No, your eyes are not fooling you—momocandy is indeed back with another chapter of Circus...IN A WEEK.
Holy shit, this is not something I should be proud of but I don't remember the last time I ever updated this quickly. Actually, Ducky-san's new story, Capsize, and her amazingly efficient update speed finally motivated me to actually work harder, as well as all of the understanding reviews I've received from you guys.
I know a lot of you are curious about Izumi's attitude toward Mikan, and I promise to dissect his mental state in further chapters.
I hope you guys like this chappie!
Happy Reading!
Disclaimer: This is starting to become a drag. NO I don't own Gakuen Alice.
Circus
by: momocandy
Chapter 13 - Attraction
XXX
After snacking, the whole gathering of teens went down to the guys' dance studio through the infamous bathroom closet. It was almost identical to the one that the girl's had, except some personal workout gear was littered in the gym corner and a few articles of clothing were scattered here and there.
"Boxers?" Sumire picked up the checkered fabric between two fingers and held it far from her face, half-amused and half-disgusted.
"Ah." Kitsu quickly walked over and snatched it away, disappearing briefly upstairs before coming back empty-handed and scratching his head sheepishly. "My bad."
The two groups starting practicing, but the girls could tell that Anna and Nonoko weren't as energetic as they usually were, and they were sure the guys noticed as well. In the end, they decided to leave early, and the guys understood.
"Holler if you need anything, okay?" Ruka told the girls, brows furrowed in concern as they headed out the door.
"We will, thanks," Mikan smiled gratefully at him.
He saw her eyes flicker to Natsume for a second before turning around. A common occurrence. Then Hotaru passed and her deep amethyst eyes locked with his. She just gave him a curt nod and his lips curved upwards softly. He knew that from her, that was a sign of appreciation. It had taken him a while to get used to her quirks, but now that he was aware, Ruka could argue that Hotaru was actually a very expressive girl. You just had to know what to look for.
Once the girls had left, the guys wallowed in the subsequent silence for a brief moment before returning to the dance studio to continue practicing.
As soon as the girls entered their dorm, Mikan steered Anna and Nonoko to the couches whilst Sumire headed to the kitchen to make a batch of hot chocolate.
"Oh no, Sumire, let me—" Anna started getting up but Mikan pushed her down, shaking her head.
"You just stay right here and let us take care of you, missy," the brunette chided.
"Marshmallows or nah?" Sumire yelled from the kitchen.
Anna laughed, though with a little less tinkle than usual.
"Awwww, you girls are too kind. Marshmallows please!"
"Roger that. None for you, right, Nonoko?"
"Mmm," the other twin replied. "You know me."
Sumire busied herself with boiling water and finding mugs. "I'll never be as good as Anna but I can still make a pretty mean cup of cocoa. Get hyped."
Nonoko just rolled her eyes and sighed.
"You guys are being such drama queens. Me and Anna are fine."
"Looks like you're misunderstanding something here." Mikan wagged a finger at her. "You never need a reason for hot chocolate."
The blue-haired girl scoffed but her eyes were gentle. A few minutes later, Sumire came in with two mugs of liquid goodness.
"Behold and enjoy."
Anna inhaled the rich aroma blissfully as she raised the mug to her lips. Little white marshmallows bobbed up and down as she took a long sip.
"Delicious," she breathed, and Sumire grinned proudly.
"Your welcome."
The girls then moved on to the topic of the twins' parents, but Anna and Nonoko insisted that they were okay, despite the unexpected news broadcast.
"We've come to terms with their deaths and we've moved on." Anna traced the rim of her mug absently. "Even their faces are starting to get a little blurry, but there are a lot of pictures on the Internet if we ever get scared that we're forgetting them."
Nonoko nodded silently as she sipped her cocoa. Their parents were famous gymnasts, after all. Even if they forgot, the rest of the world would remember. It was a reassuring, but bittersweet feeling.
"But the news didn't report about them, they reported about you two." Mikan bit her lip worriedly. "Are they going to start another search?"
Anna's finger paused on the ceramic and her brows knotted. "I sure hope not."
After the bodies of Mayumi Yuuko and Ogasawara Keiichi were identified in the rubble of the train wreck, they were immediately rushed to the hospital and their two young daughters were notified. Unfortunately, both gymnasts had suffered fatal injuries and were pronounced dead just a few hours later in the operating room. A large funeral service was held a week later and the entire nation mourned while the custody of the two remaining daughters was debated intensely between relatives and agencies alike. The daughters both had a talent for acrobatics, which is why some agencies also considered taking them in. However, Anna and Nonoko, still in shock and filled with grief, refused to live with anybody. The next day the two just disappeared, as if by magic. This once again made nationwide headlines and the government urgently tried to locate the two daughters, searching for months without success. After two years, the investigation was dropped from the main list of objectives, but has still remained active. The news broadcast from before was proof of that.
