Minna-san! Yes, I know how annoying it is when the story suddenly gets cut off like that... ehehehe *sweat drop*...right, anyway, happy New Year everyone! I had planned to post this last Christmas, but since I wanted to make it up for you by making it extra longer... I kinda met a lot of roadblocks ahead... sorry...
Here we go! Oh yah, and just in case you can't guess, this is all in our beloved Natsume–sama's view!
No. Just no. What the hell was Imai thinking, deciding on bringing up the rest of the idiots like that? Was she not the one who wanted their secret to remain a secret? Fighting for patience (which he just knew he did not have), he took a deep breath and told Imai quite frankly, "The hell we are. No one is going to go out for any activities, idiots are not going to get inside and all of those who do not live here will leave immediately. Now."
Silence reigned around the table as everyone absorbed his words. For once, no one was arguing with him and no one was asking him what the matter was. And then, Narumi stood up, motioned for the for-once-not-protesting Sumire to come with him and just left. Ruka hesitantly stood also, opened his mouth as if to say something but was stopped by Imai who had placed a hand on his arm. If nothing, the fact that she touched him without any torturing device or something, shut him up as quickly as any of the said devices could.
Imai looked at him, and he just stared back, his face cold and expressionless. After a while, she stood up too, dragged Ruka with her by the great door to where the others were waiting, their backs turned to him. Polka cleared her throat, gently placed down the last of the food she had brought and said, "I am going to escort you out. Natsume..." she paused for a moment, but he said nothing to rebuke her on the familiar way she just called him, and so she continued, "Finish your food first before going to wherever it is you plan to go today."
When she left, he looked at the big table before him, plates laid out, and the food set for feeding 5-6 people. He ran his hands through his hair, annoyed with his conflicting emotions. This morning, he had to be awoken into the worst mood ever by his former teacher. Add to the way his normally peaceful breakfast was disrupted, he could just think of several buildings about to catch fire for this annoyance.
But feeling annoyed was normal for him. No. He was feeling confused from the light-hearted feeling he got from bickering with everyone there (God damn it, seriously? Light-hearted? That gay teacher must have rubbed off of me more than I thought. Or is this Ruka's influence? Whatever, not like anything's gonna change anyway), which is mostly Polka.
He closed his eyes, trying to get rid of the growing guilt he felt from ruining everyone's day. Yes, he was cold and heartless, but he just couldn't let Polka know the whole story. No, not when the memory of what happened to the last maid who quite accidentally and literally stumbled upon it was still fresh on his mind. Not when the risk of letting her see it and let her lose every single memory she has connecting them to anyone with an alice was standing in the way.
God, his life was complicated.
First, he was a fake model. Well, he really was a model, but it was only a cover until they finally manage to find all the keys.
Second, he just had to freaking go out of character the day he met Polka and suddenly declare her as his new maid. Sure, she wasn't another lovesick female, who would just decide to enter his room without permission and find the thing that he hadn't yet been able to hide properly, just like the last said maid. But, he didn't actually need one any longer since his house was alice-proofed and kept clean by alices, so why did he have to add another trouble to his already complicated life?
Third, he had to get attached to said girl.
At the admission, done in his head, he surrendered his head to the table and gave it a satisfying bang. He can't do this. He can't and he won't and he will distance himself from her. His chest suddenly got heavy, his breath stuck in his throat and his head hurt like hell. He let out a frustrated groan. Why did he have to open his mouth today? Why did no one contradict him today? Why was his life so damn peaceful today when it was the perfect time to be an annoying one?
"You know, you sound more and more like the famous Black Cat they keep telling me stories about."
He didn't turn, didn't want to acknowledge her presence, but his cursed mouth just had to open against his will.
"Shut up."
Inwardly, he winced. Based on her reaction last night, she was sensitive to any type of insult or order that was against her nature. And telling this annoyingly loud, noisy girl to shut up was the very thing against her nature. Right? To his surprise, she giggled in response and said, "I can really tell that you and Hotaru are related."
He stiffened at the name. That's another complication in his life he didn't need. For her to be quiet and actually following one of his demands without an argument? On some other day, it would have been a miracle and a blessing, but what he needed was the familiarity of a routine.
