I am very, very, very sorry for the late update. *bows down apologetically. Please forgive me. Anyway, thank you for your continuous support.
CHAP TWENTY-FIVE: Let me see you. Let me say this to you. Let me hug you. Let me kiss you… one last time.
**o**
Activity Twenty-Five
ONE LAST TIME
**o**
-Cupid's Countdown-
The moment she fluttered her eyes open, all she sees was white. Am I already in heaven? She asked herself as she scanned the whole place in front of her. The walls were all white, not a sign of any posters or paintings. Yes, there were cabinets and other appliances like tables but besides that, nothing more could be seen. There was a big window on the side –but of course, covered by another plain white curtain. Mikan pouted. This place seems to have bore her. This is certainly not heaven. It's impossible. Besides, I should be in hell, right? She thought again. Her head ached, trying to remember everything that had happened and decipher the place she's currently at.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Upon hearing the sound, she slowly turned to her left. Her neck movements were restricted by something she couldn't quite see. So she turned really, really slowly –afraid of the pain. Nonetheless, she went on looking at her left –to where the sounds came from, quite alarmed whether there's a bomb in heaven or not. Much to her relief, it was only a simple ECG. Wait, ECG? Am I in a hospital? She asked herself again, couldn't bring her mouth to open and speak. She wanted answers, answers regarding all that happened in the past few hours or days. How she got here? And why she's still alive? Not that she wanted to die or anything.
Upon her constant stir, one man sleeping beside her had woken up. His hand gripped hers. Raven hair and tantalizing crimson orbs. There was pure worry etched in his face. Weariness had caught up with him that you could seriously say he was up all day and all night –guarding her. She looked at him at the same time he looked at her. Hazel and crimson clashed one last time. Neither couldn't bring themselves to pull apart. Mikan wanted to speak and ask him why he was here. But again, she couldn't. Her voice was hoarse and she lacks the strength to do so.
"W, Wha-?" was the only thing she could pull. But Natsume understood her pretty well.
"You couldn't remember?" he asked, looking straight at her hazel pools.
Mikan merely closed her eyes –a sign that she, indeed, couldn't remember anything that happened at the warehouse after she slipped. The only thing she could recall was someone calling her –someone she didn't know, before the whole place explodes.
FLASHBACK from Activity 24
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"Mikan! Natsume!"
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"Shiki, what are you doing here?" Natsume asked. The unconscious brunette lay in his arms. He was hugging her, as if protecting her from the end that is about to come. She had given up, he thought. And since she has, he was willing to go with her –and sacrifice himself. They had no hope. He knew that. Everything was engulfed with fire. No escape. He hugged her tighter. Whatever their fate may be after this, he doesn't know. What he only knows is that, whatever it is, he won't give her up –not now and not ever. Yes, he had sacrificed a lot before –in a wrong way. And he wants to pay all that. He won't let her go –never. Even how death will keep them both apart.
But just when he was in the nick of giving up, Shiki had come to the rescue –including his two fat friends. You see, Shiki wasn't actually fat. It was just some wax to make him one. He had a twin brother whose loyalty lay with the Koizumis while his was with the Hyuugas. When his fat brother had unknowingly died, he decided to take his place and act as a spy for the Hyuugas –dragging his two friends along. He knew about the whole plan and he decides to play along. Everything –from their harassment to Mikan up to this point –everything was all drama. At the woods, he had asked Mikan to keep up as he knew Luna was watching somewhere behind a tree. But they never told her of the whole reason, making her ignorant of the whole matter. That is until now.
"What are you doing here?" Natsume asked once again.
"There's no time for explanations, Natsume-sama," one of the fat dudes had answered.
"We need to get you out of here," he further went on.
"There's no use. She had given up. You three would only die along with us. You need to escape NOW!" he commanded, trying to shoo them away. But, as always, the three were stubborn.
"No can do." Fat dude one said as he shook his circular head from left to right.
"Hey, come on and help me here," Shiki had instructed after his brief absence from the conversation. He was standing beside a wall. His gaze transfixed upward.
"What is it?" his friends had asked after hearing Shiki's instructions. Soon, they too were standing beside him.
"What are you looking at?" they both asked as they followed where his gaze traveled. Okay! They finally thought as they immediately understood what he tried to mean. Slowly, they did their task with complete silence. Not telling Natsume what they're about to do as they knew he would strongly object. They went beside him, a smirk plastered in their faces before hugging him –them tight. Fat dude one hugged Natsume while the other hugged Mikan. Gradually, they simultaneously hoisted each of them up –carrying them as if they're just pillows rather than humans.
"What are you doing?" Natsume asked. But he didn't hit them as doing that would make him too girly. He just laid there, in fat dude one's shoulder like a simple sack of feather. The next thing he knew, he was thrown away –really like a simple sack of feather. Water greeted his entire body. He tried to struggle and breathe but he knew it was pointless. If he breathes, he dies. Panic rose inside him, he tried to swim upward. He held his breath until he finally reached the top, quite surprise when he did. A log engulfed in flames fell just right beside him, missing him by a good meter. As it splashed through the water, it made a boiling sound –like the sound when fire is suddenly put out by water. He tried to look up. There, above the cliff lay the blazing warehouses. He scanned the whole thing, questioning what hole they used to throw him on the ocean. Just then…
"Catch her!" he heard them yell from afar. His face shot up and his reflexes made its wonders; then, in-came Mikan's body being tossed like a rug from one of the warehouse's small windows. Seriously, if their previous state doesn't call for a life-death situation, he would totally be pissed for being thrown just like that –like a, like a rug or something. It's impudent for someone's dignity, you know. And if ever he'll see those three again, he wouldn't hesitate to smack their heads. It was only a relief he was both fast and strong enough to catch the "tossed" unconscious Mikan. Or what on earth would've happened if he wasn't? Yes, he surely wouldn't hesitate to whack them if he'll see them again –if.
