JC: The second to the last chapter. Mikan and the others have finally escaped headquarters before it blew up. Aya and Reo felt they had no right to go back to the academy, so they stayed behind. They're alive, so don't worry about them. Some tearful and happy moments await you here. Let's have some more Natsume and Mikan moments, shall we? Of course, Natsume is going to have jealousy issues again. Even though Kyo likes Nonoko, he's still Mikan's number fan boy. It's a little sad that Ryou's not here anymore.
Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice characters belong to Higuchi-sensei. Sugita Aya is a cross-over character from Kodocha. My own characters in this fic are Kawashima Kyo, Kawashima Asuka, and Hibiki Ryou.
Obsession
Chapter 49: A Covetous Heart
The Anti-Alice Organization would fall. Her mother had said that, and it was true. The organization's reign ended. A lot of people were sacrificed, including a good friend of hers. So many students and teachers suffered because of the AAO. So, when they heard about the AAO's defeat, everyone in the academy was happy—well, almost everyone. The principals still had to think of a way to get the government's trust again. Because of the tragedy, many students were sent home by their parents' and relatives' demands. They were not sure if those students were willing enough to come back to the academy again.
Under any circumstances, the high school principal does not show emotions easily. However, upon seeing his niece again, he couldn't help pulling her into his arms. No words were able to express how happy he was. All this time, he was dead worried about her. Azumi Yuka held Mikan next. She almost cried, but she managed to put up a smile for Mikan. She had also thanked Natsume for saving her. Their family reunion was cut short when the faculty staff requested for the high school principal and Yuka.
When the principal and Yuka had gone and Natsume had locked the door, Mikan said, "Will everything be back to normal?" She picked up a pillow, hugged it, and sat down on her bed. "A lot of our friends had gone home. Iinchou, Permy, Nekome-kun, and Kokoroyomi-kun are among them. Hibiki-kun's not here anymore and Aya-chan chose to stay behind."
"I think," he said slowly yet coldly, "that you shouldn't be thinking so much. You're obviously stressed out already."
"I know," she answered him. "I should be happy that I'm still in one piece and the fact you're with me." Then she took his hand up and began to rub it gently. "Natsume, about what happened between me and Ruka-pyon…"
Their eyes met, and then he pulled his hand from her. "Don't say it! I don't want to hear it!" Clenching one hand, he pulled her head to him. As their lips met, he forced his tongue into her mouth, sliding past her teeth to meet her tongue. As he broke the long, passionate kiss, Natsume murmured to her, "I'm still upset with the fact Ruka slept with you. Tch...No, I'm not only upset. I'm downright frustrated." His voice was deep and grim. The fire in his eyes was growing.
She stood and took his hand. "I'm sorry…" was all she could say to him. The two of them stood in silence for a while. Then Natsume made a very bold move. He pushed her down on the bed. "N-Natsume!"
"I told you this before, didn't I?" he murmured, his hand sliding beneath her skirt to caress her bottom. "I told you I would erase all traces of Ruka from your body. I'm not going easy on you this time."
"Natsume, you big pervert," she said. "Get o—Ah!" His fingers had found her sensitive part and began to tease her. "Natsume! We can't! Not now! Ah!" Her body loved his touches. His aggressiveness was so exciting and dangerous for her that she didn't want him to stop.
"You're my girl and I'll do what I please," he said. He knew, despite her protest, she was enjoying every minute of their liaison. In a single smooth motion he removed her tie. He then kissed her on the lips while unbuttoning her uniform. As he traced kisses on her neck, she moaned in ecstasy and wrapped her arms around him. "You seriously love this, huh?" He grinned down at her arrogantly.
She shrugged. There was a faint blush on her cheeks. "We just got back and I wanted to rest," she said.
"Yeah, right…" Natsume tugged the garter of her underwear. "As if I'd let you…"
Unexpectedly, the door flew open. A cold-hearted inventor walked in and pointed a weapon at the flame-caster. "Get your ass off her, you stupid cat," she said, shooting her new Baka Rifle. The bullet hit Natsume's forehead, flinging him off the bed. "I warned you not to do any filthy things with her, but you never listen. You need to be reminded of the rules again." She walked up to Natsume and pointed the rifle at his head.