The truth was, just a few days after running away—a few extremely tense and terrifying days of hiding and avoiding contact with all people—Anna and Nonoko happened to walk upon a few street dancers in an outdoor basketball court. They immediately dove behind some large crates before anyone saw them, but just as they'd planned to escape, they were hypnotized by a break-dancing performance. It didn't take long for one of the older members to notice the two little heads bobbing in and out of the crates, and the twins were discovered. They panicked, but were caught before they could run away. The leader of the group at the time, Hiroto, instantly recognized the two girls as the missing daughters from the news, but the stricken expressions on their faces told him that he should first listen to what they had to say before deciding to turn them in.
After becoming aware of the situation and the girls' immense reluctance to go back to their relatives, Hiroto decided that he would unofficially adopt them instead, especially since they expressed an interest in breakdancing. The other members, including Akira and the boys, gladly agreed, despite the risk. They all helped Anna and Nonoko change their appearances and create new identities, and two girls lived with Hiroto for the time being. At this moment in their lives, Anna and Nonoko knew that they had found people they could trust and the only other place in the world where they belonged without their parents.
A few days later, Mikan and Hotaru, who had moved into the apartment complex right next to theirs, joined the group as well, and after bonding with Anna and Nonoko, decided that them girls should all live together. Sumire joined a few weeks later, and Circus was created. That was the beginning of everything.
"Even if they do start another search, they won't find anything," Sumire said with certainty. "They failed the first time and they'll fail again."
"They haven't found any leads," Hotaru confirmed.
Anna and Nonoko looked at blank-faced girl in surprise.
"How do you know?" Nonoko asked while Anna nodded in agreement.
"I've been keeping track," she replied nonchalantly. "News reports and articles. Nothing new has shown up about the Ogasawara case. I'll let you know if something does."
"Wow." Mikan was amazed. "As expected of Hotaru."
"Thank you, Hotaru." Anna's eyes started to tear and Nonoko sighed, gently patting her sister on the back.
"Of course," Hotaru replied, a hint of tenderness in her voice.
A single tear trickled down the pinkette's cheek and it was soon followed by others. Anna put her face in her hands and her shoulders shook with quiet sobs.
"Awww...don't cry, Anna," Sumire frowned as she caressed the girl's soft pink tresses.
Mikan knelt down and held Anna's hands in her own. "Just like you guys were there for me, we're all here for you too. We're gonna get through this together, just like we've always done."
Anna nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands.
"You're right, Mikan. Thank you."
Mikan smiled and pushed a strand of pink hair behind her ear before standing.
"Their death day is coming up soon, isn't it? We'll go back to Miyazaki so you guys can properly pay your respects. We can visit Akira and the guys while we're at it."
"Mmm, sounds good." Anna gave her a watery smile and Nonoko nodded.
Anna and Nonoko couldn't visit their parents' real graves due to the high risk of getting caught, so they'd made their own little memorial for them back in their apartment in Miyazaki. Every year, on the day of their parents' death, the two would kneel in front of the makeshift shrine and sit there silently for a long time. It was a tradition, and being enrolled in an academy in a different city was no reason to neglect it.
"December 3rd," Nonoko said. "...so next week."
"Okay, then it's settled." Sumire clapped her hands together. "We're going back home next weekend. Let's surprise Akira and the guys. About time we got our revenge."
Later that night, after everyone had gone to sleep, Mikan leaned against her open window, watching the night sky and thinking about a whole lot of things. Her chin was propped up on the palms of her hands and she sighed as she stared absently at the stars.
First she thought about the twins, and even though Hotaru had assured that they were safe for now, that didn't stop her from worrying. If they were ever found, the whole nation would make a fuss about it and she knew that that was the last thing they wanted. Then she thought about going back to Miyazaki and that made her smile a little. It'd been a few months since she'd seen Akira and the other guys and she'd be lying if she said she didn't miss them. Thinking about those guys made her think about the other guys, and she wondered if any of them had caught on to Anna and Nonoko's situation. From the look Natsume had given her right before she left, she had a feeling he had. He was a sharp one, after all.
