Yeah. I'm guilty about the delayed update but here it is. Thanks for waiting :)
and as I disclaim owning Gakuen Alice, I'd like to say...
"CHill guys, okay... I know no one wants Natsume to die, but please... I don't want too, but let's trust the author, Higuchi Tachibana. She's still the brains behind our beloved story so lets wait patiently and pray that the kids get the happy ending that they deserve. You know I'm also praying just like in the first GOING UNDER, Natsume's death became 'a bluff'. How I wish this is all just a bluff, too. Anyway... Whatever happens, I'll always love Gakuen Alice."
17
-o-
You know what's so ironic with classy parties?
It's the table full of delicious foods and the tight, figure-hugging long dresses. And the saddest part of it is we came here and paid a Tiffany's ring-worth of money for the food and view of French art works and the dance ball which I cannot enjoy because my escort is the lost brother of Boredom and Kill-Joy. But what can I expect more of a classy fund-raising ball!? And seriously, what more can I expect from that Hyuuga-fellow!?
Yeah… what's with him!? Boring, arrogant, conceited bastard. Why, of all people, did I end up with him!? And we're even thinking about… crap… that crap that we're… married.
Haha. As in 'Funny Haha', did I ever wish for anything like that? No. I don't even know him. I never met him, heard of him, and now these stuffs—this ring for example—is trying to make me laugh and swear at the same time. Marry Hyuuga!? I don't even have an ounce of liking towards him, leave alone marry him!
Okay… So maybe I'm… let's say shocked, sometimes, but I know I don't like him. Maybe I'm intimidated because he's… well… good-looking, or handsome… or just literally gorgeous or whatever! All I know is I don't like him because he's a bastard. Period.
I like someone else (Another period for this). That's why I'm here because Hyuuga said that we'll have to meet him and that creepy mind-reader Konan because they know about what's going on. But if sempai knows… why didn't he tell me? Oh no… This gets more and more confusing.
I sighed at my own depression as I covet to have more of that apple tart here on my spot. I don't usually eat a lot but lately I noticed that I've got an appetite boost and more yawns. I'm trying to ignore these since I wasn't been able to jog or swim lately and I'm not used to these kind of events. This can be some side-effect of the 'atmosphere-change-shock-syndrome' which Misaki-sempai usually complains about.
Another thing that depresses me is that I actually want to dance, but I can't just go and ask some random guy to dance with me like an elegant harlot. But like an instant answered prayer, finally! Someone's coming towards me! Yay! I should play shy… shy… shy…
"May I have this dance?" the dark-haired guy asked with a bow, and then he extended his hands. A dance! I was extending my hand for him when it was caught by another. The currently one-and-only antagonist in my life— you can guess who.
Hyuuga. Grrrrr.
"Oh, unfortunately, the lady gave her precious approval to me, first…" the liar said.
"Is that so…?" the guy asked again. My heart beats on my throat as I meet his green eyes. Darn, he looks like Channing Tatum. I'm murdering you Hyuuga, later! "I was indeed unfortunate…" he said, smiled, nodded and left.
"What damn approval are you talking about!?" I hissed in sheer annoyance as he leads, no, as he pulls me towards the dance floor.
He grabbed my hand and rested them on his shoulders, "This", he said and then pulled me closer to him with his hands on my hips. I felt a bolt of electricity raced through my veins at once. It was just unnerving that I almost lost my balance and fell if he's not holding me. Okay. I admit I feel electrocuted and lose my balance when I'm with him but I DON'T LIKE HIM.
"You didn't ask me to dance." I stated the truth.
"Then ask me now…"
"What!? Me?" I asked incredulously as I point my finger on my chest. Yeah, my hearing was nullified by his air, I can't hear anything!
"Ask me." He repeated.
"Ask your face!" I exclaimed, pissed. I actually want to shout it out but I restrained myself. He's not worth losing my prudence for.
"My handsome face…"
My mouth drops open. OH MY GOD, I can't believe how conceited this guy is! Isn't there anything that can come out of his mouth in an hour that doesn't uplift his vain glory!?
I giggled sarcastically. We're not even moving. We're just standing in front of each other and saying all these nonsense. "No." I wanted to slam the word on his face.
"Then I'm going back and maybe I can tell that guy that you stepped on my foot so I left you here…" he said.
"For honesty's sake, Hyuuga! You already forgot that it was you who stepped on my feet during the last regretful time that I danced with you!?" And now I can't believe he's blackmailing me just for me to ask him to dance! "Do you really want to dance with me so badly that you have to blackmail me?" I asked him, trying to catch a weak point.
