Yuusuke sat down on the flowing grass near the Northern Forest, the sun had nearly set and he contemplated on his actions. Every time he thought about that kiss he couldn't help but feel both excited but sick to the stomach at the same time. She had basically (temporarily) kicked him out, hadn't she? He clicked his tongue in annoyance and lied down so that he was facing the orange sky, he felt the breeze sweep through his silver hair and closed his eyes as he let himself relax.
She didn't seem mad, he thought to himself, she said that she wanted some time to recollect herself, you've only been temporarily kicked out while she calms down Youichi.
Eyes still closed, he furrowed his brows in annoyance. Maybe he shouldn't have gone in for the kiss, the mood was right and all but he always knew that her heart would belong to Natsume.
That's just the way it's always been, and there's no changing that.
Natsume-nii, he sighed, it's always him.
Before he could brood about the matter any longer he heard the faint sound of footsteps and he snapped his eyes open before calming himself down again. He knew exactly who it was, he's been through this situation before. Fixing himself up, he got up and walked towards the small stream behind the handful of trees where there was a small clearing famous throughout the academy for its wide variety of flowers.
And there he saw his younger self.
"Look who it is," the small kid who was inspecting all of the flowers in his hand quickly snapped his head up and faced the teenager with a look of surprise which quickly disappeared and was replaced with a poker face. "What's a little kid like you doing here at this time?" Yuusuke couldn't help but grin as he saw his younger self's defensive stance.
"I could ask you the same thing," Youichi quickly hid the flowers he was holding behind his back and glared at Yuusuke, "or do you just like peeping on little kids?"
Yuusuke chuckled and leaned on a nearby tree to observe what was happening, "are you perhaps picking those flowers for a special someone?" He pointed to the flowers hidden behind his back, "you look as if you're taking extra care into picking the right ones."
Youichi rolled his eyes and continued to pick flowers, "as if," he retorted, "now go away."
The older one smiled as if he was looking at an old photograph, a look of nostalgia was apparent on his face as he watched everything take place. "They're for Mikan, aren't they?"
This caused Youichi to freeze for a moment before he looked directly at Yusuke, his silver eyes filled with suspicion, "do you have a mind-reading alice or something? Or are you a spy who's sent to record my every move?"
The latter shrugged and bent down to pick an orange tulip from the ground, "neither." He stated as he twirled the flower between his fingers, "it's just written all over your face."
"That idiot nee-chan has been acting strange recently, you've noticed it too, right?" Youichi wrapped his mini bouquet of yellow, pink and orange flowers of varying types up with an orange ribbon he retrieved from his pocket, "she looks less ugly with a smile, so I decided to get something for her."
Yuusuke looked at him and him knowingly and remembered what happened in the past when he did the same thing back when he was an 8-year-old Youichi picking flowers in this very spot. "You shouldn't give them to her," he frowned at the kid who had his eyebrows furrowed at him, "you're so much like Nastsume that it annoys me."
Youichi shook his head defiantly, "who are you to tell me what to do?" He placed the mini bouquet in his bag and huffed when he noticed how dark it was, "are you jealous of Natsume-nii or something?" He sneered at the older one, "it's lame for someone as old as you to get jealous of a 16-year-old."
Yuusuke smirked at him and gave him a deadly glare which caused him to gulp, "I'm not meant to be doing this but I just don't want you to hate your beloved onii-chan. Take it as advice so your little heart doesn't get broken."
He then turned around and waved before walking back to Mikan's room in the blanket of darkness.
When he got back he felt a knot in his stomach as he was about to turn the corner.
He knew exactly what was happening as in the past he foolishly ran towards the high schoolers' dorms to give Mikan his little bouquet that he spent 2 painstakingly long hours collecting the flowers for.
Only to see Natsume give Mikan an even better one.
He was lucky that Mikan's mood had lifted when he finally decided to knock on her door after Natsume had left. Mikan had an enormous smile on her face which dropped slightly when she opened the door to see a bitter Yuusuke standing there awkwardly in his grass-stained uniform - she probably thought Natsume came back to say something to her.
