Mikan : I've returned!! With more story about my past... Can't wait to tell you, guys..
Mysticlife-fh : Thanx for your support all this time! Keep R&R...
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IN PREVIOUS CHAPTER :
In her mind right now, there was only a sole person.
The person so much important to her…
She spoke with trembling voice,
"Grandfather, how could you leave me alone…"
.Still thinking of her past, Mikan walked towards the opened window. She stared blankly at the sky above. It's almost sunset. Mikan shut her eyes, unable to hold back her tears any longer. The sundown reminds her of her grandfather…
.FLASHBACK :
It is a beautiful countryside…
The air, which is pollution-free, is very breathtaking and refreshing…
From faraway, voice of kids playing happily, and adults laughing jubilantly could be heard…
It's indeed a place full of peace and serenity…
Among the houses, there was a huge house situated at the top of the hill.
It was very enchanting. Surrounded with beautiful garden, this house has awed every single person that saw it.
Despite its enormous size, it was occupied by two mysterious people only.
.In the house…
..There was a 6-year-old girl playing joyfully with her puppy, Shiro. She was so excited that she did not aware of someone who has been watching her intently.
"Mikan-chan…" the person called.
The girl stopped running and turned around. Her eyes sparkled at the sight of her grandfather.
"GRANDPA!"
Quickly, she ran at him and hugged him tightly. The old man smiled and patted her back.
."It's almost dark, Love. You better stop now." He said gently.
Mikan looked down.
"But I still want to play with Shiro." She protested silently.
The man knelt in front of her. He pretended to be sad.
"So, you would rather spend your time with your pet than with this old man, is it? I see…"
Mikan looked up suddenly, facing her grandfather.
."No! I love you, grandpa! More than anyone in this world!" she said loudly.
The man was touched, and replied, "The same goes to me, my dear…"
.The two of them sat together, watching the dazzling sunset.
"Grandpa, I like staying here. Everything is so beautiful here." She said happily.
"Yes, love. I like it too." He replied softly.
.The cute girl turned to face her grandfather.
"Then, can we just live here? Forever?" her voice is full of hope.
.Realizing the pain that Mikan has to endure, the old man looked at Mikan
"My dear, you must be tired of running away all this time. I'm sorry…" he looked exhausted.
The girl shook her head vigorously.
."It's not grandpa's fault. I know you do this for me, to keep me away from them..."
Her eyes were teary. The old man watched her granddaughter sadly.
.Meanwhile, Mikan who was in her own world spoke softly.
"You know, grandpa…" she started.
"Sometimes, when I see you sleeping restlessly, looking tired and all…
I thought… it would be better for me…
to go with them…
By doing this, you won't feel tensed anymore…
And you can live the way you want it to be…" she said slowly.
.The old man was shocked to hear the words coming out from a 5-year-old girl's mouth. He gave her a tight embrace.
"No, dear. You do this, I'll be sadder. You do this to me; it'll hurt me more…"
.Mikan sobbed inconsolably.
"But, who are they, grandpa? What they want from me? I'm just an ordinary girl!" she asked desperately.
He chose not to answer the questions.
."Someday you'll know, Mikan. They just want to use you…
And as long as I'm alive, I'll never let them have you! Never!" he said sternly.
.He looked at Mikan straight in the eyes.
"My love, promise me something. Promise me that whatever happens, you'll never follow them! Both sides of them!!!"
Mikan nodded, assuring her grandfather.
The old man felt calm again and suppressed a sad smile.
.'Mikan has grown up. Despite her young age, she is becoming more and more mature.
Even if I'm gone one day, I'm sure she will manage to survive …'
The old man thought.
...
Several years later…
.An old man was leading a young girl towards the main gate of a prestigious boarding school. When they arrived at the entrance, the man stopped.
He knelt down and looked sadly at the girl, who turns 9 that day. Although it was her birthday, she was not happy at all. She was weeping uncontrollably…
."Grandpa, why are you leaving me here? Don't you love me anymore?" her eyes were red.
"No, dear… I love you very much. But, they are after you. And, they're getting closer now. You'll be safe here." He said slowly, as each word uttered caused him a great pain in the heart.
"Remember, love… Avoid them. Both groups… And, bear in mind…"
He planted a kiss on Mikan's forehead.
."I love you…"
.And, he started to walk away from Mikan…
He gave Mikan a last, hurtful glance before lost from sight…
Meanwhile, Mikan was still standing outside of the school, staring blankly at the empty corridor…
She couldn't stop crying…
."Grandpa… Don't leave me!!!"