Mikan sweat-dropped. Her best friend can be so protective at times. "H-Hotaru, please don't shoot him," she said. "Besides, it's also my fault that we—"
"No, it's definitely his fault," Hotaru said. "You're the innocent one here and he's the green-minded one. He should know better than attempting to have sex with you. You're still young. It's a good thing I came."
"You gave me another reason to hate you, freak," Natsume said, challenging her with fierce eyes. "I dare you to shoot me."
The two stoic individuals stared at each other for a while. Simultaneously, they rolled their eyes away as they sighed in frustration. Mikan could only giggle at them. Hotaru and Natsume were so alike in terms of personality, although they were not in good terms with each other.
Hotaru put away her gun. "I'll spare you this time," she told Natsume. "But if I catch you harassing Mikan on the bed next time, you'll be swimming with the fishes." A threat from the Blackmailing Queen was always serious.
Natsume got back to his feet. "Am I supposed to be scared?" he replied nonchalantly. Her threats meant nothing to him.
"Well, it's good to see you two getting along as usual," Mikan said as a joke, and the two immediately shot her a glare. She gulped and let out a nervous chuckle. "I was only kidding. You two are way too serious."
"Honestly, I only came here to bring you good news, Mikan," Hotaru said, and Mikan blinked her eyes in curiosity. "Narumi-sensei is no longer in a coma. My brother healed him well."
Mikan's face brightened up. "Really? That's great! I'm going to visit Narumi-sensei later. I've missed him so much. And I'm also going to tell him about Reo-san. I'm sure he'll be happy to know that Reo has turned over a new leaf." Her voice was definitely chirpy.
Hotaru sighed dourly. "You're so noisy," she said, rolling her eyes away. "But it's been a while since I last heard you talking like this. I know I've done so many foolish things when I was still under Sugita Aya's control. It just goes to show that I'm a very weak person. On the other hand, you…" She put up a small yet gentle smile on her face. "You stayed strong. You never gave into the AAO. And even though you've experienced a lot of pain and hardships, you are still able to smile just like now." Truth to be known, Hotaru admired Mikan's smiles the most.
"Hotaru, I'm smiling right now because all of us are okay," Mikan said, controlling the urge to hug her. "And I'm happy to see you smiling too. Hotaru, you—"
"Just shut up and come here, dummy," Hotaru said.
The brunette giggled and hugged the inventor real tight. "I love you, Hotaru," she cheerfully said.
The victims of the sickness were eventually cured the next day all thanks to Nonoko. Before the sickness was spread, Nonoko had secretly injected the cure into Anna's blood. She did it when Aya's manipulation on her got weaker. Imai Subaru was finally able to rest when all of his patients were well again. Nonoko had told Anna about what happened to her and apologized for being helpless in her time of need. The pink-haired chef held no grudges against her friend and told her that she was just happy to see her safe and sound.
"Let's talk about Kawashima-kun, Nonoko-chan," Anna said, hugging the chick stuffed toy she got from Nonoko as a get-well present. "You told me that Kawashima-kun protected you all the time. I bet you were so thrilled. Kawashima-kun stood as your dashing knight."
Flushing red, Nonoko fiddled with her fingers. "Um… Kyo is really the coolest guy I've ever met." She touched her lips and smiled as she recalled the kiss with him. "And he's so sweet. He and I already kissed."
"Good for you, Nonoko-chan!" Anna said with a big smile on her face. "That means you two are already an item now."
Nonoko shook her head. "I haven't confessed my feelings to him yet," she said.
"But you two already kissed."
"I know… But I want to be sure. I want to know what he feels about me. I want to hear him say he loves me too." Her heart pounded in trepidation.
"Nonoko-chan has matured a lot," Anna said, lightly laughing. "And you've become more beautiful. Well, a girl stands out more when she's in love. Nonoko-chan, I admire the love you have for Kawashima-kun."
Self-conscious, the young chemist's face turned redder. "Anna-chan, I'm ready to tell him how I feel," she said in a stuttering voice. "However, now is not a good time for a confession. His heart is still grieving for Hibiki-kun. Hibiki-kun was his best friend."
