His Psychotic Love
Chapter 12: Red
"Yes, what is it?"
"I want to tell you this: I will never want to leave Mum."
"So, are you trying to say you are rejecting my kind offer?"
"Yes, sorry."
"Does your mum know about the letter?"
"No, she doesn't. I told her that there was nothing going on between us, not even about the letter."
"But why? Have you forgotten about your mother's burden? Have you ever thought..."
"I haven't and I will never forget it."
"Mikan, I..."
"Dad, I'm sorry. I love Mum more than you think and I know Mum will never think of me as a burden to take of."
"No, listen! I..."
'Beep!'
-:-:-:-
Natsume pressed the door bell and waited impatiently for Mikan to come out from her house. He heard loud tapping sounds coming from behind the door and finally, the door swung open, revealing Yuka in an apron.
"Good morning, Natsume-kun. Are you looking for Mikan?" Yuka asked.
Natsume nodded and Yuka sighed, "I'm sorry. She has left for school."
"What? Wait, why?" he cried. "She is supposed to walk to school with me every morning!"
"I don't know why she left so early today but it is her first time waking up from bed as soon as I called her up."
Before she could say anymore, Natsume turned around and walked away briskly.
When he had arrived at the school entrance, he angrily took out his handphone and called for Mikan. However, she did not pick up. He felt like strangling her again.
Just then, he saw Ruka walk past him while carrying a huge plastic bag. Natsume ran towards him and blocked his way, startling him.
"You! Do you know where Mikan is?" Natsume asked loudly and gave Ruka an accusing glare.
Ruka frowned at him and shook his head. Ignoring him further, he continued walking past him as he dragged the large bag on the floor.
"My Mikan leaves me alone! How can it be?" Natsume whined.
"Oh, be quiet," Ruka snapped. "She must be with Hotaru, idiot. She can't be tagging along with you all day long, right? Grow up a little, Hyuuga."
"What did you just say, little girl?"
"What did you just call me? I'm a male for goodness sake!"
"You little..."
"Hey," another voice cut in. "You two are very disruptive in the morning."
The boys turned around and saw Hotaru crossing her arms irritability.
Then, she eyed on Natsume and asked in a low voice, "Where is Mikan? I thought the two of you always walk to school together."
"How would I know? That girl said that Mikan is most probably with you!" Natsume shot back while pointing at Ruka.
Being insulted again, Ruka gritted his teeth and shook his fist behind Natsume's back.
"I have just arrived school so it is impossible for me to meet her," Hotaru explained and then thought deeply for a moment. "Maybe she is already in the classroom. Have you checked it?"
"Nope."
Hotaru nearly wanted to hit his head but instead, she said sarcastically, "Well done! You haven't even checked the classroom and you're already making a fuss. Brat!"
Natsume stuck his tongue out at her mockingly and walked away from them. He was going to the classroom to check if Mikan was really there. Unfortunately, when he entered the classroom, he did not see her at all. She was missing. When he was about to walk out of the classroom, someone grabbed hold of his hand tightly.
"Natsume-kun, where are you going?"
-:-:-:-
"Imai, I have to meet my senpai and pass this bag to him. I will see you and Mikan in the classroom," Ruka said and he hurried off.
Hotaru walked in the opposite direction into the school building. As she walked up the stairs, she was wondering if Mikan was really in the classroom. She must have a purpose for coming to school earlier than usual. What if she was in the art room? She could be there, Hotaru thought to herself. So, Hotaru decided to check there instead.
Hotaru walked along the empty corridor with many club rooms lined along it. It was creepy to walk there alone, especially when there were no club activities taking place. As she walked past the science clubroom, she inhaled deeply and held her breath. She was scared of that room because there were rumours about it being haunted. Many students had said that they did spot a skeleton walking around the room and sometimes, it would walk out from the room during nighttime.
She became aware of her surroundings. A light cold wind brushing against her skin could make her jump in fright. A slight movement of the curtains in the empty clubrooms could terrify her. She gave up. She just wanted to head back to her classroom. Maybe Mikan would be there. There was no way Mikan would be alone in this creepy area.
"Ahh!"
Hotaru jerked. She was sure somebody had just let out a scream or a cry. She gulped.
Just then, she heard a sliding sound of a door. She looked around her and she noticed a door was opened at the art room. She just stood there petrified. All types of wild imaginations came flooding into her mind, making her even more afraid. She cursed the rumours and those people who spread them.
All of a sudden, a shadow could be seen heading towards the door and slowly a person with disheveled long hair emerged from the room. Her uniform was stained with the colour red, even her hair had red fluid dripping off like blood.
"Hotaru?"
Hotaru stepped backwards. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest and cold sweat trickling down her forehead. She swore that scary looking girl had just called her name.
"Is that you?"
Hotaru frowned. That voice started to sound fairly familiar to her.
"Y... Yes," Hotaru stammered a reply.
"Hotaru, help me..."
The girl looked up and strands of her hair half of her blood stained face. If she had black hair instead of brown, Hotaru would confirm that 'Sadako' did exist.
The girl's bloody hand lifted up and touched her own messy hair. Then, she carefully put her fallen hair back behind her ears and instantly, Hotaru recognised her.
Covering her jittering mouth, she practically screamed, "Mikan, why are you covered in blood?"
