat over it, I told him all what happened with Yoichi and that I didn't know what pushed him to do it.
"I really don't know why he did it… " I ended and breathed deeply.
I looked at him, and he looked like a human bird statue standing in front of me, I didn't see him blink, didn't see him move a muscle, he didn't even open his lips, nor did his eyes moved.
I scrutinized his reaction through his eyes, but no matter how I tried to look, it didn't give anything away.
"Please… " I pleaded. "Don't attack Yoichi, I know he has a reason for doing that… "
"And what reason might it be? " He thundered, finally snapping from his statuesque position. His voice laced with flaming anger. "And I can't believe you're even covering him despite the fact that he had destroyed something precious! "
"Look, I know him, he's my friend, and he's nice, I know he won't do something bad, he was just…concerned for me… "
"Concerned about what ? "
I looked at him in the eye. "Even though he doesn't know what's happening, Yoichi is a smart and observant man, despite me not talking about you, and about us, I know he was concerned about me…and my relationship to you… "
I shivered as Vermillion instantly revealed his sharp, white teeth underneath those gums.
"And what may I ask is he concerned about? " He said, his voice gravelly dark and threatening.
I gulped, but when he laid those crimson orbs at me, I can't think of any web of lies that could come out of my mouth.
"I…I think he was trying to tell me that…that…that you…that you will kill me and eat me afterwards…indirectly though, but that's what I feel whenever I think about his words. "
I saw his chest heaved up and down, obviously hating the words that he just heard, it pained me as well, and it showed in my face.
"Please calm down… " I soothed as I hopped away from the rock and hugged him. "I know you won't…kill or eat me…you told me that did you? That you will never hurt me? "
I felt his arms wound around my body and I felt his jaw lean on my head.
"I won't… " He vowed. "I will never hurt you…I'll always love and protect you Mikan… always… "
A gush or warmth and affection suddenly seeped unto me as I heard those words, even though I couldn't see his face, I can feel that those words are sincere and honest…
"Then don't be mad about what you heard earlier… " I said as I raised my head to look at his eyes. "If you really are a man…or a human raven of your word, then those words shouldn't affect you at all. "
His lips curved under his huge beak.
"That's my girl… " He said as held my head and descended his lips towards mine.
I closed my eyes as I met his lips.
He tightened his hold on me…
I believe him…
I kissed him back with equal passion as he deepened his kiss on me.
Yet…
Why is it that I feel like he was hiding something from me?
"Oh my gosh! Look at those moving stuffed animals! Oh, wait, just look at those gigantic apple candies! Oh my goodness, just look at the fireworks! It's enchanting! "
"Mikan, if you don't stop screaming I swear I'm going to use my baka gun on you. " Hotaru said irritably as we walked through the stalls of Academy.
"But I can't help it! " I whined. "It's my first festival here in the academy! "
"It's my first time too, so shut up and let me enjoy the festival. "
I pouted at Hotaru. Seriously, she was such a killjoy.
Since Etoile sama gave us a break, I decided that I will enjoy the other parts of the festival, sometimes, it's good to unwind after experiencing lots of pressure and stress.
I wanted to go to Shibuya to shop, but Hotaru told me that it will take me 8 hours to go there, so I decided to look for options, and Uncle, as a saving grace suggested that we try to go to Alice Academy at this time, as the students are celebrating the festival by establishing different booths filled with different goodies.
Not to mention that Central town suddenly went into a sale bazaar, oh God, I just need to shop!
We walked around, different booths scattered all around the academy grounds, some are selling cheese balls or sweets that were secured on a stick, looking like a barbecue, some were selling different tapestries, some have their own sketchpads and is doing a sketch of some students, others were selling colourful paper lanterns, while the others have game booths.
"This festival is so lovely… " I uttered as I looked at the tiny piñatas that were hanging in the air.
"Whatever. " Hotaru replied as she walked straight to a booth.
I followed her and I saw that the students in there are making different kinds of crepes.
"Oh, hello there! "
We looked up and saw a pink haired girl with green eyes.
She smiled. "I'm Anna, may I interest you to some of our crepes? "
"Um… " I started.
