***Chapter 12***

Why was it so dark? Was he alone again? He's always alone…

"You are not alone." Where'd that voice come from? It was familiar… Rack your brain, Natsume! Who was that?

A light? It feels so warm… It's so different from the darkness that's freezing cold. But it's so far away… Run, Natsume, run! Who knows, maybe that light will save you!

In the deafening silence, only the pounding of Natsume's racing heart could be heard. The sound of his footsteps stomped on the invisible ground. Just a little bit closer… It was starting to get brighter already…

The darkness started to fall away, but he knew that it was always there, waiting to engulf him into its fetters once more. The scenery changed and there was Mikan, like an angel in disguise, standing under his Sakura Tree. She was waiting for him. Sakura petals were raining down on them from the sky. His hand reached out to touch her outstretched hand. A petal landed on his open hand. It burst into flames and crumbled into dust then was carried by the blowing wind.

He took back his hand and disregarded her caring eyes. She sat down on the green grass. Natsume followed suit. She pointed over to what was in front of them.

It was blazing hot. Flames were everywhere. Natsume looked around in panic. NO… She shouldn't see this… He glanced to where he thought Mikan was sitting last. She was gone.

"Onii-san!" Another call? "Help me!" Aoi? "Onii-san! Help me! It's so hot! Help me, onii-san!" The voice died away. Natsume clutched his mouth. NO… Don't make him remember… Does he need to suffer this torture?

He stood up and accidentally touched the Sakura trunk. Like the petal, it turned into ashes. Nothing was left. Natsume ran back to the darkness. There he can't hurt anyone anymore. Nobody had to be burnt by his touch anymore. Not anymore…

"Natsume." This time it wasn't a call for help. It was to ask for his attention. It was full of agony and longing. He stopped dead on his tracks. He had already crossed over to the darkness. In front of him was pitch black. He turned around to see who called for him.

Mikan was standing there, in the light. She had taken a step forward in his direction. "Don't get too close to me. I may just hurt you. You don't need to be in the darkness I am in. Stay where you are, in the light."

She looked at him with her tear-stained eyes. "I don't care if you are in the darkness you say you are in. I'll pull you out of there." Her voice seemed to be from so far away… It was like an echo…

"Remember, Natsume… You are not alone…"

***

Light broke from the windows of the room he was staying in. What was that dream for? His hand went through his raven locks. Tch. He was thinking too much about last night. Why'd he even let those words get to him? It wasn't like him at all. He shrugged internally. He was getting too paranoid about Mikan.

He proceeded with his usual morning routines. Persona hasn't sent him on many missions lately. I guess that's good. He won't have to kill any people any time soon. Ugh. Kill is such a powerful word. He sure hopes Koko wasn't tuning in…

He went out of his room. Sorry girls, he doesn't want anybody to see the inside of his room. Let's just say this… He has a bed, a bathroom, a couple of chairs, a table (can't say how many), walls, a floor, clothes, shoes, etc. Don't you think that's enough? I do.

Anyway… Fan girls are still stalking him. It wouldn't be too far-fetched if you said 'haunted'. They were like his shadow, you can't shake them off. Only when he took special precautions did he managed to lose them. You see, being a trained assassin has its perks. You can use your Alice however you want… You know how to jump from high places and land unscathed… You get a really big allowance from the Academy… But it's not like Natsume cares about money… He just uses it to save himself from Hotaru. She's frequently raising a scandal about him and he has to pay her to keep her quiet. You see, nobody knows the secrets of the great Natsume Hyuuga more than Hotaru. Even his most guarded and deepest skeletons in the closet are in danger of being found out by the all-powerful Hotaru Imai the Blackmailer. That's how great a person our dear Hotaru is.

Anyway, not only Hotaru knows some of Natsume's secrets. Koko, being a mind reader, sometimes learns about some things that he isn't supposed to know. Natsume only keeps him silent by using death threats. Sometimes only a glare is needed and he's vacuum-sealed. Another factor that keeps him hushed is that he isn't the type of guy to blabber about anybody's secrets. He only spills when it's either Hotaru forced him to or he was bored and wanted to have some fun. It's usually the latter, though.