He stood up, ready to leave and take out his anger on which poor soul suddenly decides to either take what key they have or come with the information that they have the keys they want. He was about to pass Polka when he remembered his resolve earlier: he will distance himself from her.
He stopped, mind racing on what to do. He could no longer keep her here, he was getting attached too much and that was the last thing he needed. But, was sending her away really the best thing to do?
"Natsume?" she asked, head tilting and worry shown in her gaze.
He avoided his own eyes and fixed his gaze on the opposite wall. "Miss Sakura, you do not live here either. Leave."
Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her brows come together in confusion as he called her so formally by her last name. He caught the look of surprise as what he said sunk in her mind, and he sure as hell cannot forget the hurt and betrayed look she had.
He continued to walk, hoping that he could get away before he changed his mind. She placed her hand on his arm, tugging him back, and he briefly closed his eyes to memorize the softness of her skin, yet he remained unmoving and wouldn't look at her.
"Natsume..! What are you talking about? I can't just leave! Are you joking with me? Do you think this is funny? Natsume, look at me!"
With every word she said, it added to the heavy feeling on his chest. Her grip on his arm became harder, and he was sure that it would leave a mark later. But he could care less as he listened to the lost tone in her voice that was normally happy and cheerful, wait, what? He barely knew her, much less know what was supposed to be the tone of her voice. What was happening here?
"What, have I done something wrong? Natsume, tell me, am I another burden to you?"
At her last words, she broke into a sob. He couldn't take it anymore. He turned, catching sight of her teary eyes. Her gaze was focused on him, tears dripping down her cheeks. He gently rubbed them away, and he could see the surprise in her eyes. He finally looked at her and once more, his breath caught in his throat as those warm golden eyes seemed to look straight into his soul. And apparently, she did, for she opened her mouth to speak. "Natsume, what's wro-"
He didn't let her finish her sentence. Somehow, he just knew that she would suddenly say something incredibly stupid that would make him rethink his decisions. And he didn't want that. He wanted to be free from this feelings, he wanted to be free from her. Didn't he?
So, he shut her up the fastest way possible; he kissed her.
He placed his mouth on hers. Unlike last night, this wasn't any prim little kiss. This was a kiss, although they both didn't know it, which had waited 500 years to happen once more. This was a kiss that had been the last thing a couple had remembered, the last thing that is holding them in this world.
But none of this mattered, for this was only Natsume and Mikan and the kiss.
His tongue darted in her open mouth and he felt her stiffen in surprise. Her hands pushed on his chest frantically, yet he merely deepened the kiss more and slowly, he felt her relax as the kiss turned gentle. He explored her mouth thoroughly, coaxing her to respond in kind. She was a quick learner and kissed him back, making him groan and pulled her closer to his body.
At the instant their bodies touched, heat flared throughout his body and by the way she gasped, it probably happened to her as well. When he realized that he was seriously considering how to explain to her that he was going to take her then and there, he pulled back sharply but then, he realized that she still had a fierce grip on his clothes.
He waited for her to compose herself, and watched as she turned a fiery red. But before she could say anything and before he kissed her again, he said, "Go."
She stood there for a second more, before she finally fled from the room. The moment she was gone, he punched the wall opposite to him with so much force that the wall cracked and left a deep hole the size of his fist. He gritted his teeth against the pain and slowly made his way back to his room to change. He used the other way so as not to pass by her room and immediately left once he got what he needed.
After that, he went around the house to the garage. As a person who hated any type of mess, he only kept stuff that he really only needed (the mansion was Imai's decision) which meant that he only had one motorcycle and a car. The rest of the other vehicles littering the place were either Imai's collection or inventions.
He strode over to the motorcycle, needing the thrill of the speed of the wind to temporarily make him forget his troubles. However, as he reached his destination, his other troubles came rushing back as well.
"KYAAAAAAA! NATSUME-SAMAAAAAAA!"
There it was, problem number 1.
He ignored the rabid monkeys, preferring to stare straight ahead. It was a pity that his sunglasses were covering his eyes, or those screaming banshees would shut up immediately upon seeing the coldness and promising death in his eyes. At the thought, he debated upon removing his glasses, but he flinched inwardly when he remembered their annoying screams. He would rather smile at Imai than willingly sacrifice his ears to the yells.
