GUys! Sorry for the late update! I'm stilllllll so very busy but I managed to finish this one.
IMPORTANT:
If anyone of you is curious about this Original character, you can visit konanigarashi-dot-tumblr-dot-com-slash-post/25997115700/goingunder2-konanigarashi. Her backstory is there.
and,... thank you all for the reviews! Please don't ever get tires of sending me those! I love reading them!
CHAPTER 10
The Girl with the Amber Eyes
-o-
My gaze is still fixed on the limp body of the unconscious girl on the bed. To others, I may just be simply staring at her for almost two hours but to clear things up, I'm not. I'm doing something more thrilling than just staring.
A tall, slender, dark-haired girl entered the room. I don't have to lift my gaze from the girl just to look at her. She's Roslyn… the only doctor around and my bestfriend—Roslyn Imai.
"Done picking locks on her head?" she interrupted. She stood by the bed and took the girl's hand. Maybe she's trying to get her pulse rate again.
"Almost." I answered her as I heaved a deep sigh. This girl's a little bit harder to read than Hyuuga that it took me two hours already but I still can't rack her brain properly.
Yes that's my alice—getting into someone's sealed memory. Not that I can undo the seal or seal it again. All I can do is detect if it is sealed, and read it. I find it more amusing than just reading loud and obvious thoughts. Maybe the reason that I find it rather amusing is that I don't use it very often. But lately, I just found a very interesting puzzle to solve—Natsume Hyuuga.
His mind is usually blank that's why don't bother myself reading it though it's fun sometimes. But last night, it was different. I didn't have to see him to tell that he's already around. His thoughts were so loud that anyone with a mind-reading alice will hear him.
He's bothered, confused, distracted.
I was watching him when he paused… when he saw this girl. And then my game started. I knew at once that his head… is sealed. It was more interesting when I saw them dancing. Maybe for them it was troublesome, but to me, to be watching two people trying to unlock their memories is a bit funny.
Natsume's head is an easy target, and maybe he knows that his head's a little too loud by now so he's avoiding me and the rest of the Igarashi mind-readers. But this girl… I don't know. I just can't get into her head easily. If I heard her right, she's a nullifier… and she's rejecting my alice… even in her unconscious state. Amazing. This is just makes it more intriguing.
"Hotaru called." Roslyn started, adjusting Mikan's IV's.
"Your genius cousin?" I asked her and she nodded without looking at me. Actually I never met her yet but she's quite famous in the technical industry. "What about her?"
This time she looked up suspiciously, "She wants to talk to you… personally." Wow. The infamous inventor wants to talk to me? "She told me that this girl here is her bestfriend, and she wants to discuss something with you… about a game." She said.
A smile made its way into my lips. A game.
"Where is she?"
"In France." She answered.
"Tell her that I'll be coming this evening." I said as I started to head for the door.
"Konan…" Roslyn called out. I turned to face her only to find her back on me.
"Maybe it's a game for you, but this can be something serious…" she paused and then she turned to face me, still holding Mikan's wrist, two fingers on her pulse… and she made her thoughts loud for me to listen to.
I should admit that I'm a bit shocked by what she's thinking about. "Are you sure about that?" I asked her, unmoving from where I'm standing.
"Not yet, but I will run a test. Tell Hotaru that this girl's fine and I will be keeping an eye on her. She's fond of violence so don't make her worry." She said. "I want to know everything too so be sure to be back soon."
I nodded at her and took another glance at Mikan. "Arrivederci…" I told her and went out directly to the parking area while trying to dial a friend's number to book me a flight for France right now. I was about to get inside my car when one of my favorite persons came to get his car too. I can't help wondering if Natsume is the one responsible with what Roslyn thinks about.
"Hello Kitty! Aren't you going to check how she's doing?" I asked him, leaning on the driver's side of my Corvette, restraining a smirk. I love it when I piss him off.
He didn't even turn to face me, but I'm used to this. Arrogance was his inborn personality disorder. "Why would I?" he finally asked as he threw a bag inside his VW Jetta.