He tried to hold on her tight, afraid she might slip down towards the depths of the ocean. He looked up again, searching for the three. But before he could even do so…
.
BOOM!
.
Everything exploded. In it were the three of them –the three who sacrificed themselves just to save their stupid arses. He couldn't bear witness the thing explode that he looked away. Another reason was also to protect him –themselves from the falling debris.
By the following days, investigators announced them dead. There were no bodies found –since it really was a major boom. But they knew too that there was no escape. It was impossible that the three could've survived that explosion.
.
END OF FLASHBACK
"You've got to be kidding," Mikan tried to say, not believing what Natsume had said. She wanted not to cry. Her eyes had run out of tears from all the drama she had just experienced. The three were good to her. Though at times, they were unpredictable in their attacks. But one thing's for sure, she was right that they were good people. And they don't deserve to die like that. Now, all she could think about is to blame herself for their death. If she wasn't that clumsy. Only if she had said no to Mister M's offers, it wouldn't come to this point. She and her stupid love-life fantasy were all to blame.
"It was my, partly Narumi's, idea to get on with this plot and this act. Don't blame yourself. You have to rest," he said before leaving.
.
THREE WEEKS AFTER
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Mikan was already discharged from the hospital. Everything actually went well. Her parents had accepted Ruka to be in their family despite being non-relative in terms of blood. Actually, he and Hotaru had gone up to Europe to finish their studies a week ago. In terms of Luna, she was never found. They didn't actually know where she is right now or what she's currently planning. But police all over the world are looking for her. There were still no bodies found regarding the three. Nonetheless, Mikan didn't tell the investigators to give up and had instructed them to alert her for any news. Both Mister M and Narumi had continued up with their new careers. Aoi / Aya had already received her own treatment. She is now currently resting since she was allowed to take a few days leave from the agency where she used to work. As for Mikan and Natsume…
KNOCK!
KNOCK!
KNOCK!
"Come in," Mikan said amidst zipping her travelling bags close.
The doors opened wider, revealing a certain raven hair with crimson orbs on the other side. He stepped forward, his emotionless façade softening. As Mikan turned to face him, her excited gleam turned to a troubled frown. She didn't want him here –not when its only about an hour before she takes off and follows her parents to London.
FLASHBACK from Activity 2
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"I'm sorry Narumi but, like you said, I'm not aiming for scholarship. My parents already got some information regarding universities in London where I could possibly go for college. So, sidelines are okay for me. I also guess Luna-chan needs this more than I-," the certain brunette explained before a certain raven-haired lad cut her at near end.
.
END OF FLASHBACK
She wasn't actually lying with that. In fact, the whole play / movie contain a part of the truth. Before Mister M starts the play, he interviewed each of his characters to know them better. It isn't actually necessary but he just did so because he wanted to. He didn't touch all of their personal lives, just the ones useful for the whole drama. Was it even mentioned that Natsume was the one who wrote most of the scripts? That he is actually one of Cupid Countdown's masterminds? And that most of it… was actually based on his feelings.
"I, I just wanted to ask," Mikan said with a sigh as she faced him head on. He didn't answer.
"I know you were the one who wrote the whole story. When I tried to recall it, it actually made sense regarding most of your disappearances, your closeness with Mister M. I know Natsume you're actually and secretly investigating. But that's not the point. I, I wanted to ask regarding -" she hesitated. A stupid question like that shouldn't have been asked. But Natsume knew her too well that he was in fact waiting for her to ask this.
"You really are an idiot, aren't you? You don't use your brain and follow instructions," he teased, partly to annoy her and partly because he just wants to.
"You! It was my mistake to ask you this! Stupid!" she pouted. Just then, a smirk came plastered in his usual egotistical face. He started nearing her, his expressions softening more and more. He doesn't want her to leave but he knew it was the right thing. For eight long years, he'll just have to endure –he'll just have to.
"Sometimes, people get your attention just out of peer pressure and sometimes, fake does not mean to be the opposite," were the last words that escaped his mouth before he cupped her cheeks and kissed her passionately… one last time.
.
.
Thirty minutes later and Mikan was already aboard her private plane towards London. As he sat crossed leg in her special seat, she had thought about what he had said and what that had happened months ago…
FLASHBACK from Activity 1 and 3
.
"Well, the instruction is for you to hug a person, might I add, only one. Choose the person who got your attention and give him or her a warm embrace."
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Everyone cleared their throats as they uneasily move in their seats, obviously eager to know what their teacher had in store for them. Without further hesitations, he continued, "right now, I want you to make your fake confessions to the people well, you wanted to confess."
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END OF FLASHBACK
As she finished her brief rendezvous, she couldn't stop a single tear that slowly made its way out of her hazel orbs. Then, before she knew it, a single tear was the start of more to come. But she had no choice. She had to leave for the better.
"Natsume… I'm sorry," she whispered.
.
.
'Sadly, I still like you.'
Indeed, it was nothing but a false confession.
'You really are an idiot, aren't you? You don't use your brain and follow instructions'
'But sometimes, fake does not totally mean the opposite.'
Yes, I don't like you…
…nor dislike you…
It's because… frankly, I love you.
**o**
Activity twenty-five ends
TO BE CONTINUED
**o**
Thank you for reading this far.