The brunette heaved another sigh as her thoughts switched to the crimson-eyed boy. Even now a part of her was waiting for him to show up at her window like he did every night. Recently he'd been on her mind more often than not, mostly because of their secret night meetings and the goodnight kisses and the occasional hugs. He made sure that she didn't forget about him for too long. She knew that he was definitely more special than the other guys, but she couldn't quite place her feelings.
Actually, that was a lie.
She knew exactly how she felt, but she just didn't want to admit it to herself. The feeling of wanting him to stick around, of wanting him to be there for her and only her. It was painfully obvious to herself but a part of her still rejected it. Partially because she still felt a sort of rivalry towards him and admitting her feelings was akin to holding up a white flag. Partially because she wasn't sure he felt the same.
Yeah, Natsume was the one who had approached her all these times and took the initiative to close the distance between them, but he had done nothing more than ask for innocent goodnight kisses and accept her hugs. She was a little embarrassed to say this, but she had gotten used to the cheek kisses and the hugging. They didn't feel so special anymore, so she didn't know if it was special anymore. She felt...unsatisfied.
Mikan blushed just thinking about it and shook her head to clear her thoughts.
"Bad, Mikan, bad," she scolded herself. "Just focus on dancing for now. Don't think about anything else."
"Think about what?" Natsume's deep velvety voice echoed as he suddenly appeared in the window.
Mikan inhaled sharply in surprise and stumbled backwards. She had been so lost in her thoughts about him that she hadn't heard him coming up at all. Natsume climbed into the room and watched in amusement as the girl coughed, trying to recover her bearings.
"That gave me a heart attack." Mikan clutched her chest, breathing in and out. "Holy shit."
"You were talking to yourself."
The smirk on his face reminded Mikan of the other reason why she didn't want to admit anything. Cuz sometimes he was just fucking annoying.
"Yeah, so what?"
The smirk stayed.
"Nothing." Even though the look on his face clearly said something.
Mikan just glared. Wow. She had a terrible taste in men. Natsume sat himself at her desk chair and swiveled around to face her, sly curiosity in his eyes.
"So what were you thinking about?"
Mikan rolled her eyes.
"None of your business."
"Feisty."
"Problem?"
He chuckled but didn't go on. He knew her well enough to know that further comments would not be appreciated. Instead, he motioned for her to sit down on her bed across from him. Mikan frowned but grudgingly complied. Then he waited.
"So...about Anna and Nonoko...you got it, right?" she began tentatively.
Natsume just nodded, as she'd expected.
"I don't know if any of the other guys have picked up on it yet, but yes, Anna and Nonoko are the missing Ogasawara twins."
She waited to see if Natsume would have a reaction to this confirmation, but he showed none.
"They can no longer be identified by name or appearance, but of course, their DNA is the same. If they were ever suspected and subject to a test, we're fucked."
Mikan had mulled over this terrifying possibility for the past few hours, but now that she finally threw it out in the open, she was hit with another wave of apprehension. Fear was constantly in her system these days. Things were starting to become unstable and the worry was plaguing her dreams every night. She tried not to show it though. Natsume had seen enough of her weaknesses.
The other boy watched as Mikan struggled to control her emotions. She always did this. He knew that she wanted to stay strong in front of him for both of their sakes and that comforting her would only hurt her pride, so he played along, but it definitely wasn't fun to watch. He knew that she didn't want to be a burden to others, but what she didn't understand was that she could never be a burden to her friends. For now, he just made sure he was there the rare times she did reach out to him for consolation.
"They'll be fine," he said in a low voice, and it was a fact, not a reassurance.
Mikan knew Natsume wasn't one to tell white lies, no matter the situation.
"How are you always so certain?" She reached out and nudged his arm playfully, a ghost of a smile on her lips. "What are you, Superman?"
Natsume couldn't help the smirk.
"I'm better than Superman."
She rolled her eyes at this, but her smile grew wider. Natsume found himself staring at her lips.
This was the smile he wanted to protect.
And the lips he wanted to kiss.
Mikan was naturally an observant person, so she noticed when Natsume's eyes strayed downward, and it made her heart beat uncharacteristically fast. That's why she wasn't too surprised when he suddenly beckoned her over for his goodnight kiss. She stepped off of the bed and stood right in front of him. Natsume's eyes flickered momentarily to hers before they focused on her lips again. Then he turned so his cheek faced her and Mikan started to bend down. Everything seemed normal, but the whirlwind of butterflies in her stomach warned her that something was about to happen.
And it did.
She wasn't too surprised when Natsume turned his face back at the last second so that his lips met her own. That didn't stop it from feeling like fire and that didn't stop her reflexes from making her jump five feet backwards.
"You sneaky bastard."