"I want 3 crepes. " Hotaru said. "As for the fillings, I want the famous lemon and spice crab meat. "
"Alright. " She said as she took a 6 dollops of white and flesh kind of crème in the fryer.
"How about you miss? " She asked.
"Uh, what other flavours do you have? "
"Well, our famous filling is banana chocolate nut, then the strawberry cream and blueberry cream, and the peanut butter chunk filling, not to mention the lemon and spice crab and the jalapeno sausage. So, which one do you want? "
"Err, maybe I should just have the banana chocolate nut. "
"Perfect! Please wait to the side as I finish your orders. "
So Hotaru and I stood at the side, and after 10 minutes, our order was done.
"Here you go, Imai san and Yukihara san… " She said smiling. "Enjoy. "
"Thank you! " I said as I took our food then looked at her. "How did you know our names? "
She grinned. "Well, everybody in the academy know the both of you, with Imai san being the girlfriend of Nogi san and you being the apple of the eye of the two kings! " She said and sighed dreamily.
I blushed and quickly turned around. "Thank you again, and have a nice day. " I said as I walked away from the booth.
"Apple of the eye huh? " Hotaru said as she took a bite of her crepe.
"It's not funny! " I hissed at her.
"If only you're not too dense, you might've noticed the hidden intentions surrounding those two bastards. "
"You mean Yoichi and Hyuuga? "
"Who else, idiot? "
"But Yoichi and I are just friends- "
"Friends? My behind, Mikan, Yoichi is already making his way to you! "
I felt all the blood in my body rush to my cheeks.
But at the same time, I felt alarmed, if Yoichi has a crush on me, then that will spell a big-
"Didn't you notice? " Hotaru pressed. "He was always with you, and his eyes are much more expensive than the latest emerald collection whenever you're around. I can tell, that the guy is madly in love with you… "
I lowered my head. Is jealousy the reason why Yoichi broke the ring? Is it possible that he knew that I am in a relationship with Vermillion?
"Though, he's eyes don't have the same sparkle as before. " She added then stared at me. "I heard that he broke your ring, who gave it to you anyway? "
I bit my lip. Should I tell her? If I do, won't she put me in the asylum?
In the end, I settled to a lie. "Um, uncle bought it for me…"
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah right, you're saying that Yoichi got jealous of Yukihara san? "
I lowered my eyelids. She was like Vermillion in many ways, she only knew me for a few weeks, and yet, she knows me so well.
"I'm sorry… " I apologized. "There are… a lot of things that I can't tell to you…but… " I said and smiled reassuringly at her. "When the time comes, I will tell you okay? "
She shook her head. "I don't know what's happening in your life Mikan, and despite me knowing you for a short time, I have a feeling that what you're in right now is very dangerous, I can't tell why, or I don't know how, but I can feel it, I feel like you're involved in something and that something might endanger you… "
I felt her words suddenly knocked into my senses, and made me more confused. Her warnings are the same as Yoichi.
Are they telling me that I should stay away from Vermillion?
After eating, Hotaru and I walked along the Alice Academy surroundings, we visited a lot of booths, Hotaru kept on winning in game booths while I kept on losing, it wasn't fair.
"How come you always win? " I sulked as I fished my pockets for some spare change, only to find a few coins dangling in there.
"It's not my fault if I know how to hit a perfect angle. " She said matter of fact as she wrapped her giant crab stuffed toy.
"But I wanted to win something! At least one teddy bear will do! "
"Well, then why don't you try another shot? "
I sighed as I looked at the spare change that I had. "I only have a few pennies… "
"Then leave it, we have to go see the other attractions. "
"But Hotaru- "
BANG!
I stopped arguing when I heard a loud bang coming from the last booth that we came from.
Curious, I ran towards the booth, only to see the whole aisle of obstacles being cleared out and dropped on the ground.
"Whoa… " I uttered.
"That was amazing, Hyuuga sama, shooting the obstacle aisle in one swing… " The student who owned the booth praised as he clapped his hands. "What kind of prize do you want? "
My eyes quickly darted to Hyuuga who was holding the fake shotgun in his hands.
