Himeno: Meet the new OC here!
Aoi: He's a relative of mine.
Himeno: I can't say he's a good person, though…
Aoi: Then he's bad?
Himeno: Hmm… Just strict that's all.
Aoi: I'm getting nervous.
Himeno: I have to say that something bad will happen to Mikan-chan here.
Mikan: Are you serious? Wah…
Himeno: I'm sorry, Mikan-chan.
Mikan: I'm getting nervous.
Himeno: Don't worry. You won't die. I'll never let that happen.
Mikan: Honto ni?
Himeno: Of course… You're my favorite!
Aoi: Mine too! Okay, let's start this sad chapter.
Himeno: It's not entirely sad, you know.
Aoi: Himeno-chan doesn't own Gakuen Alice, understand?
Natsume the Jerk
Episode 17: A Guilt Never Forgotten
He was irritated. One can tell it from the look of his face. His crimson red eyes were fuming more than usual. He was emitting a killer aura. He wanted to get his hands on a certain model with a star tattoo on his cheek. He wanted to strangle the guy or throw him into the ocean. In other words, Natsume Hyuuga was jealous like hell. He was jealous of Tsubasa Andou for aimlessly flirting with the apple of his eyes, Mikan Sakura.
He was currently at Mikan's exquisite home, having dinner with Mikan, Tsubasa, and the manager, Serina Yamada. Aoi was there too. He and his sister were invited by the brunette to have dinner at her mansion. Natsume initially didn't want to go until Tsubasa threatened him. Damn, he hated it whenever somebody has advantage over him. The food for dinner was delicious, and while everyone was enjoying a good chat, he just ate quietly. Of course, he didn't fail to give a glare at Tsubasa and look at Mikan every now and then.
After dinner, Tsubasa set up two Dance Revolution platforms before the big television set and invited Mikan, Aoi, and Natsume to play with him. "It's been a while since we've played dance revolution, Mikan," he said as he plugged in the PS2. "You're my only rival when it comes to this game. You're too good."
Mikan humbly shook her head. "But you're also good at this, senpai," she said.
"I've always wanted to try Dance Revolution," Aoi chirped excitedly. "I've never tried it in Arcades. I get embarrassed with the people around."
Tsubasa turned on the PS2 and motioned over to Mikan. "Well, my kouhai here is actually the top scorer of Dance Revolution at the arcade," he explained, patting Mikan's head like a cat. "If only I have time, I can try to beat her score there. But unfortunately I run a tight schedule."
"Wow, that's so cool!" Aoi said, looking at Mikan with eyes of admiration. "Mikan-chan, you're really good at everything!"
Mikan lightly chuckled. "Not everything, Aoi-chan… Acting, Dancing, and Singing are all okay for me." She stepped took off her slippers and stepped on one of the platforms. "But there are some things that I'm not good at as well."
"Oh, you want to go first, huh?" Tsubasa planted a hand on his waist and turned to Aoi. "So, Aoi-chan, you wanna be Mikan's first opponent?"
Aoi shook her head vigorously. She was a complete novice at Dance Revolution. Although she would like to try the game out, she hesitated because she might make a complete fool out of herself. In addition to that, she was well aware of the fact that she was a clumsy idiot who can trip at her own feet. "You go on ahead, Tsubasa-sama… I'll just watch first."
The model then turned to the raven-haired lad sitting comfortably on the couch. "How about you, Natsume? Mikan told me that you love games, so why not try this?"
Natsume narrowed his eyes at Mikan. He was sort of giving her the you-told-him-about-the-games look, and the brunette just shook her head in dismay. She certainly did not reveal his deep secret about the H-games in his room. "I'll pass," he said, rolling his eyes away.
"Why? Are you scared to get beaten up by a girl, Natsume?" Tsubasa smirked widely.
Honestly, the model was getting on his last nerves. It was a good thing he can keep up his stoic face. "I'm not scared. I just don't want to play that kind of game."
Tsubasa was about to tease him more, but Aoi stopped him by whispering something into his ear. "Onii-chan is not good at dancing, so you better not force him anymore." As she looked at her brother, she gulped at the sight of his furious crimson eyes. He was staring straight at her. "Um…Onii-chan, you're scaring me."
Tsubasa cleared his throat and stepped on the platform. "Looks like I'm Mikan's first opponent," he said, as Mikan smiled in delight. "It's too bad that Natsume here has zero talent in dancing."
Natsume's eyebrows twitched in annoyance. "It's none of your business," he grumbled under his breath. He made a mental note to kill his stupid sister for telling Tsubasa about his no-talent.
It was getting late, so Natsume, Mikan and Aoi decided to go home. Tsubasa offered to escort them, since he doesn't like his favorite kouhai walking late at night, but Mikan assured him that she'll be fine with Natsume around. "Even though Natsume is a pervert, he's strong and dependable," she said, and Natsume narrowed his eyes at her.
