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Strange Interludes
Chapter 9

"It's not the goodbyes that hurt, but the flashback that follows."
- Anonymous

…

Postlude 2: Promise

Real life is a perilous game.
Everyone is playing it, without knowing what lies ahead.
You have no control over it – it will start and end whenever it likes.
.

.

He got discharged two days ago. Doctors told him that his injury wasn't serious and all he needed to do was to rest. Right now, he was at his sister's room, helping her pack things that she'd bring to America. He sat down on a chair, letting his back hit the wooden backrest. He expected pain but nothing came. He sighed in relief.

"Have you finished packing your things Aoi?" Natsume asked her little sister who was sitting on the floor with a big luggage in front of her. Aoi nodded but Natsume noticed the sadness that was engulfing her character.

"Don't you want to see Mom and Dad?" Natsume added and Aoi shook her head.

"I want to but… I don't want to leave Japan too! I'll miss my friends!" Aoi wailed and then pouted.

"How about a deal. I promise that we will return here after our studies in America." Natsume promised while patting her sister's head. She stared at him, he was as sincere as ever.

"That sounds great but… won't you be sad too if we leave?" Aoi asked, her voice dripped with sadness.

"I surely will." He sighed. "But I don't want to turn down Mom's request. It had been so long since we last saw them." He added knowingly with melancholic disposition.

…

When they finished packing their things, Natsume went to his favorite place to think. He was very confused – should he leave or not, that was the question that needed to be answered. He didn't expect that it would be so hard to decide something like this.

He wanted to see his parents but… he didn't want to leave the girl he loves, too. His train of thoughts got cut when a familiar voice spoke.

"Hey."

That melodic voice which could soothe his ruthless despair. He peered over his shoulder and saw the girl that he loved the most.

Without a word, she sat beside him and stared at the calm blue sky.

"Is there something wrong?" Mikan asked, worried because she could feel the lugubrious aura surrounding him.

"Nothing," He lied as he failed to find any courage to tell her his situation. "…anyway, why are you here?" He asked, totally changing the subject.

"Why does it feel like you don't want me here?" She replied, feeling a little down. "Well, I'm just here because I want to thank you." She said knowingly, her gaze diverted from the sky to his vibrant crimson eyes.

"No need for that. I just did what I have to." He replied and flashed a small, genuine smile.

"No. Thank you for being kind with me."

"Oi, I said you don't need to do that." He protested, but the girl had this determined look while staring straight to his eyes.

"Thank you for always understanding me."

"Mikan…"

"Thank you for the happiness you made me feel."

"Thank you for saving me."

"Thank you for making me realize how I missed my family."

"And…" Mikan paused a little, finally breaking the eye contact. "Thank you… for loving someone like me."

Natsume didn't expect the next thing she did. She hugged him tightly, resting her head on his chest, like her life depended on him. He hugged her back, enjoying the warmth she was giving him.

"You're really the greatest partner I ever had." Mikan mumbled on his chest and closed her eyes. It was the first time she wished to stay in a guy's arms like that.

Natsume caressed her hair and lightly planted a kiss there.

"I'm happy to hear those words from you. I'm going to remember it forever."

They continued to stay like that for the moment, no one wanted to let go. Few minutes later, Natsume saw her sleeping silently on his chest, with a contented smile on her face.

"I will never forget you no matter where I go, Mikan."

It was getting dark and Mikan was still sleeping on his chest. Natsume had to carry Mikan piggyback style down the one-hundred steps staircase not wanting to disturb her deep, peaceful slumber. He was afraid his back might hurt again but he didn't care because that moment, his mind was only fixed at her, nothing else. When he reached the end of the staircase, he gently laid her at the backseat of his car and then entered the driver's seat. He started the engines and started to drive away.

…

When they arrived at the Sakura Mansion, he once again carried her, bridal style this time. In front of the front door was a lady, which resembled Mikan a lot, a small smile was plastered on her face.

"You must be Natsume Hyuuga? I'm Yuka Sakura, Mikan's mother." Yuka greeted as the young raven-haired lad reached the front door. Her eyes travelled to her sleeping daughter, who had a very peaceful and contented expression painted on her face. She smiled warmly, gazing dearly at her beloved daughter.

Natsume nodded in respect. "Yes, nice to meet you, Ma'am."

Yuka opened the door widely for them. Natsume entered the house and gently laid Mikan on one of the sofa in the living room. Yuka followed them, she sat where Mikan was lying down, gently lifting her head and rested it on her lap. She gently caressed her hair, enjoying the feeling of delight flow in her veins.