I observed him, despite his long sleeved black sweater, I can see the muscles forming underneath it, his stance is upright and his aura commanding, his eyes are a pair or rubies that seemed to sparkle underneath his long, dark bangs…
Instantly, I remembered what happened between us yesterday, I kept on reminding myself to forget about the whole incident, about how his eyes suddenly went large, almost mimicking that of a Raven…
Like the eyes of Vermillion-
I shook my head instantly, there is no way, absolutely no way that he will be Vermillion, Hyuuga is not a bird, okay, maybe he can have the aura of a bird, prideful and ambitious but there is no way that he will be a Raven, moreover, he can't be the Raven that I fell in love-
"Oi! "
I stopped thinking when I heard a masculine voice.
I blinked, and when I looked at the source of the sound, I found Hyuuga staring at me while waving the shotgun lightly in the air.
It's a bit daunting on how his eyes settled on me, he looked at me as if I was some kind of prey that he will gnaw and bite on, but at the same time, a flick of mystery flashed underneath those orbs and I felt uneasy, for some reason, I felt like he knew something about me that I 've been hiding to the world.
"Are you talking to me? " I asked.
"Who else, idiot? "
I narrowed my eyes at his rudeness, this guy is probably the moodiest man I've ever met. One minute he was competitive, the next minute he was giving of mysterious vibes, and now, he was being rude. If only he couldn't burn me in one snap, I would've called him gay.
"Um, what do you want from me? " I clarified, my voice still polite.
"Well, since I won, you can choose whatever stuffed toy you want. "
I blinked multiple times at him and he suddenly looked away. I can't believe that Hyuuga Natsume is a generous lad.
Which made me suspicious, men of his caliber always wants something in return.
"And why is that? " I pressed.
Instantly, his head went back to me, and his short eyebrows knitted together.
"I'm being generous today, is that a problem? I have nothing to do with the prizes anyway, so might as well give it to some stupid girl who kept on whining about not winning anything." He shot back at me.
I blushed in embarrassment. "Well, I'm sorry if I'm not born a great shooter! "
"Look idiot, just choose what you want so that we can get this over with. "
"And I need to know why you're giving me something, you're not the type to give something to some strange girl that you've only met a few days ago. " I replied stubbornly.
His frown slowly turned into a smirk which made my blood boil even more. I hated his smirk, everytime I see it in school or everytime I see him, he always smirks. Seriously, he looked like a snake, and snakes are always up to something that is no good.
"Am I? " He asked silkily as he threw the shotgun lightly in the air and caught it in his huge palms while he kept his gaze on me.
Trying to maintain my dignity, I lifted my chin up. "Yes. "
"Well, you're damn wrong, sweetheart. " He said casually as he casually walked towards the booth and commanded the student to hand him the biggest teddy bear in his booth, the student then excused himself and went at the back of his store to fix something.
"Pardon? " I insisted as I followed him.
"Here. " He said as he handed me the teddy bear, obviously ignoring my question.
"I'm not going to accept it not unless you tell me why are you doing this! "
Instead of answering I felt his arms suddenly snake into my waist, and before I could react I felt his lips lightly touch my right cheek, and before I knew it, he put the teddy bear on my limp arms.
"I have my own reasons, Mikan… " He said seductively as I felt the tip of his tongue ran lightly on my cheek. "And if you're observant enough, you will know why I'm doing this… " He whispered as he bit my earlobe.
A shot of electricity quickly climbed through my veins. This is bad, he was obviously seducing me.
I gritted my teeth, I'm not going to let his ministrations affect me, I'm already committed to one man, or one human bird, and I'm not going to let this bastard destroy my relationship any further.
I put my hands on his chest and pulled him away. "I'm taken! " I burst out in his face.
But instead of being shocked, his smirk widened.
"Really, tell me, is he greater than me? " He replied arrogantly.
I grinded my teeth further. "Don't insult him, he's worth a hundred, no, a million compared to an ass like you! "
His eyes suddenly sparkled and it literally freaked me out, this guy is weird, I told him that I'm taken already and all he does is smirk and look amused?
But his amusement suddenly shifted into seriousness as he gazed at me again.
