Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice doesn't belong to me. It is owned by the great mangaka Higuchi Tachibana.
Summary: It's the day before their graduation and Mikan and the gang went out for drinks. Unfortunately, Natsume still hasn't told the girl of his dreams what he really felt. Would he ever have the courage to tell her OR would he just watch her slip through his fingers?
NatsumexMikan with a minuscule drop of RukaxHotaru. When I say miniscule, I mean miniscule.
A/N: Second to the last chapter. By the way, I'll be on hiatus in creating Gakuen Alice fanfictions. I'll upload this chapter and the last, then the last chapter of 'Baffled'and I'll post the songfic I wrote more than a week ago. If you're wondering at what I'll be doing, I'll be concentrating on writing my new fanfiction. (Better promote it right now!)
It's based on an anime Otogi Zoshi: The Legend of Magatama, or just plain Otogizoushi. If you're not familiar with it, please check it out at be doing lots of research and I'm watching all of my dvds again.
Enough with my babbling! On with the last chapter! FORWARD! XD
Chapter 2: Bottoms Up, Then!
They all remained silent as the bus went en route to Central Town. Each was absorbed in his/her thoughts and didn't want to be bothered by anyone.
Mikan who was looking out the window, sat beside Natsume, who was staring at his hands, as if they contained all of the answers the universe were looking for.
Hotaru was talking to Ruka in a very quiet voice and Ruka had on a serious expression on his face. Yuu was sitting with another classmate of theirs, chatting animatedly.
Let's do like Koko-chan and sneak in their thoughts!
Mikan: (sighs) I know I shouldn't be like this but I can't help it. This would all be our last night together and after that.. I don't know what to do.. She sighed again, her breath leaving moisture on the glass. On the moisture left on the glass, she traced the word 'grandpa' with her fingertips.
Oh grandpa, please help me..
Natsume: How would I tell her? He clenched and unclenched his fists. I have to say it tonight. I'm afraid I can't tomorrow because it would only confuse her, as she would be overwhelmed by all the excitement and sorrow at our graduation.
He was tempted to burn something but stopped himself just in time. I promised I wouldn't, anymore. And I'm not about to break that promise, he thought, determined.
Hotaru: I think it will be tonight. If you back out again Natsume, I swear I'll shoot you, she thought with a calm expression on her face.
She watched Natsume secretly and rolled her amethyst eyes heavenward.
Ruka: Natsume, will you do it tonight? You better, he thought grimly.
He watched his best friend at the corner of his eyes and resisted the urge to shake his shoulders violently, to wake him up. How can you wait so long? If it were me, I'd die of agony.
Yuu: I wonder what interesting thing is in store for us tonight, a look of interest arranged in his features.
After minutes of almost agony, the driver spoke up, "Okay, we're here. A bus will arrive at 9:30 sharp. Be late and you'll be walking to the academy alone", he said with humor in his eyes.
They all nodded and jumped off the bus. The bus roared to life again and zoomed away. They stood there and were silent for a moment.
Finally, Ruka spoke up, "The tavern's right there!", pointing to a secluded spot by a peach blossom tree. It looked like an old-fashioned house, giving Mikan a feeling of reassurance. The chimney above, emitted white smoke, added to its homey feel.
They pushed past the door, the bell twinkling, announcing their arrival. A kind old man smiled at them, giving them a welcoming look. Mikan gave him a bright smile in return and went to follow her friends who were hunting for a table.
They found one by a huge window that overlooked a beautiful and well-tended garden, planted with cherry blossom trees, peach blossoms, traditional Japanese plum blossoms, oak trees and some other plants Mikan couldn't quite identify. Natsume stood up and said, "I'll get us a bottle of red wine. Just one. I wouldn't want to get drunk either." Yuu nodded his approval at that.
While he was gone for about five minutes, Mikan spoke up with an almost solemn voice, which surprised Ruka and Hotaru. "I guess we can all talk now seriously, can we?"
Yuu's eyebrows had shot up but he volunteered nothing more. The atmosphere was getting somber and someone felt the need to do something.
The unbearable silence was interrupted with Natsume coming back, with a waiter on tow. The waiter set down the tray and placed the bottle and five crystal goblets on the table. Then he was gone.
Natsume has taken his seat and was waiting for someone to break the ice.
Then came Mikan's quiet voice, "Ne, minna. What are you all planning to do when you leave the academy?"
Yuu chan answered first. "I'll probably be a manager at my dad's company before taking over. I don't know what else, though. My future has been decided, after all."
Hotaru gave Mikan a probing look before replying, "I'd probably continue with my inventions. I'll make heaps of money that way."
"I mentioned before that I want to be a vet, right? And that hasn't changed", Ruka said, grinning at Mikan.
Mikan cheered up at the thought that some things managed to stay the same. She smiled sort of sadly back at him.
She then turned her attention to Natsume. "What about you, Natsume?"
Natsume, who was fiddling with his goblet, took a while before answering. "I don't know", he said finally.
Mikan settled back on her seat and rested her chin on her hand. She stared out of the window, as if lost in her own little world. "I still don't know what I'm going to do.. I probably come back to grandpa's house then after that..", her voice trailed off.
Natsume was looking at Mikan, his eyes showing concern but his face remained like a mask, hiding his true feelings. He didn't know that Yuu, Ruka and Hotaru's eyes were on him, as if waiting for his next move.
Mikan turned back to them so abruptly that Yuu spilled some of the wine from his goblet.
"Enough with all this talk. It's making me depressed. We're here to have fun, right?", Mikan grinned at all of them.
"You're right, Mikan", Yuu looked at her warmly behind his glasses.
And they would spend the night talking about everything. Everything under the sun.
They would all talk about their teachers jokingly; laugh at Mikan's not-so-bright moments and all the other stuff which left a mark in their lives in the academy.
They talked about their childhood but stopped when they realized that Natsume wasn't saying anything at all. They were silenced by his slightly pensive expression.
"I'm going out to the garden", he muttered before standing up and pushing back his chair.
Natsume.., Mikan thought.
They thought it was best to leave him alone but Mikan wasn't listening anymore.
"Hey, guys", Mikan said, looking distracted. "I'm going out for some fresh air, alright?"
The three exchanged glances knowingly and nodded. With that, Mikan stood up, leaving her goblet, which was just one sip short, on the table.
They stared after her as she quietly slipped out the door.
A/N: If you were wondering, I did slash off the -kun from Natsume's name, -pyon from Ruka's and -chan from Yuu's. They are all matured already. Well, except maybe for Mikan but she at least has the sense to removed the embarrassing (for the boys, I mean!) endearments.
Was Natsume too OOC for you? I intended that. Read on..
Oh yeah, another note: I included peach blossom trees 'cause I read about it in a book before writing this chapter. And what a coincidence! I read it also from a story from FictionPress. Plum blossom trees are also included because I recently watched the first dvd of Otogi Zoshi. Apparently, they were well-loved during the Heian period.
That is all. Thank you very much! Reviews are appreciated! Was it too boring? (sighs) Tell me!