Chapter 14: Plant Me By The Water

Saturday, July 9th, 2016

After showering, Natsume and Mikan dressed in nice, but simple attire for that evening's family dinner. Natsume chose a soft black polo and a pair of khaki shorts while Mikan dressed in her new off-the-shoulder, short black dress and accessorized it with her mother's pearl stud earrings and the ring that Natsume had given her on their date. Her hair flowed behind her in streaks of gold, caramel, and honey as she skipped merrily down the stairs to meet him on the landing above the foyer. Natsume almost smiled at her appearance. He loved that she was wearing his ring again, a symbolic reminder of how things had changed between them over the past week. He considered complimenting her, but didn't get a chance to as the front door opened wide. Mikan squealed with delight as she raced down the steps to throw her arms around her best friend, who was the first to step into the open foyer.

"Hotaru! I missed you! I'm so happy you're back!"

Hotaru rolled her eyes, but allowed her best friend to get her fill of hugging her, knowing that otherwise the girl would only whine. "Hello, baka."

Mikan leaned back to grin broadly at the rest of the group making their way into the house. "Welcome back, everyone!" She quickly exchanged hugs with Ruka.

"Did anything exciting happen while we were gone?" the handsome teenager asked, his sapphire eyes twinkling mischievously.

Mikan grinned back. "Tons! We've had a busy week."

"Oh, yeah?" Ruka glanced up the stairs at Natsume. "You'll have to tell us all about it later."

"Okay! I want to hear about your trip to Hong Kong, too," Mikan chirped, happily looping her arm through Hotaru's.

Natsume watched coolly as Ruka climbed the stairs to approach him, the blonde's face plastered with a hopeful grin. "So? Do you have good news for me?"

Natsume smirked. "Nice to see you, too, Ruka."

Ruka rolled his eyes and punched Natsume's shoulder. "Dude, I haven't harassed you once this week to ask how things have been going between you and Mikan-chan, and Hotaru told Mikan-chan not to bother her while we were gone, so I haven't even heard anything through the grapevine, but now I want to know. Is she or isn't she your girlfriend?"

Natsume instantly replied, "No, she's not my girlfriend."

Ruka's face fell. "Please tell me that you at least spent time together."

"We spent time together."

Ruka blew out a breath and smiled. "Well, I guess that's about as good as I realistically hoped for, so good, I'm glad that you two at least saw each other while we were gone. What'd you guys do?"

"This and that," Natsume answered smoothly. He was looking forward to seeing his best friend's reaction when he eventually found out about his date with Mikan, but wanted to allow the secret to come out naturally in later conversation. Ruka had been egging him on enough this summer that Natsume wanted to shock him a little in return. "We might as well save our breath for when we exchange stories over dinner. I know that the baka is dying to hear all about your adventures in Hong Kong."

The four friends headed upstairs so that Ruka and Hotaru could freshen up and change for dinner. Mikan sat on Hotaru's bed as she chatted away happily, asking her best friend all about her travels. Hotaru kept her answers short as she dressed in a short, lavender dress. She refused to discuss their stay in Hong Kong or visit with Ruka's parents, not wanting to have to repeat herself later when they joined the rest of their friends for dinner, so she stuck to describing the journey there and back. Mikan didn't say anything about her own activities over the past week as she was wholeheartedly focused on her friend and Hotaru didn't ask; there would be time for that later.

By the time the four teenagers made it back downstairs, Kaoru-san and Aoi's entourage had arrived. Aoi rushed at Mikan, throwing her arms around her and squealing excitedly. "How was your week?! Do you have any news?!" She ignored her brother's bland stare.

Mikan smiled brightly. "We had a great week! A lot's been going on. There was this big thunderstorm and we lost power for almost 24 hours! But let's talk about that later. I want to hear about your week at Nobara-chan's house."

"Aoi-chan, run upstairs and change before you get too deep in conversation. You'll have plenty of time to chat over dinner and Sakura-ojii-san should be here any minute," Kaoru-san instructed her daughter.

"Yes, ma'am," Aoi answered, hurrying up the steps without waiting for her friends. She wanted to be quick so that they could start talking. Not long afterwards, she came prancing back downstairs wearing a simple white sundress covered in yellow sunflowers.

As soon as Sakura-ojii-san arrived, everyone headed for the formal dining room. The adults sat at the end of the long table, followed by the youths; Hotaru, Mikan, and Aoi sat across from Natsume and Ruka. As soon as the meal had been served, Mikan smiled broadly at Hotaru. "That's a beautiful necklace, Hotaru."

Hotaru pursed her lips as Ruka grinned broadly, an unusually self-satisfied look on his princely face. "Thank you," she answered Mikan simply.

Ruka snickered. "Aren't you going to tell her where you got it, sweetheart?"

Hotaru narrowed her eyes at him and smirked. "Tell her yourself, dear. It's your victory story."

"Victory story?" Mikan questioned, confused.

Ruka grinned broadly, quite pleased with himself, as he explained, "That necklace is from the jewelry store we visited in Owase. Hotaru liked it, but I pretended not to care so that I could surprise her with it later. As you know, Hotaru is brilliant, so I knew that she would most likely guess that my indifference was just a ruse to throw her off, so the real surprise had to be when I gave it to her. It would have made the most sense for me to give it to her for birthday or Christmas, but I can't surprise Hotaru by doing what makes sense, so I gave it to her as a random present, completely out of the blue, while we were in Hong Kong. You should have seen the way she froze when she saw it! I totally got her that time!"