She was surprised at how steady her voice was even as her face flushed uncontrollably and her lips burned. Natsume was silent, his dark crimson eyes watching her with amusement and undisguised longing and she knew he was asking for permission. She just stared at him, not sure how to respond but knowing she wanted more. A few moments later, he stood up and slowly walked over. She simultaneously stepped back until he had her pinned against the wall.
"Wow, you seem experienced," Mikan muttered distractedly as she looked at his arm and not his lips, just inches from hers.
"You were sneaky first," he whispered back huskily, and this made her smile a little.
"What are you, a kid—"
She never got to finish as Natsume closed the space between them and started kissing her fiercely. Her insides churned and melted and her senses dulled until all she knew was how she was kissing him and how her hands were in his hair and how he smelled wonderfully of trees and wood and cinnamon. It briefly crossed her mind how she'd been feeling unsatisfied just earlier and how funny this whole situation was, but that was soon swept away by the taste of his lips and how incredibly right it felt to be in his arms.
At some point, Mikan's legs had stopped functioning, but the wall provided some support so she didn't fall.
When they parted to breathe, Mikan managed to make out, "I...can't stand..." before Natsume lifted her up and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist.
A little voice in the back of her head barked something about being indecent, but she ignored it. She was barely ready when he kissed her again, his tongue finding its way between her parted lips and making her thankful that she no longer had to worry about standing. She kissed him back just as hard and he stumbled until his legs made contact with her bed and he fell backwards. She was still kissing him even as he landed on the bed, but pulled away shortly afterwards to breathe, propping herself up with an arm on each side of his head.
"Haha...what are we doing..." Mikan mumbled against his mouth before Natsume leaned up to silence her again.
And they kissed like that for a long time, Natsume making no move to pin her down, letting Mikan know that it was up to her when to stop. Her lips tasted like strawberry and he was completely intoxicated by her sweet scent and the enticing curve of her body on his. He knew that if their positions were switched, the little bit of self-control he had left would go to shit and everything would be over. He didn't want to cross that line yet. He didn't want to lose her trust.
When their lips finally parted for the last time, Mikan opened her eyes and stared at the boy underneath her, not sure and yet completely sure about her feelings at that moment. Natsume stared back at her with the same mix of desire and emotion in his crimson eyes, and before she could let herself kiss him again, Mikan rolled onto her back, catching her breath.
The two lay there in silence for a while, and the only sound in the room was their light breathing. Then Mikan covered her face with her hands and curled away from him.
"Ohhhhh my god." He heard her whisper shakily. "I can't believe that just happened."
"Dream come true?" Natsume drawled, and Mikan turned around to smack his arm weakly. "Stop being so full of yourself."
Silence enveloped them once again.
Silence was a little awkward in this situation.
"You're pretty good," Mikan casually commented as she stared at the ceiling. Obviously referring to his kissing.
For a scary moment, Natsume didn't respond and she was about ready to dig a hole to crawl into and die. Luckily for her, after a few long seconds, she heard, "You too."
Which made her very happy.
Silence again, and then, out of nowhere, Natsume turned to look at her, his crimson eyes conveying something that she couldn't quite grasp.
"Hey. Go out with me."
Mikan's breath hitched in her throat and she blinked. Did she just hear correctly? Did the Natsume Hyuuga just ask her out?
"What?" was the most intelligible thing she could sputter in response.
"Go out with me, little girl."
All things aside, he was still a rude shit.
"That last part was unnecessary."
"Fine. Go out with me."
His words were rough, but his eyes were sincere. At the same time, Mikan knew he was acting off of the remnants of adrenaline from before. Normal, level-headed, arrogant Natsume would never make such an impulsive request, and definitely not of this nature. She was actually quite surprised at herself. Her heart was a mumbo-jumbo of feelings, of joy and disbelief and embarrassment and desire, but her head was crystal clear.
"I can't."
Mikan currently had more important things to deal with than a relationship. Especially with the second round coming up in less than a month, she had to focus on dancing. Natsume didn't say anything, but he looked like he had expected this answer. He knew that Mikan was a girl who had her priorities straight.
"At least...not now," the brunette amended. "...but...after the second round...I'll think about it."
"Okay."
Natsume got up from the bed, and before Mikan could react, he bent down to place one last feather-light kiss on her lips. Then he climbed out of the window with a backhand wave and disappeared into the night. Mikan touched the place on her mouth where it still tingled and sighed, somewhat relieved but at the same time a little lonely. However, she felt a new sense of peace knowing that Natsume was just as interested in her as she was in him.
