Chapter 25

:[Mikan's PoV]:

I have never felt happier in my life than right now.

As Natsume and I seal our love for the second time in our life, I suddenly see pictures flash in front of my eyes. Like life is flashing in front of my eyes.

But I don't see memories. I see visions of the future. The two of us on our graduation day, on the day we buy our first home, on the day we get into college, on our college graduation day, on our legal wedding day, and on practically every single day of our life together in the future, up to the day we die together.

It may be cheesy... But well...

That's what I see.

Our forever together.

Natsume pulls back and I open my eyes, to meet his beautiful crimson ones.

And I fall in love with him all over again.

His eyes are so beautiful. I've always wondered where their color came from, whether or not his family's got these monster vampire genes, but right now, I'm just thankful that one day, our kids may have those beautiful eyes of his.

And that makes me happy. So much.

I grin at him, and he grins at me, his eyes growing soft as we just stand there under the roof of the gazebo, looking into each other's eyes, our hands intertwined between our bodies.

"I love you." He says.

I can't help but blush. "Yeah, sure." I chuckle. "I love you, too."

This moment will forever be recorded in my mind and heart.

The greatest moment in my life.

"You know, this is the greatest moment of my life." Natsume tells me, letting go of one of my hands and reaching up to carress my cheek. I lean into his finger.

"You read my mind." I tell him.

"I want to kiss you again." He tells me.

"Why don't you?" I grin at him. He leans down and nears his face to mine, and i start to close my eyes.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Then a chorus of squeals and shouts resound in the courtyard, making me jump back.

"What happened?!" Natsume asks. He looks around. Then he suddenly freezes, his shoulders stiffening, his eyes widening. He stays still for a few heartbeats, before he runs down the gazebo, calling out, "MOM!" He sprints down the aisle to where his mother sat a few rows back.

No.

NO.

What's wrong?

Why is she lying thee, perfectly still, her face lax, her eyes closed, her mouth parted as she breathed in gasping breaths.

I start to gather my kimono skirts before I realize that the crowd was divided into two.

And when I look the opposite side from where Natsume's mother lay, I see another important face sprawled on the trimmed grass of the palace gardens.

I freeze in shock as I register her pale face, her closed eyes, and her slightly parted lips.

I scream in despair. My chest constricts in pain so strong, my breath was sucked out of my lungs. I stand there in the gazebo in shock, my hand flying to my chest.

No.

No.

No.

"HOTARU!"

And I run to her.

:[Normal PoV]:

The strong smell of antiseptic surrounds Mikan and Natsume, who are seated beside each other on a blue bench on the hospital corridor just outside the emergency room. Mikan is leaning her head back on the stark white hospital walls, her eyes closed as she imagines what is happpening to her bestfriend and to her mother-in-law behind the white walls.

Ntasume's figure is hunched forward, his elbows on his knees, his face covered by his two large hands. He stopped crying a while ago, but the pain in his heart, and the fear, is still very present.

They pay no heed to the other people around them, all more or less in pretty much the same positions as them. Aoi is there, so is Mr. Hyuuga. The rest of the gang sit uncomfortably in a waiting room somewhere in the same floor, so as not to make the hospital hallways crowded with worried people.

Mikan can faintly hear the beeping of a computer, the shouts of commands from doctors, the hush whispering of nurses. Her eyes closed, Mikan could only see darkness, but she can feel Natsume's heat from beside her, can hear his short, painful breaths, can imagine what he is going through. She longs to touch him, to tell him that everything's going to be okay, to comfort him, to take away his pain. Yet, Mikan doubts herself. How can she do that, when she herself is unsure of what is going to happen? Behind her eyelids, she can see the limp figures of Kaoru Hyuuga and Hotaru Imai. Their raven hair dark as the night against their pale faces. Their lashes brushing the colorless cheeks. Their mouths slightly open as they try to catch their breath.

Natsume can hear Mikan's soft cries. He can feel her shudddering knee against his. He wants to hold her against his arms, wipe her tears away, take away her pain. But how can he, when he wants to break down, too? When he wants her arms around him? When his heart yearns for some comfort from her, a pat on the back, or a kiss on the cheek?

He needs her.

She needs him.

They need each other.

They both know it.

But why can't they give each other what the other needs?

I figured this story needed a bit of drama. OMG what the heck happened? Im so curious by it myself. I mean, its been two months since I've last updated. And well, Ive sort of forgotten the storyline. teehee.

I AM SO SORRY FOR BEING SO FRIGGIN LATE! College called, and I had to answer. College is still on the other end of the line, but I decided to put him on hold for a bit. I'll get back to him maybe later, lol.

What will happen to the princess?

FIND OUT MORE... IN THE NEXT UPDATE! Lol. (Wonmder when it would be this time. *cry*)

And for trhose who wondered and have no idea what my gender is... Im a girl. IM A GIRL. IM A GIRL. Im a pretty girl. OMG, i have so much confic\dence in myself. But no kidding though, I am a girl, 100%. I checked in the bath this morning. LOL

OKAY!

BTW, I named this chapter, "Their 'happy' ends". I used 'happy' as a noun int his context, so... yeah. Its not the end yet,. just that their happpiness ends. OMG WHY.

lol okay um look forward tot eh next chappie! 3

All my love,

Hazel-chii