But he would listen to her voice all day.
He went inside the tall building, KIREI AGENCY, and once more ignored the stares directed at his person.
He'd rather have her look at him all day.
He was greeted warmly by the staff as he changed into whatever clothes it is they want him to model for the day.
Her smile was all he wanted to see.
He watched as Ruka arrived and he tentatively smiled at him, he merely snorted in response.
But he can't be the nice guy she wanted him to be.
Ruka turned to him, glad that he was no longer as mad as he was earlier. Imai had probably explained his own reasons for blowing up. For the first, and probably the last time, he was thankful for the fact that Imai knew what was going on his head. That way, he didn't have to explain it all over again.
And then, the peace between them shattered.
"Hey Natsume, where's Mikan?"
He stiffened, but otherwise, he remained emotionless.
"Why Ruka? I never brought her here. Why are you asking about her now?"
Ruka shrugged, and he got a bad feeling in his stomach as he waited for his answer.
"It's just that- Hotaru suddenly called me... and well,... demanded that I don't let you leave the studio until she got here."
"What the hell?!" he exploded, ready to drag out the rest of the story out from his best friend when a familiar cold voice stopped him on his track.
"Hyuuga, I suggest you leave Ruka alone for now."
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so its Ruka and Hotaru now, is it?"
Imai merely raised an eyebrow in response but he could detect a slight blush forming on her cheeks. He gave her a deadpanned look but her eyes merely went back to being cold and hard, not unlike his own.
"Hyuuga. Where. Is. Mikan."
He shrugged, the feeling in stomach worsening as he answered truthfully, "I have no idea."
Imai turned from him and turned to Ruka, hands running through her hair in obvious agitation. "Hotaru, calm down. Maybe she's in another one of your apartments or something. Can't you just try calling her once more?"
"Goddamn it Ruka! I did call her, she won't answer!" She turned back to him, eyes darkening in anger. "You. What did you tell her?!"
He stood in shock as he watched the normally so composed Imai get her feathers all ruffled. "Aren't you a bit overreacting, Imai?" he said dryly. She hissed, and he was thankful that the shoot was over and they were in their private room before Imai decided to come barging in.
"I want you to know that this is not yet overreacting Hyuuga." She spat out his name like it was venom.
"Now tell me what you told her that made her unresponsive to my calls!"
"I told her to leave."
"..."
"..."
"What? Hyuuga, correct me if I'm wrong, but she's your maid now, yes?"
Her tone became deathly calm.
He wasn't afraid of her, not really.
"Then tell me; what was the purpose of you taking her in, if you are just going to run her off?"
Silence.
He closed his eyes, involuntarily. God, she just had to occupy his thoughts now, did she?
"...I kissed her..."
He saw it coming, yet he didn't make a move to protect himself. The slap struck his cheek with so much force that his head turned to the side. He was surprised that she didn't use any of her devices on him; but he could guess that she wanted to inflict the pain with her own hands. Literally.
"And then what, you bastard?!"
"I told her to leave."
This time, Ruka grabbed Imai by her waist to stop her as she lunged forward, armed with her guns once more.
"Let me go! He had no right to tell that to Mikan! You- you don't even know what she went through!"
"And you have no inclination to tell me! What the heck were those bruises on her?! What. Is. Going. On!"
"Hold it you guys! Why is everyone overreacting? You have to calm down and think about this logically! Now, let's sit-"
They all looked towards Imai, who grabbed her phone from her pocket quickly which was blaring out her ringtone. She checked the caller ID, frowning, she answered the call in her snappiest voice, "What?"
"What do you mean?" she asked, after a minute or so of listening to the speaker.
"Where is it?" and they immediately knew that she was talking about the keys.
Then she said the one word that all of them had been waiting to hear, but not expecting it to be in that situation.
"Mikan."
They both paid attention to her now, watching as she shut her phone and searched her bag for something. She pulled out three bracelets and they immediately knew what was happening. For the Ice Queen to be in such as rush that she would use her alice-bracelets, it was an emergency indeed. The last time she sacrificed one of her inventions without it being paid for, was when she heard the news that Ruka was wearing a girl's uniform by accident and she had to use that Stupid Shadow's alice to keep him in place and use the opportunity to keep him in various positions (hint: totally embarrassing positions).
