Himeno: Chapter 18!! Oh my… This is going to be a sad chapter. I hope the readers are ready for it.

Aoi: Somehow, I don't feel too well.

Himeno: Aoi-chan, you can do it!

Aoi: Still, it's pretty painful to remember the past…

Himeno: The reason to why Natsume became so cold-hearted...

Aoi: That's right…

Mikan: Am I going to be unconscious for the rest of the chapter?

Himeno: Um… I don't think so…

Mikan: Himeno-chan, you're not planning on letting me sleep on this one, huh?"

Himeno: Of course not.

Aoi: I'm afraid we have to begin the story everyone.

Himeno: Okay then. I don't own the series, just the story.

Natsume the Jerk

Episode 18: Death and Sheer Coldness

The next day, practically the whole city had heard about Mikan's misfortune with the drunken men. Paparazzi and news reporters wanted to interview Mikan in the hospital, but Serina brought two reliable bodyguards to keep them away from Mikan's room. As a manager, it was her utmost responsibility to take care of her young star.

The police had managed to capture the suspects and sent them to prison. It turned out that those drunken men were drug addicts as well. Serina did not fail to file charges against them when she visited the police station. She went back to hospital and checked on Mikan. She was relieved to see Mikan awake and smiling as she entered the room. "How are you feeling?" she asked, taking a seat on a stood beside the bed.

"I'm fine," Mikan answered cheerfully. "A little weak, but fine!"

"Good," Serina said. "But I do believe that we need to buy you another cellphone."

Mikan had heard that her cellphone saved her life, so she knew what Serina meant. "Okay… I'll leave that to you, Serina-san."

Serina and Mikan talked for a while and their conversation mainly concerned about her work and school. Serina assured Mikan that she had called the school and informed them about her situation. "You can just borrow notes from your friends to catch up with the lessons," she said. "And about work, there's nothing to worry about. The Sakura Kiss series is almost done and your absence won't be a bother." Of course, when she called the director, she heard nothing but questions of anxiety from him. He was dead worried about Mikan's welfare.

"That's good to hear," Mikan said, heaving a sigh of relief.

After their talk, Serina excused herself from Mikan, saying that she needed to take care of some things back at the police station. "Tsubasa will be here later to watch over you," Serina said, walking to the door. "And if you need anything, just press the buzzer to call the nurse, understand?"

Mikan nodded her head in reply.

"Good. Now I'll be on my way then…" Serina said as she walked out of the room and slowly closed the door behind her.

Not a moment too soon, Aoi came in and greeted Mikan with a smile. "How are you feeling, Mikan-chan?" she asked, taking a seat on the bed. "Does it hurt?"

"If I move too much, yeah, it hurts…" Mikan said. "But I'm okay now."

"You know, when I saw you bleeding, I thought I was going to have a heart attack," Aoi muttered, her voice faltering. "I was really scared for you, Mikan-chan. Not only me, but Onii-chan as well."

Mikan placed her hand on top of Aoi's. "I'm sorry for making you worried, Aoi-chan," she said sincerely. "Everything happened so fast. I wasn't thinking again when I jumped in and blocked the bullet."

Aoi clasped her hand as she started to tremble. "Mikan-chan, what you did was very brave," she said, and then he hugged the brunette. "You protected Onii-chan and for that I'm really grateful."

"It's good that Natsume is safe," Mikan said, returning the hug. "You know what? Natsume and Aoi-chan are really important to me. Because of that, I'm willing to take the bullet for you two anytime."

Aoi pulled away and looked up at Mikan with tears in her red eyes. "Mikan-chan…hearing those words make me so happy," she said before burying her face in her palms. "I wish Onii-chan was here to hear it too. I'm sure he'll be as happy as I am."

The brunette comforted her friend by stroking her arm gently back and forth. "Please don't cry, Aoi-chan," she said in a tender loving voice. "I want to see the smiling Aoi-chan—the Aoi-chan that's always cute." She moved her hand to the top of Aoi's head and stroked her raven hair.

"Mikan-chan…" Aoi removed her hands from her face and wiped away the tears with her fingers. As she looked at Mikan, her lips curved into a smile.

"That's much better," Mikan said, patting Aoi's head. "Let's try to talk about something livelier. Hmm… Oh yeah, did you go to school today?"

Aoi shook her head. She was too worried about Mikan. If she went to school, she might end up not listening to class at all. "I decided to stay here and watch you."

"I'm sorry for the trouble, Aoi-chan."

"No, it's no problem at all."

"I'm guessing Natsume didn't go to school either, huh?" As Aoi nodded her head as an answer, Mikan sighed and lay back down on the bed. "So, where is he anyway? I haven't seen him since I woke up."

Actually, Aoi didn't know where her brother was. By the time he left her uncle's office, he simply vanished without a trace. "He's probably just hanging around somewhere," Aoi lied, and felt miserable about it. She couldn't tell Mikan about her uncle's treatment with Natsume. "But you know what? Onii-chan was really worried about you. When you were shot, he carried you all the way to this hospital. He even threatened the nurses to take care of you right away."