Tapping her cheek with her finger, Anna thought in silence for a while. "Hey, why don't you cheer him up, Nonoko-chan? Let's bake him our famous dancing smiley cookies. Your special ingredient will surely lighten up his spirits again." She placed a hand on Nonoko's shoulder. "So, what do you say? Are you with me?"
Nonoko didn't have to think twice. She would do anything for Kyo. "All right, let's do it!" she said cheerfully. "Wait a minute… Are you allowed to leave the hospital?"
Hopping off the bed, Anna winked a playful eye at Nonoko. "I'll sneak my way out of here," she said, grabbing Nonoko's hand. "I know I'll be scolded by Imai-sensei later on, but I want to bake those cookies with you, Nonoko-chan."
"Um… Imai-sensei can be pretty scary." From her experience as Subaru's personal assistant, she knew it wouldn't be wise to get on his bad side. "Plus, I think you still need to rest. You've just recovered from the sickness, Anna-chan."
Anna giggled sweetly. "Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine now. It's been a while since I last saw my kitchen, so I'm dying to work there again. Getting scolded by Imai-sensei is not going to scare me." She spun around and walked to the door, hauling her best friend with her.
When the two of them passed by a certain room with a slightly opened door, Nonoko stopped as she saw two familiar people inside. She moved closer and peeked in secretly. Much to her utter dismay, she saw Kyo and Mikan embracing one another. She managed not to gasp when she heard Kyo say "I love you…" to Mikan, but her knees became weak. She closed her eyes and backed away from the door until she bumped into Anna. Nonoko was too stunned to say anything to Anna.
"You're acting strange, Nonoko-chan," Anna said, noticing Nonoko's trembling hands. "What did you see?" She peeked inside the room and clamped her mouth at the sight of Mikan in Kawashima's arms. She looked back at Nonoko, who had tears streaming down her face already. Anna felt sorry for her friend and wanted to comfort her. But as she reached out her hand, Nonoko turned and ran off.
Hibiki Ryou was dead. It was a painful fact to accept. Kawashima Kyo wasn't able to contain his tears when he talked about Ryou with Mikan. He let his emotions out as he held her in his arms. He didn't care if he was going to be burned alive by Natsume. He only wanted someone beside him during his time of sorrow. And during his emotional state, he unintentionally expressed his love for Mikan again. His love for Mikan was purely admiration, and he only said those three magical words in a spur of moment.
Kyo had told his older sister about the tragic news as well. He had said simply that Ryou saved Natsume's life by giving up his own, that he was happy to have met them, and that he was lucky to have a friend like Kyo. Kawashima Asuka was crying by the window. Remembering Ryou, Asuka looked from the sky to the ground. She saw that below the Alice security personnel were patrolling the area. It brought back another memory, the memory of her fighting against Ryou before he escaped to the AAO. She turned and went to sit down on the bed. Clutching her skirt, Asuka shut her eyes tight as tears continued to fall.
"Asuka-senpai," Mikan said, walking up to her. "I'm sorry for everything…" She bowed her head in apology.
"Why are you apologizing?" Asuka said, violently wiping her tears away. "You didn't do anything wrong, Mikan-chan. It's the organization's fault." She stood up, biting her lower lip, and hugged the brunette. "It's their entire fault. Ryou died because of them. But I'm happy to know that he died happily in your arms, Mikan-chan. That guy adores you to bits." She put up a smile on her face as she eased away from Mikan.
"Senpai…" Mikan lowered her gaze to the floor, recalling Ryou's last moments with her. She slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out a small round item. "Asuka-senpai, Kyo-kun, I have something here that belongs to Hibiki-kun…" She opened her palm, showing silver Alice stone."
"Is that Ryou's Alice stone?" Asuka asked, and Mikan nodded in reply. "Wait a minute… You stole Ryou's Magnetism Alice? Why?"
Mikan closed her eyes as she clasped the stone with both hands. She brought it near her heart and smiled. "Hibiki-kun's last request was to take his Alice away and give it to Kyo-kun," she explained as she opened her eyes again. "He wants Kyo-kun to take care of his Alice from now on." She took Kyo's hand and handed him the stone.