"Well, I have to say, I'm a bit envious… " He stated as he halfsmiled. "Not entirely though, but I guess…I should be thankful for that one… "
"What are you talking about? "
His eyes then darted in the sky, looking at the clouds as if he was flying over there.
I found my hazel orbs settling unto him, the way he stood and the way his eyes moved gently to stare at the skies…
Albeit with black wings, he will surely look like my lover…
Shaking my head turned my back on him and started to walk.
"I don't know what you're talking about Hyuuga san… " I told him bluntly as I walked away. "But thank you for the teddy bear, I really appreciate it. " I said as I walked faster, which turned into a run.
When I saw Hotaru in sight, I breathed many times, it only took one look that she realized that something happened between me and Hyuuga.
"Do you want something to drink? " She asked.
I put my hands to my chest to calm my furiously beating heart.
"Yes, that will be very nice… "
"So you're saying, Hyuuga harassed you? " Hotaru noted as she sipped her purple lemonade.
"I think so, but I felt like he was trying to tell me something, but I couldn't figure it out. " I replied as I stirred my pink lemonade.
"Typical Hyuuga… " She snorted as she stared at me. "Be careful though, Hyuuga is known as a playboy here in Alice Academy. "
"He is? "
She nodded. "They say that he had different girlfriends once in a while, since he's a very private person, he wanted to keep his relationships in secrecy, but it is bound to be known. "
"Does he like to bed them? " I shuddered.
She shrugged. "Maybe… "
I felt my heartstrings pull together in a twisting knot, why is it that I started to feel a deep pain gnawing in my chest?
"Don't tell me you're jealous? "
I looked at her in disbelief.
"And why would I be jealous? "
"Well, because the moment I released the words about Hyuuga being a playboy and all that, you suddenly went pale, as if a ton of bricks was pulled down towards you. "
I shook my head. "I will never be jealous over such things, besides, I'm not interested in him. "
"Are you sure? " She pressed.
"I'm sure… " I said as I sipped my lemonade.
I was about to take another gulp when a colorfully decorated card was put in front of me.
Curious, I looked up, only to see a clown faced creature wearing a vivid, dark blue cloak.
"Hello there! " The masked person greeted, the voice sounded shrilly and female.
"Yes? "
The cloaked person stepped back and looked on both of us.
"We wanted to invite you to our special booth. " She said as she raised her arms to her left.
Hotaru and I looked at the direction she's pointing at, and sure enough, the booth says "Mirror, Mirror".
What a weird name…
"And what kind of booth is that? " Hotaru asked.
The masked person put her index finger on her chin and titled her head to the side.
"Well, it's what the name implies, Mirror, Mirror, which means that every characteristic of a mirror will be seen in that booth. "
"And what would I do with a bunch of glass that do nothing but give my reflection? " Hotaru snorted.
"That's the literal meaning, Imai san… " She replied.
Hotaru's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that? "
"Mirrors can symbolize a lot of things, and one of the many things it symbolizes is the truth… " She replied meaningfully.
"Well, one of the many things that I also knew is that it symbolizes illusion… "
The clown faced person laughed. "Well, whatever it you imply, what I can tell you is that, you will never regret what you will see in our booth… " She said as she passed beside me.
Fwoosh…
I felt my eyes widening.
"Have good day…and the best of luck…to you… " I heard her whisper before the remnants of her cloak disappeared in my sight.
I followed her with my eyes, and true enough, she went back to her booth.
Then after she disappeared in my sight, my eyes darted to the colourful card that she had given me.
Welcome to Mirror, Mirror! A place where magic and secrets are unveiled!
"Are you sure you wanted to go to this place? "Hotaru pressed.
I wanted to shrug it off, I really do, but for some reason my mind kept on kicking me in my gut, I don't know why but the urge of going to this place was really nagging me to the bones.
It's just a booth anyway, what kind of harm will it do?
"Yeah. " I answered as I finished my lemonade.
"Welcome to Mirror, Mirror! We appreciate your time visiting our magical booth! "
We shook our heads as we were greeted by another masked person, this time, the mask is a doll, though the dark blue outfit is still the same, but the voice belonged that of a male.