"All right, Mikan," Tsubasa said, giving Mikan one last hug, as he looked at Natsume with a mischievous smile. His plan to make Natsume jealous was really working well. He never fails to irritate the raven-haired lad to the fullest. "Take care of yourself." He gently pushed her away and patted her head.
"You too, senpai!" Mikan took a few steps back and slightly raised her hand to wave at Tsubasa. "Good night, senpai. Say good night to Serina-san for me as well."
"Roger that…" Tsubasa saluted her in a playful manner.
Aoi bowed her head at Tsubasa before giving the guy a friendly smile "Thank you again for inviting us over," she said. "Well, good night, Tsubasa-sama."
"You're welcome here any time, Aoi-chan," Tsubasa said. "But I'm not sure your brother is."
Natsume shrugged. "Are you trying to pick a fight with me?" he muttered seriously as he clenched his fists inside his pockets. He felt his patience snapping when Tsubasa just snickered at him, but unfortunately Mikan dragged him away before he could unleash colorful words to the guy. It was only when they reached the park that Natsume withdrew his hand from Mikan. "Don't go dragging me off like that, polka-dots."
"Onii-chan, you called her with that name again…" Aoi said, getting worried.
Mikan stomped her foot on the ground and raised one fist. "I told you to stop calling me that, O-baka hentai no otoko!" she uttered.
Natsume rolled his eyes away and sighed in frustration. "Well, I'm not the only one here who's doing the name calling," he said nonchalantly.
"You're the one who starts, you know!" she exclaimed, as Aoi tried to calm her down.
Just then three drunken men walked by and saw them. They immediately recognized the idol, Mikan Sakura, and one of them suggested that they should have fun with her. They approached the students and called their attention, but they were immediately met with the furious and cold eyes of Natsume. One of them got pissed and through gritted teeth, he said, "What's with that look, you cocky brat?!"
Aoi swallowed hard and trembled at the sight of them. "This is not good," she said, hiding behind Mikan.
"Natsume, we should leave them alone," Mikan said, tugging on his arm. She didn't like the way the other two stared at her. She felt as if they wanted to eat her up or something. Since Natsume wasn't budging one bit, she told him again that they should go before something bad happens.
"Tch…Whatever…" he replied.
Natsume, Mikan, and Aoi started walking away, but one of the drunks went in front of them. "Hold it right there!" he said. "Where do you think you're going, huh? We still have business with you."
"Please let us pass," Mikan said, looking brave, as she stepped forward. "It's very late at night and we students have to be home now."
The other two men stood right behind them to prevent them from escaping. The one in front of them curved his lip into a malicious grin as he scanned Mikan from head to toe. "I'll allow your friends to go, Idol-san, if you come and play with us," he said, chuckling to himself. "You know, for a girl your age, you're really hot…" He licked his lips and reached for Mikan's shoulder.
Natsume swatted his hands away and pulled Mikan right behind him. "If you lay one finger on her, I'll swear I'll beat you to a crap," he threatened as he gritted his teeth.
"What a stupid brat," the drunk told Natsume. "Just hand us the Idol and you'll be safe with that other girl there."
Over his dead body, Natsume thought wryly. He would never put Mikan's life in danger. He was willing to fight those drunks if necessary just to protect Mikan and his sister.
"Hand us the idol, you stupid brat!" The drunk charged towards Natsume and attempted to punch him.
Natsume quickly pushed Mikan and Aoi away, and evaded the punch just in time. He then knee-kicked the guy on the stomach and punched his ugly face. "Tch…What a bastard…" he snorted, pushing the guy to the ground.
"Onii-chan, behind you!" Aoi shouted as she saw the two men running towards her brother with knives in their hands.
With his reflexes and experience in martial arts, Natsume easily disarmed the two and punched the living daylights out of them. The fact that they were drunk made the fight easier for Natsume.
"Natsume, you're so strong," Mikan muttered.
"Let's go before I decide to kill these bastards," Natsume said with a shrug.
And the minute, Natsume turned his back, one drunk man stood up and pulled out a gun from his coat. He pointed the gun at Natsume and smirked sinisterly. "I'll make up pay, brat!" he exclaimed, putting pressure on the trigger.
Mikan's eyes widened at the sight of the gun. "Natsume, watch out!" She pushed Natsume away from the line of fire, as the man fired the gun at the same time. Mikan got hit by the bullet on her left hip and blacked out. Before she hit the ground, Natsume caught her in his arms.
"Mikan-chan!" Aoi screamed in horror, clamping her mouth. She knelt down and took Mikan's hand. "Onii-chan, what should we do?" She was panicking.
The drunk tried to fire again, but it turned out that he only had one bullet which he used at Mikan. He threw the gun away and laughed maniacally at Natsume. "If only you listened to me, brat, this would have never happened."