"Well she just might answer all the questions on your head right now." I answered him using a melodic deep voice for the effect.
"You know what's going on, don't you?" He said, finally looking up to meet my gaze.
I can't help but smile impishly. I knew he would be ticked off considering how desperate he is by now to know what's going on. I answered him with a shrug since I still don't know everything, but still, I'll enjoy bullying him. "Slight?" I started the teasing while using my alice on him. In just five seconds, I was on his head. I can see him mumbling something into a girl's ear. He was embracing her.
But my actions were distracted when my phone beeped. Damn it. I took it out and read the message, which informs me that I will wait for another two hours to get to France. Ugh! Crap! "Hey, Natsume! You still owe me something." I called out at him who was starting to turn to get into his car.
"What do you want?" he impatiently asked back.
"Call my father and borrow his private plane. I need to be in France at once." I told him.
He rolled his red eyes on me. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" Yeah, that's it. My parent's fortune is not mine as long as they're alive. That's why I need a backer to help me with those old guys.
"Just do it. I'll tell you something if you call my father right now." I said. He looked at me suspiciously at first but then he still reached for his phone and called my dad.
"It's a yes, now tell me what I need to know." He demanded.
"You made a promise to make her remember." And that's all. I jumped inside my car and drove away to the airport. Once there, the captain immediately led me to my father's private plane and took off after some minutes.
I'm glad I can use my brain again, and my alice too. But even if I can raid Natsume's brain, of course I'm not going to spill it all. Why would I if I can use it for my advantage? This is a game for me.
But this is a serious game.
If that girl MIkan is somehow involved to our family, then what kind of involvement is it that they have to seal her memory? And Natsume… why did they even bother to lock-up his brain if he'll just figure it out. Oh yes he can. Considering that he's an Igarashi too and a deranged genius, it is possible that he have a recessive talent when it comes to memory-processing alice, which was his mother's alice.
Unless they're an old story couple like Romeo and Juliet with the usual family intervention—Heck, why would the family intervene when Kaoru-san and Mikan's mother are bestfriends?
Ah! This is so stressing. If I'm not bored to hell with my life then I will not join this game.
But ever since last night, when I saw the seal on Natsume's head, I knew at once that I will be playing with those guys. And now my participation seems to be confirmed.
The announcement for landing interrupted my thoughts. After some minutes, I'm out in the cold streets hailing a cab to take me to Hotel Maria Carizza where Roslyn's cousin is waiting for me. At last, a taxi stopped to take me in.
I felt suddenly weird when I was finally inside the cab. I don't think that it's because it's fast, I just feel… totally strange. I should be meeting our new employees in our publishing company but here I am, entering this hotel, meeting a totally different person—Hotaru Imai.
I found her sitting at the corner most part of the hotel's café and approached her, "It's nice to finally meet you." I sat silently in front of her "So… what are we here for?"
"I know you're aware of the situation, considering your intelligence, Konan Igarashi." She said, making me smile as she said my name with much acknowledgement. "I'm requesting you to participate because your alice will be useful."
"What will I get if involve myself in this?" I asked her.
"My full investment in your publishing company." She said, "Big enough for you to be free of your parent's intervention." She added, which… made me smile. I'm not surprised if this girl knows the troubles I'm having with my parents, and I'm expecting this too… so why refuse?
"I'm not very much oriented with the 'situation'…" I said while making quote marks in the air with my fingers, "…so I will be truly pleased if you will enlighten me."
"How's Mikan first." She said, looking at me directly in the eye, maybe to make sure that I will not lie.
But unfortunately for her, I'm a good liar. "She's fine. Roslyns's keeping an eye on her." I told her.
She nodded, convinced with my words. "First of all, this is some kind of complicated. I can't speak some of the words out loud so you are free to read my thoughts." She paused and sipped on her cappuccino. And while she's doing that, I started tuning into her thoughts.
"This is for a mission, and not just some kind of trip. I want you to understand that this is the past. This is just like a rewind. The Natsume and Mikan that we're seeing are from the present time. They went back here to get that healing alice stone that is kept by the Igarashis because Himemiya is badly sick. Her sickness, if not treated immediately, can cause trouble to the present."
