Chapter 29-Somethings Fishy~
Mikan was in her office trying to type some arrangements before picking the twins from their school. She looked at her watch—4:50, she's twenty minutes late. 'Damn'she thought before turning her lap top off, picking her bag, and spinning her heels to the ground floor to pick up her car. Before she went to the parking area, a car stopped in front of her and the window of the car opened, "Hey~" a masculine voice called.
"I was just passing by their school when I saw them sitting near the park, I thought that you might be a little busy so I picked them up." The mysterious raven said. "Well, I really was busy, thanks for picking them.—hey you guys, I'm so sorry—I wasn't expecting those heavy documents." Mikan said. "It's alright, mom. Look, dad bought us some donuts, some popcorn, some ice cream and some drinks." Hikari said. "Yeah—we also picked some good movies." Hikaru added. "Movies?" Mikan asked as she raised her delicate eyebrow; as Natsume went out the car.
"Well, yeah—I want to watch some movies with the kids at your house since I'm leaving next week." Natsume explained.
"Huh?" Mikan questioned. She might hear it wrong—him? Leaving? Next week?
"I already explained it to the twins, and it seems they understand." He said. She forced a smile and said, spluttering "O-okay, we can watch them but not after dinner." Mikan said. She heard the twins cheered.
After dinner, they set the whole living room into a bedroom.
The couches served as leaning area, they were in the floor, foams underneath them, and of course food. Their places were, Natsume, in the far left end, then Hikari beside him, Hikaru next and Mikan in the far right end.
They started the movie marathon that started with The Ring which made Mikan thrilled (It's not scary—honestly.)
Followed by Stay Alive, little thrilling if you ask me.
Next with Grudge 2—a real horror.
Then, something for the kids—Horton hears a who. (I love JOJO.)
And then, Stardust.
'What stars do—Shine.'
It was 11:45, but before they turned off the lights, Hikari said, "Someday, I'll find my own star." Natsume, Hikaru and Mikan looked at each other. "Weird." Aru said. "It's kinda' cute for you to say it, but you're too young if you ask me." Natsume said. "Don't worry dear, we will all find our own stars." Mikan explained.
"Did you find you star Mom?" the young girl asked. "Um—" Natsume looked at her, maybe hoping that she'll say his name. "—Of course I did. But—"
"But?" the twins asked. "—But sometimes, stars don't twinkle much, that it's impossible for you to see them. That sometimes you just don't know that that star is already beside you."
"Oh. Okay, but I don't want to be blind. I want to see my own star someday." Ari persisted. "And someday shall come, my dear—sooner that you think it will be." And so, the twins fell asleep between their parents.
The next day, was a weekend so no classes and no work for our brunette and silhouettes. Natsume spent the whole day with them so they all played, talked and watched movies—like family does. Right before dinner Mikan called "Natsume—" "Hn." Natsume replied as he played with the twin. "Can you buy some pastry for me at the bakeshop—please?" Mikan pleaded. "Hn."
"Can we go?" The twins asked. "Fine—hurry back." Mikan said as the ravens boarded Natsume's car and drove through the wet street of Tokyo.
"Hey, dad—let's buy some French bread and toasted muffins—okay?" Ari said. "Hn." He said as he turned on the radio—it was Youichi's band. "Cool—Youichi-nii." Ari and Aru said when Natsume's phone vibrated.
Yuuki.
That was the callers' name. "Hey?" Natsume answered.
"Hey—where are you?"
Natsume glanced first at the talking twins before he answered "I'm at work—why?" I can't expect how he lied to her.
"Oh, okay."
"Hey, did something happen? You sound weird."
"Nothing. I'm here at Narita airport, can you come here."
"What? What are you doing there?"
"I'll be waiting."
She hanged.
"Dad? Who was that?" Aru asked.
"Yuuki." Natsume answered plainly. "Oh, okay." The twins answered in bored mode. "Um, can you guys accompany me to the airport? Or do you want me to bring you to your mom's house first?" Natsume asked. The twins looked at him and said "Why?" "It's an emergency."
Watch my life, pass me by
In the rare view mirror
Pictures frozen in time
Are becoming clearer
I don't wanna waste another day
Stuck in the shadow of my mistakes
Yeah~
"Hey, what's wrong?" Natsume said after he left the twins in the car, ran and met the brunette in the waiting area of the airport. "I'm going back to Paris." She said which shocked our raven. "What? What do you mean? I thought our flight is still next week." Natsume asked. The brunette looked down and said "I just can't pretend anymore."