Asuka placed a hand on Kyo's shoulder. "That idiot still thought of you till the end," she said in a serene voice. "With the Magnetism Alice, I'm sure you'll feel Ryou's presence inside you."
"It's like he never left this world," Kyo said, smiling down at the Alice stone. "This Alice is going to give me more strength. I'll be sure to use it wisely."
"You two are truly smiling again," Mikan said, clapping her hands in joy.
Asuka cuddled Mikan like a giant teddy bear and brushed her cheek against hers. "We're smiling again because of Ryou and you," she said, pulling away. "Besides, moping around will do me no good. Ryou wouldn't like it if we're sad because of him. Isn't that right, Kyo?"
"Normally, I wouldn't agree with you, but I'll make an exception today," Kyo said, crossing his arms. "And for the record, a depressed sister is much more annoying than an energetically loud-mouthed—" He was interrupted when Asuka whacked him on the head with her trusty paper fan.
"Now that's how you are supposed to act," Mikan said, laughing. Yup, seeing the two bicker was entertaining and it was the Kawashima siblings' usual routine.
Later, Mikan had gone to the barn and she had fed some of the animals there. Her primary purpose for visiting the barn was to see Ruka, but since he wasn't around yet, she figured to wait for him. Sora came in and started playing with her and the animals.
"Sora, you're a little bundle of joy," Mikan said, as Sora perched on her shoulder. "You helped Tsubasa-senpai and the others a lot. Thank you." She also thanked Sora's creator, Shirasaki Yuki, silently in her head as she went out of the barn. Yuki may not be around anymore, but she kept him close in her heart.
The mechanical bird chirped and hopped on her head before it flew away. She followed Sora with her eyes until it perched on someone's blonde head. A smile instantly appeared when she saw that it was Ruka.
"Sakura, what brings you here?" Ruka asked, as Sora flew away together with his bird friends.
"I wanted to see you, Ruka-pyon." She approached him and noticed the red mark on his right cheek. "Ruka-pyon, what happened to your cheek?"
Ruka held his cheek, closed his eyes for a moment, and took a long deep breath. "Imai did this to me. She slapped me so hard after I apologized to her." He opened his eyes and chuckled. "Well, I deserved it, although I was expecting to be tortured by now. Fortunately, Imai wasn't totally angry with me."
"Hotaru can be forgiving too," Mikan said, and Ruka frowned. "Forgiving when needed… Most of the time she's just cruel."
He whistled, calling a bird from the sky. When the bird landed on his hand, he asked the bird to get something from his rabbit that was waiting at his room. As the bird flew away, Ruka took hold of Mikan's hand. "I have a gift for you, Sakura," he said. "I bought it when Sugita and I went to Central Town together. At that time, I was under her control, but I remember buying it with my own will because I knew it would suit you."
"What kind of gift is it?" she asked, her eyes beaming with curiosity.
The bird came back and gave him the item. "Here it is…" He opened his hand and showed her a blue butterfly hair clip with real diamonds on it. "I hope you like it."
The brunette took it from him and examined it in amazement. "It's beautiful," she said. "Ruka-pyon, this is a great gift. Thank you very much." She hugged him, making his face flush like crazy, and pulled away after a few seconds. She fixed her hair and clipped it on a little on the side.
His heart thundered. "You look good in anything you wear, Sakura," he managed to say. For a moment he felt nervous. Ruka reached out to touch her. Gently he held her hand between both of his. "Sakura, I still love you. I don't think I can ever change the way I feel about you. You could say I'm obsessed. But after this, I promise I won't do anything to take you away from Natsume. I know how much you love him." Leaning forward, he kissed her tenderly on the lips. He had no ill intentions. He just wanted to feel Mikan's lips one more time in order to satisfy his desire. As he pulled back, he gazed into her amber orbs and caressed her cheek.
"Why did you kiss me?" she asked. She was blushing.
Ruka turned away and kicked at a stone, and it skipped towards the tree. "I kissed you just to show how much I love you," he admitted. He felt like saying the things on his mind. Shyness wasn't an issue for him at the moment. "I don't think I can ever commit myself to another girl. You are way too special for me."
Mikan's lips curved into a smile. "You really mean that?"