They slipped on the bracelets and they experienced that slight blurring of the visions before the world sharpened and they were standing in front of a house.
Imai strode forward, almost running, and he could feel the urgency as the peacefulness of the subdivision was broken by a man's drunken shouting.
"Y-you bitch! IF YWUO HADN'T LEFT, I WON'T BE- BE- BE- SHU-SHUFFERING!'
[A/N: In case you guys hadn't noticed, this is a deliberate way of spelling since he IS drunk.]
They had reached the door when they heard a sound very much like glasses crashing. The door was burst open, courtesy of Imai's weapons and what they saw made them very much inclined to kill.
The once-well- kept house reverted back to what it looked like before Mikan had come into the picture. The only difference is that bottles of alcohol littered the floor and furnitures were turned over or broken. But what had the three alice users that are NOT easy to rile up, this mad, is the vision of their, however short of a time, friend on her side and cowering. Cowering. The woman who had stood up to the legendary Black Cat was afraid.
There was a tall man, with developed muscles yet a bit skinny side, with brown hair cut short and held away from his face. He was handsome, in a sharp kind of way, but it was set in cruelty, and his black eyes were filled with violence and anger directed towards the small woman on the floor.
He hadn't yet noticed the three silently fuming strangers inside his house, instead choosing to blubber out his worthless troubles to the woman who was now starting to get up. "Wha-whashat?! Ywou hashd bewwer anshwer me fucking properly, bitch!" he screamed and drew his foot back as if in preparation for another kick when Imai's dry tone stopped him.
[A/N: I'm starting to get confused myself so let's go with the Third POV.]
"Isn't it funny how every time he speaks, it's slurred; but when it's a curse, it comes out perfectly fine?"
The man turned around and squinted his eyes at them, stumbling around in confusion. Before he could speak, Ruka, kind-hearted Ruka, stepped forward and punched him. Right. In. The. Face.
Damn.
Natsume scowled at Ruka, who shrugged in response to his expression. "I couldn't let you hurt him; you would have killed him. Besides, he was pissing me off", he said, shaking his hand to get the feeling back. Imai ignored the both of them but instead, headed straight for the woman on the ground who was now sitting up slowly.
"Ho-Hotaru?" she asked shakily. Imai sighed and for a moment, the two men could see the relief etched on her face before it went back to her cold facade. "You idiot, what were you thinking?"
Mikan winced before giving her a shaky laugh. "That's just it; I wasn't thinking. After-," she took a deep breath, just realizing that there were other people with Hotaru. Her eyes widened when she saw Natsume and Ruka, cheeks reddening as she looked at Natsume.
She quickly tore her gaze from his face and concentrated on her hands instead. That was when they all saw the blood, and Natsume saw red.
Pieces of broken glassed were embedded on her skin, cutting through her clothes and leaving cuts on her chest, thighs, everywhere. Blood dripped down from her temple, a huge gash on her scalp with bits of glasses also littering her hair. It was obvious now what the sound of crashing glasses were about.
Ruka's POV:
Had I not been watching so intently, I would have missed it. Technically, that wasn't true either. I was still shocked that the bastard had dared hurt her and drew blood that it makes me want to draw his blood. I stood there, and watched as blood dripped more from her head. 'Head wounds bleed a lot', I thought almost mindlessly.
But what had me frozen to my spot were the images running through my head, memories that we had all thought gone. But there was something wrong with this memory, something was out of the picture; or more accurately, someone was in the picture.
Natsume rushed forward and kneeled in front of Mikan. I watched their interaction; surprised that Hotaru had stepped out of the way and allowed Natsume to take care of her. She moved back beside me, after she tied the bastard up, who she later informed me to be Alfred Malfria, Mikan's surrogate father.
I grabbed her hand, and she slightly leaned into me, her own way of showing that she needed my support. Despite the way that she treated, and still treating me, she had learned to open her heart and let me get inside.
Things had not been good when our kingdom had fallen, especially when we found ourselves stuck in the same age we had been when the battle had ended. Over the years, some of our memories had been gone, and we had to frequently visit our time to revive the most important of them.