Coz I want you, and I feel you
Crawling underneath my skin
Like a hunger, like a burning
To find a place I've never been
Now I'm broken and I'm faded
I'm half the man I thought
I would be~
But you can have, what's left of me
"Huh?" Natsume asked. "After the day you made me your girl, Natsume, I already felt that there's someone in your heart I can never replace. Someone you've longed for. Though I know that it was Mikan that you still loved, I pretended I didn't care."
"I hoped—that someday, I can at least erase a small part that she made in your heart—but all that hope went out when we went back here in Japan. Even with the mere sight of her, Natsume, tell me, did your heart skip a beat?"
I've been dying inside
Little by little
Nowhere to go but going out of mind
In endless circle
"No." Natsume said. "Don't lie." Yuuki said. "I don't lie. It really didn't make my heart skip a beat—it just made it stop beating." Natsume said; bowing in shame. "I'm sorry I wasn't honest. Sorry if I played with you." He said. "Don't be sorry, your mistake was my gain. Even though it was fake, I admit, I was happy this past 4 years of relationship."
"But you know, I really did hoped that I will rank as the number one inside you, but after I heard what you said in the beach—"
Running from myself until
You gave me a reason
For standing still
And I want you, and I feel you
Crawling underneath my skin
Like a hunger, like a burning
To find a place I've never been
Now I'm broken and I'm faded
I'm half the man I thought
I would be~
But you can have, what's left of me
"You heard it?" Natsume asked. "Yes. You loved her—in fact—you still do. For once, I felt envy—jealousy—for Mikan. She has the love of her kids, friends and even you. Some things I can never ever have. She's lucky you know."
"I've thought that if I took you from her and the twins, I can be forever happy—I can have the ending I'm wishing for—like those of fairytales, but in exchange, I can have your heart that is beating for her—only for her."
Falling faster, burn and breathing
Give me something to believe in
Tell me its all in my head
Take what's left of this man
Make me whole once again
"But if I let you go. I can drown in an endless despair and loneliness—in exchange of your happiness."
"You know what—someone told me, that letting go doesn't always mean that you're weak, sometimes it just means that you're strong enough to let go.—You thought that when you let Mikan go, she can be happy with Akira right? But in the end you were mistaken. Now, I'm going to do what you did before."
Coz I want you, and I feel you
Crawling underneath my skin
Like a hunger, like a burning
To find a place I've never been
Now I'm broken and I'm faded
I'm half the man I thought
I would be~
But you can have, all what's left yeah yeah
What's left of me…
"But I'm going to do it, with the certainty that I won't regret it in the end."
"Do you know what date is tomorrow, Natsume?" Yuuki asked. Natsume shook his head which means 'no.' Yuuki laughed with tears, "It's our fourth anniversary." Natsume was shocked. How could he forgot something like that? "And I'm going to give you the gift that I'm sure you won't regret." Yuuki said. Natsume looked at her with curiosity in his eyes. Yuuki sighed and took something from her finger. Slipped a diamond ring off and gave it to Natsume.
I'm dying to tell you see
Going out of my mind, out of my mind
I'm just running in circles all the time
Will you take what's left?
Will you take what's left?
Will you take what's left? Of me~
Just running in circles all the time
Will you take what's left?
Will you take what's left?
Will you take what's left? Of me~
Take what's left of me…
"I'm letting you go." Yuuki said with tears flowing from her eyes. Natsume could only stare at her. NO way?!
"Can I have a hug?" Yuuki requested—her last request. Natsume pulled her in and whispered "Thank you." Yuuki smiled and said after pulling away "But promise me, you must make Mikan your girlfriend as soon as possible, or maybe, sooner than soon." That two looked at each other when they heard 'All passengers of flight 044, Japan to Paris, please proceed to door 18, again, all passengers of flight 044, Japan to Paris, please proceed to door 18, '
"Well, this is goodbye, Hyuuga Natsume." Yuuki waved. While Natsume only waved at her with a smile in his face. Few minutes later, after the plane took off, a hand slowly tugged to Natsumes' pants. "Dada, was that mean that you can marry mom now?" Ari asked. Natsume only smirked and nod. "Why, do you want me to marry your mom?" Natsume asked. The twins looked at each other and squealed "Of course!"