Ruka nodded his head. "You've made my life more colorful. And I didn't ever mean to hurt you." He said it so softly, so urgently. "When I first met you, I really didn't think we could be friends. But we became close to one another and I fell in love with you."
"Wow… Ruka-pyon, you're really talkative today," she said with a little laugh. "And you're getting a little emotional now."
"Sakura, what do you think of me?" he asked all of a sudden. "I want to know…"
"First of all, you're one of the nicest guy I've ever met," she said, clinging to his arm, making him blush. "Secondly, you're a good friend to me and Natsume. Lastly, you're a very unique person and you'll always remain special to me."
Happy to hear such words, he thought back over the past years and all he had done together with Mikan. He remembered the first time he met her. He remembered playing dodgeball with her. He remembered the first kiss he gave her during Christmas. He remembered every wonderful moment. "I realized this a long time ago—that we could only be just friends without complications. However, my heart refused to admit it." When Mikan approached him, he turned and caught her in a quick, laughing embrace. "But now I realize how much our friendship means"
Mikan poked his temple and giggled. "Ruka-pyon, let's be friends forever," she said, grabbing his hand. Together they went back to the dorm, the best of friends. Unknown to them, a certain raven-haired boy had been watching them from the start, and he was very jealous.
The afternoon turned cooler and Mikan was out visiting the middle school building where she met some of her fan boys. It seemed like they were still active and energetic. Usually they didn't try to detain her, but once when their leaders are not around they would act rowdy. She noticed them glancing at her cheerfully and dreamily, as though they wanted to ask her something, or expected something of her. Mikan looked at them curiously, and they smiled.
"We were worried sick about you, Mikan-sama," one fan boy said. "A lot of us couldn't sleep at night when we heard that you got kidnapped by the organization. It's such a relief for us to see you here again."
"Majority of us still stayed because we wanted to help keep the academy safe for you," another boy said. He seemed rather awkward as he scratched the back of his head. "We refused to go back home knowing that you were in danger, Mikan-sama."
A young man with fair hair and a notably good-looking face smiled. "After all, Mikan-sama is our loving princess."
Her fans were so sweet, Mikan mused as she bowed her head. "I'm sorry for making you all worried," she said. She straightened up and showed them her trademark smile. "Looks like I have to stay out of trouble for now on, since they're a lot of people who cares about me. I should stop making them worried all the time."
The sun had set, and Mikan, who had left the middle school building, was heading towards the high school dorms. She was set on visiting her seniors, who were completely healed from their injuries yesterday.
As she stepped into the dorm premises, Nobara materialized at her side. "Mikan-chan, good evening," she said.
"Good evening, Nobara-chan!" Mikan said, giving the Ice Princess a hug. "I visited the hospital this morning and the doctor said you were already discharged. I guess Hotaru's brother's Alice did wonders for you, huh?"
"My injuries were superficial," Nobara explained. "Kage-san was the one with the heavy injuries. But he's fine now."
She wondered what Tsubasa would say to her about the issue with Ruka. Natsume told her that Tsubasa was present at the time Ruka announced he had slept with her. She wondered if Tsubasa had told anyone about it. "I'm going to pay Tsubasa-senpai a visit," she said. "Will you come with me, Nobara-chan?"
But Nobara shook her head. "I'm sorry, Mikan-chan, but I have to report to your uncle fast," she said. "He needs my help."
"It's all right," she said. "Since it's uncle, I'm sure he needs you for something important."
Mikan proceeded to the top floor, where the Special Star rooms where located, and saw Harada Misaki coming out of Tsubasa's room. Walking up to her, Mikan asked about Tsubasa's physical condition. Misaki sighed in frustration and said, "He's in good health now." She folded her arms and glared furiously at the door. It was obvious to Mikan that she was pissed as hell, and she guessed it has something to do with Tsubasa. "That guy… I was getting sentimental and he teases me about it. But I know he only did that to lighten up the mood. He hates it when things get damped."
Laughing, she said, "Well, Tsubasa-senpai is always like that."
Noticing the butterfly clip on Mikan's hair, Misaki reached out to touch it carefully. "Is this new?" she asked, and the brunette nodded her head in reply. "I see… It's really nice, Mikan. Did you buy it? Or did someone give it to you as a gift?"