He opened the curtained door and pointed the way on us.
"Please go this way, and have a magical experience! " He said.
We entered, the hall is dark, narrow alley and it was as scary and cold as hell.
"This place is so scary… " I said as I stepped closer to Hotaru.
"And what did I tell you earlier idiot? " She reminded back at me and I pouted.
We kept on walking for four minutes until we were greeted by rows of different mirrors.
The mirror were placed on each side, in different sizes and in different shapes, it looked like a railroad, it would've been lovely, but the thing is, some of the mirrors enlarge your most ugliest assets and pointed out all your physical flaws that instead of appreciating it's magnificence, it makes you want to kick all the glass and let it crash on the floor.
"I'm going to shoot the person who invented this booth. " Hotaru grumbled as she glared at her reflection in one of the large round mirrors.
Instead of her face, it showed her left cheek, which magnified her pores.
"Wow, Hotaru, you're pores are huge! " I noted.
"Shut up, baka! " She growled and smirked as she looked across me. "Well, Mikan, seems like you need to lessen your sweet intake, because your butt is so wide! "
Scandalized, I looked behind me, and sure enough, there's this huge, rectangular mirror which increased my bum into the biggest size I could ever imagine!
"Fine! " I snapped. "I got your point, so can we keep going? "
She smirked even more as we walked on ahead.
I swear, if it's another bunch of mirrors like that on our next destination, I'm going to get out of here.
Contrary to what I expected, the next place is made out entirely of glass. And to add more to the effect, glass statues were also placed at different angles of the place, most of the sculptures where the Roman Gods and Goddesses.
"I have to admit, this place is artistically planned. " I noted as I looked at the sculpture of Venus de Milo.
"I heard of one of the female students who had the Alice of sculpturing things. " Hotaru said as she looked at a minotaur statue. "They say she's highly creative and has acted as an exchange student to different European countries, but I've never seen here. "
"Oh… " I said as I kept on walking towards the centre of the glass hall.
I stopped when I saw what was placed on the centre.
It was the carving of female, a bride to be precise.
But what caught my attention was, she was in a birdcage, her eyes was blindfolded, and her hands tied.
But what surprised me was that, there were two swords that pierced her heart, and the swords hailed in front and in the back of her body while glass blossoms adore the bottom of the cage.
"This one is called Bride in a Cage. "
I jumped a bit when I heard Hotaru's voice. I didn't realize that she was behind me.
"Uh, yes… " I agreed as I looked below. "I wonder why someone would make a sculpture like this. This one is pretty weird. "
"I think…this one tells a story. " She observed as she touched one of the bars. "They say that art can also explain a story, much like the expression of the feelings of the one who created this masterpiece. "
"Oh… " I said as I crouched to touch one of the flowers that were scattered below the cage, my attention was caught by one of the pink glass flowers which I touched tenderly. "Maybe that person has a very imaginative- "
Before I could react, the glass floor that surrounded my feet quickly diminished, and was replaced by an empty black hole, and before Hotaru could even run towards me, I felt myself falling inside, before I see the glass hall where I'm standing at being covered in front of my eyes.
Tap…tap…tap…
Slowly, I fluttered my eyelids open, only to see that I am still in a glass hall, though it was a different one, this time, the hall is just made out entirely of plain glass, without any statues or anything at all. Just plain ones.
I stood up, and walked, in every place that I look, it kept on reflecting my own form, and my reflection, looking lost, as what it should be.
Where am I?
The last time I remembered, I was just touching a pink glass flower, and the next thing I knew, I fell towards this place.
I sighed. Why do booths with hidden passages like this exist?
"Hotaru! " I called as I kept on walking.
I kept calling her name and walked and walked but no matter what I do, I felt like going into circles because I kept on seeing my own reflection and the same panels of mirrors.
I was about to take out my cellphone and call for help when I heard some rustles.
Blinking, I focused on what I heard again.
Rustle…Rustle…Rustle…
Slowly, I walked towards it.
Rustle…Rustle…Rustle… Rustle…Rustle…Rustle!
Now that I'm sure about what I heard, I followed it.
