Chapter 25: Bye Bye

"Goodbye is a painful way to say I love you… so, goodbye, then."

Alice Academy, Parking Lot

"Anything new?" Tsubasa leaned on his car as he turned to the girls, whose cars were now parked next to theirs.

Misaki shook her head and rubbed her temples. "Nothing. No phone calls, no beeps, and nothing even came out from the news. It's driving us insane!"

"I bet…" Ruka muttered as he glanced at his watch.

"What's up with your side?" Anna questioned him.

Ruka shrugged. "Natsume's not doing a pretty good job holding—"

SCREECH.

"—up." He sighed as he watched the sleek black sports car zoom towards them, missing his own car by a few centimeters. He didn't mind much, though; he knew Natsume won't do anything like that. The car's engine shut off, and the pokerfaced raven-haired stepped out in with his signature face.

"He's cold." Koko commented quietly.

Mochu added silently, "He's bitter frost."

"Of course he is," Kitsuneme said. "He is Natsume."

"Yeah, but he's never this cold-blooded."

Sakura Mansion, Study

"Izumi, you can't let her do this."

"I don't want her to, Yuka," the man returned as he covered his face with his hands, "but Mikan—"

"Mikan is seventeen years old, Izumi," the woman replied frustratingly, "you don't marry when you're seventeen!"

"Mikan is not a normal teenager, Yuka. You know that. We prepared for this."

"I know we did, but I didn't expect her dreams to shatter when she's barely eighteen!"

"I want to do something, Yuka, believe me, but the chairwoman is always the final voice."

"God forgive her, then."

From the other side of the room, Youichi brought his ear closer to the door. "They prepared for this?" he asked himself disbelievingly.

"Eavesdropping is never a good trait, Monsieur."

Youichi stood up straight when he heard the voice and immediately saluted. "I wasn't, Madame!" He sighed when he realized it was only Emi. "Damn, do you really want me to die that bad?"

Emi smiled, "I am awfully sorry, Monsieur, but you have a visitor."

Youichi blinked. "I do?"

Alice Academy, Hallway

Saying that Hyuuga Natsume is furious is an absolute understatement. He is, quite honestly, worse than that. He walked with the usual arrogance and the enigmatic bored look, but his deadly crimson eyes were yelling DIE— ironic enough. Behind him, Yuu and Ruka acted like bodyguards; Koko, Tsubasa, Kitsuneme and Mochu were a good distance away.

"The guy's ridiculous," Tsubasa whispered, "why else would he kick that kid out of the way?"

"You said so yourself," Mochu replied, "the kid was on the way."

Koko shook his head, "The dude was a freshman. You can't just do that to someone three years younger than you."

"But Natsume just did it, didn't he?" Kitsuneme scratched his head.

"Move out of the way" Natsume's voice echoed in the hallway; it was then that the four realized that the hallway was dead quiet.

"Let's face it," Tsubasa muttered as they rounded a corner, "No one can wipe that scowl of his face unless you're Mikan."

It was Koko's turn to scratch his head. "Then let's get Mikan back."

"Stupid," Mochu replied as he gave Koko a slap on the head, "You can't take her away when stupid old Granny's bats are watching by the window. That's suicide."

"The stupid Granny is stupid, mate. She doesn't know the secret passage in Mikan's third closet."

Sakura Mansion, Mikan's Room

"Lunch, Mademoiselle?" Emi called out as she knocked on Mikan's door.

"No, thank you." was her mere reply. Emi sighed and pushed the tray back downstairs, not forgetting to remind the female Sakura to ring a bell in case she needs something.

On the other side of the door, Mikan drew out her peach-colored trench coat and wore a pair of sleek black boots. Not forgetting her wide aviator glasses, she opened her third closet door wide and slid down the pole.

Sakura Mansion, Tea Room

"What are you doing here?" Youichi asked Aoi, who was careful not to spill her tea.

"It's about the official announcement tonight."

Youichi broke into a grin. "Got plans?"

Aoi's devilish eyes glinted. "Do I ever."

Alice Academy, Garden

"Hey."

Natsume looked down from the branch and saw Mikan, the last person he expected to see. He fell down from the tree and simply stared at her. "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same thing." Mikan replied as she helped him up. "Aren't you supposed to be in Biology?"

He shrugged. "I'm not in the mood for life."

"I doubt you even want to live, do you?" He didn't reply; instead, Natsume laid his back against the grass and closed his eyes. "How were things this morning?" No reply. "Did Narumi-sensei do something crazy again?" Silence. "What was lunch?" Tweeting birds. "Who got detention during JinJin's class?" Zilch. "Dammit, Natsume, please talk!"

He peered at her with one eye. "What?"

She sighed, and plopped down beside him. "It's so boring back home." She heard him snort, which made her smile a little. "I was like a caged bird, trapped for no reason at all."

"Maybe they thought you'll elope with someone."

"Puh-lease," she laughed, "Who would I elope with? My tiger?"