Although 500 years had passed, our own kingdom remained in its own dimension, untouched by time, and its people frozen in the time frame. Only we, the leaders, had been gifted the power to explore this new dimension and still return to ours. It had been disguised into a crystal ball that Hotaru had absolutely refused to keep, which was why Natsume had been the one appointed to be its safe keeper.
And when we got here, Natsume hadn't changed at all; none of us had, and for that I was thankful. I didn't think it would have been right if Koko had become a saint or something. But this Natsume in front of me, he was different. The strange thing was, this different Natsume was a familiar one, as if I had seen this side of him before.
I watched as he nudged Mikan's head up, keeping her eyes on him even as she blushed. I remembered his confession earlier, that he had kissed Mikan. Frankly, I wondered how it had taken so long. It was obvious of his attraction to her; he wouldn't stop complaining about her at work.
I was snapped out of my musings when Mikan yelped. Natsume had taken out all the pieces of glass in her hair and had now ripped off his shirt and proceeded to mop up the blood from her head. I frowned as I realized that her breathing was still rattled, I had thought that was merely because of the shock. It seemed that Natsume had realized this also when he reached for her sweatshirt.
Mikan slapped his hand, and struggled to get away, placing her hand on the glasses still on the floor. Her hand bled red from the numerous cuts and Natsume growled at her in annoyance. She glared at him, and the situation would have been funny had she not been bleeding.
I cleared my throat to get their attention. Natsume gave Mikan one last glare before he placed one arm around her waist and the other underneath her legs, scooping her up against his chest. I had to hide a snicker as Mikan's already red face, turned even redder. I haven't seen her face get this red since the day we made her confess she liked Natsume.
I frowned at the thought. What? Where did that thought come from? As far as I know, she doesn't even know that she likes Natsume!
A hand on my own stopped my musings. I glanced down to see Hotaru's hand lightly touching my fingers, which were clenched into a fist by my side.
"We have to go. I don't sense any of the keys here and we need to get Mikan fixed."
I blinked a few times, trying to get rid of the last of the fading memories.
"Hotaru... when we get back, we need to talk about... something."
She just stared back at me, but I could see the flash of confusion through her eyes. I smiled at her, to lessen her worry, and brushed her cheek softly. She immediately turned away from me, rejecting any kind of affection. In public, anyway. A few years back, this would have made me angry, but she explained to me, after I finally snapped (and nearly ended our relationship which would have been the biggest mistake I would ever do in my somewhat-immortal life) that it simply wasn't her thing and to prove it, she asked me if I could imagine Natsume being lovey-dovey with a girl. In public. I shudder at the thought.
Anyway, when she nodded in response to my question, I realized that she was once again taking out some alice-enhanced bracelets. I frowned when I realized that she had also handed one to Mikan.
As much as I wanted to get her wounds treated like the next person, I wasn't sure what would happen to Mikan if we used a teleportation alice on her. She might not be able to arrive in one whole piece, since she was only a mortal, and alices tend to react differently with their bodies.
"Uh, Hotaru... are you sure it's alright to use the teleportation alice on Mikan?"
She rolled her eyes at me. "She's the one who gave me a bit of her Copying Alice, remem-"
We all froze.
"What" I breathed, "was that?"
I turned to Hotaru, whose eyes had become filled with confusion.
"I don't know- it just came out... as if I've always known about it..."
We all turned silent as we looked at the girl in Natsume's arms.
Natsume look troubled, and I worried for him. It hadn't been easy for us to be stuck in our current ages; 22 for Natsume and me, 21 for Hotaru. But it was the hardest for Natsume. Somehow, when we woke up after the battle, he was so disoriented that it made everyone disoriented. He seemed to be looking for something, but even he doesn't know what it was.
Once again, the Goddess came to us, speaking through the alice stones, and gave us the portal and instructions.
FLASHBACK:
It was quiet in the castle. It had been three days after we had found ourselves with confused memories. We had been searching for clues, awed with the seemingly frozen statues, and finally resorted to yelling in the air.
The Goddess flashed in front of us, startling Narumi-sensei, who had been the one to yell earlier. She raised an eyebrow at all of us, and I wanted to gawk at her beauty, but Hotaru might kill me if I do so. Instead, I settled for some dignified bowing and asked the Goddess what she wanted.