"Really?" Mikan grinned, turning to Hotaru. "He actually managed to surprise you?"

Hotaru smirked. "Yes, he did." She wasn't going to say it, but she found her boyfriend particularly attractive when his cleverness actually worked, although she still liked how adorable he looked when he lost. Ruka somehow managed to combine genuine chivalry with clever wit, giving him a delightfully devious sort of charm that she relished. He wasn't quite as innocent a handsome prince as many of his admirers thought.

"You two are weird sometimes," Aoi giggled.

Ruka grinned. "But we're perfect for each other." Smirking slyly at Natsume, he said, "Speaking of being perfect together, how did you two spend your week?"

Natsume smirked. "Breathing."

Mikan laughed at his useless answer. "We did a ton of stuff, but I want to hear about what you guys did first. How was Hong Kong? How was Nobara-chan's place?"

Ruka sighed, thwarted once again from hearing any details about their week together. As they ate dinner, Ruka and Hotaru described their time in Hong Kong. It sounded like they'd had a great time with beautiful weather. Mikan and Aoi both chimed in with questions here and there. Ren-san and Lina-san both seemed to be doing well. They'd asked Ruka to pass along their love and let everyone know that they hoped to be home for a few days after school started. Mikan was sorry to hear that she wouldn't get to see them this summer, but that wasn't terribly unusual with the busy schedules the two professionals kept. When Ruka and Hotaru had finished their tale, Aoi shared about her week at Nobara-chan's house in Tokyo. The two girls had attended a party together, played karaoke, gotten their nails done, and a host of other girly things. Nobara's parents had taken them out for a fancy dinner one night. Another day, Nobara's mother and aunt had taken them out for afternoon tea. Nobara's older cousin had escorted them to a shopping mall where they'd met up with their close friend Yoichi (Yo-chan for short). They'd spent a lot of time with the boy throughout the week, but he'd refused to join them for anything too girly for his tastes.

As their dinner plates were being whisked away, Kaoru-san informed them that Hatsuharu-san and Tohru-san would be coming for a visit around Sakura-ojii-san's birthday in a couple of weeks. Mikan grinned excitedly. Her friends' fathers hadn't made it out to Makikawa for a visit yet this summer and Mikan loved the idea of them being there for her grandfather's birthday party.

Futaka-san had made a smooth, rich Japanese cheesecake for dessert, which was served with tea and fresh berries. As they ate the cool, sweat treat, Aoi grinned at her brother before saying, "So Mikan-nee, now that we've all told you about our week, tell us about yours. What have you and Onii-chan been up to while we've all been gone?"

Natsume ate his dessert coolly as Mikan began narrating happily. "We didn't really see each other much over the weekend, but we hiked all the way up to the top of the mountain Monday morning. It was so pretty up there! Want to see a picture?" She pulled out her cell phone to show them the picture she'd snapped of the two of them standing on the mountaintop with Makikawa and the vast ocean spread out behind them.

Hotaru smirked. "I'll have to bring my camera next time we go all the way up."

Mikan grinned. "That'd be awesome! The view is so spectacular. I bet you could get some incredible shots."

Ruka squinted at the photo from across the table. "The sky looks kind of dark. Is that just the picture?"

"No, the sky was really overcast. We got a lot of rain this week. In fact, we pretty much just sat around watching TV the rest of that day because it rained not long after we got back."

Ruka quirked an eyebrow and grinned at his best friend. "So you two watched TV alone together, huh? You didn't torture poor Mikan-chan with anything too scary, did you, Natsume?"

Natsume smirked. "She was fine."

Mikan smiled. "We chose what to watch together, Ruka-pyon. We watched this anime called The Devil Is A Part-Timer! that Koko recommended. It was really funny! You guys should watch it sometime!" She paused to sip her tea and enjoy another bite of her cheesecake before continuing. "Anyway, Ikeda-san took us out on the boat Tuesday morning while it wasn't raining and we played with a two-person inflatable." She grinned excitedly as she announced, "And guess what? I beat Natsume at a bet!"

Hotaru cocked an eyebrow, her interest peaked. She smirked in amusement at Natsume as she asked, "Really? How so?"

Mikan bounced in her chair and swung her legs beneath the table as she spoke. "He thought that he could throw me off the inflatable while driving the boat and I bet that he couldn't, and I won! Natsume's a maniac; he actually flipped the inflatable with his crazy driving, but I didn't lose my grip. It was so awesome! Now he owes me a favor, my choice," she finished smugly.

Hotaru's eyes gleamed. "Good job, Mikan. Be sure to save that favor for something good. Don't waste it on something trivial like changing his movie choice or something."

Natsume stared back at the stoic girl dryly. "Teaching her how to be devious, Imai?"

Hotaru took a dainty bite of her cheesecake. "Well, she's not going to learn it from you lot."

Aoi giggled. "So what did you do next, Mikan-nee?"

Mikan swallowed her last bite and set down her fork. After licking her lips, she continued. "We just hung out for awhile after that because we thought it was going to rain, but when it didn't, we went grocery shopping. I think we just chilled at the temple for the rest of the day after that. That was Tuesday, right?" she asked Natsume questioningly.

