Chapter 14: A smile
Natsume looked at the sun... Damn, it's too hot...
'I shouldn't have run from that place and waited for the answer...' Natsume thought as he mentally slapped himself.
He heard someone stand up as he looked who it is. He saw a figure of a girl with pigtails. Mikan Sakura.
"Oi..." Natsume said as Mikan jumped a bit and blushed... Fortunately, Natsume didn't see. He went to Mikan slowly who just smiled nervously at Natsume. Mikan walked towards Natsume...
"Ah! Natsume-kun!"
"Stop acting like that scene didn't happen..."
A small eerie silence surrounded the scene as Mikan looked at Natsume. Natsume of course, ignored this..
"Let's go to Central town!" Mikan said,
"Fine..."
They went to Central town which was very peculiar... There were lots of couples all over the town centre as Mikan and Natsume went past the glass windows of the stores. They gazed at the couples wherever they went and they were eventually caught by Hotaru and Ruka... Hotaru was buying some film and asked Ruka to accompany her because Mikan was nowhere to be found. Ruka agreed otherwise Hotaru would have blackmail him. So they followed the couple to a cafe...
"Iraishimase!(Welcome!)" The lady said,
'Ah! Rei-san!" Mikan said,
"Ah! Hello again! I see you're with Hyuuga!" Rei said grinning,
Natsume stared at her, blushing Mikan who just sat down at a two table seat...
"Who was that?"
"She's Rei. I see here every time I go to Central town ever since I lost my memories..."
"Oh."
"Oh yeah, I got all of my memories back!" Mikan said,
"Good for you."
"Natsume-kun, daijoubu?"
"Yeah..." Natsume said,
'He must be angry at me...' Mikan thought,
'I shouldn't have done that... Now she'll just hate me!' Natsume thought to himself as silence surrounded the table..
"What do you want to order?" Rei said saving the two from silence...
"I'll order cake and tea!" Mikan said smiling..
"Me too..." Natsume grumbled...
"Alright then..." Rei said getting their food..
Silence.
"They're not doing great at all.." Ruka said,
"But it looks like Mikan loves Natsume back too." Hotaru said,
"How long am I going to wear this beard and shades? I mean you have the newspaper!" Ruka whispered angrily..
"Not until I say not to wear it." Hotaru said,
Ruka sighed as Hotaru looked at Ruka.. Ruka blushed and looked at Hotaru with a confused face...
"Uhh... Nani?"
"We should help Mikan tell her feelings..."
"Ummm... How exactly are we doing it?" Ruka asked,
"I don't know."
Ruka fell down anime style as Hotaru just stared at the two.. Hotaru looked at Ruka who just sweatdropped…
"I have one..." Hotaru said, Ruka listened to what Hotaru said.
He nodded and looked at Hotaru with thumbs up.. "Great plan.. Who'll do it?"
"You.."
"Eh!"
Mikan and Natsume were still sitting in silence glancing at each other with their hearts pounding... Ruka on the other hand took the empty sake bottle from Ruka and sweatdropped...
"I don't think this will be a good idea, Hotaru-san..."
"Just do it!" Hotaru said,
Ruka acted like an old man being drunk and laughed weirdly... Hotaru, who was filming the whole thing signaled Ruka..
"huhuhuh! -Hic- I'm... -hic- drunk! huhuhuhu!" Ruka acted with a low voice. Ruka was sweatdropping of what he did as he motioned to Natsume and Mikan's table...
'Natsume's going to kill me if he knew it was me...' He bumped at the table of Natsume and Mikan snapping them out of the silence.
The fork of Natsume fell at the ground as Natsume glared a the man..
"Watch where you're going, jii-jii (grandpa).." Natsume said glaring fiercely at Ruka who sweatdropped..
'This is Hotaru-san's fault... I hope the plan goes perfectly about the fork...' Ruka thought, 'Where's Hotaru-san anyway? Oh.. She's with that waitress… Rei-san, right? She must be telling her about it...'
"Ah, Natsume-kun! Your fork fell... Let me get it!" Mikan said,
"Wait, I'll do it..." Natsume said as they both motioned to the fork as their hands touched each other...
'Success...' Ruka and Hotaru thought,
"You can take out the beard and glasses now." Hotaru said as Ruka sighed in relief.
"Eh--" Mikan said... They both blushed and looked at each other... They snapped out of it as the sat back in their chairs. Mikan gave him back his fork.. "H-Here..."
"Yeah, whatever..." Natsume said blushing...
There was a silence between the two until Mikan said something.. "Ano.. Natsume-kun..."
Natsume looked at Mikan who was blushing really hard as him... He then knew what it was... 'She's going to answer me... Is she going to reject me? I hope not..'
"Atashi.. Natsume-kun..." Mikan started as Hotaru zoomed in while Ruka watching like a hawk...
"She'll say it!" Ruka said,
"I know.." Hotaru said,
Mikan closed her eyes as their heart beats started to go faster...
Thump, thump...
Thump, thump...