Only to see the green haired seaweed girl who acts the clan leader in the Raven Play.
Sumire Shouda…
Now I knew her name.
For some reason, she acts like a standoffish girl who ignored me and is a bit mean to me at times, but I just ignored her.
Before I could say hi (despite the fact that I knew that she will ignore me ), I saw her being thrown to one of the glass panels with a loud force.
Seeing that I might be in danger as well, I hid in one of the glass panels, making sure that the panels won't reflect my image, but clearly enough that I can see what's happening to her.
"What the hell do you want now, Shouda? " I manly voice growled.
I shivered when I heard that voice, that's the voice of Natsume Hyuuga, the man who harassed me earlier.
"I told you before, Natsume kun…I just want you to kiss me…make out with me right here… " Shouda said as she straightened herself up and smiled, not minding the pain that she had experienced earlier.
"And why would I wanna do that? "
I saw her smile evilly, and for some reason, I didn't really like it.
"Or I will tell her. " She emphasized.
I saw Hyuuga walked towards her, he stopped when he was just inches across from her.
"I already did you a favour, was it not enough? " He growled.
But the witch laughed. "Making out with me for the whole day? That's just a truce, Natsume kun, nothing could ever compensate my love for you, I gave you my heart, I worked hard just to be your ideal woman, I even got your parents gave their consent to me, and then I will found out that you're dumping for what? A plain stupid girl? "
I felt my knees shake, my brain tells me to get myself out of this room but for some reason, I stood stubbornly, not leaving my place.
"Whoever it is that I fell in love with has got nothing to do with you. " He barked at her.
"Why? " She demanded as she looked straight at him. "What does she have that I don't have? "
"You have nothing that I want- "
Instead of leaving him, she started to undress herself, to my horror, and stood naked in front of him.
"I'm willing to give everything to you, I just wanted you to love me, is asking your attention and heart too much to ask? "
I saw him turn his back on her. "This conversation is over, Shou- "
Instead, she spun him towards him and kissed him hardly on his lips!
She kissed him deeply and he froze.
I blink a lot of times, clutching my chest, why is it that when I saw them doing that, I felt my heart breaking apart?
I mean, Hyuuga meant nothing to me, he can do what he want and he can have any woman he wanted, I will never care, but why is it that him being kissed by another woman pains me deeply?
Sumire stopped kissing him but trailed butterfly kisses on his earlobes.
"I'll give you anything Natsume kun, my heart, my body, my soul… " She said as I saw tiny green stripes emerge from her skin, particularly on her arms, on her shin, and on her back.
I stepped back as the stripes started elongating, and when it reached a perfect length, it widened, and revealed greenish petals that quickly bloomed into soft, plushy feathers.
Startled about what I saw, my gaze traveled towards her face, and my eyes widened.
Her hair started to shove back by itself, giving it a sleek, wet look, the ends of her hair started to elongate until it reached the ground. And her green eyes started to swell until it filled the sides of her face, before dropping down into a vertical motion, and her nose ballooned out of proportion, it exploded into a pale, brown colour, it kept on expanding and expanding until it reached its desired length and curved inward, making it look like a beak.
Her manicured fingers started to elongate, as well as her nails, though it is still a that of a humans, but her feet didn't stay the same, her feet started to enlarge, breaking its way out of her boots, her feet keep on growing and growing and her toenails getting slimmer and slimmer until the ends of her toenails curved slightly inward, making it look like a claw.
And from her back, I saw a bunch of greenish black feathers that were hunched under her ribcage, and as she stretched her arms, the glob of feathers hiding inside her started to unfurl and before I could react, her wings spread out in a snap, a perfect, rare green raven that was unleashed in the mirrored halls.
"Look at me, Natsume. " She insisted as she flapped her wings. "You're supposed to be bride isn't even capable of protecting herself, or transforming herself into one of us, in other words, she's of no use. " She reverberated as she sat gracefully in front of him, opening herself and flapping her wings seductively at him.
My heart started to pound, I have a feeling that I will never like what I will see later.