Last but not the least is Ruka. Being Natsume's best friend, he knows how Natsume naturally acts. Lately, he hasn't been so close to him. The reason: Hotaru. She's always dragging him around to wherever she wants and leaves him there to find his way out and back to his dorm. Ruka is Natsume's childhood friend; or so everybody thinks. Well, Ruka is Natsume's childhood buddy, but he's a bit more than that. He's like Natsume's brother. He knows Natsume's past and background. Hotaru's already bugged him lots of times to tell her but he stubbornly won't. He's very devoted to Natsume and will never desert him. If you ever want to find somebody that's more committed to anyone as Ruka is to Natsume, come back again in another lifetime. Anyway, it's not like he's gay or anything… He's just a loving friend.

This was what Natsume was musing about until he realized that he was already sitting at his desk with a manga on his face. How'd he get here, you ask? Well, he jumped from tree to tree, building to building and slid through the stairs from the rooftop and then walked casually to his homeroom. Simple, right?

He felt somebody sit down on the seat beside him. The other person was silent. A few moments later she spoke. "Hey, I meant what I said last night, you know." Even without seeing her face, Natsume knew she was frowning. But her voice sounded sincere. "That's what I'm afraid of." He muttered under his breath. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that." Natsume sighed wearily and took the manga off his handsome face. He turned to her.

"What part did you really mean? That I want to die early or that you'll always stay by my side?" He said this seriously. Mikan blushed at the last idea. She blinked once before answering. "Well, everything I said was true. But please don't take it the wrong way around. I never wanted it to sound or mean perverted or something…" She bit her lip. Natsume smirked at her hesitation. "Fine. I already told you I have already taken note of everything." He wore an invisible smile. Mikan let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "Remember, though, that you're still my servant. Alright?" He raised an eyebrow. Mikan shrugged. "I don't remember denying that." She pouted.

"That settles it then. Now I order you to stay put and take care of yourself until later." He replaced the manga on his face. Mikan looked at him in disbelief. What the hell did he mean by that? Mikan shrugged. This guy was deep. "He is." Mikan whipped her eyes over to where the male voice came from. Her eyes rested on Koko who was in front of her. He winked.

"Really." She rolled her eyes but smiled at him. "He had a dream last night. I was awake so I heard. He seems to be sleeping right now so I think it's all right to tell you." He glanced around. Nobody seemed to be listening. There was nobody within hearing distance. Well, except maybe Ruka and Hotaru who were sitting on the next desk. The two of them didn't seem to be interested. The inventor was scribbling something on her iPad while Ruka was playing with his pet rabbit that he always carries with him, Usagi.

"Go on. They won't understand, anyway." Mikan urged Koko to spill. "We—ll… I didn't get most of it but I heard something about a fire… I'm not very sure… He was at the fringe of my Alice anyway, and he was sleeping. My Alice doesn't work very well with dreams. You can probably call it a nightmare. He wasn't enjoying it." Koko shrugged.

"So? Was there anything else?" Mikan wanted the mind reader to enunciate. "Uhmmm… There were voices. I think there were two. Two girls. One was familiar but the other one I haven't heard before. Uhh… I caught a glimpse… It was dark and… There was a tree. I'm not sure what its kind was. Uhmmm… I think it was raining something. I'm sure it wasn't water… I didn't really see anything clearly… It was only a flicker… Uh-oh…" He stopped dead. The figure beside Mikan stirred. Dang, Natsume was waking!

"Shut it, Yome. Don't meddle in people's nightmares. And don't talk as if the person you're speaking about is not there." He said with the manga still on his covered face. "Tsk. I never knew you were that nosey, Polka." This time he revealed his pissed off but amused face. Mikan swallowed. Dang, for the second time. He had heard everything, huh? In the corner of her eye, she saw Koko nod once in her direction. Yup, he did.

"So Hyuuga has nightmares… Interesting…" Hotaru's uninterested voice rang high in the silent atmosphere. "Nogi, did you know he has those?" She was still scribbling on her iPad. Ruka stopped playing with Usagi and stared blankly into the space in front of him. "Please do not bring me into this, Imai." He whispered. Then he sighed. Usagi's nose twitched. Ruka cuddled him. Hotaru snapped a picture. "This will sell more than the ones you posed for yesterday, Nogi." She plugged in the digital camera to the gadget on her desk. The picture instantly popped in the wide screen. Hotaru lightly pushed the touch-screen and another picture came into view. This time it showed Ruka sleeping on his bed with the moon as his background. Even without the sound effects, you could hear him snoring.