.And…
That was the last time she saw her grandfather…
No letters, No phone calls…
There was no trace of his existence at all…
That was the worst birthday present she ever got…
.And…
From that day onwards…
Mikan Sakura lost her faith in LOVE…
She believes that the world is a better place without LOVE…
Because…
The only LOVE she possesses has gone forever…
.FLASHBACK ENDS
."Mikan…"
The grown-up Mikan turned. Her eyes met the worried-looking Leo.
She looked away, tried to conceal her red eyes.
."I'm ok, Leo… Don't worry…"
She tried to sound cheerful, but the only sound that came out is a voice full of misery and despair…
Leo was hurt watching his closest friend acting like this. He approached her and gave her a warm hug.
Mikan failed to control her sadness again. She finally gave up and just let the tears to roll down her rosy-cheek…
"It-won't-stop… The tears…" the brunette sobbed.
.He tightened the embrace.
"Thinking of the past, Mikan?" he said softly.
Mikan remained silent, unable to say anything.
"If it's about grandpa… we'll never stop searching and seeking, Mikan. We've come this far, it's impossible for us to retreat now." He convinced her.
.Mikan distanced herself from him. She looked at him and suppressed a smirk.
"What for, Leo? What for are we searching for someone who doesn't want to be found?" she sounded disappointed.
.Leo was perplexed by Mikan's sudden change.
"Since the day I entered here, I've promised to forget about him, Leo." She said sternly.
The smart boy was startled.
"But, Mikan… Isn't he your loved-"
"I don't believe in love anymore, Leo…" she interrupted, looking away.
."Where's he when I need him the most? Where's he when I'm being punished? Where's he, Leo??? Nowhere…" she expressed her anguish.
"I know him, Mikan…" he tried to defend the old man. "He won't do this without a reason"
.However, Mikan refused to listen to any of Leo's word. Her sufferings and pains have turned her deaf.
She shook her head.
"Let's talk about something else, ok?" she suggested.
.Leo sighed in disappointment.
'Mikan is a soft-hearted person, but her stubbornness has overshadowed her true self…'
."So, tell me…" She turned to face him.
"How do you find me here?" she tried to change the topic.
.Leo, whose thought on Mikan's past decided to let it go for the moment. He looked at her and said thoughtfully…
."Actually, I don't know you're here. A boy gave me a message from someone saying that Mikan Sakura is here, and she needs accompany…"
.Mikan's curiousity began to arise.
"Any idea who?" she asked.
Leo shrugged and gave her a sly smile…
."Looks like someone really cares for you, Mikan…"
....
The winter season that almost approaching its end marked the middle of February.
It was 4 in the morning.
Mikan who was enjoying her sleep was jerked awake by a loud noise beneath her.
She rose from her old bed and sighed softly.
"What the hell…"
She grabbed her night-gown and decided to check the source of the chaos.
.As she walking down the stairs towards the ground floor, she realized that every floor seemed to be deserted. Several doors were even left wide open.
The brunette shrugged and made her way downstairs. She was finding the correct direction to the disturbing noise when she saw a commotion of boys outside of the kitchen.
They were whispering and peeping at something.
Mikan looked at them peculiarly. They were watching intently at something inside the kitchen.
.Seeing this, a naughty idea popped up in her mind. Mikan smirked.
.Quietly, she approached the crowd…
."Ehem…" She cleared her thought loudly.
.The boys turned around simultaneously. They were shocked to see Mikan was looking at them, her eye-brows raised.
All of them pointed their fore-fingers towards their mouths, asking Mikan to keep quiet.
Mikan smiled and pretended to open her mouth, as though she wanted to shout.
Shocked by Mikan's sudden reaction, they rushed at her, attempted to shut her mouth.
.The beautiful girl retreated and smiled triumphantly.
"Ok... Ok..." She said softly.
"What are you guys doing here?" She asked quietly.
The boys exchanged stares; all of them were surprised.
"Don't you know?" a blonde-haired boy whispered.
Mikan stared at them in confusion.
"Don't I know what?" she whispered back.
.The boys stared at her disbelievingly, which left Mikan dumbfounded.
Hate of waiting, she decided to seek the answer herself.
.She made her way through the crowd and finally, managed to get a perfect view of what's happening at the kitchen.
The second she peeped through the small hole of the kitchen, she was so surprised. Her eyes were wide in shock.
.The enormous kitchen was fully-packed with girls; at all age. They were busy making something.
Some of the girls were stirring something in a large cauldron, while some were reading intently at their own piece of paper; Mikan assumed that as their recipes.
Mikan focused her eyes towards the thing inside the cauldron, and she got the answer in no time.
."Chocolate?" she asked the boys for assurance.
.The boys nodded.
"What for?" she asked naively.
Some of them smile at Mikan's innocence.
."My dear… It's Valentine tomorrow!" someone spoke slowly.
Mikan, who was lost at first, finally understood.