And as if to prove my hunches, Hyuuga's hands started elongate into claws as well, his nails turning black as it grows, and his eyes started to swell, the same as what happened to Sumire.
I watched, as the boy that I barely knew started to transform, from the tanned beak and the curved claws and those fiery red tips of his raven feathers…
I felt myself shaking as he opened his crimson eyes and unleashed her reddish, black fur in the hall.
That fierce aura, that strong and passionate air…
My heart sank as I realized the truth in front of my eyes.
My lover, my Vermillion…
He was none other than Natsume Hyuuga.
I clamped my mouth as I kept my hold on my sides, silent tears started to well in my eyes as I watched him walked towards her, he heaved on top of her, and I bit my lip as he started to give her a passionate kiss.
He tricked me…he fooled me…he had me dancing on his palms all along!
I should've listened to Yoichi, I should've just minded my business and left him on our garden…
I bit my lip harder as he threw Sumire to one of the panels again, before he swooped at her again and kissed her, holding both of her arms in his, Sumire then threw him in return after kissing him passionately, and like him, she swooped at him and she kissed him, it didn't take long that they keep on throwing and rolling each other and breaking the whole glass dome around them.
Seeing enough pain that burnt a hole through my heart, I ran as silently as I could.
After running like forever, I saw the exit sign, and without any hesitation, I ran towards it, only to see Hotaru standing there.
"Mikan, where the hell have you- " She stopped when she saw me crying.
"Mikan? " She asked as she held me in her arms. "What happened? "
Instead of answering, I quickly burst into tears.
"He tricked me!" I wailed. "That…that…that bastard! He's been playing with my feelings all along! "
She quickly led me out of the place, she called Ruka and he came running after 15 minutes.
"What happened Hotaru ? Where you hurt? Are you okay? Any injuries? I rushed here as fast as I can! " Ruka breathed as he met us in one of the benches.
"Shut up idiot and help me take her home. " I heard Hotaru say.
"What happened? " Ruka asked as he saw my puffy eyes. "Where you hurt, Mikan? I've got some Tylenol in the car. "
Yes, I was hurt…deeply and badly…
"Stop asking her, Ruka, I think she had enough. " Hotaru said as she helped me up from the bench. "We'll just take you home, Mikan. "
I nodded silently as allowed her to take me and haul me in the car.
Why does love keep on hurting me like this?
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay with you? " Hotaru asked unsurely.
I nodded and bent my head. "Please…I just…I just need some time alone… "
She sighed but followed my request. "See you at school tomorrow then… "
I nodded and closed the door.
I sat on the couch silently, and Uncle being the sensitive person that he is just left me a hot chocolate in front of the coffee table before leaving me.
I cried again after that, I don't want to be a very emotional person, but what happened earlier really killed me on the spot.
Vermillion, he's the most beautiful and rarest creature that I have ever seen, his lips spoke of passion and sincere promises and vowed to protect me…
Which turned out to be nothing more but paper roses…
Empty and fake…
Imitation… and illusion…
I'm such a stupid, stupid girl!
I found myself walking towards the piano, and then gliding my fingers absently on the keys and my lips opening and uttering a song.
I realize the way your eyes deceived me
With tender looks that I mistook for love
So take away the flowers that you gave me
And send the kind that you remind me of
Paper roses paper roses
Oh how real those roses seem to be
But they're only imitation
Like your imitation love for me
I thought that you would be a perfect lover
You seemed so full of sweetness at the start
But like a big red rose that's made of paper
There isn't any sweetness in your heart
Paper roses paper roses
Oh how real those roses seem to be
But they're only imitation
Like your imitation love for me
Like your imitation love for me
(PAPER ROSES by Anita Bryant/Marie Osmond )
"Like your imitation love…for me… " I whispered sadly before slumping on the keys and crying my heart out again.
Please Review!
Thank you for reading!
I'm so sorry for the very late update, but I tried my best to look for as many inspiration as I can find.
You might be wondering why is this one different from the preview that I gave the last time, well, I figured I should show why Mikan started to have some trust issues with Natsume. And I'm not the kind of person to leave people in the dark and let them wondering what the hell is going on.
I really appreciate your patience. Thank you very much.