Ruka turned tomato red and tried to snatch the iPad. "Imai, delete that! Come on!" Hotaru used an invention shaped like a mechanical hand to keep the blushing boy within safe distance. "And lose my Rabbits? Never." She displayed an evil smirk. "I can't do anything anymore. They have paid and I already uploaded them to my website. I worked hard to put those in. So why don't you be a gentleman and let me have my fun?" She wore a mock pout. This only made Ruka more frustrated. Irritating Ruka was one of the joys in Hotaru's life. The first two were 1: money and 2: blackmailing.

Mikan looked at her two best friends' bickering and sighed. When will they ever act their age? Hey, Ruka already asked that question. It doesn't hurt to do it twice, right? Hehehe… "Hey Mikan." Hotaru's call snapped Mikan out of her stupid reverie. "Yes?"

"I caught a picture of you and Hyuuga last night. I haven't found the chance to upload it yet. Here's the original. Keep it. It's the only copy." Mikan caught the image flung by Hotaru. Ruka had finally given up and sat down sullenly. Koko was nowhere to be seen. Natsume peered unnoticed over Mikan's shoulder.

Mikan stared at the picture in blank amazement. It was a good shot. Only the silhouette was captured but it was certainly Mikan and Natsume sitting on that tree branch. Even the greatest idiot in the world could identify who they were. Nobody can doubt the pigtails and that messy hair. The orange setting sun was in front of them. Its rays were tainted by the crimson tint on the fringes. Clouds loomed close but didn't obscure the view. The couple was sitting side by side, obviously enjoying themselves.

"Hey, can't I have a private conversation? It seems that every dialogue I have has to be surveillanced by somebody! It's not fair!" Mikan flung her hands and slapped them to her desk. "There is no such word as surveillanced." Natsume corrected her. "The hell I care." Mikan scowled and settled back to her seat.

There was no teacher that time. Narumi had poked his head in the room and announced that the period was free. Other subjects in the morning were self-study. He excused himself and muttered that he had a meeting with the faculty. Nobody had taken notice of him. He left without anybody batting an eye.

As Mikan was cursing under her breath and Natsume was staring out of the window while Ruka was scowling too and Hotaru was taking care of her online business, Sumire neared them and tried to speak. Anna, Nonoko, and Yuu were behind her. Inchou woke Kitsu up from his slumber and forced him to listen.

"Uhmmm… Hey, Mikan? Uhh…" Sumire's uncertainty caught Mikan's curiosity. She cocked her ears to listen a little bit clearer. "Yes? What is it?" She tried to appear uninterested, partly because she still remembered being angry about her privacy. "Well, we were planning to have this party and—"

"Party?" Mikan perked up immediately. Parties meant food, and food meant dessert, and dessert meant Howalon. You understand, right? She noticed Sumire's downcast face. "Why? Is there anything wrong?" She pouted.

"You see… It isn't really a party… Just a get-together. You can call it a post-festival event." "So?" "So, there's no point in asking everybody to come… Just close friends. Are you following?" She cocked an eyebrow. "I think so…" Mikan replied. "Since there are only so little invited guests… I thought maybe we didn't have to occupy the Activity Hall—"

"Cut the crap, Shouda and get on with it." Natsume said. Sumire looked a little flustered at what Natsume said and so panicked a little. "Uhmmm… Couldyoupleasehelpusfindaroom?" She blushed pink. "Come again?" Mikan asked. Sumire rolled her eyes. How more pathetic can this girl get? "Well, we couldn't use the Hall. Can you help us find a room?"

"My room. 7 pm sharp. Bring your wallets. No 'accidents'. I don't want to clean up afterward." Everybody turned to where the voice came from. There was nobody sitting there besides Hotaru and Ruka. The tone certainly sounded female. No way… Hotaru?

The others couldn't believe it either. The Ice Queen offered her room? Unbelievable… She looked like she didn't speak. Her hand was still busy uploading the pictures from her camera. She glanced at them. "What? Take the offer before I change my mind." Her lavender pools were uncaring. The hell they'll let go of that proposal. Her room was perfect.

