CHAPTER 5 revision done!
Took me a few days but glad that I finished this chap. :)
Before the chapter starts, I would really like to thank all who reviewed. Reading it made me really happy and motivated to better all the following chapters. Thank you!
Okaayyy, so start reading now!
Mikan woke up with dark circles under her eyes. It was their first talk since the 3 years apart so obviously, a good night's rest was out of the question. She could barely get any sleep because she was too worried of the possibilities now that Natsume knew. Soon, she was sure that they had to make decisions, not only for themselves but most importantly for Natsuki.
She got up and prepared pancakes for breakfast. It was her son's favorite paired with strawberry syrup. Even with how physically similar they are to Natsume, it was still undeniable that he was also Mikan's son.
While cooking, too lost in her thoughts, Mikan didn't notice her son has already got up from bed and followed the smell of cooking.
"Good morning Mommy." He greeted, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Is that pancakes?" he asked, waking him fully.
"Good morning, Natsuki." She greeted him back. "Yes. It's pancakes." Mikan smiled.
Mikan asked Natsuki to take a seat at the dining area as she prepared the plates and the rest.
Once they started eating, Natsuki became too engrossed with his breakfast while Mikan just played with her fork without much appetite to eat. It wasn't long that Natsuki noticed his mother.
"Mommy? Aren't you hungry?" Natsuki asked, worried.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. See?" She smiled, taking a slice of pancake into her mouth. "Just finish your pancakes, okay?" Mikan said giving him a reassuring smile.
But instead of resuming his eating, he stopped and looked at her mother straight to the eye. "Mommy? Is it about the man you talked to yesterday?"
"Huh? It's…" she wasn't able to finish her sentence.
Natsuki asked a question that made Mikan's heart stop. "Is it true that he is my daddy? Is it true that I have daddy?" Natsuki asked innocently, trying his best not to look too excited.
"Huh?" Mikan was stunned. "Who told you that?" Mikan asked shocked with his son's own words
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Hotaru yelled at Ruka, pounding him with her newest version of baka gun.
"I'm sorry." Ruka apologized, sincerely. "It just slipped. Natsuki was asking a lot of questions randomly." He explained, trying to protect his face from Hotaru's wrath.
She stopped and sighed. "How stupid can you actually be that Natsuki distracted you?"
"I am really sorry. I didn't really mean it." Ruka said apologetically.
Hotaru sighed again, "There's nothing that can be done. I just hope it turns out for the best."
"Now, I have a great feeling that, that inquisitive boy is asking if Hyuuga is really his father." Hotaru thought, worried that Mikan will be caught unprepared.
"I'm really sorry." Ruka apologized, again and again while Hotaru just ignored him, turning her focus back on the toy she was working with.
Just then, the doorbell rang and it granted them the person that they were expecting but were not so happy to see. Since the last night, he has been calling and messaging them until it has become really annoying. He was so persistent that even the ever patient and understanding Ruka Nogi had reached his limit that he had shouted at Natsume telling him to stop calling and just let them get some rest. At least, that worked for the rest of the night.
But it obviously seems that Natsume was still not stopping because there he was, the great Natsume Hyuuga, standing in the doorway, looking all flustered and tired. He had a hard time getting some sleep.
"RUKA! IMAI!" He welcomed himself in, pacing around the room like a confused child. "Why didn't you tell me? You know where she was yet you didn't tell me a thing about her location." Natsume was furious at them, to think that they were his friends too. "I even have a child still you didn't tell me. Damn!" He ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to keep calm. News like this are information that can take some time to process but friends' betrayal takes a lot longer.
"Natsume, why don't you calm down first?" Ruka approached him, guiding him to the couch.
Once they were all seated, Ruka spoke first. "We are not in the position to tell you about your child." He explained.
"But you could have at least told me where she was!" Natsume snapped. "You're my bestfriend and you could have at least told me when I asked for your help." He wasn't usually like this with Ruka. But he was hurt.
"Natsume, you've got to calm down." Ruka consoled, feeling guilty about lying to his bestfriend but still Mikan asked pleadingly and Hotaru had also requested him to just follow Mikan's decision.
"Calm down? Ruka?" Sarcasm hinted on his voice. "That is all you tell me after I knew I have a son?! Damn it!"
"Shut it Hyuuga!" Hotaru finally spoke back, not taking in Natsume's rage. "You already know you have a son and you already know where Mikan is, so what is the big deal? Stop fussing about something that is in the past." She pointed out. "Anyway, it was her decision not to tell you. We are friends and we are trying to help her and that time, it was the only way we can help her. So, don't blame us for her leaving without you knowing where she was. Like it was our fault." Hotaru said angrily saying the last sentence sardonically.