"Ruka-pyon gave it to me as a sign of our friendship!" Mikan replied enthusiastically. Then the thought of the gift made her remember the ring Tsubasa showed her—the ring he was going to give to Misaki. She glanced at Misaki's finger and saw no ring. Maybe Tsubasa-senpai is looking for the right time to give it. I'm getting kind of nervous for him. He's going to propose to Misaki-senpai and they'll get married in the future.
Misaki patted her head before she spun around on her heels. "Ruka-pyon sure has a good taste in accessories," she said, stretching her arms up high. "Natsume-kun too, since he gave you that cute Sakura pendant. Well, I don't want to keep you here any longer. I know you want to see Tsubasa." She peered over shoulder and looked at Mikan with a smile. After that, she retired to her room.
Turning to the door, Mikan knocked on it twice. "Umm… Tsubasa-senpai, I'm here to see you. Can I come in?" she asked. She heard the sound of footsteps scrambling towards the door. When the door opened, her favorite senior welcomed her with open arms. "Tsubasa-senpai!" She literally tackled Tsubasa to the floor due to her excitement.
"Woah, Mikan, are you planning to kill me?" Tsubasa said, staring at her with one eye, as he raised his head. The brunette didn't say anything and merely gave him the puppy-dog look. He swallowed hard. Her puppy-dog look was too adorable to resist. "Mikan, stop it. I know you're cute and all." He heaved a deep sigh, as Mikan leaned on his chest. Not knowing what else to do, he wrapped his arms around Mikan and brushed his hand through her hair.
"I like it when Tsubasa-senpai hugs me," she said. "You're so warm." She got off of him and put out her hand.
Tsubasa shrugged. "I would probably be dead by now if your boyfriend saw us," he said, taking her hand, getting back on his feet. "Mikan, please close the door. I have something important I want to discuss with you." There was sharpness in his voice.
Anxiety shot through her nerves in a second. "Ah…Sure…" She closed the door and reluctantly faced him. She knew what was coming at her. "So, what do you want to—"
He cut her off with a frank question. "Is it true that you slept with Ruka-pyon?" His eyes were hidden under his dark locks. "I'm sorry for bringing it up, but I want to know."
"Yes, I did…" Mikan replied hesitantly, lowering her eyes to the tips of her shoes. "I slept with Ruka-pyon." She then explained to him, in a shaky and sad voice, about what happened between her and Ruka. She didn't leave out the part where Mihara drugged her with aphrodisiac, which was the cause of her eagerness to have sex with Ruka.
Tsubasa looked mildly thoughtful. "I see…" He moved and began to stroll to the balcony. "Mikan, come here…" he said.
She motioned over to his side, as Tsubasa's eyes wandered to the view below. Following his gaze, she saw three high school girls wave their hands at Tsubasa. Mikan was aware her senior was popular with the girls even though he was already taken. As the girls walked away, Mikan looked up at him and asked, "Tsubasa-senpai, are you all right?"
"Did you know that Natsume almost killed Ruka-pyon when he snapped?"
"Yes… To be honest, I was completely shocked. I didn't expect Natsume to do such a thing to Ruka-pyon. It was a good thing you were there, senpai."
When he saw her clasping her hands together, he put an arm on her shoulders. "I stopped that brat not only because I cared for Ruka-pyon, but also because of the promise I made with him." He looked at her positively, and then said slowly, "That brat almost killed his best friend because of jealousy and anger. You should really be careful around boys. Natsume might kill them." After that, he smiled and poked her cheek. "We can never change the fact that he's one possessive lover."
Nervously she clamped her mouth and moved, leaving a couple of feet between them. "Lover? Senpai, isn't that a little—"
"I'm amazed with young people today," said Tsubasa, sounding aggrieved. "They can't wait until they reached the age of maturity. At least, I'm willing to wait for Misaki. But Natsume is so aggressive that he can't control his stupid hormones."
"Senpai, please don't tell this to anyone," Mikan said, knowing the full consequences in stored. "I don't want any trouble."
"Look, Mikan," he said uncomfortably, "I daresay you two were wrong for doing it. I mean, come on, you guys are only fourteen. When I first found out about it, I got really upset. I talked it over with Natsume and gave him a piece of my mind. And I also warned him not to make you pregnant. A lot of people will kill him if that ever happens, including me."