In one fluid motion, Mikan was out of her seat and in front of Hotaru's petite figure. The inventor had to control her instinct to bash the brunette's head to the wooden desk. In another second, Hotaru's busy hand was trapped in Mikan's. Everybody was in a shocked stupor as the girl shouted directly to her best friend's face. "Who are you and what did you do to my Hotaru?" They all held their breaths.

Baka! Baka! Baka!

Mikan was sent reeling backwards. "I knew you were an idiot, but I never thought that you would stoop so low. What a pain in the neck." Hotaru grimaced. Mikan's hand flew to her chest. Ouch. Well, she usually gets her daily dose of being told off for being so stupid, and Hotaru calls her that countless times every day. I wasn't so shocking, though, for Hotaru to say that, but Mikan still felt it as a blow to the heart. "Hotaru you meanie. I was just so stupefied that you would offer your room like that. Usually, no, all the time, you think about money, money and money."

"Actually, there is no such word as meanie in the dictionary, baka. And by the way, most of the reason for my proposal was the money I would be harvesting. Of course there would be the catering, the pay for the use of the room, and the service. I will give a discount for you since this is the first time my inventions will be tested for a rather medium-sized event. The first time was the lunch we had. If this experiment is a success, I may think about selling the Kangaroo invention to the market. And then, there are also the Penguin Waiters…" She was then lost to the world of calculating for her business. I just noticed how many businesses Hotaru has. She must be getting filthy rich, huh?

"Uhmmm… Imai san…" Ruka was the first to recover from the overly dramatic scene played before them a moment ago. "I noticed that you said 'most'. Can, uh, May you please elaborate?" He wrung his hands. Usagi was standing on the wooden plank in front of him. Hotaru looked at him in slight confusion. Note the slight. "Are you asking for the rest of my reason? Yes? Well… Mikan's room is a dump site. Hyuuga will never in a million years show us his room. The author has no idea about how your room looks like, Nogi, so yours is out of the picture, too. Yuu's room is at the topmost floor. Even though the high school students are invited, their rooms may be unavailable, too. Don't try asking the teachers for help. They'll cancel your little program and tell you to sleep instead or study for the next examination." She ticked off more and more reasons. Could this be the first time Hotaru said this much?

After a few minutes that seemed like hours, Hotaru started to close her one-sided conversation. "…As Shouda notified us, the Hall is unnecessary. Well, I guess that sums right about most of it all. I can see you are confused. I really don't care as long as you pay." She turned back to uploading Ruka's photos. Everybody, except Natsume of course, sweat dropped. Hotaru just has to say the last word. And when she says the last word, it'll be about money. Tsk, tsk.

The bell rang not long after, signalling lunch break. Most of the students filed out of the classroom and headed off to the Academy Canteen. This is the building where they eat lunch. The Mess Hall is just for dinner or supper. Hotaru had run off somewhere and dragged Ruka once again with her. Soon enough, only Mikan and Natsume were left in the room.

The girl sighed. Man, was the day getting weird. First Hotaru does something not like herself. Now Mikan's stuck with the guy that's supposed to be her destined partner. What a laugh. Natsume? Her partner? They were miles apart! Centuries different! How could that be true? (Well dear, it seems like Fate has decided to tinker with your life… Hehehe)

She stared at the immobilized guy beside her. He didn't look like he'll be moving anytime soon. He was fast asleep. Or he appeared to be. He could be pretending. You never know. The nullifier sighed once more in exasperation. She stood up and spoke to no one in particular since there was nobody else in her homeroom. "I'm not hungry. I won't take lunch. See you this afternoon." Then she dashed off out the door and up the stairs. Why you ask? Blame it on the author. She's the one behind all this.

Uhmmm… On second thought, you can blame it on her feet. Her mind was too confused to order her other body parts around so her feet did their own thing and started walking. Fortunately her heart didn't stop working. That wouldn't have been pretty. Ugh.

So Mikan's hand landed on the rooftop doorknob. She was panting. Heck, wouldn't you if you hurried through 10 flights of stairs? Well, maybe the fit ones won't but Mikan hasn't been in tip top shape these days. She turned the knob and pushed the door and covered her eyes. It was too bright. Her vision cleared and she saw the empty space of the rooftop with all its desolate beauty spread before her. It wasn't the first time Mikan used the rooftop as her place of refuge. Remember the time about the Haunted House? Well, she had dashed here immediately after getting out of the spooky building. It was a long run, but she managed to get here anyhow. When Natsume was speaking with Ruka followed by Persona, Mikan was sulking up here until she finally had enough of the height and went down the stairs.