Natsume breathed deeply and placed his head in his hands, hit by the words Hotaru just said. "She's right, I left first."
"I'm going, Ruka." Hotaru stood up, her usual cold eyes flaring.
"Calm down. Both of you! This isn't gonna fix anything." Ruka said, trying to be the more sensible one.
"Don't. I'm not going to stay here any longer to listen to his complaints." But before she could even stomp away, suddenly, Natsume got up and stormed out of the room without saying anything else. They just watched him leave and was left where they were.
Ruka approached her girlfriend who was standing and is not moving a muscle. "Hotaru." Ruka called.
"I didn't mean to burst like that." Hotaru mumbled. "It wasn't our fault. We just did what Mikan wanted." She said more to herself, now unsure that the decision they made then was maybe not the best choice after all.
Ruka sensing Hotaru's uncertainty, just hugged her.
"He is truly a smart kid and I shouldn't lie to him." Mikan thought. "It is about time he knows about his father." She finally decided.
"What Uncle Ruka told you is true, Natsuki." Mikan said honestly. "That man we met is your father."
"Really?" the little boy eyes lit up from what her mother said. "I really do have a father." He was happy and Mikan can't take away that pure joy that he was radiating.
He hugged his mother for he was so overwhelmed with what he knew. Mikan can only smile at his son's reaction. "Do you think he wants to see me?" he asked.
"Natsuki, I'm not really sure." Mikan hesitated. "It's just that he just knew too baby." She reasoned.
"So he doesn't want me?" Natsuki pouted. Almost close to tears.
"Of course he wants to meet you." Mikan blabbered, not thinking properly. "Oh no! I lied. I didn't even ask Hyuuga." Regretting what she had just said.
"Really?" his face lit up again. "So, can we visit daddy?"
Mikan was stunned for a while on hearing how he can already comfortably call Hyuuga, Daddy. It's the truth but it was just weird to personally hear her son say it.
She smiled at his son unable to give an answer. Just then, her phone rang. The caller ID appeared to be Ruka.
"Mikan, I really did something that isn't my job. I am really sorry." He quickly apologized before Mikan can say anything else.
"Don't worry about it, Ruka." Mikan assured him. "I think him founding out through you was a sign. It actually made telling him the truth easier."
"You told him? How did he take it?" Ruka asked, curious.
"Yes. I told him." She paused. "He's taking quite well as expected. He's happy and excited to know his father and he is even asking if we can visit him."
"That's a good idea. I think you can visit him, if you like. Or if Natsuki really likes too." He suggested. "He mostly is in his office and I'm sure that you know where that is."
"Thanks Ruka but I don't think I should."
"Oh. That just depends on you. Just think about it, maybe it won't be so bad after all." He cheered. Of course he wanted them to meet, they were always a good pair and he was still rooting for them especially now that they have a reason to be together. "Gotta go. Just call me or Hotaru if you need anything, okay?"
"Okay. Thank you." Then he hanged up, leaving a confuse Mikan. She faced his son who was quietly listening to the conversation although he couldn't what was going on the other side of the phone.
"Mommy, can we?" Natsuki asked with his puppy eyes.
"Natsuki…" She hated it when he does that because she always fall for it.
"Please?" he asked again, pouting a little.
Such a wise child, using his trump card on his mother like that. "We can try." Mikan agreed in defeat.
"How will this turn out if I meet him again? I hope he won't take my son away from me." Mikan thought sadly, looking at his son who was now jumping up and down because of happiness.
The next day, Natsuki woke her up with a bang. He was shaking his mother quite excessively.
"Mommy! Mommy! Wake up!"
"Natsuki, it's too early." Mikan complained, trying to go back to sleep.
"But we have to go see my daddy right?"
That awoken Mikan. "I said I'll try. I didn't mean we'll go today." She explained, sitting up on the bed.
"Why don't we try today?" he said, grinning widely. What a smart ass.
"Okay fine." Mikan gave up and got of bed. "It's going to happen anyway, let's just get it over with."
They ate breakfast with Natsuki talking endlessly about seeing his father and with Mikan in silence, dreading the possibilities of seeing him again.
Soon after, they were already on their way to the office building. Mikan with Natsuki went inside, hand in hand to see the CEO but for the little boy, he was meeting not that man, he came to see his daddy. Just that simple. But for Mikan it never was just that simple when it came to Natsume.
How was it?
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-ECO