He nodded. "That was the night we watched Going By The Book with your grandfather."

Mikan perked up. "Oh, yeah! It was so funny, you guys. Even Jii-chan was howling with laughter. So then on Wednesday, Natsume took me on a date to Owase and we—"

"He what?!"

Mikan jumped, startled by Ruka's loud exclamation. Aoi had dropped her fork with a noisy clatter at the same time and Hotaru's hand had paused briefly while lifting her cup of tea to her lips, her violet eyes immediately locking on Natsume's face. The adults paused their conversation at the sudden commotion. With a twinkle in her scarlet eyes, Kaoru-san leaned over to whisper to Saki-san, whose soft violet eyes widened slightly as her look of concerned confusion became a warm smile. "Really?" she whispered in response. Kaoru-san nodded while Sakura-ojii-san chuckled softly as he reached for his tea.

"H-he took me to Owase," Mikan stuttered, blinking wide-eyed at Ruka, whose gaping mouth was quickly becoming an enormous grin.

"As a date?"

Mikan nodded.

"Natsume actually asked you out on a date?"

She nodded again.

"And you really said yes?"

Mikan looked puzzled. "Yes?"

"Why?"

She blinked. "Why what?"

"Why did you say yes?"

Mikan glanced at Natsume, then back at Ruka. Aoi fisted her hands in her skirt in excited anticipation, her eyes riveted on Mikan's face. "Because I like him."

"Kyaa!" Aoi squealed, clapping her hands and bouncing in her seat as Ruka whirled towards Natsume, who was smirking smugly as he took a large bite of his dessert.

"You jerk," Ruka spat with a huge smile. "'This and that,' huh? Liar!"

Natsume cocked an eyebrow, enjoying his best friend's shock and delight. "I did tell you to just leave it alone."

Mikan's eyes darted around the group uncertainly. "Is that bad, Ruka-pyon, that Natsume and I went out together?"

Ruka spun back around to face her, his face slightly aghast. "What? No! No, not at all. It's great!" His face returned to looking pleased as he quickly tried to reassure her without saying anything that his best friend might deem unnecessary. "I think you two could be really good together. I'm just so surprised that Natsume actually took a girl out on a date. He never has, you know."

"Did you have a good time?" Aoi asked, barely containing her excitement.

Mikan smiled broadly. "I had a great time! It was a lot of fun. We went to an arcade and saw the new Captain America movie." She gasped as if suddenly thinking of something important. "Natsume took down a drug dealer!" Her friends blinked. Mikan animatedly told the story of their misadventure in the park.

"Wow, Onii-chan, you're a hero!" Aoi teased with a wide grin.

Hotaru smirked sarcastically. "Yeah, a regular knight in shining armor."

"He was awesome!" Mikan praised. Tilting her head curiously at him, she commented, "You know, I only just realized though that you didn't take your own advice. Why didn't you run or scream for help? That's what you told me to do in that kind of situation."

"You can't fight," Natsume answered simply.

Thinking that his words were the reason behind his advice to her and not an explanation for his own actions in the park, she repeated, "Which is one of the reasons that I should run or call for help, but why didn't you? Shouldn't you avoid fighting, too, if at all possible?"

"It wasn't possible." Natsume set his fork down, having cleared his dessert plate. "If I'd tried to call for help, you would have heard me and come out of the restroom. If I'd run, they might have just let me go and still been there when you eventually came out. Either scenario would have led to them finding out that you were there, which needed to be avoided because, like I said, you can't fight. It was a small miracle that you stayed hidden even when you did come out."

Mikan blushed at the realization that he'd put himself in harm's way specifically to protect her. Beside her, Aoi grinned. "Aw, you fought to protect Mikan-nee, Onii-chan? You might make a decent boyfriend after all."

Natsume smirked. "I'd have fought to protect you, too, Aoi. It's what I'm trained to do."

Ruka grinned. "You really thought on the fly like that? You might have a decent future with HDI after all," he teased.

Mikan's gaze turned to Hotaru, who looked back at her with a small, amused smile on her lips. "It sounds like you kept your head on straight for a change, baka."

Mikan beamed. "I did. Even the police officer said that I did a good job!"

"Tell us more about your date, Mikan-nee!"

Mikan turned back to Aoi. "Kaoru-san asked us to come back to Makikawa after that, so we picked up some desserts from a pastry shop and brought them home with us. Futaka-san made dinner for us and we watched a movie until the power went out. We played a round of Splendor by the light of one of your emergency lanterns and I won! Then we ate dessert and went to sleep. The desserts were insanely good! We have got to go back to that pastry shop next time we visit Owase!" Mikan chirped enthusiastically.

"Did anything else happen on your big date?" Ruka asked with a mischievous smirk, glancing at Natsume.

Mikan grinned. "Yes!" Natsume raised an eyebrow at her, curious if she was actually going to mention their kiss. So far, she'd left that detail out of her narrative and he didn't think that she was the type to kiss and tell. He was proven correct when she held up her right hand and said, "He gave me this! Isn't it pretty? He got it for me at a little shop we stopped by while I wasn't looking."