"Nope," the corners of his lips twitched, "the younger version."

Clueless, Mikn scratched her head. "But I ran out of cats. They're all nasty animals now. Did I ever tell you that they scratched one of my cars?"

"Got a beating?"

"I wish I did, but they were in such pretty costumes, I couldn't resist!"

He rolled his eyes. Typical.

Alice Academy, Biology Class

"Oh shit."

"What?"

"Look out the window!"

"Out the window?"

"Just do it!"

"What? There's only Natsume and Mikan. What's— Holy shit, it's Mikan!"

Alice Academy, Garden

"You forgot to close your closet, haven't you?" Mikan thought for a moment before cursing and slapped her forehead. "Thought so." Natsume smirked.

She sighed. "Ah, well, this is the last time I'm escaping anyways." Natsume's head snapped and turned to her questioningly. "I mean, I can't keep running away from my fiancé or my engagement; they're bound to find me."

He clenched his fist before asking through gritted teeth. "Have you met him?"

She shook her head sadly. "No, not yet. Grand-mère doesn't plan to until tonight, at the very least."

"Tonight?"

She nodded. "I'm officially meeting my fiancé tonight, and it'll be all over the news. Grand-mère declared she wants as much publicity as possible."

"Greedy hag."

"But," Mikan inhaled, "I wonder if I can still survive. Auntie Chou didn't. I wonder what'll happen to me."

"You're going to be fine, Mikan, I promise that."

Sakura Mansion, Tea Room

"So, this is where the news reporters will be," Youichi explained as he pointed towards the blueprint infront of them. "The press will stay on the other side, and the photographers are easy to see since they need a VIP identification card. Grand-mère's strict with the pictures."

Aoi nodded as she gestured at a map of the mansion. "And everyone is supposed to pass only through the gate?"

"Yeah, no helicopters, no cars. Strictly no cars."

"When's the fiancé going to show up?"

"I'm not really bothered about the guy," Youichi said, shrugging, "I have a feeling he'll back out as soon as he meets Hotaru, but we can't be too sure."

"Wanna whisk a concoction?"

"That's old school, Aoi," he rolled his eyes, "I want something… new, especially since we don't know who the guy is yet."

She sighed. "It'll be fun to show his baby pictures. The thing is, we're clueless about his identity. Hey, wait a minute!" she snapped her fingers, "Why don't we do something about that Grand-mère of yours?"

"We can't do anything about that old hag." Youichi replied bitterly. "She'll be walking around with a pair of security guards. She knows how my mind works. Apparently, that stupid foreign butler of hers, Gunther, did some background research on me for the last decade."

"So… let's take Gunther out first?"

Youichi thought for a moment before grinning wickedly. "I like that idea, Sheriff."

"I like the mission, Captain."

Alice Academy, Garden

"You can't assure that, Natsume," Mikan said, "I'm meeting my fiancé tonight."

"Bullshit that meeting. The woman only wants media hype, haven't you realized that?"

"It may be good publicity to her, but it's not to me."

"Good or bad publicity is still publicity," Natsume said, "You can't assure yourself that you'll have a happy engagement. You don't even know the kind of person he is! What if he locks you up in a closet and set it on fire? Do you honestly realize—"

"Um, Natsume," Mikan interrupted him, "You're getting overboard. It's just an engagement."

"You're losing your freedom!"

She smiled wryly. "I've never had my freedom in the first place."

Tonnerre Manor, Edinburgh, Scotland

"Is everything set for tonight, Gunther?"

"Yes, Madame."

"My flight?"

"All set, Madame."

"Good." Guenièvre raised her cup to her lips. "How is that troublesome child?"

"She didn't eat lunch today, Madame," he said in a gruff voice, "but the maid informed me that she hid a stack of snacks in a cabinet."

"How unpleasant that girl is," she muttered in obvious disgust, "What about the boy?"

"He is currently in their tea room, talking with a girl around his age."

"That gosse should have known by now that none of their dreams will come true."

Gunther cleared his throat before asking cautiously, "Forgive me for asking, Madame,"

"No, go on, Gunther."

"Yes, Madame. If you don't mind me, why are you doing this to your grandchildren?"

"This is payback to what their father did to me." she stirred her tea as she explained. "Marrying that filthy woman. I remember how absolutely short her frocks were then, when they weren't married yet. The company was growing, but that… woman came in and wrecked it all. Soon, I lost both my sons, and I was remained with that filthy child I refuse to call mine."

"Chou was her name, wasn't it, Madame?"

"Yes," she continued dryly, "That girl is the opposite of a butterfly. I had no choice but to keep her; my husband was adamant. He has always been the one with the soft side. If I was in charge then, I would've aborted that filth as soon as I found out."

"How did she die?" By now, Gunther threw out his respectful 'Madame', but Guenièvre didn't seem to mind much; Gunther had always been one of her most faithful servants.

She showed him a cynical smile. "How else?