She gave him a small smile and invited him inside, knowing that he had no-where else to go. She apologised for being so difficult earlier and shrieked when she saw the state his uniform was in.
"How did your uniform get THIS dirty!?" She threw some clothes at him and demanded that he got changed into a set of cleaner, more comfortable clothes. He smiled and told her to not apologise because it's his fault for doing something against her will. She went on her tiptoes and patted him on the head and left to prepare snacks to welcome him back.
Yuusuke had a small smile on his face as he watched her retreating figure bounce happily towards the kitchen. Before heading towards the bathroom to change, he glanced at the door, relieved that Youichi listened to his advice and didn't come. He might be a snarky 18-year-old but he honestly didn't want his younger counterpart to feel heartbreak at such a young age.
When he came out he saw a giddy Mikan smiling foolishly to herself as she placed a massive bouquet of sunflowers into a new white vase which sat as the centre-piece of her dining table. As soon as she saw Yuusuke staring at the flowers she grinned and told him all about what happened:
She was watching her favourite drama to cheer herself up when she heard a knock on her door, "at first I thought it was you!" She said as she recounted what happened, "and I got ready to open the door when I smelt burning, then I realised it wasn't you but Natsume!" As soon as she opened the door she immediately shouted at the fire-caster for nearly burning down her room then she noticed that he was holding a massive bouquet of sunflowers. He handed it to her quite roughly but she said that she 'clearly saw a tinge of red on his cheeks' and she swore she wasn't seeing things.
Yuusuke listened painfully to the happiness in her voice as she talked about how Natsume emphasised that he didn't really want to give her some flowers, and she admitted that it really wasn't like him to give anyone a present 'let alone a girl!' But after she accepted them she said that she really loved sunflowers and he gave her, 'and I swear that I'm not lying!'
"He gave me a small smile, maybe it wasn't a smile... But it was definitely something!" She sighed happily as she munched on some biscuits, "and when I asked him why he decided to give me some flowers, he told me to 'not ask any more questions Polka Dots' and squeezed my nose before vanishing."
Yuusuke was about to call it a day and drop down onto bed because he honestly didn't think he could listen to any more of this, but she wasn't finished yet:
"How did he even know that I liked sunflowers?" She squealed, "it really made my heart race!"
Seeing the unamused look on Yuusuke's face, she immediately regretted what she said and realised that she probably shouldn't be talking about how much Natsume made her heart race since he's her future husband and all. When she apologised he quickly dismissed it and said that he was just tired.
He didn't want to say it but he really wanted to throw those sunflowers away.
The next day was a holiday and Mikan decided that she was going to Central Town with her friends, Natsume included.
I guess this means that I'm going to be alone today, to be honest, Yuusuke didn't really mind being alone - he just didn't want Mikan to be with Natsume. The more he tried to convince himself that it was Natsume and knowing him (both in the present and in the future) he isn't the type to make moves on Mikan while there were people around, the more he realised that Natsume is a pretty unpredictable guy.
What's even the point of coming to the past if the outcome isn't going to change? He drank his coffee and looked out at the sky through the window, it was a beautiful morning (unlike his mood).
How annoying. And with that, he was more determined than ever to get things to work.
Hearing a knock on the door, he eyed the bathroom door where Mikan was getting changed and decided to open the front door to greet the guest himself. Thinking that it was Natsume, he prepared a massive speech in his head only to find a little Youichi standing outside with his little bouquet from yesterday.
"What are you doing here?" Yuusuke narrowed his eyes at his younger self in confusion, he didn't remember ever giving Mikan his flowers; as soon as he saw Natsume on the day he wanted to give them to her, he immediately threw them away. Then he realised, he had just altered the course of time, and he was now stepping on thin ice as any move he does now could seriously change the outcome of the future.
Youichi glared at him and tried to peer into the room, "is that dumb nee-chan there?"
The older one pointed at the door beside him, "she's in there, what do you want?"
Youichi showed him the bouquet from yesterday which had now lost a bit of its colour but was still vibrant. "Remember this?" He waved the flowers mockingly in front of Yuusuke's face, "it's not like I listened to you or anything, it's just that I was too busy yesterday to give them to her."