But he smirked instead. "Your face!" he replied.
That's my LINE! "My pretty face!" I retorted and giggled. Maybe I'm giggling because of annoyance… I don't know! Or I just got tired of disagreeing that I finally find my… our situation funny. He smirked again. That smirk—it's just so familiar. But I was distracted to think about anything when I realized that we're finally moving… swaying. It's like the music finally sunk into us.
And it feels like it's not the first time that we've danced like this. My mind tells me that that dance in Roseville is not the first time either. There's something with my whole body that feels familiar. There's something with him—his scent, his breathing, the way he moves—that triggers the familiarity. Too bad my head hurts again as I try to make a word out this strange feeling. But I don't want to stop thinking. I have to define this… this familiarity… this feeling.
A smirk… a girl spinning round and round… a starry night sky… a tired smile…
Ow! Shit, my head hurts. My hand automatically reached up to my head and I felt Hyuuga stopped moving.
"Something wrong?"
Everything cleared up. Hyuuga was standing right in front of me now, assessing my expression. My heartbeat somehow calmed down as I realize that I'm back to reality. Or is this really the reality…?
"Nothing." I lied. I'm actually troubled and my knees are shaking. What's with all this weird feelings and visions and happenings all of a sudden!? It's like I lost access on my own life for control.
"You're a good liar…" he said with a smirk. I hate him more when he smirks. It either he's insulting me or making me remind something hard to remember or both. It's head-cracking!
And good liar, huh? "Should I take it as a compliment?" I inquired with sarcasm, but still trying my best to look pleasant as some people pass and smiles or greet us.
"Feel free to think about anything about it…" he replied, again with his usual nonchalance. But as I notice his arms crawling at the back of my waist, I stiffened and elbowed him. "Don't complain about how I guide you now since we both know that you're balance is unstable." He added.
"My balance doesn't concern you, bastard. So get rid of your filthy reasons for laying hands on me." I said in my warning tones.
His smirk came back and he blinked so dramatically that I felt so ridiculed by my own words. "You don't have enough appeal to attract me, so… my excuses."
I'M REALLY GONNA KILL THIS GUY. JUST GIVE ME A CHANCE! ANNOYING! AAARRRGGG!
"Besides…" he started again. NO! I'm not gonna listen anymore. Why listen to a man so full of himself!? Not because he's so handsome and rich and talented and smart and whatever that he has the right to trample someone's little-remaining self-confidence! He needn't to belittle me more because just standing beside him make me take a hit on my self-esteem! "I don't want a companion sleeping on me or suddenly fainting…" Whatever… Na na Na na. I don't hear anything—"…and Kaname…"
"Kaname!?" I abruptly exclaimed. Of course I heard that! I've got some kind of Kaname-sensor on my ears (hehehe). "Where is he!?" and in an instant, my eyes went sharp as I scan the entire room just to look for him.
He raised his hand to point at a direction, "He's there", and as if on cue, all of those overly-dressed-up people moved aside and revealed Kaname-sempai. A smile licks on my face… but disappeared at once as I saw someone beside him. It's Konan-chan.
Okay. I know that both of them are here but I never thought that they will be here… together! I don't know. It just suddenly bothered me when I saw them together. Well, just look at sempai's face. It's a perfect portrait of happiness and serenity that I want to scold myself for even planning to run to him. I know… I'm jealous. I'm jealous because I never saw him like that ever before even with me.
"Don't waste my money by looking like that—" Hyuuga said, making me look up at him. He met my annoyed gaze after the next two seconds. Really, this guy could be so annoying to hell, but… what he just said… miraculously made me feel better. "You're uglier with that face. Smile." He even added and I can't help the smile crossing on my face. I was right. It was an arrogant joke.
"Should you be paid by smiles?" I asked him but he looked away. Can't he make other people feel good using the right words? Like me for this instance. Can't he tell me too smile without using the word 'ugly'? This guy really… "In the first place, I didn't ask you to buy me this gown or pay for my vanity bills—"
"But I already did so you don't have a choice but to pay me back." He declared. "And you're right—you will pay by just smiling…" and then he picked up a glass of champagne from the waiter who passed by and sipped from it.
"But isn't that unfair? Rather, inappropriate?" I was almost talking to myself.
"Inappropriate?" he asked back. I felt his gaze on me so I glanced back on him.
"Yes. You're asking me to smile, but doesn't that look crazy if I'm the only one smiling? So you should smile too!" I told him. I hope my strategy works. Well, I'm just curious about how he'd look like if he smiles because I haven't seen him yet with that.