She chuckled, and her eyes flashed every color of the rainbow in amusement.
"No need to act so formal with me, Young Lords and Ladies." She said, her voice musical and lilting, "I have come to give you my guidance, there are dark times ahead; the enemy is not defeated, and will come back in 500 years."
I snapped out of my shock to realize what she had just said.
"Wai- 500 years?! Alicia-sama, we won't be able to live that long!"
"Young Lord, I am fully aware of that. Due to my stone breaking-" she frowned in displeasure and I gulped in fear, aware now that the stone had been a treasure of hers, "it had created an unnatural pulsing of power. Thus, the frozen state of everyone- and yours as well."
I saw Hotaru narrow her eyes at the Goddess. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that you would no longer age- until you break the spell surrounding this world. You must go to another world, I shall grant you a portal to travel here and there. In order to help you with your travels, for it was my stone that caused these troubles in the first place, I shall give you a clue to know where to start."
She glowed, literally glowed, and I had to shield my eyes from the blinding brightness emitting from her. A few seconds later, I heard her voice in my head and I turned, surprised to see her no longer there.
And she did leave us a clue: the riddle that had spoken for itself inside each of our minds.
Find the Keys to guide you by;
First, the ever-watchful eye
Second, the star of unwavering loyalty
Third, the hand with strictness of electricity
Fourth, the trusted moon to show the paths that are lit
Fifth, the sun of kindness to whom may need it
Sixth, the crown of strength and passion that burns forever
And lastly, the string that binds them all together
END OF FLASHBACK:
Natsume must have sensed my gaze on him, and he looked at me with assurance on his eyes. I sighed and rolled my head back and forth. It was at these times that I missed carrying around Usagi. Having an animal with me calmed me down, having a perfect outlet for my Animal Pheromones. But while carrying Usagi in our world had been alright, in this strange new world, I was looked at as a freak. So I had to let her go, despite my better judgement.
We received our own bracelets and were about to put them on when Hotaru stopped for a second, looking around. Her brow furrowed for a moment, and I stilled the urge to caress it away. I was pretty sure that she had gone back to the do-not-disturb-me-mode.
After a moment, she finally nodded and wore her own bracelet.
We blinked to find ourselves inside Natsume's room. Hotaru had her phone out, and already dialling her brother. Natsume strode towards his bed, placing her gently down. It seems that she had become unconscious after the travel; I was thankful that nothing more had happened.
Although- I glanced at Hotaru, remembering what she had said.
"She's the one who gave me a bit of her Copying Alice, remem-"
An unknown or unheard Alice. And Mikan knows of it? Or more accurately, has used it? How do you even give an alice? Gah! So many things unknown! It reminds me of everything that happened up to now.
Our journey for the Keys had taken a long time than we had expected. For now, we are missing only one, the string. We had gone our separate ways a few hundred years back, when it became obvious that we had no sign of success from any of the seven Keys.
Soon, we discovered that although we had managed to retrieve the Keys, we had no memory of how it had happened. It had disturbed us, but we had been pleasantly surprised to find that once we had acquired the Keys, some of our friends were revived and helped us in holding off whoever that bastard Kuonji decided to send. It had taken us all aback, but we weren't trained by Perso- er... Rei... for nothing.
I was so concentrated on the puzzle that Sakura Mikan has presented that I nearly jumped when Hotaru's brother popped in. Literally. But of course, I who had been courting and dating and... ehem... loving his sister in all ways possible for a long time now and still on the receiving end of his strict suspicion, would only lessen my points if I did jump, so I refrained and polished my back-then-not-appreciated-but-realized-necessary emotion. Emotionless.
I sighed inwardly, giving him a small nod. He glanced my way before nodding his recognition of Natsume. I wanted to pout at the injustice. Natsume and Hotaru have been trying to kill each other for as long as I know and he nods at him?! Alright, perhaps kill was the wrong word but still..!
Natsume's POV:
I felt a smirk tug at my lips when I saw Ruka's almost pout.
Despite the fact that I still feel the very strong urge to go back to that son of a bitch, and that the stupid maid of mine whose mouth I can still taste, a very strong sweetness of strawberry with a hint of honey and the way she kissed me back—that is not the point.
