My last "author's notes" block will the chapter after this so, that's not really the last chapter. This one is. Thanks for all the support guys! Questions about the characters/plot/sequel etc. will be posted there.

Blanket disclaimer applied.

Can You Keep a Secret?
Aminatsu032

One day.

Two days.

Three days.

Four days.

Five days.

Six days.

Seven days.

Two weeks.

Four weeks.

"I will wait, then."

Two months.

Four months.

Eight months.

"I will wait for the right time."

Two years.

Three years.

"I will wait forever if I have to."

The Last Chapter

ULTIMATUM

The thing is, about love, is that you never know what lies ahead. You can never tell how or when your story will begin. Or how or when you meet the right person for you. There are times when you may have met him, but you don't realize that he's the one for you, so you just forget that you did... until you meet him again and you inevitably fall in love with him.

Falling in love is easy. It's what's in between that's hard – keeping in love, that is. Time will test you. Circumstances will make you question if you're doing the right thing, but let me tell you something: true love is never wrong. No. There's no such thing as wrong love – just right love in the wrong time.

I learned that lesson the hard way. If I'd met him before he was the company's president; if us being together didn't have to be pretend; if I told him I loved him sooner; and if he told me he loved me, too.

If, if, if – different scenarios; different events. Different times; different places. But the thing is with "ifs" is that it's either they haven't happened, or they never will.

I don't regret meeting him on that plane – even if it is the single most humiliating experience of my life – and I don't regret that I fell in love with him. What I do regret is that I had to let him go.

Okay, so maybe I don't actually regret letting him go. Because to find out if he's the one for you, you have to wait and see if he comes back...

… and stays.

I'm Mikan Sakura, twenty-two years old, and today is the best day of my life.

I feel like I've just won the lottery. I woke up to the chirping of the birds this morning and the smell of bacon and coffee from downstairs. For the first time in a long time, the headline on the morning paper wasn't about suicides, robbery or economic crisis. It was actually about a guy who married a llama! And when you see that wide smile plastered in his face, or that twinkle in his eyes, you cannot not be happy for him.

So now I sit behind my office desk as a flame CEO and read and sign paperwork that is half the amount I usually read and sign, I feel like I'm on the top of the world! My best employee from the marketing department – Lisa – is out with her job striking a deal with a new company, Flame has been doing great with Tsubasa-senpai taking care of the main branch in Tokyo, Ruka-pyon in Kyoto, Hotaru-chan in Osaka, yours truly in Sapporo and all the other CEO's in the other branches that I have no names of, (I've seen them in the semi-annual company meetings, and smile and nod at them from time to time, but I still have no names for them... now that I think about it, I feel like I've betrayed them or something by not knowing what their names are. Oh well.) the weather is a-ok, the air conditioner is finally working... what could possibly go wrong?

"MISS MIKAN, EMERGENCY! THE DEAL WITH XERO COMPANY WAS DENIED!"

I stare at my secretary – who barged in at my office without any knock or warning whatsoever, mind you, that I could've died of a heart attack in surprise – and my smile slowly fades from my face.

I just had to ask what could go wrong, didn't I?

"What?" I manage to choke out.

My secretary, Erika, is still taking deep breaths and I can see that she's trying not to hyperventilate. "Lisa she – It was an accident! She accidentally tipped her drink at the company representative and -"

"Oh, it couldn't have been that bad! It was just an accident -"

"It went down his pants."

I paled.

Shit. Oh, shit.

Of all the stupid things -

"Nothing?" I squeak out, looking at Erika's pale blue eyes in absolute horror. "There's nothing we can do?"

Erika pursed her lips with an apologetic look in her face. "Well, Xero's representative asked if he could talk to the CEO, but -"

I immediately glanced at my watch. 11:34 am. How many hours does it take to fly to Tokyo again?

"Book me a flight," I said, taking out my phone and canceling all my appointments for today. "Now."

"But Miss, you won't make it in time -"

"I can!" I said giving her a serious and urgent look. "Tell the representative to wait for an hour or so and I'll be there!"

"On such short notice? All the planes will be booked already -"

"I could sit on the baggage area for all I care! Now book. Me. A. Flight!"

I saw the look of horror in Erika's face after the my last statement and the next moment, she's pressing the keys on her phone urgently as if her life depended on it. I grab my bag and walk out of my office to the elevator and see the horrified looks on the faces of the people I passed by.

Aside from a few nervous "Good morning"s, nobody dared to talk to me. I can, then, confidently say that a warning is pasted on my face right at that moment:

WARNING: Boss on rampage. Talk at your own risk.

A few moments later, Erika's by my side again as she talked to someone on her cellphone.

"He said that one of the passengers forfeited his slot, Miss," Erika said the moment her call ended. "The plane leaves in twenty minutes and -"

"Then I can make it!" I told her before the elevator doors opened and I dashed outside and got a cab.