That night, sleep came slowly, but when it did, Mikan dreamt of crimson eyes and cinnamon kisses.
On the way back to his dorm, Natsume tripped five times and almost walked into a branch three times. He caught himself right before disaster each time, but that didn't hide the fact that he was not himself.
He'd finally gotten the kiss that he'd been starving for for the past few weeks, but he honestly hadn't expected such an eager response. And Mikan was, surprisingly, a good kisser. Like a really good kisser. This was the first time a girl had ever made his knees wobble, and Natsume definitely didn't hate the feeling. He smirked just thinking about her lips.
The little girl who smelt like strawberries and tasted like strawberries. It was sexy.
This was also the first time Natsume had asked a girl out. Making it the first time he'd been rejected. He actually hadn't planned to do it in the first place since he already knew what her answer would be, but in the heat of the moment, his mouth had betrayed him. Mikan answered just as he thought she would, but a rejection was still a rejection. Truthfully, amidst all of the undesirable girls that had approached him the last few years, this was quite refreshing. He also knew that the rejection wasn't because she wasn't interested, and that was thrilling in its own way.
Natsume walked through his dorm door to a still-lit living room, where Koko was watching TV on the couch. All of the guys were night owls, so they discovered his nightly activities relatively soon after he started. Not that he really tried to hide it, anyways. Mikan had told him that the other girls were pretty much aware of his visits as well, even though they had never seen him. Fortunately, both parties didn't really care—if anything, they were supportive. Unfortunately, interrogations were inevitable on Natsume's end because he usually ran into Koko on his way back. The other guys generally respected his privacy; Kitsu sometimes threw in a question or two, but that was it, and that was tolerable. Koko, however, was a nosy motherfucker and Natsume cursed him and his TV binges that sometimes kept him up until the wee hours of the morning.
Said twin glanced over upon his entrance and his face immediately broke into a lecherous grin.
"Welcome back, Natsume," he sang. "My amazing detective skills are telling me that something good happened."
Natsume knew that he meant his swollen lips, but he didn't feel the need to give any details. He brushed past the sandy-haired boy and headed to his room, with Koko's obnoxious giggles behind him. On the way, he passed Kitsu's open door and saw the other twin lying on his bed, reading a book. Kitsu had been reading a lot lately. The other guys didn't know where he was getting these books from, but he was clearly very happy reading them, so they let him be. Yuu's door was halfway closed so he couldn't see the boy, but he could hear him talking to someone on the phone. He seemed to be comforting them, and Natsume's senses told him it was probably a certain pink-haired girl. Ruka's door was completely shut, but Natsume knew he was probably on his laptop, doing his own thing.
He went inside his own room and closed the door before flopping onto his bed. The scene of himself kissing Mikan kept replaying in his head. He still felt the soft pressure of her lips and smelled her sweet scent on his skin.
"Mine," he whispered into the darkness for the world to hear.
Her smiling face was the last thing on his mind before he fell asleep.
The girls informed the guys of their plans to go back to Miyazaki for the weekend. It was only two days, but they made a huge fuss about it.
"Who's going to cook for us?" Koko was horrified. "What are we going to eat?"
"Makes me wonder how you survived last year," Sumire sniffed distastefully.
"That's the thing, Sumire," Koko deadpanned. "I didn't."
"Stop being such a drama queen," Kitsu rolled his eyes at his brother. "Anna and Nonoko have to visit their parents."
"We'll be fine," Yuu assured the girls, his eyes lingering on Anna's for an extended amount of time. "Don't worry."
"You girls be careful, alright?" Ruka cautioned, his knitted brows giving away his unease. "Don't get involved with strangers. Don't do anything irrational—"
"Oh my god, Ruka, please," Mikan snorted. "We were raised on the streets."
"That's what I'm worried about," the blonde muttered.
Hotaru put a hand on his arm and he looked up at her, worry written all over his face.
"I'll take care of it," she told him, and her hard amethyst eyes showed promise.
She squeezed his arm for extra assurance and Ruka relaxed slightly. Mikan smiled as she saw this. She was glad Ruka had been able to warm up to Hotaru. Hotaru was so intimidating most of the time that too many people missed out on getting to know an amazing girl. Ruka was lucky. Her eyes then wandered until they met crimson and her smile grew softer.
"See ya in two days," she mouthed as she waved to goodbye to everyone.
Natsume seemed to pause for a moment and Mikan thought he just wasn't going to say anything, but right before she turned around, he mouthed back, "Be safe."
She grinned and made an 'ok' sign with her fingers. Then the girls grabbed their bags and left campus grounds.