"Please sit down, Natsume-kun." Yuka instructed courteously. Natsume gladly followed her and sat on a couch opposite to them. He was a little nervous, but tried to hide it.

"I'm really grateful for all the things you've done for my daughter." Yuka started, her voice was full of gratitude. "Because of you, she changed herself. I'm happy that Mikan met someone like you." She finished, bowing her head.

"It was my pleasure, Ma'am." He replied in a polite manner and then diverted his gaze to the sleeping figure of Mikan. "She doesn't deserve to be trapped forever into that chaos of inerasable memories."

Yuka nodded in agreement. She observed the young man's gaze to her daughter. It was full of admiration, tenderness and love.

"You're in-love with my daughter, right?" Yuka inquired.

He stiffened, sweats started to form on his forehead due to nervousness. He felt mixed feelings flooded his system.

What if she didn't like him for her daughter? What if she forbids him from seeing her again?

Yuka chuckled at the expression of the young teen. Natsume unconsciously touched the crooked of his nose and push his eyeglasses up.

Heaving a deep sigh, he mustered all of his confidence. "Y-Yes." He finally managed to say as he lowered his head, hiding his flustered face under his bangs.

Yuka nodded her head and diverted her gaze back to her daughter. "Well Natsume-kun, I'm happy someone like you loves my daughter." Yuka replied, her expression saddened. "Please continue guiding her to the right path, Natsume-kun." Yuka pleaded, tears started to fall out of her eyes.

Somehow, even if he wanted to assure Yuka that he would always be with Mikan, he couldn't seem to utter any words. He watched Yuka caressed Mikan's hair as tears continued to fall out of her eyes. This scene broke Natsume's heart, knowing how long Yuka had yearned for the day Mikan would forgive her.

He flashed a small smile, "I believe a mother's love will always be the best way to guide a child who seemingly lost their way." Natsume said, mixture of sincerity and sadness was visible on his voice. "I couldn't always be at her side, but you, as her mother could."

Yuka wiped her tears and smiled at Natsume. "You're really a very nice guy, Natsume-kun."

Natsume looked at the sleeping figure of Mikan once again and felt an unbearble weight building up in his heart. He remembered that his flight to America will be in three days. He sighed, feeling his heart twitched in pain.

He only got three days to be with her.

…

Her aura had changed. Everyone in her class noticed it and they were all happy about it. Her usual bored expression was replaced with a gleeful one, her evasive behavior changed to a friendly one. They all knew it was because of him – that only person whose words and actions had effects on her.

She started to attend all of her classes, not hesitating to ask for help if she needed one. This made her seatmate contented and happy that she changed for the good. He was watching her on the corner of his eyes as she was trying to do her English seatwork. She was having a very determined look on her face.

It all ended when the bell rang, signaling that it was lunch time.

He watched her stretched her arms, a satisfied expression plastered on her face. She stood up and face him, flashing a sweet smile.

"Hey, partner. Come with me." She commanded as she took her bag. She didn't wait for his answer anymore and snatched his hand, dragging him with her.

"H-hey. Where are you taking me?" He asked as she let girl drag her out of the room. Mikan peered over her shoulder, the old playful smirk she used to have was replaced with a bright, heartwarming smile.

"I want you to have lunch with me, my dear partner." She said sweetly and continued to drag him. He didn't ask any questions anymore; he would go wherever she wanted to go.

They stopped at the academy garden, with a row of cherry blossom trees that bloom beautifully, painting the place with different shades of pink. Mikan sat under the shade of it and signaled Natsume to sit beside her. He gladly followed her, laying out his palm to catch a cherry blossom petal floating in the air.

"This place is so peaceful." Natsume mumbled, his eyes roaming around his surroundings.

His gaze went back to the brunette girl who was rummaging her bag. She found what she was looking for and put two lunchboxes in front of them.

"Um, you see…" She stuttered, which was a very unusual sight for Natsume. He couldn't help but chuckle. "Hey! Don't laugh at me!" She raised her voice, not quite yelling, her face flushed deep red in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry. You're just really…cute." He replied, still trying to stifle a chuckle.

"Oh God, come on, why does this seem so hard?" She questioned and slapped her forehead.

She heaved a deep sigh and continued what he was saying.

"Okay, last night my mom taught me how to some make rice balls…." She started, her gaze fix to the ground to hide her embarrassed face. Natsume stared at her with amused face, she had really changed.

"…and I want you to taste it. You better be honest!" She finished and her gaze went back to the raven-haired guy who was smiling at her.

He gladly took one of the lunch box and opened it. Who knew that a simple rice ball could make someone's heart dance with joy? It was exactly what he was feeling at that moment.

She made this for him, how could he be not happy about it?