Natsume was dumbfounded that he couldn't move for a second. Mikan had protected him again. She took the bullet for him. That scene was all too familiar to him. It happened five years ago with his parents. And the more he thought about it, the more enraged he became. He handed Mikan to Aoi and stood up with his bangs covering his eyes. He moved towards the guy slowly before he rushed instantly and grabbed the guy's neck. He then revealed his blood-shot eyes to him, making the guy squeal in fright. "I'm going to kill you," he said, gripping his neck tightly.
"Onii-chan, there's no time for that!" Aoi said, her voice trembling, as tears cascaded down her cheeks. "We have to take Mikan-chan to the hospital right away!"
"Tch…Shut up!" he retorted, and proceeded to punch the guy senselessly until he lost consciousness. When the guy fell to the ground, he pulled out the guy's wallet from his pocket and took out the ID. He was going to need it in order to report him to the police. He then walked over to the girls and carried Mikan bridal style. "Hey, baka imoto, go tell that Andou what happened. We'll meet at the hospital later," he told his sister. Without another second, he rushed out of the park to bring Mikan to the hospital.
"Where's Mikan?!" Tsubasa uttered the moment he stepped into the hospital. His sudden arrival gained him the people's attentions, and some of the female nurses giggled and gawked at him. However, Tsubasa had no time to entertain some fans of his. He was too concerned for Mikan. After he heard the story from Aoi, he wanted to jump to Mikan's side quickly.
Aoi and Serina were right behind Tsubasa, and they were as worried as him. Serina had a poker-face on, but it was evident in her magenta eyes that she was nervous.
The three of them saw Natsume standing by the emergency room door and approached him. Tsubasa grabbed hold of Natsume's shoulders and shook him. "Is she going to be all right?" he asked anxiously. "What did the doctors say? Is it serious?"
Natsume shrugged and swatted his hands away. "I don't know, so quit asking me," he said. "They're still working on her in there." Frankly, he was nervous as well.
Serina approached Natsume and looked directly into his red eyes. "According to Aoi-san, Mikan protected you from a bullet," she said coldly.
Natsume shifted his eyes at the door and sighed in frustration. Was the manager going to blame him for what had happened? Well, as he thought about what happened, he couldn't help blaming himself. If only he wasn't careless, then Mikan would probably be fine until now. He should be the one being treated and not her. Damn it! If killing wasn't a crime, he would've murdered those drunkards.
"Mikan's selflessness has gotten her in quite a mess again," Serina said, crossing her arms. "But that's what admirable about her. She puts others before herself."
Admirable, yes… Natsume admired her selflessness as well.
"Let's just hope that she'll be fine," Serina said, trying to maintain her calmness.
After 30 minutes of waiting, the doctor came out. He was a stern-looking man in his thirties, with slick raven-hair and crimson red eyes. He glanced at Natsume briefly, as Natsume narrowed his eyes at him, before he turned to Serina. "I've seen you before. You must be Ms. Serina Yamada, manager of Mikan Sakura-san."
"Yes, I am," Serina answered promptly. "Tell me, doctor, is Mikan going to be all right?"
"She's going to be fine," he said, and everyone sighed in relief, only Natsume did it silently. "He pulled out an object wrapped in a white cloth from his lab coat and showed it to Serina. "This actually saved her life." He unwrapped the cloth and revealed a pink mobile phone.
Tsubasa raised a brow. "How so?"
"To put it simply, this phone prevented the bullet from reaching deep inside of her," the doctor explained.
Aoi sighed in relief. "That's great!" she said, looking up at the doctor. "Arigato for saving Mikan-chan's life, Akito-oji-san (uncle)!"
Tsubasa got a little surprised. "What?" He pointed a finger at Aoi and the doctor. "By uncle…? You mean to say that the doctor is Aoi-chan's uncle?"
Serina cleared her throat. "Didn't you know? Natsume-kun and Aoi-san are relatives of Dr. Akito Hyuuga here," she said in a straight voice. "Dr. Hyuuga is one of the best doctors in this hospital and he's the one currently supporting the siblings."
"Is that so?" Tsubasa scratched the back of his head as he turned to Natsume. "How come you never told me and Mikan about your uncle doctor?"
Natsume merely shrugged in reply, and the doctor grew irritated at him for some reason. "Natsume, may I have a word with you?" he said in a strict tone, and Natsume just shot him a deadly glare. "You may now see Sakura-san if you'd like. She's still unconscious, but I'm sure she'll wake up later." He told the others while keeping his red eyes on his nephew.
At that point, Tsubasa and Serina felt like there was something bad going on between the two, but they didn't make a fuss about it. On the other hand, Aoi guessed that her uncle will probably lecture her big brother again.
"Before that…Natsume-kun…" Serina approached Natsume. "Aoi-san told me that you have the ID of the drunk who shot Mikan. May I have it?"