A door clicked from inside the room and the figure of Mikan Sakura came out clad in a beautiful white dress with brown sandals, as soon as she saw Youichi standing outside she gave him a wide smile. "You-chan!" She ran beside Yuusuke and patted the younger one on the head, "what's that in your hands?"
He said nothing and shoved the flowers into her arms, "Natsume-nii said that you've been feeling down lately, so how about you stop frowning you idiot nee-chan." He grumbled under his breath but Mikan still heard every word, she affectionately pinched his cheeks and admired his little bouquet.
"You-chan, these flowers are beautiful! I love the colours that you've chosen!" The younger one tried his best to hide his small smile but it was still visible to Yuusuke who stood there not knowing what to do, "I'm going to put these right next to Natsume's bouquet on the table!"
The smile soon fell from Youichi's face as soon as he saw Natsume's bouquet and Yuusuke cringed inside as he remembered the pain he felt, "Natsume-nii brought you a bouquet?" Asked the younger one in confusion.
Mikan noticed the aura emitted from him and tried to cheer him up, "totally unlike him, right? But don't worry You-chan, I love your bouquet as well! In fact," she ran into the kitchen and got a small clear vase filled with water and placed it on her bedside table, "I'm going to place your bouquet next to my bed so every time I wake up I see your wonderful flowers!"
Youichi's small smile returned and he looked at Yuusuke with a sly look, "I wanted to give them to you yesterday but this man here said not to," he pointed to Yuusuke who glared down at him, "nee-chan, is he the one who's making you unhappy?"
Mikan stared at him in surprise, "w- what do you mean by that You-chan?" She laughed nervously as Yuusuke's glare hardened.
Youichi just shrugged, "ever since he came you've been looking uglier, even Natsume-nii says so."
"Don't spout nonsense Youichi," hearing the signature deep voice of the infamous character of the academy, everyone shifted their attention to the fire caster standing by the staircase leading up to special star dorm rooms. He looked slightly out of breath and was wearing an outfit similar to Mikan's, a white t-shirt with jeans and white sneakers. He stared at the group and when he saw Mikan he walked up to her and grabbed her wrist, "let's go."
"I thought you were going as a group," Yuusuke grabbed Mikan's other arm to hold her back, "where's everyone else?" The two guys had an unpleasant aura surrounding them as they both scowled at each other.
"Of course they're not coming," Natsume retorted and then yanked Mikan towards him so that she fell into his arms, "you're her relative, right? Then act like it."
Before he answered back, Yuusuke looked at Mikan and exhaled harshly. He didn't want her to hate him, that was the last thing he wanted, so he ruffled his hair and frowned at the pair. "Yeah, it's as you say Natsume, I'm her 'relative,'" sensing the tension in the air he turned around and walked back towards the room, "have fun you two."
He didn't look at them when he heard footsteps walk away behind him, but he could feel the smugness on Natsume's face without even looking at him which annoyed him greatly. Remembering that Youichi was standing beside him, he looked at the kid and decided to do something else.
"Oi, brat," Youichi glared at him due to being called in such a harsh way, "do you really like that Natsume kid? He seems a bit deranged."
Youichi positioned himself in front of him and glowered at him, "don't say that about him, he's way better than you." Yuusuke clicked his tongue, typical.
"How did you feel when you saw his bouquet in the room?" Youichi raised a brow but shrugged at his strange question which irritated the latter more, "let me reword that, how would you feel if you saw Natsume give Mikan his bouquet when you were about to give her yours, wouldn't you hate him?"
The younger one looked at him strangely, "why would I hate him? Everyone already knows that Natsume-nii likes that idiot, I'm no match for him and nor do I want to do anything that will hurt him... Stop asking weird questions, weirdo."
Yuusuke rolled his eyes and slammed the door shut on his face, all he could hear from outside was the mutterings of a fuming Youichi who was rudely left alone.
"Whatever," he undid the two top buttons of his shirt and slumped down on the couch in front of the bed, "what a boring day."
Then he played the waiting-game and decided to plan for what he was going to do next as he waited for Mikan to return from her little rendezvous and while he was doing so, he realised that maybe he shouldn't have told Youichi to give Mikan his flowers a day later.