Hotaru's eyebrows rose as she looked at the ring. Turning her gaze to Natsume, she commented, "I'm impressed, Hyuuga. It seems you do know how to be brave sometimes."

Natsume smirked as he tossed back sarcastically, "Thanks, Imai."

Aoi squealed. "I'm so proud of you, Onii-chan!"

Mikan laughed. "He did a great job, Aoi-chan! It was a really nice date."

"So are you guys dating now?" Aoi asked excitedly.

Mikan shook her head. Natsume caught his mother's eye to indicate that she would want to listen before he spoke. "We're not going to put a label on this, Aoi. Polka Dots and I have talked. We like each other, but officially, we're still just friends. We're going to do this our way at our pace, so no, we're not 'dating' even if we end up going on other dates. I'd appreciate it if you'd all do your best to give us space and that definitely means letting us control the flow of information. In other words, I don't want to get a phone call from Koko tomorrow asking how my first date went." He looked hard at his best friend, who smiled broadly.

"We get it, Natsume. This is important and we won't screw it up for you two."

"I won't tell anyone, Onii-chan, Mikan-nee."

Mikan smiled. "Thank you, Ruka-pyon, everyone. It's not exactly a secret, but it'd be nice to maintain a little privacy."

As they drank their tea, Mikan told them about the rockslide at the Watanabe farm and the subsequent clean-up that they'd participated in. She briefly described their lazy Friday, the cleaning they'd done at the temple that morning, and their afternoon swim. When everyone had finished their tea and cheesecake, the adults retired to the ground floor parlor to chat and relax while the youngsters went outside to walk around the beach and admire the sunset. As they made their way down the front steps, Aoi invited Mikan to spend the night, but her invitation was quickly declined.

"I'm sorry, Aoi-chan, but I have to clean the temple tomorrow, so I should just go home with Jii-chan tonight."

Natsume cocked an eyebrow at her curiously. "We just cleaned the temple today, Polka Dots."

Mikan smiled. "We cleaned the outside of the temple, but I need to clean the inside tomorrow. The Divine Commissioners are coming on Monday."

Mikan's friends looked at her in surprise. Natsume's eyebrows drew together as he asked, "Why didn't you say anything about it this week?"

Mikan shrugged. "It's not a big deal, so I just didn't mention it."

Ruka chipped in, "The Divine Commissioners only visit from the head temple once every three years, Mikan-chan. That alone makes it kind of a big deal."

Mikan laughed. "That's true, but they're just a handful of nice old men and they're just checking on us. I wear my miko clothes, I serve tea and lunch, I sit quietly unless I'm asked a question, sometimes they ask me to perform a ritual or something, and then they leave. Jii-chan does most of the talking. It's really not anything to worry about, but I do need to make sure that the temple is pristine for their visit. We made any small repairs while getting ready for the Summer Solstice Festival, so I'll just be doing a deep cleaning tomorrow."

Hotaru hummed. "They don't stay overnight, right?"

"No, they're usually just passing through on their way to one of the larger temples, like the one in Owase." As they walked along the beach, Mikan suddenly turned to her friends and said, "Oh, yeah! I almost forgot. I wanted to ask you guys about something that Natsume said during our date. Hotaru, Ruka-pyon, what's a fetish?"

Ruka and even Aoi froze, then whirled around to gaze at Natsume in hysterical astonishment. Hotaru raised both eyebrows at the teenage boy, who gazed blandly at his crush. "Thanks, Polka Dots."

Ruka's mouth hung open and his eyes were wide as he stared at Natsume. "What the crap, Natsume? Really?"

"Onii-chan! You have such a dirty mind."

"You've impressed me twice tonight, Mikan," Hotaru complimented her friend with a pleased smirk. "It seems like you remembered my suggestion."

Their friends looked at the violet-eyed beauty curiously. "What suggestion?" Ruka asked his girlfriend.

Mikan smiled innocently, her hands clasped behind her back. Hotaru smirked. "Oh, she knows what a fetish is; she's naïve, but not that naïve. I told her that sometime when Hyuuga says something perverted to her, she should try innocently asking what he's talking about. Bringing it up right now was just meant to get him in trouble with the rest of us."

Natsume met Mikan's eyes. She fluttered her eyelashes at him sweetly. "Gotcha!"

Mikan whooped as she took off across the sandy beach, hotly pursued by Natsume. Ruka and Aoi laughed and Hotaru smirked as they watched him easily capture his prey, throw her over his shoulder, and make for the water's edge. Mikan shrieked and hollered, apologizing for her joke and begging him to spare her.

Natsume's revenge was carried out swiftly with a short fall and a loud splash.

After Natsume dropped her in the ocean fully clothed on Saturday night, Mikan went back to the vacation house with Hotaru. While she showered and changed, Hotaru asked her for a more detailed explanation of what had happened between her and Natsume, romantically speaking. Mikan didn't hesitate to admit to her best friend that they'd kissed several times, held hands, and snuggled. Hotaru could easily read her friend's happiness as she described the fun and warmth that she'd felt from being with Natsume, so she had only one piece of advice. "As long as you're comfortable, then do whatever you'd like."