"Where to, Miss?" the cab driver asked politely, looking at me through the rear-view mirror.

"The airport," I answered, and after a moment of pause, "and step on it!"

I hate riding on air planes.

That, my friend, is a known fact.

After my first plane-riding incident three years ago (a.k.a. The Case of the Sleeping Pilot), I've hated flying. It's not like I have trauma when I get inside planes and I forget to breathe and die or something like that, but whenever I was in one, I almost want to hyperventilate.

No, scratch that.

I really want to hyperventilate.

Only, I can't because I have a person to talk to and apologize to and put things together with.

Damn it, Lisa! Couldn't you have tipped your drink down his throat and not his pants?

I felt like my heart stopped beating for a second when the plane started to rise.

Just count, Mikan, I thought. You can do it! You can do this!

I vaguely heard the flight attendants as they did a demonstration on what to do when the plane suddenly falls out of the sky because I tried hard to calm myself.

One thousand one. Two thousand one. Three thousand one. Four thousand one -

"My dear, is this your first time riding a plane?" the person beside me – an old woman who looked very out of place in the business class section – asked, putting a gentle hand above mine. I suddenly noticed how tight I was holding on to my seat.

"No," I told her, putting on a brave face. "Just... kinda nervous that's all."

The old woman laughed lightly; her shoulders rising and falling as she did so. "Oh, aren't we all?"

Not really, I replied mentally, remembering the person beside me the first time I rode a plane.

A familiar ache blossomed in my chest.

Ever since Natsume's departure three years ago, my flashbacks grew to be more frequent. The doctor suggested that continuing my work could be a part of my recovery so I came and took my position of CEO at Flame's Sapporo branch. I had help, but I found out that I still knew how to do things like checking accounts, computing debits and credits even if I don't remember how I knew. It was odd at first, but I got used to it.

Now, I think a huge chunk of my memory have returned, although I don't know for sure if I already have them all back since I don't actually remember what I'm supposed to remember at the first place. The only way to find out if I remember something is when someone asks me about something and I answer correctly. Or when someone shows me an object that's related to me somehow and I tell him or her what it is and what it's for.

I pushed the thoughts of a certain raven-haired person out of my mind.

First thing's first – I had to deal with this Xero Company problem before I worried about anything else.

Five hundred one thousand one, five hundred two thousand one, five hundred three thousand one, five hundred four thousand one -

Suddenly, I felt shaking. I could've brushed the thought that it was the plane that was shaking and we were all going to die out of my mind if I hadn't heard the frantic screaming from around me.

My eyes widened.

NOT AGAIN!

I breathe in and out, in and out, in and out, in and out, faster, and faster, and faster, and faster -

"Hail Mary full of grace the Lord is with you -"

HOLY MOLLY SOMEBODY'S PRAYING – WE'RE GONNA DIE! I SHOULD PRAY TOO!

Oh God please let this be not my last day – please, I promise to be good and not lie to my mother about her goldfish -

"We're hitting an unexpected turbulence, Folks! Please put on your seat belts and remain calm."

- but if I should die today and there's nothing I can do about it, then let me say I'm sorry for my sins -

"What's going to happen to us now?"

- and that I am thankful for everything you've done to me and I'm thankful for my life and all the food I've eaten because food is important and life is important and -

"Miss, are you okay?"

- please protect my family and my Jii-chan and his arthritis – no I don't mean protect his arthritis. I meant protect HIM from HIS arthritis -

"Miss?"

- and please protect my friends and my family – wait I think I already said that – and thank you for the blessings and I'm sorry if I don't talk to you often and -

"Miss, it's okay..."

- know that I'm really, really sorry for being a bad child and please protect me from eternal damnation -

"Miss, it's okay. The plane has landed. You can relax now."

- and – wait a minute. God, is that you? Are you talking to me now? Does this mean I'm dead?

"No, Miss. I'm not God and you're not dead. You can relax now."

I blinked many times before the last sentence fully registered in my brain.

What...

… happened?

I squinted my eyes to look at the flight attendant beside me clearly.

"Not... dead?" I echoed, my voice small.

The flight attendant nodded gently. "Now please relax, Miss. You're freaking out the passengers."

I looked around slowly, and true to her word, everyone was looking at me with wide eyes and raised eyebrows.

Suddenly, I wished I was dead.

"What happened?" I asked between my teeth the moment the flight attendant was out of earshot.

"You were praying!" the old woman answered enthusiastically.

I was saying all those things out loud? OH NO. OOOOOOOOOOH NO. NOT AGAIN!

"It was sweet actually – what you said about your grandfather. I wish my grandchildren also pray for my arthritis to go away, though -"

I didn't hear hear finish, because I was out of the plane before anyone could count to one.

Mortification.

Gnawing, solid mortification was all that I felt when I arrived at the restaurant where I was supposed to meet Xero's representative. I also barely had time to fix myself from the second most traumatic experience of my life.