-:-:-:-
"Here is the uniform," Hotaru said as she hung a new and clean set of uniform over the shower cubicle.
Mikan thanked her and reached for the uniform. After changing, Mikan stepped out of the cubicle and used a clean towel to dry her wet hair. She stuffed the stained uniforms into a plastic bag and kept them in her school bag.
"You scared me earlier on. What's with you spilling the red paint all over yourself?" Hotaru snorted.
Mikan laughed sheepishly, "I just tripped and the next thing I knew, a container fell off the table and the red paint spilled all over me."
"You're dangerously clumsy."
"Haha! I know."
"You have nearly made me believe that 'Sadako' did exist."
"You are funny! 'Sadako' doesn't have brown hair like mine."
"Let's say for once, I believed in mutated 'Sadako'," Hotaru giggled.
Mikan giggled along with her and at the same time, combing her hair.
Mikan spoke, "Luckily, our lesson starts half an hour later or else we will be late."
"Yeah, all thanks to you. Oh! What about the art room? The paint is still on the floor, aren't they?"
"Yes and I will clear up the mess after this since we still have the time."
"Let me help you too..."
'Ring... Ring...'
Hotaru paused and immediately took out her vibrating handphone.
"Yes?" Hotaru spoke and starting laughing. "Oh, really? Alright! I will join that. Thanks! Please help me to inform Miyazono-senpai as well too."
"Miyazono-senpai?" Mikan repeated questionably and looked at Hotaru.
Hotaru ended the call and cheered, "Yes! I'm taking part in the semifinals!"
"What happened? Did your club members call you?" Mikan asked.
Hotaru turned to look at Mikan apologetically and sighed, "Yes. And I'm sorry, Mikan. I have to see those friends of mine now."
"It's okay. I can help myself with the mess," Mikan reassured with a small smile.
Hotaru smiled back and ran out of the restroom. Mikan put down her comb and packed all her stuff into the bag. When she was prepared to leave the restroom, she took one last look at the mirror. The image was herself but it reflected a dark and gloomy feature. Mikan was very sure that she was smiling but the image showed otherwise. The image moved closer and a tear rolled down from its right eye.
Then, it opened its mouth and whispered softly in a sad and eerie tone, "It seems like your existence is nothing to all of them, Mikan Sakura."
Upon hearing that, Mikan fell onto her trembling knees and stared into the mirror for a very long time, as if she was being hypnotised by something real behind that thin, fragile and shiny silver coated layer of glass.
-:-:-:-
Mikan dragged her feet into the classroom and sat down. Hotaru was not back yet and Ruka was nowhere to be found. She shifted her head a little and noticed that Natsume was already in the classroom, sitting with his usual clique. However, he looked uneasy and insecure, which were both completely unusual to Mikan. She guessed that maybe because she did not tell him where she was in the morning and left for school very early.
"Natsume!" Mikan called out loudly to him and waved at him with a beam.
Natsume looked up and his face immediately brightened up upon seeing her face. He pushed his way in his crowd of friends and ran towards her.
He snorted, "Where were you? I was very worried for you, you know? I was so unlucky that I was stopped by that Koizumi girl and she even forced me to stay with her with those people."
Mikan looked at the pouting Luna and said, "It's okay. I was in the art room, doing some painting. By the way, I'm sorry for not telling you where I was."
"Yes, you better be sorry."
"Anyway, how are your new friends?"
"I think they are not bad after all. When I say I want something, they will give me that something. What do you think?" he answered arrogantly.
Mikan's smile faded. She looked at him with eyes of pain and she gritted her teeth.
"I think it is not great at all!" she raised her voice at him and when she realised that she had said it a little too loud, she immediately covered her mouth.
Natsume flinched and stumbled a few steps back.
"Why are raising your voice at me?" he mumbled in fear as he shivered. "You don't have to do that, right? You could have just said it nicely."
"I'm sorry," Mikan muttered and lowered her head.
She began to lament over her embarrassing action. She did not know why she had allowed her emotions to take over her actions.
"Hey, say that 'sorry' word a little louder!" one of the students from Natsume's clique jeered. "We want it louder than what you had just shouted at Natsume-kun."
Mikan looked up and saw those angry faces of that clique. She felt like crying. She felt like laughing too. She also felt like killing herself in front of them.
Killing myself...
When no word came out from her mouth, everyone began to jeer at her. She heard the jeers and the whispers of the bad rumours about her echoing in her mind. It felt so eerily familiar. It felt like she had flown to her past. This experience was somewhat the same as the last time.
To kill myself...
All I need is a...
She pulled down her school bag's zip forcefully and took out a pair of scissors. She held the scissors in front of herself and laughed hysterically.
The classroom became quiet and only her voice could be heard. Natsume stared at the scissors in horror and was speechless. Everyone was dumbfounded as well.
Mikan brought the scissors towards her neck. As it brought closer, her smirk became wider and wider.
Natsume stuttered, "N... No... D... Don't do it..."
And then the scissors snapped.
Narumi will start appearing from the next chapter onwards. His significance in this story is the same as Luna Koizumi and Mikan's father as he plays a big role in Mikan's relationship with her friends (including Natsume).
I would like to thank those who had reviewed Chapter 10 and 11. Thanks for all those encouragements. Hope to hear more from you again! Lastly, I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story. :)