The girls got to Miyazaki without incident, this time spared from any plane delays. Mikan had visited her uncle earlier that week to ask for money for the flight there and back and he gladly supplied her with it, as this was the first time since coming to the academy that she had requested anything from him. Well, except for firing Ms. Yusaki Patricia, but that lady had been on probation for a while, so it was bound to happen sooner or later. While she was there, Kazumi asked her how she was faring and apologized for the entire necklace fiasco, but Mikan reassured him that the problem had been solved for now and that he didn't have to worry. She had gotten a lot better at communicating with her uncle. There was still some existing tension, but things were definitely a lot less awkward than the first time they had talked.
The girls successfully surprised Akira and the other boys on their doorstep and spent the day catching up with them and discussing the impending second round. It felt good to have the entirety of Circus together again, so of course they had to meet up with some other fellows and have a dance battle on the old basketball court. The next day, Anna and Nonoko were up with the sun and set about cleaning their parents' shrine in the living room. They went out to buy some fresh fruit and flowers and returned before any of the other girls were awake. By the time Mikan stepped out of her room, yawning, the shrine was looking phenomenal and Anna was in the kitchen making breakfast.
"Good morning, Yuuko, Keiichi." Mikan stood in front of the shrine and bowed respectfully. "Your daughters are great dancers and great friends, as always. Hella things happened this year so they have a lot to tell you guys. Look forward to it. Thank you for always watching over us."
Anna smiled as she watched the brunette straighten and make her way over to the dining table right next to the kitchen.
"You didn't give them any spoilers, did you?" she joked.
"Nope," Mikan laughed. "Don't worry, I leave the juicy details to you."
Breakfast was tamagoyaki, which Anna made magnificently well, and the twins saved a plate for their parents. Then the two of them settled down in front of the shrine and closed their eyes.
Mikan, Sumire, and Hotaru decided to give them some space and left quietly with plans to meet up with the boys. Anna and Nonoko would take at least two hours, so until then, they could kill some time.
At the basketball courts, Akira walked up to the three girls with three penny boards in tow. Mikan's eyes instantly bugged out.
"No fucking way." She gaped at the boards and then at Akira's triumphant smile and a huge grin slowly made its way onto her face.
"I know you've always wanted one of your own."
"Akira, I love you!" She launched herself at the other boy and hugged him in glee.
The dirty blonde laughed and ruffled her hair endearingly before handing her the pastel orange board.
"Have fun. Don't be too reckless," he told her.
"Okie dokie!" Mikan grabbed the board and gave Akira one more hug before she was off.
"How'd you get them?" Hotaru shook her head at the overexcited brunette and accepted her pastel purple board, running it under an analytical eye. "These are made well. About $200 each, I'd guess."
Sumire, who had been admiring her lime green board, almost dropped it in alarm.
"$200?!" Her mouth was open as she stared at Akira in disbelief.
Akira chuckled.
"Wow Hotaru, you're good. That was the original price, but we have hella connections, remember? Got these babies for next to nothing."
"Oh good," Sumire sighed in relief. "Thank god."
"We have a pink one and a blue one for Anna and Nonoko, but I'm assuming they're with their parents?" Akira gave the apartment a knowing glance.
Hotaru just nodded and Mikan came skating back over.
"Ugghhh, I forgot how much I missed boarding," she moaned happily. "Where are the other guys?"
"Already at the skate park," Akira replied. "Let's go."
He whipped out his own red penny board and the four of them headed off, but not before delivering a shipment to the girls' apartment door.
Two and a half hours later, Anna and Nonoko stepped out of the apartment only to find two penny boards propped up against the wall right outside. They immediately knew where the others were and after fangirling over the boards for a moment, hurried over to the skate park.
Mikan wiped out a decent amount of times, but the injuries weren't severe and she was having a lot of fun. She made a point to send Natsume a video of her boarding with the text: Don't get too board without me.
He replied in ten minutes.
That was disgusting.
She laughed to herself. She could totally picture him rolling his eyes. Two minutes later,
Don't trip and fall, little girl.
Now it was Mikan's turn to roll her eyes.
NOT a little girl. I'll trip and fall if I want to.
She could see him snorting.
Have fun.
Will do.
Then she shoved her phone back into her back pocket and re-joined the others. The rest of the day passed by quickly and before the girls knew it, it was time to return to the academy.
"Bring the penny boards with you," Akira motioned to them. "You'll get around faster."
Mikan grinned. "You guys are really awesome sometimes, y'know?"
"Just sometimes?" Haru joked.