His face lighted up for a brief moment as he looks at me. I felt a flush of heat on my face again and I have to look away or my face will melt. Geez, why should he stare like that!? That's just creepy!
"What a surprise to see you here, Natsume!" My head jerked up automatically as I hear the voice… belonging to Konan. She stood almost as tall as Hyuuga in a midnight-blue sequined dress and a shiny gray fur blazer. She's so pretty that I felt ashamed of my own face. "And you too… Lady Yukihara…" she turns to me, a glint on her eyes betrays the smile on her nude, shiny smile. She kept the gaze at me for some more seconds and finally glanced back at Hyuuga. "I'm glad you found a muse for tonight."
"I invited her… given that you've also provided yourself with an escort." He said, eyeing her and cocking his head slightly to see past the woman. And trailing just right behind her, is Kaname… with his green eyes and blonde hair and that heart-stopping smile.
"Natsume! Mikan! How nice to see you here!" He exclaimed, giving Hyuuga a tap on his shoulder and leaned to give me a peek on my cheeks. Really, I appreciate the kiss, but not Konan's blank-but-scary look. I should remind myself to keep quiet… even in my head. "Thanks for taking care of her." Kaname said, but for some reason, he sounded weird. Weird as in creepy. Like that time when he said that "those three years gave me so much improvement"… It's as if he's speaking of something else… something different.
"Well?" Konan sounded out, breaking the silence that followed. "Should we move on? Besides, I know what you're here for…" she said, and then sipped on her glass of champagne, which… made me suddenly thirsty.
Sempai seemed to notice and asked, "Would you like something to drink, Mikan?"
I nodded hesitantly, "Ye—"
"She can't have wine." Konan intercepted, furrowing her brows at Kaname. Wait. I can't have some wine!? Why!? I'm on my legal age! "Could you bring us a glass of water please…" she whispered to one of the waitperson who happened to pass by. He came back with a glass of water which she handed to me. "Follow us…" she finally said after I sipped on my glass.
Konan and Kaname led us into a brightly lit hallway. The floor was covered by a maroon carpet while the mahogany-colored walls are decorated with classic paintings, one which I noticed to be a garden that I saw in Roseville. I glanced at Hyuuga and noticed that so quiet as he walks beside me. His arms are still around my waist. Maybe he still thinks that I can't stand on my own wiggly feet. Sempai glances every now and then at us, but I can hear him and Konan murmuring to each other.
Finally, they stopped in front of a big, wooded door. Kaname knocked on it and after some seconds, it opened and they led us again inside.
My eyes sparkled at once when I saw who's waiting inside. It's Hotaru!
"Hotaru-chan!" I run to her, arms-wide-open for a hug and at the same time, all-geared up for a baka-gun attack. But to more of my surprise, she received me with her own embrace—which… doesn't always happen. I pulled away from our hug and held her at an arm-length distance. "Are you really Hotaru?" I asked her dubiously. She smiles in reply and nodded. She's… sobbing and keeps whispering "I'm sorry's" to me. Okay, I don't know what's going on with her, but I still told her that it's okay, even if I don't know what she did that needs to be forgiven. But the truth is…. I'm scared that she murdered my cat. Or she signed me into Playboy Mag or Cosmopolitan… because if she did!? Oh my God.
"We've got a lot to talk about, Mikan… let's take our seats first." She said, as she released me.
"Let's not waste our time here…" Hyuuga finally said after his silent hours. He looks at each of us and sighed. "What's going on?" he asked… to one in particular.
Kaname stands up and touches the wall with his hand, and in the next second, the walls became plain black but there are twinkling stuffs falling and going up on it at the same time. In those 'stuffs' are like pictures but I can't understand anything of them. Even with the dark wall and distracting animation around us, we can still clearly see each other. And I didn't fail to see how sempai's hand became chalk-pale.
"Sempai—"
"I'm okay, Mikan…" he smiled thoughtfully at me.
"Where are we now?" Konan asked. I gave her a look—like, duh! I thought she knows!? But she threw me back 'the look' and glared, "That's why I asked, okay? Because I don't know…" she told me. Okay… she heard my thoughts. But then… where are we… exactly.
"This is called Time Freezing." Kaname announces. "It's a time-controlling technique to invalidate or nullify time from taking effect on our lives, but I can only do this for a hour or else, we'll be in trouble…. So we'll start." She said, eyeing Hotaru.
"To begin with, I'm Hotaru… From the present time… year 2012."
"What!?" I exclaimed.