."Owh, so this is all about those lovey-dovey thingy". She rolled her eyes.
.The brunette shrugged. She regretted waking up from her bed for something this worthless.
She decided to return to her room and started to walk away when a gang of boys stopped her.
.Mikan looked at them enquiringly.
"Don't you want to make chocolate too, Miss Sakura?" they asked curiously.
.Mikan gave them a small smile.
"I won't waste my time for something useless like this. Talking about me, why are you guys here? Don't tell me you're cooking as well?"
.The boys laughed at Mikan's question.
'She is really sweet', some of the Mikan's secret admirers thought.
"Nope… We just come here to watch. It's really interesting watching the girls so preoccupied. But, tomorrow will be the deadliest day for all of us…"
All of them sighed in depression.
.Mikan laughed at the sight of their troublesome faces.
"Why? Afraid that they'll put poison in the chocolates?" she teased them.
"Worse…" Koko replied.
.Mikan was happy to see someone whom she knew. Being surrounded by boys, she felt a slight discomfort.
."You see… All of the girls here are expert in making love potions." He continued.
"Even one bite of their chocolates, would cause you eternal suffering. Can you imagine, Mikan, being forcefully in love with an ugly, fat girl??"
The boys shivered at the thought of this.
Mikan smiled.
."Oh ya! We were wondering, why don't you know about this huge event?" Mochu was floating on top of the boys.
"But then, of course they won't tell you. You're their biggest rival." Mochu said matter-of-factly, the group of boys beneath him nodded in agreement.
.She folded her arms and smirk at them.
"And, why is that?" she asked, knowing the answer.
Mochu landed in front of her and smiled slyly.
."It's said that you and Natsume Hyuuga were seen together. More than half of the girls here were planning their tricks on him. To invite you joining them to make chocolates together, they must be absurd."
.Some of them were waiting for Mikan's reply, whether she was really in love with Natsume or not.
Meanwhile, the brunette sniggered.
She shook her head slowly.
."Why on Earth are they thinking that I would do such ridiculous thing…"
Several boys smiled at Mikan's answer. There's still hope for them.
."But, the girls won't have a chance. Every year, Natsume Hyuuga remained as the sole survivor from this Valentine tragedy. The girls always failed to find his whereabouts." Mochu said proudly.
.Mikan couldn't care less. " Whateva..."
Mikan turned away and was about to leave the boys when Natsume's words rang in her mind.
."Everything has a price, stupid! And, yours are going to be eternal hatred from all the girls at the academy. Let's see how you deal with it when we return…"
"I'm gonna make your life here like hell!"
Mikan clutched her fist tightly, trying to control her anger.
.'Why am I keep thinking of him these days? I must have loathed him a lot…"
.Suddenly, Mikan stopped walking. A brilliant idea just appeared in her mind. She smiled wickedly.
The boys who were gawping at her were startled when she suddenly turned around.
She approached the boys. In order for her plan to work, these boys should be eliminated first.
."What's up, Sakura?" a boy asked hesitantly
Mikan smiled thoughtfully. She seemed unaffected by the large crowd of boys.
."I was thinking, the girls should have some privacy, you know…"
"Are you asking us to leave, Sakura?" a fat boy asked.
."Y-Yeah… We should go, guys." Koko spoke in a shaky voice.
The boys stared at Koko, who was acting weird. He was sweating badly.
"Hey, Koko-"
"W-We need to be prepared for tomorrow. How are we supposed to escape from the girls if we don't have enough sleep?" he tried to convince them.
The boys who found no reason to argue murmured in agreement and started to return into their bedrooms. Koko, who was last to walk away looked at Mikan.
.Mikan gave him a swift nod. She smiled jubilantly.
She let loose of her alice purposely in order to enable Koko to read her mind.
In her mind, she warned Koko to back her up, or not, she is going to reveal his secret to the crowd.
In no time, the commotion has dispersed, leaving her alone by the corridor.
."Guess my plan works", she grinned.
.She entered the kitchen confidently despite the danger waiting for her inside. Upon seeing their enemy, the fanatics of Natsume stop their works and approach her. They were knives in their hands.
Mikan just stood there, and smiled. She looked at the girls, without any feeling of terrified.
The weapons were inches from her when she suddenly spoke.
."You'll be searching for Natsume Hyuuga tomorrow, won't you?"
.The girls stopped suddenly and eyed her suspiciously.
Mikan folded her arms and smirked.
."I've a perfect solution for you, guys".
.Mysticlife-fh : Hope you're enjoying yourself here!!!
Mikan : As for my shrewd plan,, wait for it!
Anna : Wow! Can't wait for the Valentine's Day!!!
Nonoko : Yup, and don't forget your comments as well!!!