This time, it was once again a refuge. Her mind was going haywire. What was going on? She had managed to set her chest to rest for a day. Until today, she had managed to forget and push all thought about any subject to the back of her mind. What was the subject she was wishing to avoid, you ask? … Natsume. We—ll… It's not really a question, huh?

She sat down on the bench offered near the edge. It was made of wood and very cool. The heat of day was scorching her skin but the hell she cared. Her brain was in 'thinking mode' right now. Mikan crossed her legs and stared to nothingness. The wide expanse of land could be seen from this angle. There was a low rail to safeguard any student from falling down and it obscured some of the sight. A few minutes after settling down on the bench Mikan stood up once again and leaned on the rail.

***Mikan's POV***

What is wrong with me? Is my pea-sized brain catching fire by the baking sun? Ugh. I'm such a loser. I keep asking myself this question yet I already think I know the answer. I took out the picture Hotaru threw to me earlier. It was a pretty nice shot. She caught all the rays of the setting sun. She even captured Natsume in a good mood which is rare.

Why did my heart flutter so excitedly when I saw Natsume and me sitting side by side? I glanced again at the snapshot. There it goes again. I feel like a child. Is this what they tell you that you feel when you're in love?

Whoa. Wait a second. Me? In love? With Natsume? You've got to be kidding, right? That pervert's a pain in the ass. A royal hindrance. An annoyance. There's no way I could fall for such a guy as that!

Though… He's kinda cute… Alright, alright… Handsome. 'Cute' is like you degrade an angel to the rank of a janitor. Kind of low, don't you think? He's pretty smart, too. He could answer your every question without breaking a sweat. He can also respond to your every remark quick as well. But I think that it's usually because he's got a sharp tongue. He can lash out at everyone anytime he wants. Then again, I don't think he's the kind of person who does that. He's silent and cold, but he seems to have a nice side.

I don't think I'm the one who has a brain problem. It should be him. What's up with him? He lets me sit with him and admire the sunset then he tells me not to get too close to him and that 'darkness'… Whatever that is. Then before that, he brings me to this dance without anybody telling me the meaning of anything. I was left without anybody to dance with then somebody holds my hand and starts to waltz like he's a pro or something like that. The hell did I know that that person was Natsume! What's more, Youichi talks nonsense about letting pass me being his onii-san's girlfriend. Has the little boy lost his mind?

Then I'm getting confused about what I'm supposed to do…

What should I do? Kami… Help…

I clutched my hands together and looked heavenwards. I was already biting my lip.

Am I really in love? How the heck did that happen? Am getting paranoid? Was everything that's supposed to be a legend true? Then was the guy across the lake the right one for me or is it Natsume? Why am I even asking about Natsume? Do I really care that much for him?

"ARGH! Answer me, you stubborn idiot! UGH!" My hand pounded on the red-hot steel. I jerked my now burnt hand off the railing. Oh great. What a great day this day turned out to be.

I heard a low chuckle somewhere behind me. It was really eerie. In the desolate and barren wasteland of the rooftop, there was someone (or something) that was here with me?

Was it human or supernatural? Animal or being? Spectral or material? (Like duh, it's human. What else could laugh? A hyena? How could a hyena get here? Dumbass.)

As I watched, too petrified to budge, a shadow moved and revealed itself to me.

***Author's Corner*** HIHIHI

It's me again! Uhh… Sorry I haven't updated this story for a couple of days… I've been kinda busy with church and all… We're having a fiesta celebration for our patron saint… So I couldn't face my laptop for a while. I'm really sorry about that… Please forgive me… PLUS, I got a spitting headache and stomach uneasiness. My eye got really red, too. My mother told me that it was due to too much time spent in front of the computer… She also said I won't be allowed to type for a little while and she'll cut the time I spend on the net…

Anyway… This chapter's not one of my favourites… As I said, I wasn't feeling too great, so this chap's done in a blur. I didn't concentrate. I hope, though, that you'll still read the following chapters… I was planning to make the next one seem like 'Kaichou wa Maid-sama!' I liked the plot. It was real cheesy… Just my type… Hehehe…

On the other hand, I wonder who could that person be… Tell me what you think… I'll be waiting!