"Everyone, this year—2009, is the past. The present time is 2012. This physical body with you now is from 2012, the same with Natsume and Mikan." She paused. Hyuuga's sitting on the couch I'm sitting, and I met his eyes just as Hotaru said that. "Konan and Kaname's physical state are from this year." She added.
"What's this!? What does this mean!?" Hyuuga sked, already standing up.
"You guys time-traveled for a mission. The mission cannot be achieved in just days so you need to stay here. And in order to stay here… We sealed your memories…"
I can't say… anything. So that explains the visions. And they're not even visions… they're my memory.
"Why do you have to seal them!?" Hyuuga asked again while I stayed unmoving in my place. "Can't we just—"
"No you can't." It's Konan this time. "If you came here with the same memory, you'll be acting immediately with your attitude, personality and every little detail of your persona in the year you're from that will make time notice that we're tricking it. Remember, you can't change this past. But we're trying to accomplish our mission, and that may take some minimal changes, but we should still end up with the same past."
Yeah. I get that part a little. Like math equations: different solutions but the same answer in the end. Like snake and ladders: different roll-of-the-dice, but still reaches the same goal. But the thing is…
"What's this mission?" I finally asked.
"Find, get and take back to year 2012 the special healing alice stone which is sealed by Natsume's mother and Mikan's father years ago. You see, in this year, Mikan is in Italy and Natsume's here in France, and Natsume's grandmother is still able. You guys are the only people who inherited your parent's abilities while Lady Kora's the only person living who knows the whereabouts and the sealing code to these stones. This is the closest year that we can get back." She paused and breathed. "We need this special healing alice stone to heal Hime-sama. She's badly ill now and if we don't help her, all the barriers casted on the alices will be in ruckus."
"And how are we getting back to the present?" I asked her.
"We'll help you with that…" Kaname answered. "The four of us will do the planning and execution of it. But you two should cooperate…" he points his chin at us.
"How about our memories?" Hyuuuga asked, pokerfaced again.
"That's another thing." Konan replies, uncrossing her legs. "You must remember… for you to be qualified to return to your present. Don't worry, we'll help you but we'll be doing it little by little."
"And also…" Kaname pauses, eyeing us both, "Unless we're inside this time-controlling wall, you are not allowed to speak about your present or anything about it in case you remember anything. You'll have to… at least trust each other's thoughts and feelings when it comes to those stuffs. Don't ever try or we'll be in trouble, especially you two…"
"Heck…" Hyuuga mutters. Yeah, heck. How are we supposed to remember each other with that!? But wait, we're inside the wall! Then we can ask about the present!
"Hotaru!" she flinched at my call. "What's this ring!?" I asked.
Hotaru smiled, but there's something in her smile. "You two are always wearing that. Anyway, that's also for your own protection. The ring tightens when the other person is in trouble or in any physical pain. It's an alert for both of you…"
"Does this mean something more?" Reddie suddenly inquired.
Konan smirked, "You're supposed to answer that Natsume—"
"I'm seriously asking here…" he retorted.
Kaname made a sound, making us turn to him "Yes, they do…" he answered, which, made my heart race. Seriously? As in… no kidding—?
"Are we married?" He asked! O yes he asked! And that magnetically gathered my blood to my head!
But then the walls came back to normal, as in soft, cream-colored walls with the paintings and the carpeted floor. The time-controlling wall broke out.
"That's all I can provide… I'm sorry." Kaname apologized with his wistful smile. How can I ever get over his angelic face and gestures.
"Angelic…" Konan murmurs, giving me 'that look' once again. Oh my God, she creeping me out already! "DO I, Mikan?" she asked. I snorted as a reply.
"I'm sorry Natsume." Hotaru stood up, "but maybe that's another thing that you two should figure out…" She said, and then smiles at me. "Good luck with this. I'll see you guys soon." And with that, Hotaru disappeared. I wasn't even able to say a word to her. I've got so many questions on my head right now, and they're all confusing.
My head aches again.
A mission to accomplish. A memory to remember. A past to go back to.
I'm going insane!
"Let's go back to Roseville first." Kaname said, then smiles at me. "We'll sort these stuffs out, don't worry..."
I nodded, not even sure if I really mean to nod.
-o-
Off for the next chapter!
Please bear with my pace by now because I'm having a hard time on my sched.
But guys! THANK YOU SO MUCCCCCCCCCHHHHH FOR READING!
Also, to those who followed this story, added this to their faves, and even me. That's a lot already, so thank you, thank you, thank you!
I would love it more if you'll leave something for me to ponder about.
just click this.
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