Mikan didn't see any of her friends the next day while she cleaned and prepared the temple for its tri-annual inspection, but she did get to see them on Monday evening after the Divine Commissioners had come and gone. Mikan had been correct; the kindly older gentlemen in traditional Shinto priest robes had spent a pleasant visit at the temple without any problems or issues noted. Mikan herself hadn't even been needed the entire time and was allowed to do as she pleased while her grandfather sat in the main worship hall with the old men discussing the running of Makikawa Temple. After seeing them on their way, Mikan changed out of her miko attire and headed to the vacation house to see her friends again after their long week apart.

The days that followed were some of the best that the group of friends had ever spent together in Makikawa. Their activities were much the same as they had always been, but Natsume and Mikan's new standing with each other painted everything in a brighter, happier hue. They weren't a showy pair, but when they felt like holding hands, they did. When they felt like sitting next to each other, they did. If they felt like cuddling up with each other while watching TV, they did. Mikan was more openly affectionate with Natsume and he was more open in general with her. Ruka, Hotaru, and Aoi made good on their promise to not pester the two about their romantic feelings and gestures, but that didn't stop them from exchanging looks and whispered comments behind the pair's backs. They enjoyed their friends' happiness, gratified that Natsume and Mikan were finally pursuing each other beyond just friendship.

Before they knew it, a week and a half had rolled by. Hatsuharu-san and Tohru-san arrived from Tokyo late on a Wednesday evening and spent the following day relaxing with their families around the vacation home. Friday, July 22nd, was Sakura-ojii-san's 67th birthday. For his party, Mikan dressed in her new burgundy lace dress, her mother's pearl earrings, and Natsume's ring. Saki-san sent Ikeda-san to pick them up from the temple and drive them to the vacation house where a lovely dinner party had been set up on the beach. They spent a festive time eating, chatting, and laughing. Sakura-ojii-san grinned broadly when Futaka-san presented him with a beautiful strawberry shortcake covered in light frosting, fresh strawberries, and ripe blueberries. The group merrily sang the Happy Birthday song to the dear old man before he blew out the candles. As they enjoyed the delicious birthday cake, he opened his presents. He thanked his granddaughter enthusiastically for the carved wooden box that she'd gotten him in Owase.

When all of the presents had been opened and everyone had finished their cake, Sakura-ojii-san graciously thanked them for their well-wishes and hospitality. "I am truly blessed at this ripe old age to be surrounded by so many warm, loving faces."

Hatsuharu-san, who sat next to his wife, smiled through champagne-colored bangs. "The pleasure is all ours, Sakura-ojii-san. You've been a dear friend to us and our children for many years, and we're grateful to have you." Tohru-san nodded silently from beside Saki-san, his emerald eyes shining softly in his stoic, solemn face.

Sakura-ojii-san smiled. "Thank you kindly. Your families have meant the world to us and I hope that we're able to continue these close friendships for many years, long after our young ones have grown up and forged their own paths. Now then, why don't we move this party inside so that the table can be cleared and put away before it gets dark? Tohru-san, would it be possible for the adults to join me in your office for a bit?"

Eyes flickered at the request. Tohru-san often spent time on work in his office when he visited Makikawa and no one was allowed inside without his permission. His face remained impassive as he replied simply, "Of course."

Hotaru eyed her father before glancing at Natsume, who caught her eye and shrugged. Mikan, oblivious as usual, rose from her seat and chirped happily, "What do you guys want to do now?"

Aoi smiled brightly. "Let's take a sunset walk on the beach!"

"No way!" Mikan refused. "Last time we took a walk on the beach while I was wearing a dress, Natsume tossed me in the ocean!"

Natsume smirked. "You deserved it, Polka Dots. If you really want to blame someone, blame Imai for planting devious ideas in your head."

As Mikan stuck her tongue out at Natsume, Ruka suggested in a placating tone, "Why don't we go inside and play a game? King of Tokyo is a five player game."

"Yeah!" Aoi and Mikan immediately agreed. The five friends followed the adults inside where they settled in the ground floor parlor with the board game. They each chose a monster character and competed with cards and dice rolls to defeat each other until only one of them remained, becoming the King of Tokyo. It took almost an hour before Aoi finally defeated Ruka, the only other surviving character. She squealed excitedly, spinning around in her deep pink party dress. Mikan clapped her hands delightedly for her friend.

"I am now the Queen of Tokyo!" Aoi announced, snatching a decorative silver bowl from a side table and flipping it upside-down on her head as a makeshift crown. Natsume snorted as Hotaru smiled. Ruka and Mikan outright laughed at the girl's antics.

At that moment, Saki-san entered the room. She chuckled at Aoi's appearance. "My, what a lovely hat, Aoi-chan."

Aoi grinned. "It's my crown. I won King of Tokyo!"

"Ah. Congratulations, dear," the kindly mother said with a smile. Turning to the other two girls, she smiled reassuringly as she asked, "Hotaru-chan, Mikan-chan, will the two of you please come upstairs? The other adults and I would like to speak to you both in Tohru-san's office."

Mikan's eyes widened slightly. She looked at Hotaru and saw by the minute crease between her brows that she, too, was surprised and curious. What on earth could all of the adults want with just the two of them? Were they in trouble? Mikan didn't think so since Saki-san was smiling and didn't sound upset, but something odd was definitely going on if even Hatsuharu-san and Kaoru-san wanted to talk to them without either of their own children present. A quick glance at Aoi, Natsume, and Ruka showed that they were all just as confused as Mikan and Hotaru. Silently, the two girls followed Hotaru's mother up the stairs to the second floor.