"Thanks for the advice about the second round too," Nonoko added. "We'll definitely make use of it."
"No problem," Yuki smiled. "Improvisation is your forte, girls. You'll do great."
There was another round of hugs and then the girls were off, lugging their bags behind them.
"Come visit again!" Ryuu yelled after them. "Or we'll go over there!"
"Good luck!" Tadashi called.
The girls all laughed and waved. Then a taxi came and they were gone.
"Oh, we forgot to ask about the guys," Haru realized. "I wonder how they're doing."
"I'm sure they're fine," Akira smirked. "They can take care of themselves."
"We should be worrying about ourselves first," Yuki mused as the five boys turned to face another young man emerging from a dark alleyway.
"Rei, get off of our territory," Ryuu sighed. "Isn't this getting old?"
"No 'thank you' for making myself scarce the past two days for your little girlfriends?" the dark-haired boy snickered.
A whole gang of delinquents walked up behind him and Akira groaned internally. Did this guy have to make it a party every time?
"First, they aren't our girlfriends," Tadashi corrected, unfazed. "Second, they could beat all of your asses to the moon and back any day. But fine, thank you. Now is this really necessary?" He gestured to the hostile crowd. "How many times has this not worked and how many times will it take your dense ass to learn?"
"I'm persistent," Rei just shrugged. "Deal with it."
Haru rolled his eyes and dropped into a fighting stance, as did the other boys.
"This is sooo fucking annoying," Akira scowled.
"We could've told the girls. I'm sure they would've done something extravagant," Tadashi commented.
Akira shook his head. "Maybe, but they have to focus on the tournament. We can take care of ourselves too."
"True," the orange-haired boy agreed.
"Fuck, I'm tired," Ryuu frowned. "This is such a dragggg."
And then the first guy charged and the fighting began.
The girls, completely oblivious to the fact that a brawl had broken out right after they'd left, were soon faced with their own problem. The flight back had gone rather smoothly, although their ears had still been tortured, but the girls all got back on the ground in one piece. Leaving the airport, they hailed a taxi and Mikan started rummaging around her bag for cash.
That was when she realized she'd fucked up.
"Shit."
A taxi pulled up besides them and she immediately waved it away. The driver first looked confused, then annoyed, and stepped on the gas. The other girls all stared at her, waiting for an explanation.
"We don't have any money left," Mikan announced grimly.
Jaws hit the ground.
"Mikan, the academy is two fucking hours away from here," Sumire enunciated.
"Yes, I fucking know," the brunette snapped, more angry at herself than anything else. "I..." She took a deep breath and stared at the ground. "...forgot to take into account the taxi fare from the Miyazaki airport to our apartment and back. So we ran out."
The girls digested that and stood in silence for a while. Then Anna came up and put an gentle hand on Mikan's arm.
"It's okay, Mikan, everybody makes mistakes. We'll figure something out."
Mikan looked at her gratefully, but she still felt horribly guilty.
"Can you try calling your uncle?" Nonoko suggested.
Mikan thought about that, but she ultimately shook her head.
"Since he's the principal of the Alice Academy, he can't really book a taxi for a few girls at the airport without explaining why. Normal students wouldn't be able to get their principals to book taxis for them. Also, it's late and I don't want to trouble him."
The time on the clock in front of the airport read 11:39pm. The guys were probably expecting them, since they'd said they would be back around 1am. Now the question was if they would ever get back.
"The guys," Mikan realized, and a lightbulb flickered on in her head.
At her statement, the other girls seemed to come to the same conclusion. Mikan immediately dialed Natsume's number and waited, biting her lip. She heard the sound of the receiver picking up.
What?
"Natsume!" she practically yelled into the phone. "Do you think you can send a ride over to the Tokyo airport somehow?"
There was a pause on the phone, and then he responded.
Why?
"We don't have enough money for a taxi. I fucked up."
Figures.
Mikan bristled, but decided now was not the time to quarrel.
"So? Can you do it?"
She could practically hear his smirk over the phone.
Is there anything I can't do, little girl?
Mikan rolled her eyes and the other girls exchanged amused looks, guessing the nature of their conversation.
"Awesome, thanks. We'll be here."
And then she hung up.
"We're good," she said, before sighing heavily. "Time to wait an hour and a half for them to get here."
"At least we have a ride back now," Anna chirped, forever optimistic.
The girls sat down on the curb with their bags piled on their legs, staring out at the dazzling city lights. Twenty minutes of staring later, Mikan was starting to feel boredom gnawing at her brain. Groaning, she stood up and dusted herself off, slinging her bag over her shoulder.