That's it.

I'm riding a ship to get home.

I combed my fingers through my hair and looked at my reflection at the glass door before I pushed it open.

"Do you have a reservation, Miss?" the waiter nearest to me asked with a polite smile on his face.

That's when I realized that I forgot to ask Erika what the name of Xero's representative was.

Damn.

I gave him an equally polite smile and hoped that my answer would suffice. "Hello. I'm Sakura Mikan from Flame's Sapporo branch? I take it someone's expecting me?"

Relief washed all over me when he nodded and led the way. I made a mental note of remembering everyone's names after that.

The waiter led me to a private table separated by dividers that must've cost fortunes. I silently hoped I wasn't going to be the one paying for this table...

"He will be here in a moment," the waiter said before excusing himself.

I went through every excuse I could and every point I wanted to make while I waited. First off, Lisa's mistake was a mistake and it didn't necessarily reflect the company as a whole and whether Xero would like to admit it or not, it needs Flame as back-up because it's still new and -

I immediately froze when I realized that someone is already taking his seat at the other side of the table. When did he come in? And why didn't I hear him?

I immediately stood up and bowed low. "Good afternoon," I said in the politest tone I could muster.

"Likewise," he said in a flat tone.

I slowly straightened up to look at the person before me.

My eyes slowly widened.

Ruby eyes stared back at me.

I see him.

I see him for the first time in three years and -

"YOU BASTARD!"

Natsume blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH TROUBLE I'VE BEEN THROUGH TO TALK TO XERO'S REPRESENTATIVE? I HAD TO RIDE A PLANE!"

Okay so maybe I'm not seeing through this at all. I should be kissing his feet right now and telling him how much I've missed him, but all I could think about was how frustrated I was and how I should start venting all of my frustration because I was so damn frustrated.

I put my hands on my hips and stared down at him. "So what are you doing here?" I ask him in an even tone.

Natsume raised an eyebrow and studied me for a long time. I stared back at him. He looked older, somehow, but I know that it's still him – the same disheveled raven-black hair, the same glassy ruby eyes and the same nonchalant expression plastered upon his face.

"I took care of talking to Xero's representative for you," he said evenly, like he was commenting about the weather. "It's all been settled."

I opened my mouth and then closed it again. What? So I flew here for nothing? And why the hell was I not informed? I should call Erika for this -

"Your phone was off. Your secretary couldn't contact you."

I opened my mouth again. "Because I was aboard a plane! Of course it's off!" I say exasperatedly, throwing my hands up in the air. "And we hit a turbulence and I was praying and everybody heard and I swear I would never ride a plane again and -"

A warm hand covered my mouth before I even realized it.

I glared at Natsume as hard as I could and he calmly stared back.

"You talk to much," he said before he dropped his hand and pocketed it.

I suddenly realized how close we were to each other. I could smell him from where I was standing – he smelled the same. Still that soapy, sandalwood smell... and...

"You're... back," I said slowly, looking at him in the eye.

"Yes."

"For... good?"

"Yes."

I was suddenly torn between jumping for joy or punching him in the face.

"That's it? You're back? From the dead? From the no-call-no-nothing for the past three years?"

He shrugged. "Pretty much."

A vein popped on my head. WHY, OF ALL THE THINGS HE COULD HAVE SAID -

My breathing stopped the moment he leaned his head on my shoulder. Wh-what -

"I missed you."

And all my anger faded. Before I could answer him, he interrupts me by pressing his soft lips on mine. I've almost forgotten the immediate effect he had on me whenever he was around. I missed him. I did. I do. So much.

Natsume slowly pulled away. It was a gentle kiss. It was soft. It was...

"Polka-dots," he said so sofly, I almost didn't hear him.

"Y-yeah?" I asked, dazed.

…loving.

"Can you keep a secret?" I could feel his breath on my ear. He was so close -

"Y-yeah."

This is it. He's gonna propose! He's gonna propose! He's gonna propose!

…

…

…

"Your fly is open."

…

…

…

That's it. I'm punching him.

In the end, I didn't punch him. I threw myself at him and cried at his shoulder because I had missed him so much and I couldn't afford being angry with him then.

But now that I think back, I think I should have punched him.

And then nursed the punch and cried at his shoulder because I had missed him so much.

But anyway, it doesn't matter much now.

Because everything that happened in the past happened for a reason – I met him for a reason, I was his secretary for a reason, we pretended to be together for a reason, we loved each other for a reason.

The reason was that Natsume and I were meant to be together... no matter how rocky it had been on the way.

"Mikan! What are you still doing there! You have to put on your dress!"

Oops. That's my cue.

I'm Mikan Sakura (as if you didn't know that already), twenty-five years old. And today...

I look at my reflection in the mirror and smile. I almost don't recognize the person staring back at me, but I know who she is. I've known her all my life.

… today is my wedding day.

FIN.