Mikan had rarely ever been in Tohru-san's office, so she found herself glancing around the room as she and Hotaru followed the lady inside. The left half of the room was furnished with typical office furniture, including a large mahogany desk facing two dark green leather chairs, several bookshelves, and a filing cabinet, but the right side was set up as a sitting area with a small burgundy sofa facing a modest, unlit fireplace and a matching pair of armchairs which flanked the fireplace to face the sofa. Tohru-san sat in a big leather chair behind his desk, his hands folded on the surface in front of him, his face relaxed, but neutral. Hatsuharu-san and Kaoru-san occupied the pair of chairs in front of the desk, but had angled them to face the sitting area where Sakura-ojii-san sat in the furthest armchair. All three of them were smiling with varying degrees of anticipation, but none of their expressions gave Mikan any hint about what they were about to discuss.

Saki-san took a seat in the remaining armchair and gestured for Mikan and Hotaru to sit on the sofa. Mikan found herself beginning to get nervous as she sat down, despite the reassuring smiles on the faces around her. She looked questioningly at her grandfather, who kept his silence.

"Mikan-chan," Tohru-san began calmly from behind his desk, redirecting her attention, "we've been discussing an opportunity for you that we're now ready to talk to you about. Hopefully, when you've had a chance to ask questions and consider our offer, we can get a decision from you. However, even though this conversation focuses on you, the opportunity—should you choose to accept it—would have the greatest impact on Hotaru-chan, so we thought it best for her to participate. Also, it was suggested that you might appreciate her presence as you hear our proposal."

The two girls looked at each other. Mikan's eyebrows were raised in interest, her nerves settling as the situation they were in became just a bit clearer and less intimidating. Her interest also piqued, Hotaru quirked a single eyebrow in response.

With a nod from her husband, Saki-san took over the conversation. "Since this will likely surprise you both quite a bit no matter how we phrase it, I'm going to present our suggestion very simply and let it sink in for a moment before giving you details and letting you ask questions." The girls nodded respectfully. Sitting forward in her seat, Saki-san looked Mikan directly in the eyes. "Mikan-chan," she spoke in a soft, clear voice, "Tohru-san and I would like you to come live with us in Tokyo so that you can attend Alice Academy with Hotaru-chan for high school."

Silence followed her words. The adults eyed her with expectation, but Mikan's mind had drawn a blank, as if not registering the statement. She blinked once, twice. Her mouth opened to pose a question, but shut again without asking one. She blinked again before looking at Hotaru, hoping to see an explanation on her friend's face. Hotaru was staring rigidly at her mother the way she did when her thoughts were running at a thousand miles per hour, collecting, processing, and analyzing data, the exact opposite reaction that Mikan's brain had chosen. Mikan's gaze swept over her grandfather's smiling face before returning to Saki-san.

"Come live with you?" she asked slowly. "And go to school with Hotaru?"

Saki-san nodded, deciding to go ahead and offer the shocked girl some details to help her process things. "You'd live with us at our home in Tokyo during the school year and come home to Makikawa during the summers, the same as we do each year. You'd attend Alice Academy for all three years of high school, the same as Hotaru-chan, Ruka-kun, and Natsume-kun."

Mikan understood what Saki-san was saying, and for a moment, her heart leapt at the thought of being with Hotaru and the rest of her friends all year round instead of only for a few short months at a time, but the joy never fully took hold of her as it was quickly overshadowed by an enormous point of confusion.

"Why?"

Saki-san blinked, not understanding Mikan's question. "Why what, dear?"

Mikan clarified, "Why am I being invited to do this? Hotaru is my best friend and I certainly miss her during the school year, but we've always been separated this way. I live in Makikawa and all of you live in Tokyo. That's how it's always been. So why is it suddenly being suggested that I move?" It was a legitimate question. In the ten years that their families had been vacationing in Makikawa, Mikan had never once visited them in Tokyo and Hotaru was the only one of her friends who had ever traveled to see her in Makikawa during the school year.

From her seat in front of the desk, Kaoru-san spoke up. "The point of this proposal is your education, Mikan-chan. Allowing you to be close to all of us is just a bonus. Alice Academy is the best high school in Japan. The name alone on your diploma opens many doors, not just to colleges, but for internships, study-abroad programs, jobs, and so forth. Makikawa High School is a very small, rural high school without the same resources and opportunities that Alice Academy has to offer. That's why we're offering you this chance, Mikan-chan, so that you can choose your future for yourself without limitations or regrets."

Mikan may have imagined it, but she thought she saw a shadow briefly pass over Kaoru-san's face at the last part of her answer. Their logic made sense to her, but questions and concerns began to flood her mind, one of which stood out above all the others.

"It sounds great, but I can't possibly leave Jii-chan to live by himself," she announced. Turning to the old man, who had remained quiet thus far, she implored, "You can't possibly plan to run the temple alone, Jii-chan. Did you agree to this idea?"