She looked at him, pleased. And his face gave her assurance. It was deliberately jovial. "Senpai, Natsume is always careful. I'm sure he won't make any mistakes with me."
Tsubasa patted her head as if she was a little kitten. "Well, since Natsume's pretty responsible, I don't really have to worry about you two."
After having a scrumptious meal Mikan went to the balcony. The birds that gathered every evening in the trees next to the dormitory twittered into sleepy silence, and their shrill chorus was replaced by the soprano throbbing of a thousand crickets. The night was cold and Mikan, listening carefully to the cicadas with a very relaxed appearance, sat on the railing as she gazed up at the starry sky.
Natsume was standing right beside her, his back against the railing. He had been quietly staring at Mikan, but at her movement he turned his head quickly and asked, "What is it?"
"Nothing," she said. "It's cold." She didn't know if she wanted to go back inside her room or to spend more time enjoying the night breeze.
Natsume suddenly said, "Come to the hot spring with me." He straightened and held out his hand to Mikan.
She said, "It's late, Natsume. I'm not sure that I—"
His hand descended on her wrist, pulling her on to her feet. Narrowing his eyes, he said, "We're going to the hot spring in the moonlight, polka-dots. Go and change. I don't want to hear any buts." He looked undeniably cold as he said that.
When she had changed he was waiting outside her room. "Natsume, I'm ready…" she said.
"Come on, then." He held her wrist again, his eyes dark with challenge. He kept his hold on her as though not trusting her to follow, and they walked through the gentle darkness of the Northern Woods to the hot spring. It was a manmade hot spring created by one of the teachers last year as a gift for Mikan. Other students were not allowed to use it without permission. "Remove your clothes," he ordered.
"Okay…" She had her bathing suit on, so there was no need to be self-conscious. She removed her clothes and dropped them beside her towel. Before she could move from her spot, she saw Natsume taking everything off, including his boxers. He then wrapped a short towel around his lower half. "Natsume, you didn't wear trunks!"
"Take off that thing you're wearing now," Natsume said. "It's not suitable for a hot spring."
Mikan's face heated up. "What?! No way! I don't want to be naked here. Someone might see me."
"No one is able to set foot around this area without permission. Have you forgotten about the barrier?" He could see that Mikan was still reluctant, so he walked up to her and cupped her chin. "Why are you acting so shy all of a sudden? I've seen your body so many times already. If you're not going to strip, I swear I'm going to burn this swimsuit of yours."
Hastily Mikan removed her bathing suit and covered her body with a towel. "There, are you satisfied?" she said with a shrug. She went to the edge of the spring and slipped quickly into the water. The first shock was hot and soon it began to feel soothing. She splashed water at her face and looked at Natsume, who was now poised at the other end. "Are you just going to stand there?"
He slipped into the water and approached her. When he reached her, he scooped her into his arms. Their bodies were smooth and warm with the water, and his eyes were fathomless, nothing but gleam in the darkness. Mikan sensed an elemental excitement in him—it was redolent in his hands on her bare wet skin and his thighs against hers.
"What did you do the whole day?" he questioned.
"Oh, this morning I paid Kyo-kun and Asuka-senpai. After that, I went to the barn and played with Sora and the animals. When Ruka-pyon came, he gave me a really beautiful hairclip. In the afternoon, I went to the middle school building and talked with the members of my fan club. They were all worried about me. The last thing I did before going back to the dorm was to visit Tsubasa-senpai."
Natsume gripped the round of her shoulders, making her wince in pain. "I think you skipped out on the important parts," he icily said, digging his nails into her skin. "Don't you want to tell me that you and Kawashima hugged? He even confessed his feelings for you. How about the part where you and Ruka kissed? You've also let those fan boys and Andou touch you." Brimming with protectiveness, he kissed her—not gently at all. The warmness vanished in a hunting, hurting kiss that seemed to express an angry desire to bruise her into some sort of submission.
Frightened, she kicked against him, but the water impeded her. Pushing against him with her hands was futile. She couldn't free her arms enough to hit him.