I turned back to the woman on my bed when I heard her groan. Right now, her wounds had stopped bleeding altogether except for the one on her head. It was still bleeding, but at least not too much. I took her hand and scowled, seeing the numerous pieces of glass embedded in her skin.
But when she flinched in obvious pain, I couldn't help but sigh. How in the name of hell am I supposed to protect her like I promised if the danger comes from herself?
I felt the presence of Imai Number 2 behind me. I glanced at him before nodding towards Polka.
I was watching him place his hands on her forehead when what I had thought registered in my mind. A promise? Me? To protect her? I was quite sure that all that I had promised to her up to now were mostly to annoy her as much as possible.
And then, I could think of nothing but pain.
I heard a thud behind me and a yelp. Beside me, I could faintly hear the gritting of teeth. I brought my hands to my head in a futile attempt to control the pain. Images flashed through my mind's eye, starting from my childhood. I could see a child with warm honey-colored hair and eyes yelling at me with those ridiculous pigtails. Memories that were buried, hidden, to protect the one we all treasure. My enemy. My friend. My lover. My fiancée. My wife. My everything.
A flipped skirt revealing strawberry panties.
"Aaaahhh! Hentai!"
A pout while a smile lurked behind her golden eyes.
"Mou, Natsume you idiot!"
A grin and a hand offered.
"Wanna start over? I'm Mikan Sakura, nice to meet you!"
She came over, hands on her hips, and mad as hell.
"You're skipping classes?!"
She dragged me over to a tall dark-haired senior with a black star under his left eye.
"This is Tsubasa-senpai! Isn't he the coolest, Natsume?"
Tears as she looked at me forlornly.
"Why did you have to burn down my Howalon stand?!"
She smiled cheekily, even though her cheeks were red.
"That was NOT a kiss, Natsume!"
Her downward gaze, for once her hair not in those accursed pigtails, as she asked me for one last favour before she left.
"Don't forget about me Natsume."
A 15 year old girl, staring at me in consternation.
"I can't believe you forgot about me, NAT-SU-ME!"
A disbelieving look as she pinched my nose.
"You can't just run off my suitors 'cause you felt like it!"
A scowl as she pushed me back after our kiss.
"I'm NOT JEALOUS!"
Blazing golden eyes, full of love, as she stared at me, calming down my racing heart.
"I love you Natsume. I will marry you."
She skipped to my side, a smug look on her face.
"I TOLD you I can master my new alices!"
Blushing, she stood in front of me, dressed in all white, before finally giving the answer I knew she was going to say.
"I do."
She was lying down on the bed, complete trust in her eyes, with a mischievous smile on her lips swollen with my kisses.
"Hotaru told me you weren't ready for th-"
Determination shone from her eyes as she nullified another attacker before turning to look at the seemingly endless enemies before us.
"I'll take the right, you take the left?"
She muttered as she pulled out alice stone after alice stone, trying to fit as many compatible alices inside us as much as possible.
"Good thing I managed to control my Copying Alice earlier, eh Natsume?"
A gasp of pain as she was captured by one of Kuonji's clones by the neck.
"Don't...hurt...my friends...please."
A laugh was torn out from her throat as she looked at the real Kuonji in the eye, although the laugh was the darkest I had ever heard from her.
"I know your secret, you brat. You. Are going. To die."
A flash of light, before she appeared holding... a blue moon?
And then a spell was cast, her gaze asking for my forgiveness before mouthing two words: Find Me.
O Goddess of Magick, Protector of the Moon
Hear Me and Assist Me in My Need
To Protect This Land
To Save The People
Time of the Azure Glow, Heed Me
Lend Me Your Power, Frozen In time
Until You Deem It Right
I Offer My Being
I Offer My Existence
Until The Keys Are Gathered
Call Upon Me Only Once
In A Blue Moon To Set Me Free
So Mote It Be
As the last words of the spell left my mind, so did the crippling pain. I looked up to see her smiling at me, her wounds all healed, and looking the same as when she disappeared from my life.
"Mikan." I breathed and her smile widened. She leaped into my arms and I caught her easily. I buried my head into her hair, breathing in her unique scent of strawberries and cherry blossoms. I felt her smile on my shoulder, and I embraced her tighter, unwilling to think that this was all a dream and I would forget about her again.