Sakura-ojii-san grinned. "It was I who suggested it." Chuckling at Mikan's shocked expression, he continued, "Goodness, dear one, have a bit of faith. I've been wondering for some time now when and how I should transition into retirement. I'm not getting any younger, and eventually, I won't be able to keep up with things well enough to maintain my priesthood. When the Divine Commissioners visited last week, I discussed my retirement with them in detail. Regardless of where you choose to attend school, I will be working with the Head Temple over the next year or two to establish a new priest for Makikawa Temple. If I'd thought for even a moment that you might wish to take over as High Priestess and make a career out of running our small temple, I would have discussed this with you first. However, since I've never believed that to be the case, I didn't want to fill your head with considerations about me. The three years of high school pass very quickly. You need to spend them focusing on yourself, your dreams, and your future. That's why I approached our dear friends about taking you to Tokyo to attend Alice Academy, so that you can experience a different way of life than the one you've seen here in Makikawa and broaden your horizons before facing the big decisions of college and career that will impact your future."

Mikan was stunned. She knew, of course, that her grandfather had been slowing down in recent years, but it had simply never occurred to her that he would retire before she graduated from high school. He was right that she had never been particularly interested in pursuing a career as a High Priestess, but she didn't have something else in mind either. She'd always assumed that she would think about those things once she entered high school, which she suddenly realized meant now.

Mikan looked at Hotaru, hoping once again to see something helpful on her friend's face, but Hotaru remained impassive, her expression unreadable. Mikan sighed, struggling to keep her thoughts straight. Could she even consider what they were suggesting? Leave Jii-chan behind for nine months at a time? Leave Makikawa, the only place she'd ever lived? Quit her miko duties at the temple? Never attend Makikawa High School? Never again attend school with the classmates that she'd known since preschool? And that was just what she would be leaving behind. What about what she would be facing? A new home? A new school? A new place? Could she face so much change at once?

Mikan bowed her head and rubbed her palms hard into her closed eyes. The magnitude of what the adults—even her own grandfather— were suggesting was making her head spin. She took several deep breaths to keep from bursting into tears.

Mikan felt a gentle pressure on her knee. Her gaze followed the delicate hand up a slender arm until her moist amber eyes met the clear violet ones of her closest, dearest friend. Hotaru's strong, steady expression finally gave Mikan something to grasp besides her own tumultuous emotions. What she saw on her friend's face was confidence and… hope?

Hope? Hope for what? Mikan blinked.

Slowly, her thoughts began to change. Live with Hotaru? Warmth filled her chest. Go to school with Hotaru and Ruka and… Natsume? The warmth spread to her cheeks. Be neighbors with Natsume, Aoi, and Ruka? Have Kaoru-san and Saki-san nearby during those times that she found herself wishing so badly that her own mother was still alive? Mikan found her perspective quickly growing brighter. Wouldn't it be wonderful to spend those few short years of high school so close to all of them before college and careers sent them all in kami only knew how many different directions?

Mikan took a deep breath and gripped Hotaru's hand on her knee before turning back to her grandfather. "How will you take care of yourself if I'm gone?"

"I'll hire a housekeeper."

"Who will take my place as the temple's miko until you retire?"

"Saya-chan approached me a few days after the Summer Solstice Festival about increasing her part-time work at the temple, so if you decide to go to Tokyo, I'll begin training her to take your place as the shrine's primary miko."

"And who will take her place?"

Sakura-ojii-san grinned. "There are plenty of girls in Makikawa. I'm sure that one or two of them would be interested in the job."

Mikan hesitated before asking her next question, afraid that she already knew the answer. "How would we pay for all of this? Alice Academy is a prestigious, elite private school. There's no way that we can afford the tuition, let alone all of my living expenses even if I don't pay any rent to the Imais or contribute to groceries. Plus we're talking about hiring a housekeeper, increasing Saya-sempai's hours, and bringing on extra mikos during special events. We can't possibly afford to do all of that."

A mischievous twinkle entered her grandfather's eyes. "I'm proud to hear that my lessons on frugality weren't wasted on you, dear one. However, I assure you that all financial matters would be perfectly in order. The temple's income is more than enough to both increase Saya-chan's hours as well as hire extra help when needed. It may surprise you, but I've amassed a considerable amount of savings over the long course of my life, far more than it will take to hire a housekeeper and retire comfortably when the time comes. As for your school tuition and living expenses, your parents left you with quite the inheritance, mostly from their life insurance policies, which I have access to in your stead until you come of age when you turn 17. You can rest easy knowing that whatever decision you make, the money won't be the reason."

Mikan couldn't help gaping like a fish out of water. She had expected to be told that the Imais, possibly even with the help of the Hyuugas, had volunteered to pay her expenses for her, which she was fully prepared to protest. They had always been enormously generous towards her and her grandfather, but she couldn't have accepted a gesture that grand. The last thing in the world that she had expected to hear was that not only did her grandfather have plenty of money stashed away to provide for himself indefinitely, but she herself apparently had a small fortune that had conveniently never been mentioned to her before. Was this a joke?

"Are you kidding me?" Mikan asked. The adults might have been offended by her question if her tone had been sarcastic, but her voice was saturated with so much astonishment that not a single one of them doubted the question's innocence.