"Where are you going?" Hotaru grabbed her arm to stop her.
"C'mon, lets walk around the city." Mikan clasped her fingers around Hotaru's arm instead and tugged lightly. "I'm bored to death."
Sumire and Anna looked at the city longingly and were about to agree, but Nonoko bluntly brought them back to reality.
"You told them we'd be here, so we should stay."
Mikan scoffed. "We'll be back by then, don't worry. I just want to have a look around."
"I'm tired. I'm not going anywhere," the blue-haired twin stubbornly refused.
Mikan frowned. "Hmph, fine. Then you can sit here and watch our bags while we explore. Actually, that works out perfectly."
She tossed her back next to Nonoko and looked expectantly at Sumire and Anna.
"Then we'll go with Mikan!" Anna jumped up and set down her bag. Sumire did the same, looking just as excited. "Thanks, Noko!"
Her twin just scoffed.
"Hotaru?" Mikan attempted, but she already knew the answer before the other girl replied.
"I'm staying."
"Yup, thought so. Okay, we'll be back!"
And the trio ventured off into the bustling streets.
Little did Mikan know, she had fucked up again.
One minute, the girls were happily window-shopping and enjoying the lively city atmosphere, and the next minute, Anna was gone.
"Anna?" Mikan and Sumire halted in their tracks, urgently scanning the hordes of people around them.
Mikan's senses were tingling and she knew something was wrong. Suddenly, beneath the swirl of city noises, she thought she heard a muffled sound of protest and whipped around just in time to see a flash of pink disappearing into a dark alley. The two girls were there in flash and saw an unconscious Anna being dragged behind a corner. Mikan's anger flared and they were hot on their tails, straying farther and farther from the comforting sounds of nightlife. Finally, the girls reached a dead end and were confronted by a gang of smelly, disgusting men.
Anna had been thrown onto the ground a few feet away and was being oogled at by dozens of hungry eyes, but before Mikan could charge forward to snatch her back, a wall of men materialized between her and the pinkette.
"Get the fuck out of my way," she growled, her amber eyes dark and menacing.
The men were momentarily intimidated, but they brushed it off and sneered back.
"Oh yeah?" One of the bums stepped forward and got right into her face. Mikan tried not to gag from his sour breath. "What's a skimpy girl like you going to do? Slap us?"
The rest of his mates burst into harsh laughter as if that was the funniest thing in the world. Mikan just rolled her eyes. One of the men in the back ran a grimy hand through Anna's pink locks and licked his lips—Mikan could tell he was mentally undressing her. Sumire seethed and started to advance, but the brunette stopped her. They both weren't unfamiliar with these kinds of situations, but this was the first time one of their friends had been held captive. Back in Miyazaki, their group had a pretty big reputation, so other gangs didn't dare approach them with such intentions for fear of certain death. However, here in Tokyo, they were nobodies. And they had let their guard down.
Mikan briefly remembered Akira telling her that Tokyo gangs were the real deal and that she shouldn't go around messing with them. Not that she had a choice anymore, but were these fat, ugly doofuses really the real deal?
Mikan cringed her nose in disgust. Regardless, they had to be careful. They didn't know what sick tricks these bastards had up their sleeves. As if to confirm her suspicions, she heard the clicks of pocketknives come to life all around her.
"Oh great," Sumire groaned. "I hadn't planned on killing anybody tonight but I guess that idea's out of the fucking window."
"Our primary objective is to get Anna out," Mikan hissed. "They have numbers. No unnecessary fighting. We can't risk getting her hurt."
She adjusted to a defensive stance and watched the enemy closely. They needed to find an opening, somehow. Sumire wasn't pleased, but she followed suit, seeing the truth in the brunette's words.
Then one of the vermin snickered and lifted Anna's shirt, having the audacity to stick his grimy hands under there. Mikan saw red. Another man cackled at her reaction and approached her, knife bared.
"I suggest you tramps behave or else—" He didn't get to finish before he was sent flying.
Sumire raised an eyebrow at her livid friend while the rest of the gang members just blinked in surprise. The bastard who had been groping Anna paused momentarily.
"I thought you said no unnecessary fighting?"
But her poisonous green eyes showed that she was just as furious. Mikan growled, more angry than she had ever been.
"Fuck that shit. There's gonna be blood tonight."
Hahahaha, left it at a tortuous cliffhanger, but don't worry, I'm bursting with ideas rn :)
I might be able to get another chapter up within the week, but we'll see.
Hope y'all enjoyed! Reviews help my motivation :)))
-momocandy