"Natsume-kun, I lo--"
"Here are your cakes!" Rei said giving them the food and drink... Hotaru slapped her head as Ruka sweatdropped... Natsume and Mikan though, jumped a bit of the small surprise by Rei...
"A-Arigatou, Rei-san!" Mikan said smiling,
Natsume looked at Mikan's smile... He blushed and looked away as Mikan looked at Natsume at the corner of her eye and she flushed... Rei went out of the scene as they ate quietly... Of course, they were glancing at each other... They finished their food and went out of the cafe... Hotaru and Ruka followed them like a cat... They then went in front of a small bell shop...
"What did you want to tell me?" Natsume said in a bored tone... Mikan blushed and started to fidget a bit.. She looked at Natsume and started to stutter...
"Ano.. Natsume-kun.. A-a-atashi.. Anata no--"
Sumire came out in her cat dog form with Yuu calming her down at the back. Natsume and Mikan looked a bit surprised of what happened...
"Permy!" Mikan said,
'I'm not letting Mikan fall in love with my dear Natsume!' Sumire thought, "Yes?"
"Why are you here?"
"Oh, no reason at all!" Sumire thought as Hotaru pulled Sumire and Yuu out of the scene...
"You blew the perfect scene idiot. I'll fire you with my baka gun with Mikan..." Hotaru said with a scary background making Sumire sweatdrop...
"G-Gomen.. But Natsume-san doesn't even like her! Am I right, Ruka-san?" Sumire said looking at Ruka. Ruka shook his head for a reply... "That can't be at all! He hates her..."
"He loves her." Hotaru said, "He was first to confess..."
"Why Mikan though? She's an idiot but I'm not..." Sumire complained.
"It's her smile." Hotaru said,
"What do you mean?"
"You won't understand..." Hotaru muttered...
"Don't worry.. Maybe you'll find someone who cares for you!" Yuu said smiling as Sumire nodded...
The four looked back at Mikan and Natsume. They were heading for the tree where Natsume sat at the time when Mikan gave him a Howalon... Mikan smiled at Natsume as she remembered that time...
"I remember this place!" Mikan said,
"Yeah, me too..." Natsume said rolling his eyes.
"Well at least I'm glad you're not teasing me..." Mikan said as "Tsk." was her answer, The four came closer to the scene as they looked.. There was a few minutes of silence when Natsume was about to speak up...
"Can I have the answer now?" Natsume said,
"I'm sorry, what?" Mikan said,
"Nothing, you're too dumb anyway..." Natsume said glaring at the brunette... That glare had a mix with anger, sadness and disappointment... He walked out of the place... Right now; he wanted to be alone... He felt that he was suffering too much... He didn't want this at all.. He wanted to have a peaceful life... Mikan has a peaceful life... She smiles...
A smile...
'I'm not going to see it again...' Natsume thought as he closed his eyes feeling the darkness surrounding him...
"MATTE, NATSUME-KUN!" Mikan shouted...
Natsume stopped...
"Ano... Atashi... Natsume-kun... I- I really-- Aishiteru!" Mikan shouted as she blush REALLY hard.
Hotaru, Ruka, Sumire and Yuu were speechless as the wind blew the leaves...
Natsume's POV
There, I thought that I will be in the darkness forever and no one will be there for me... I guess I was wrong thinking that I was alone... And I thought no one was there for me... But, when I turned back.. A smile was waiting for me... She was there all along... All I had to do was turn around and she was there... For me, her smile was so warm.. I never felt anything like that... I felt frozen before but now... Someone's here.. Being here for me... To love me... I always thought that I always wanted.. To see her smile.
"Mikan..." I said as I smiled at her... I remember what she said before...
"We don't have to dwell on the painful moments... We won't be able to forget them even if we wanted to... But, if you were to smile for a bit and have some fun, I doubt anyone will blame you! Someone might even be happier to see it like me!" Mikan said cheerfully...
Normal POV
Mikan gasped.. "Hurray! Natsume-kun smiled at me!"
All he needed was a smile as warm as the sunshine in spring...
I smirked and walked to her... "Baka Mikan,"
"Hehe.. Natsume-kun!" Mikan said,
"Mikan?" Natsume said,
"N-Nani?" Mikan said blushing when he said her name…
"Arigatou..." Natsume said, 'For brightening my life...'he thought.
"It was nothing! You just have to pay me back the money for the cake and drink!" Mikan grinned...
"In your dreams, polka-dotted panty!" Natsume said smirking with triumph...
"N-Natsume-kun!"
"Hey guys!" Yuu said,
"Hi, Iinchou-kun! Hotaru!" Mikan said,
"I'll shoot you if you get near." Hotaru said,
"Congrats!" Ruka said,
"You saw!" Natsume said angrily.. "Imai…"
In the end, everyone was there enjoying their life and having fun... Here at the academy, a certain Hyuuga finally found something that he loved the most about Mikan Sakura...
Her smile...
Her smile melted the frozen sections from his heart...
Her smile can light up a darkroom..
Her smile.. Is very special to him...
And that her, was Mikan Sakura...