"Natsume," she murmured, and I wanted to groan with the way my body suddenly decided to remember the other times she had screamed my name, "I thought you were never going to find me."
I drew back from her a bit, and let her see my disbelief. "You idiot. Of course I'll find you. I still have to punish you for disappearing on me like that."
She gave me a watery chuckle, tears brimming up in her eyes.
Then, she gasped, seeing the people who were with us at the moment.
"Subara-san! Ruka-pyon!" and her gasps turned into a wail, "Hotaru!"
Sensing a rather threatening gaze sent my way, I reluctantly let go of Mikan so that she could jump up and hug Imai instead. I watched for a moment, but when another helpful memory of how long Mikan takes when it comes to her best friend (but nooooo... the boyfriend gets to be given only a few seconds... figures). I stopped at the thought. Huh. Guess I'm more of a husband now, right?
With the name of our relationship once again defined, I looked at the two other males with me.
Ruka was surprised mixed with fondness, that I now remember that she had been the one to finally snap and urge Imai to acknowledge Ruka's obviously growing feelings for the Ice Queen. Figures.
Imai 2 was as calm as usual, expressionless like his sister, although his attitude was a bit more...formal. therefore, I wasn't that much surprised when I saw him with a gentle smile on his face, shown through his eyes. I knew he wouldn't have been able to keep up that high-and-mighty-attitude with Imai, when Mikan was lurking around the corners and had to be dragged away from hugging the stoic siblings.
When I had finished conferring with the others about the memories, I turned my attention to the still hugging pair. A flash of irritation went through before I sighed it away. As much as I hated to admit it, in Mikan's mind, that Ice Queen of an Imai and I are tied at her list of people she loves.
Damn it, she proclaims to love her freaking best friend while the husband gets a yell of 'hentai'? I knew there was something wrong with the way she thinks, but come on!
Tch.
I narrowed my gaze at Imai who was looking over Mikan's shoulder. I just know that there was a spark of smugness there. In retaliation (because I wouldn't be me if I let this grave insult against my person –and female- pass unscathed), I strode over and yanked Mikan out of her grasp. I quickly silenced her protests by wrapping my arms around her waist and nuzzling her hair.
She practically melted against me. She turned in my embrace and caressed my cheek, and for the moment, there was no Imai, no Ruka and no Keys that could potentially help us in this halted war with Kuonji.
There was simply me. And there was simply her, and I missed her so much it hurt. I let her see through my barrier, through my heart, and into my soul. The pain of being separated, of losing her and forgetting the only person who had truly loved me unconditionally, who I loved in return, who I would have died for, and still will.
Her eyes teared up and I could see my pain mirrored in hers. But I wouldn't let her cry. Never again.
I kissed her, with the same urgency just earlier this morning (A damn lot of things already happened and it was only a freaking day), and I simply revelled in the feeling that I could hold her against me once more. To feel her lips against mine. To taste her sweet strawberry and honey blend. To claim her. To imprint her very being in me to ensure that I would never forget her so easily again. And to show her, that no matter how many years may have passed, no matter that I did not remember her in those years, she was still mine and mine alone.
And as we broke off the kiss, I leaned my forehead against hers and stared into her eyes. And when she smiled, I knew she saw in my gaze what I couldn't say as we both tried to catch our breath, but what I had told her in the past when we were alone, or when she needed my comfort, an audience be damned.
'I love you'.
Then when we finally allowed the present time to intrude, I lifted my gaze from hers to stare at Imai (who, despite her blatant hostility at me, knew that I was what Mikan needed and wanted and loved) and gave her a slight smirk that she easily interpreted.
Revenge had never tasted so sweet.
A/N: Yes, my dears, I'm alive! Mwahahaha! Anyhooooo...
Didja ya like it? I tried really hard not to make Natsume seem so lovey-dovey, but since he had lost her. And he had missed her. Dang it, it's hard trying to predict what he's gonna say next.
Ooohhhhh... what about Ruka's POV? I'm used to him being a real nice guy and all... but...*shrugs* he just grew up... hard to suddenly make him childish especially since he's a guy and all..
I love you guys for not giving up on me! And those who clicked those amazing buttons: review, favourite, follow
Hope this was worth the wait...!