When he lifted his head, and his hold slackened a little, she lashed out, freeing herself and thumping a fist against his hard chest. His arms fell away and she moved away from him as quickly as possible. She was almost out when Natsume caught her, his hands slipping along her wet limbs as she silently fought him. The water splashed about them while they struggled. But her strength was no match against his. She stopped struggling when he finally got both her hands firmly gripped in one of his, behind her back, and the other hand was holding her by the hair. Then his lips were on the wet skin of her throat, skimming slowly along the length of it in a sumptuous caress. She felt helpless as he explored her with his mouth.
He released her hands and said, "Get out now."
Trembling, she climbed out and walked to the light blur on the dark grass where their clothes were. She picked one up, and pressed it over her face. All of a sudden, Natsume plucked it away. She made a protesting sound that turned to a gasp as his hands pulled her back against him, his fingers hard against her stomach. His mouth was on her shoulder. "Natsume, this isn't like you. You're acting like an animal."
"It's your fault. You're mine and yet you let other guys take advantage of you so easily."
In a fury of enragement, she made a vicious movement of her shoulder, so that he jerked up his head. "I let Kyo-kun hugged me because I wanted to comfort him. Ruka-pyon gave me a harmless kiss. You were there, weren't you? So, you probably heard his reason too." Tears have started to fall. "Those boys were merely having fun talking to me. They didn't do anything weird to me. And of course, you already know that Tsubasa-senpai is like a brother to me! Natsume, why do you get so jealous so easily? Don't you have any faith in me?"
"Shut up!" he said roughly. He turned her suddenly in his arms against the nakedness of his body. "I love you, that's why. I can't help myself. I get so annoyed seeing you with other guys. And since you got me so worked up, you're going to give me what I want. I'm sure you know damn well what it is."
She did, and there wasn't any doubt of it. But as his fingers loosened the towel she whispered in protest. "Natsume, not here!"
He pulled her down on the ground. His hands started hot waves of excitement in her. His lips followed where his hands had been, and she gave a long, soft shuddering sigh and gave herself up to his touches.
As Natsume escorted her back to her room, Mikan relieved the scorching moments by the hot spring. He had hardly been gentle, and she was aware that her body ached a little and was probably bruised. After getting what he wanted, he told her to get dressed and put on his own clothes. As she dressed she shivered, feeling colder than the chilly night.
When she got back to her room Mikan had a shower and got ready for bed. She found Natsume already in her bed when she came out of the bathroom. He was lying with his eyes closed. She didn't think he was asleep, but when she lay beside him, watching his face, he didn't stir, and after a few minutes she switched off the lights and settled back into the bed.
In the morning, she woke up so early. There was a streak of dawn lightening the drapes across the balcony door. She glanced at Natsume and saw that his eyes were open. He didn't look happy. "Natsume…" she muttered. "You bruised me last night…" She touched the bruised spot as she moved a little away from him.
He looked down rather broodingly and said, "I know and I regretted it." His voice sounded curt.
"Really now?"
Natsume's eyes were daunting. He took her hand in his and moved until he was poised over her. "What do you want me to do about it?" he said, maintain a stoic expression.
"You should learn more self-control, Natsume," she said. "You're normally composed, but when it comes to me, you don't think straight anymore."
"Are you reprimanding me?"
"What do you think?" she said in a slightly mocking voice.
He stayed looking down at her a moment longer. "Tch…This is really your fault." He plundered her mouth with a possessive force that gave her no place to escape to, no way to hide her instinctive response to him.
"Natsume, you're not being gentle at all," she said with a cute pout.
"I'm through with being gentle, polka-dots," he whispered hotly in her ear. His hard body imprisoned her and his hands played havoc with her senses.
To be continued…
JC: Okay, we can't change the fact that Natsume's super obsessed with Mikan. The chapter title was referring to Natsume's heart. This is the second to the last chapter, which means that the next one is the finale! I promise you that the finale will contain so many romantic moments. Nonoko and Kyo will finally resolve their feelings. Tsubasa is going to propose to Misaki at last. I will feature another couple too. Of course, there will be more Mikan and Natsume fluff. Reo and Aya will appear too. Get ready for the final chapter, everyone. Please send in those reviews. No flaming.