Sakura Mansion, Tea Room

"We skipped school, haven't we?" Aoi suddenly asked out of the blue.

Youichi shrugged and said, "There's a staff meeting going on now."

"Honestly, how do you know these things? You have to show me your secret one day, little brother."

"Shut. Up."

Aoi snickered. How much she loves to tease her 'brother'. "Anyways, do you have an idea?"

"Idea on what?" Youichi refused to look; he was completely focused on the blueprints before him.

She rolled her eyes, "I dunno, the sale in Marunouchi, perhaps?"

Finally, Youichi looked up with a confused look. "Say what?"

Aoi shook her head and continued, "What do you think Mikan's fiancé looks like?"

"You expect me to know?" he shook his head and turned his attention back on their plans. "I didn't even know about the event later, if Emi didn't inform me."

"Moreover, Youichi, what do you think is happening to Natsume and Mikan right now?"

He sighed. "I don't know, Aoi, but it won't have a happy result."

Alice Academy, Garden

"What are you doing here?"

Mikan snapped her eyes open and turned to Natsume. "I was bored back home."

"You weren't." he said simply. "You were caged in your own room. You won't take the risk as big as this just because you're, as you put it, bored."

"Life's all about taking risks, isn't it?"

"I'm asking you again, Mikan," Natsume's voice hardened, "What are you doing here?"

"You got me." she finally said after a short silence. She flipped her brown hair back and smiled. "I wonder how you can do that."

"What are you doing here, Sakura?"

"I—"

"Mikan."

She sighed, giving up. There's just no way he can win against him. "I came to…" she inhaled deeply before going on, "say goodbye."

Tonnerre Manor, Edinburgh, Scotland

"We will be expecting you by seven, then." With those last words, Guenièvre handed the phone back to Gunther. "We shall be leaving now, Gunther. Get my bags ready."

"Yes, Madame."

You can't do anything about it, Izumi. I have everything planned. Your daughter shall pay for what you've done.

Alice Academy, Garden

"What?"

"Goodbye, Natsume." Mikan prepared to stand, but her wrist was suddenly seized by the first. "Wha—?"

"What do you mean, 'Goodbye, Natsume'?"

Rather wound up with his tightening grasp, she spoke in an exasperated tone. "Just what part of 'Goodbye, Natsume' can you possibly not get?!"

"Apparently, all of it."

"Natsume," Mikan tried to pull her hand out of his clutch, but to no avail. "Please. I have to go. I'm meeting my fiancé in five hours."

"Let it be. You still have five."

"Natsume, they're bound to check on me—"

"Not my fault you escaped, is it?"

"Technically, you are the—"

"Oh for the love of shit, will you please just shut your effin' mouth?!"

Mikan did as she was commanded and didn't talk, neither did she dragged her arm away from Natsume's clasp. She simply stared at him with unfathomable eyes, asking, begging…

"Fine, you win." Mikan sighed. "Five minutes."

"Out of five hours, you give me five fucking minutes?"

"You know I can always change it to—"

"Five minutes, I got it."

Alice Academy, Hallway

"That's crazy," Sumire commented as they walked on the hallways, "Mikan won't risk something as big as that."

"Then how do you explain those girls talking about them in the restroom?" Misaki challenged her.

Anna seemed to have already thought of it and came with a ready answer. "Maybe Luna cross-dressed?"

Sumire rolled her eyes. "That's an even crazier idea."

"You know what?" Nonoko declared, "I say we just get on and take a look for ourselves."

Hotaru, who was staying out of the argument, finally talked and took out her trusty SLR. "Yes, why don't we?"

Alice Academy, Garden

"Three minutes."

"That's insane, it's barely two minutes!"

"I'm the one with the time here."

"Look," Natsume said gruffly. He pushed his hair back and sat up. "I'm sorry for not doing anything when the hag—"

"Oh, please, Natsume, you can't really do anything about it."

He shot her a glare. "Bear with me, will you? That woman is the Cruella De Vil of your life—"

"Yeah," Mikan nodded." I noticed that too. It's surprising I found someone worse than Luna."

He ignored her and continued. "Look, I'm not good in these tacky shits, but—"

"You can say that again."

"Will you quit butting in?" he said irritatingly.

Mikan glanced at her watch. "One minute."

"That's stupid, you just—"

"Thirty seconds…"

"Stop it, will you? This isn't—"

"Twenty…"

"That's it, Sakura, you're getting—"

"Ten…"

"For the love of damnation, Mikan, please!"

"Five…"

"Shit."

"Three… two…"

"Damn that watch."

"One." She sighed and stood up. "Ciao, Natsume."

"You can't go anywhere." He held her by the arm, refusing to let go.

Mikan remained thoughtful for a moment, and planted a kiss on his temple. Slowly, Natsume loosened his grasp, and Mikan explained, "You know something, Natsume? Goodbye is a painful way to say I love you, so…" she gulped the tears trying to escape. "Goodbye, then."