He took one of the rice balls and tasted it. Mikan was staring intently at him; waiting for a response.

"This tastes good." He said and took another bite.

"Good." Mikan sighed in relief and started eating her own lunch. "It's not as tasty like the one my mom makes but at least it's edible." She stated, tasting the result of her newly found knowledge.

"Did you make this especially for me?" He jested. Mikan snorted.

"You wish!" She joked back, lightly pushing his shoulder. "But… yes, consider this as my thank you gift for bringing me home safely yesterday." She continued, her eyes brimmed with delight.

"Mikan," He suddenly called her name tenderly which gave shiver down her spines.

"Y-Yes?"

"You've completely changed." He said with a chuckle.

She knitted her brow and faked an annoyed expression. "Weren't you the one who badly wanted me change before, huh?" She pointed out.

He heaved a sigh. "Yes, and it made me very happy." He said, and stared intently at her. "Could you promise me one thing?"

She gawked at him suspiciously. "What could that be?"

"Just…always keep that smile of yours."

She stared blankly at him; his face was calm as usual. Unconsciously, her face contorted into a smile.

"You're the reason why I'm smiling like this right now." She said, her gaze not leaving his. "If I didn't meet you, I wonder if I'll even be doing this right now."

He moved himself beside her until their arms touched.

"Did you believe in fate? I believe we met because of fate." He suddenly blurted out. Her smile fell at his sudden statement.

"I never really believed at fate, destiny or love. They seemed so good to be true. People were just using those as an excuse those to complete the emptiness in their life." She reasoned with a grimaced expression.

"Aren't you afraid of emptiness?" He asked once again, his expression was unreadable.

"It really didn't bother me before." She paused, and lowered her head. "But when you came, I learned to fear it." She muttered, unsure if he could hear him.

But he did. He gazed up to the sky and remembered that he need to say his goodbye to her soon.

She rested her head on his firm shoulders, "I wish I could always stay like this with you. Your warmth is always giving me a comfortable feeling."

That was also his wish. To stay at her side always. But it was not possible at the moment. He had already made a promise with her mother. He had learnt to love fate for making their paths cross but also hated it for its twisted nature.

A strong wind rushed through the cherry blossoms, tearing the petals off their branches and scattering them into the sky, looking as if it was snowing. They stayed in their position enjoying the cool breeze of the wind, while watching the dancing petals silently with a smile on their faces.

Finally finding the courage he needed, he began to speak.

"Mikan…" He called her name once again, breaking the peaceful silence between them. Mikan raised her head and met his melancholic pair of crimson eyes behind his brimming spectacles. Just seeing those eyes having that kind of expression greatly pained her heart.

"What's wrong?" She asked worriedly, his sudden change of expression confused her.

"I might not be able to stay at your side for some time." He confessed and closed his eyes. "I need to transfer to America in two days. I have already promised my mom that I'd come." He continued, relieved to finally say it. He felt the weight that was resting on his shoulder lifted up. He opened his eyes and met a pair of shocked hazel eyes.

She stayed silent, her face expression became unreadable. She felt a painful tingling sensation invading her body, slowly crushing her once delighted heart.

"I'm sorry for telling it this late. My parents got worried when they found out I got hospitalized." He added with a dramatic sigh.

"It was my fault, wasn't it?" She muttered and started to blame herself. Suddenly, everything around her felt like a dream.

"No, no. Don't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault. It was my choice, to protect you." He said, assuring.

"But still, if that day didn't happen, you wouldn't need to leave." She said, clenching her fist, trying her best to stop herself from crying.

"But it did happen. I never regretted any of my actions." He sighed, a bitter smile appeared on his face. "...and I miss my parents, too. I hope you'll understand."

She wanted to be selfish and stop him from leaving but after hearing about his parents, her expression softened.

He was the reason why she got reunited back with her family. How could she even think of stopping him from reuniting back to his family? How could she be so selfish at the time like this?

Love wasn't made to be selfish. It was one of the many things he had taught her.

Unconsciously, a tear escaped from her eyes.

"Promise me you'll come back." Was all she managed say before her voice broke into painful sobs.

His hand found its way to her face and gently wipe the tears flowing out of her eyes.

"I promise. I will come back for you. So please, wait for me." He assured her, his heart ached together with hers.

"I will wait for you." She replied, trying to smile but her lugubrious expression betrayed her. "I still have something important to tell you." She touched his hand that were currently on her cheek and cupped it to her face. She nodded, as her heart continued to shatter.

She had no choice but to hold onto his promise.

…

Fate might be the reason why our paths crossed, but loving you was a decision I made.
I couldn't have asked for a better person to walk into my life than you.