Natsume pulled out the ID from his pocket and handed it to the blonde quietly.
"Thank you…" Serina said.
Tsubasa and Serina went into the emergency room to see Mikan, while Natsume and Aoi followed their uncle to his office. After seeing that Mikan was fine, Serina told Tsubasa that she was going to the police to inform of the crime. "Please handle things here while I'm gone," she said. "And you must see to it that a suitable room must be prepared for Mikan."
"Of course," Tsubasa answered with a thumb up.
Dr. Akito Hyuuga led his nephew into his office. When Natsume walked in, he closed the door and locked it. "What kind of trouble did you get into this time, Natsume?" Dr. Hyuuga questioned. "And you had to involve Sakura-san, of all people."
Natsume lowered his head as his raven locks covered his eyes.
"Oji-san, Onii-chan didn't get into trouble," Aoi said, her heart pounding suddenly, as she clasped her hands together. "It was those drunken men… They were the ones who attacked first. They wanted Mikan-chan, and Onii-chan fought them to protect her."
"If he protected her, why did she get shot?" Dr. Hyuuga said, adjusting his glasses, as he glared at Natsume.
Fiddling with her fingers, Aoi swallowed hard and bit her lip. "Well… It's because… One of the drunks was about to shoot Onii-chan and Mikan-chan took the bullet for him…"
Anger sparked in him as the doctor pinned Natsume against the wall. "So, it was supposed to be you!" he uttered, gripping his neck firmly. "You were supposed to be the one in her position now! You're really a jinx, Natsume. You bring nothing but bad luck to the people around you. You're better off dead!" He punched Natsume square on the face and pushed him down.
Natsume fell butt first on the floor, hanging his head low just to avoid the eyes of his uncle. He was already feeling guilty about what happened to Mikan, and his uncle was making him feel worst. Apparently, he was used to his uncle's harsh treatments towards him. His uncle had always hated him ever since his parents died. His uncle blamed him for everything.
"Onii-chan!" Aoi was going to help her brother, but the Doctor demanded her to stay away. Aoi didn't want to get on his bad side so she stayed put. Oji-san's really mad at Onii-chan…
"You should have never let anyone get close to you," Dr. Hyuuga said, kicking Natsume and stomping on his hand. Of course, Natsume winced in pain, but he didn't let out a single sound. "I've heard from Aoi that Sakura-san is helping you change. That's thoughtful of her, and yet you brought misfortune to her. How shameful can you be, Natsume? It's sickening that you're my nephew!"
Oji-san… This is too much… Aoi closed her eyes and hoped that her uncle would stop torturing Natsume.
"It's a good thing Sakura-san survived," Dr. Hyuuga said as he sat down behind his desk. "Or else, I might have to throw you away, and I don't care if you're my brother's son."
Aoi motioned over to her brother and knelt down to his level. "Onii-chan, are you all right?" She was about to touch him, but Natsume immediately swatted her hand away. "Onii-chan?"
"Don't touch me, buriko," Natsume muttered as he stood up. "And don't approach me as you please." He marched over to the door, opened it, and slammed the door on his way out.
Onii-chan…Just now…You acted like your old cold-hearted self… Aoi slowly got back to her feet and faced her uncle with a concerned face. Oji-san, why do you continue to treat him like this? She wanted to voice out that question so badly, but she was afraid of her uncle's wrath.
"Your idiotic brother is a bastard," Dr. Hyuuga said as he scanned through the medical records of his patients. "He's rude and unruly as usual."
Oji-san, please stop saying such things about Onii-chan… Aoi thought.
"Aoi, I'm sure you want to see Sakura-san now," the doctor said without looking at the raven-haired girl. "You may go now if you wish."
"Um…Okay…Thank you, Akito-Oji-san…" she muttered as she slightly bowed her head. She then spun around and walked out of the room quietly, thinking deeply about her brother.
End of Episode 17
Himeno: Natsume's past in the next chapter.
Aoi: Wah! It's going to be real sad.
Himeno: I'm counting on you to tell the story, Aoi-chan.
Aoi: I'm really going to cry, Himeno-chan.
Tsubasa: So the next one is pretty serious. Maybe I shouldn't bug Natsume for a while.
Himeno: Well, there are plenty of more chapters for you to do that, Tsubasa-senpai.
Tsubasa: You're right.
Himeno: Plus, I haven't revealed your past love life yet.
Tsubasa: You don't have to… Hehe…
Himeno: But the readers are curious.
Aoi: I'm curious too!
Mikan: Me too!
Tsubasa: Hehe…Come on guys… My love life is not that interesting.
Himeno: Na-uh! By the way, Mikan and Natsume moments are in the next chapter too. Be sure to watch out for my next update.
Mikan: Please review, minna-san! No flaming.