Ok that figures, but I have just one question, "Why do you guys have to…" Well how should I say it? I mean, why seal their memories?
I understand the situation. Way back when we we're kids, my time-traveling friends are always advised not to play with time, just like not to play with fire or any alice that is existential to the world. They said that when you time-travel, you should just hop, or stay very shortly and never ever try to change anything. But from what I understand, if they're doing the mission here, then are not just hopping.
They're staying here and this can cause changes.
This may seem stupid but I have to use sign language to ask her. I tapped my head with a finger and made a cross symbol infront of her. "Why?"
"Unlike other time travelers, they have to stay here until the mission is accomplished and to do that, we have to trick time and control their actions."
"Are they that 'uncontrollable' " I asked, suppressing a smile.
Hotaru smiled timidly at me, "Not much." She said and continued on her head, "Natsume hates this mission so much that he'll try to accomplish this as soon as he can, and that possible action can be very obvious to 'Time'. We have to take this one step at a time. This is why I need you. You will be instructing them along with Kaname-sempai inconspicuously."
"Kaname knows?" my brows are furrowed as I ask Hotaru. She nodded at me.
"And Mikan?"
"Well she's just literally clumsy but she'll do fine for this." She met my eyes again to cue me that she'll continue on her head. "By this time… she is so attached to Kaname-sempai. But knowing her…" she paused and exhaled deeply. I waited, "If I didn't decide to seal her head, then she'll remember…"
I can see how her usual stoic face changed its expression into… sadness and the voice on her head faded. "Remember what?" I asked her, trying to force the hanging words out.
"…remember that Kaname's dead." She thought. I can see my face on her eyes as I look at her directly. I'm losing my color. I can feel my breathing raged.
"NO way!" I protested with a broken voice. It's as if a lump was on my throat and I can't breathe. That can't be.
"If a sensible person like you who practices self-control can react like that, then how worse can a stupid helter-skelter girl deal with that?"
Is she serious? Kaname will… die?
"I hate to spoil it to you but Kaname will die because of his alice. He has forseen it that's why he never mentioned anything to anyone, not even to me. If Mikan remembers, especially this time, she might be tempted to do something stupid just not to let Kaname die."
I can't let Kaname die too…
"Konan, past is past. If you're planning to do what I fear Mikan would do, forget it. Trying to change anything will only put our and your future in danger."
My head, as if spanked by Hotaru just went back to its sense. I already noticed since last night that everything seems to be a déjà vu, but just now, I'm starting to think that this is a joke.
I mean, life-span consuming alices can be cured. Then why would Kaname choose to die?
…Why would he choose death over that girl?
I want to know everything. I don't care now if this is a joke or not. I just have a bad feeling about Kaname, and I just can't sit around when I know something will be up soon.
"I'm in." I told her.
"One stupid creature in this mission is enough, lady Igarashi. I'm discouraging you to be like her so be rational with your thoughts like you always are." She told me, looking directly into my eyes. I nodded in response. "I have to go back there…" she means the present, I guess. "I'll meet you again soon. Thank you for your cooperation." She said, standing up and holding out a hand to me.
"Wait." I said in a rush when I remembered Roslyn. "I need Mikan's medical records."
She raised her eyebrow, "For what?"
"I just need it. I don't work for free, just so you know. Consider that as an advance bill too." I replied, taking her hand into a handshake and left.
On my way back to Roseville, I started to think about what to do first but all I can't think about is him. I sipped on my wine while looking down on the dreamy scene of the world below this plane.
I don't know if it's the alcohol or it's just me… but my heart beats abnormally. The thought of Kaname… being dead… is something I just can't take. Why?
I was successful in setting my feelings for him aside like it never existed. I was able to think that I don't feel anything for him anymore. I've chosen to let my feelings for him disappear… but for him to just be gone…
I can't. I just can't.
I just can't let that guy who taught me to be who I am now to just… die.
-o-
Please review guys, thanks a lot!
PS: I wasn't able to review this chap so forgive me for the errors T.T huhuhuhu