Sakura-ojii-san chuckled good-naturedly. He had expected as much from her. "Not at all, dear one. While I've certainly had to put more weight on your shoulders in physical housework and temple duties than I would have liked to put on any child, much less my only granddaughter, I've done my best to handle the immaterial matters such as the bookkeeping as much on my own as possible. You never needed to know how wealthy or poor we really were before now, so I didn't tell you. Now you know," he finished simply.

Squeezing Hotaru's hand as if to keep herself grounded, Mikan tried to think of a response and failed. Changing tracks, she turned back to Tohru-san and Saki-san. Timidly, she asked, "And you're both truly okay with this? With having me come live with you? Wouldn't that be… like… an invasion or something?"

She was pleasantly surprised when Tohru-san actually smiled. Saki-san looked surprised at Mikan's concern before her own smile returned. "Not at all, dear. We love you very much, not just because of your friendship with Hotaru-chan, but because of who you are to us all on your own. I'd love to have you around. Our home in Tokyo is even bigger than this one. Trust me, there's far more space than we ever really use, and with Subaru-kun living by the university, having you there would liven things up."

Mikan felt another swell of love and gratitude towards her friend's parents. Their kindness and acceptance had always made her feel special, but hearing them welcome her into their home so readily nearly moved her to tears again. Swallowing them down, Mikan turned once more to the person whose opinion mattered the most to her at that moment. Hotaru steadily returned her stare, their clasped hands still resting on Mikan's knee.

"What about you?" Mikan hadn't meant for the question to come out as a whisper, but it had nonetheless. "Would you be okay with me living in your house and going to your school?"

Ever since she was small, Hotaru had shown better control over her emotions than most children her age. She wasn't a heartless robot by any shade of the imagination; she simply experienced life less expressively and more rationally than other people. Still, the emotions she felt ran just as deep as any other person, maybe even deeper because she was able to focus on a few rather than being overwhelmed by many, as often happens to teenage girls. More than anyone else in her life outside her family, Ruka and Mikan had understood that about her and treasured her despite or perhaps because of it.

With an affectionate smile that she saved for particularly special occasions, Hotaru answered, "Of course, baka."

For the first time since Saki-san had come to fetch them, a broad smile lit Mikan's face. She couldn't stop herself from throwing her arms around Hotaru's neck in a tight embrace. Her tears finally fell as Hotaru held her back.

After a few moments, Mikan leaned back and brushed away her tears with her hands, sniffling in an effort to regain her composure. She tried to focus on another question to ask or concern to be addressed, but her mind wasn't grasping any no matter how hard she tried. Her emotions were almost spent and her brain just about fried.

Gazing around the room at the warm, loving faces all turned her way, her eyes finally came to rest on her grandfather's wrinkled face. The only family she'd known for two-thirds of her life, her grandfather was the person she loved most in the entire world. With a shaky breath, she asked him, "Are you sure you won't get too lonely without me?"

Sakura-ojii-san's gaze was warm and gentle. "Dear one, do you remember the poem you wrote when you were in the fourth grade?"

Mikan nodded. She'd been so proud when she'd brought it home to show her grandfather the big red "A+" at the top of the page right next to her little drawing of a simple pink flower in a brown pot. Her grandfather had loved the handwritten poem so much that he'd put it in a frame and hung it by the kitchen window where he grew one of his herbs in a window box. After passing by it each day for years, Mikan could recite it from memory.

"Plant me by the water

Where I can drink my fill.

Don't leave me dry and withering

In a pot left on a sill.

Plant me by the water.

If not, I'll never grow.

For only by the water's side

Will my flower ever show."

Rising, Sakura-ojii-san moved to sit on Mikan's other side and took both of her hands in his. "Dear one, I want you to blossom into the very best version of yourself that you can be, whatever that is for you. So did your parents. It was never Yuka and Izumi's intention for you to spend the rest of your life as a shrine maiden in this small village. They wanted you to grow up with the opportunity to be anything you want, anywhere you want. Going to Alice Academy and experiencing life in a big city like Tokyo, even if only for the few short years of high school, will open up pathways that could never be an option for you here. I'm not saying that you have to go— the choice is truly yours and you will always be welcome at home at any time no matter what—but I ask that you really consider it, without thinking of me as a reason to decline. This is my chance to plant you by the water, to give you the future that your parents wanted you to have… one without limits. So yes, I'll miss you, but missing you will make your visits sweeter and it will all seem like just a little while when three years have come and gone."

Mikan saw the unshed tears sparkling in her grandfather's eyes, conveying his selfless wishes for her to prosper and his sincere joy at being able to do for her what his only daughter and her husband had wanted to do themselves, but couldn't. Overwhelmed by his deep, tender love for her, Mikan gave the only answer she could.

"Okay."

Author's Note: Ha! So now all of you who thought Sakura-ojii-san was going to die can relax. He's just retiring! A much more logical and less dramatic reason to transition Mikan from Makikawa to Tokyo. Since they live at the temple, they'll have to relocate anyway once he retires and the new priest moves in, so this way, Mikan can have the stability of living in one home throughout high school. It's also more stable this way because no one knows where Sakura-ojii-san will choose to live when he retires.

Chapter 15 will most likely be the chapter that transitions them from Makikawa to Tokyo, but if not, then definitely Chapter 16. There's really not much left to do in Makikawa for the summer other than come to terms with the big news of Mikan's move and prepare for the transition itself. Alice Academy, here we come!