Suddenly, Mikan's heart skipped a beat as her cheeks turned a little red. "He did all that…I'm impressed…"

"He may not show it, but Onii-chan cares a lot about you, Mikan-chan," Aoi said.

And that somehow made Mikan blush more. "If he only doesn't act like a jerk all the time, then I can be convinced that he really cares…" she said in a stuttering voice. "But Natsume is the type of person who doesn't show his emotions to others. He's a good person inside."

Mikan was right about that, Aoi thought. But last night, Aoi felt that Natsume had reverted to his old self. She hoped she was wrong. Natsume had already learned to be more opened up through Mikan's sincerity and kindness. She didn't want to ruthless and cold-hearted brother back.

A lot of Mikan's friends came to pay her a visit later in the afternoon. Yuu Tobita, the class representative, updated her on the lessons for the day and even handed her some notes he took in class. Anna Umenomiya brought Mikan a small bag of cookies, while Nonoko Ogasawara brought her a basket full of fresh fruits. Ruka bought her a bouquet of fresh flowers, which he had already placed in a flower vase on the bedside table. Kokoroyomi gave Mikan a get-well card with a joke he personally written there. The joke made Mikan laughed and she was thankful for all the gifts her friends gave her.

As her friends left, Ruka stayed behind. Honestly, when he heard what happened to Mikan, he wanted to get out of class to see her. It was amazing that he was able to stay patient until the end of the day. And it was such a relief for him to see that Mikan was well. "You've protected Natsume from getting shot…" he muttered as he bowed his head. "Thank you for saving him, Sakura."

Mikan shook her head vigorously. "You don't have to bow like that, Ruka-pyon! Besides, I only did what I could." She let out a stiff chuckle as she scratched the back of her head.

"Sakura, even though you managed to save Natsume, you got shot instead," Ruka said, giving her a worried look, as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Please be careful next time… I don't want you getting hurt again."

Mikan was touched by his words. "I'll try to stay out of danger," she said with a giggle. "Thank you for your concern, Ruka-pyon." She touched his hand on her shoulder and smiled at him.

Ruka's face flushed up in an instant. "Um…Well, you're welcome…" He always felt nervous whenever he saw her beautiful smile. Not only that, the mere sight of her face was enough to make him blush.

When it was time to go, Ruka bid goodbye to Mikan and walked out of the room quietly. As he turned at a corner, he stopped as he almost bumped into Natsume. "Where have you been, Natsume?" he asked, taking notice of his worn out uniform. It seemed like he had gone into a fight, but Ruka thought that Natsume doesn't engage in unnecessary fighting anymore.

"It's none of your business," Natsume said, slipping one hand into his pocket. "Now get out of my way." He moved past Ruka, bumping into his shoulder in the process, and walked towards Mikan's room.

"Natsume?" Ruka was surprised at Natsume's action, for he was acting the way he used to be. He wondered what happened, and before he could follow Natsume, Aoi called out to him.

"His old self is back," Aoi said, lowering her head, as she clasped her hands together.

"What do you mean by that?" Ruka asked.

"Akito-oji-san tormented him again and blamed him for what happened to Mikan-chan," Aoi said, her eyes almost nearing to tears.

She didn't need to say more for Ruka to understand. Ruka knew who Dr. Akito Hyuuga was and he was fully aware of his strict and cold personality. Quite frankly, Ruka partly blamed Dr. Akito for Natsume's wretched life. "He never considers Natsume's feelings…" Ruka muttered, clenching his fists. "All your uncle does is to make Natsume feel horrible."

Mikan was asleep by the time Natsume visited her room. He stood beside the bed and gazed upon her sleeping face. She was sleeping peacefully like an angel and Natsume was glad that she was all right. Still, the guilt inside his heart was strong and heavy. He reached for her face and his fingertips almost touched her cheek until—

"Don't even lay one finger on her, Natsume."

That cold and stern voice could only belong to one person. Natsume withdrew his hand and turned his head at the person standing by the doorway. His uncle was there and no doubt he'll just lecture him again.

"What are you even doing here?" Dr. Akito questioned him. "You presence here will only bring bad luck and I don't want this girl to suffer because of you."

Natsume narrowed his eyes at him. "I know I'm to blame for what had happened, which is why I'm here to see if she's fine," he explained in a monotonous voice.

"I'm the one handling her, so it's only natural that she's fine," the doctor said arrogantly. "But she won't be fine for long if you stay by her side. Natsume, I want you to leave this instant."

"I'm afraid I can't follow your orders this time," Natsume said. He didn't care if he was going to be punched or kicked by his uncle. He wanted to stay by Mikan's side.

The doctor moved towards Natsume and grabbed his neck. "You dare to go against me?" he muttered in a poisonous voice. "Do you want Sakura-san to suffer that same fate as your parents? Remember very well, Natsume, you killed them. And I don't want this girl to be your next victim."

Natsume understood what he was saying, but he couldn't afford to stay away from Mikan. His heart desired her warmth and cheerful aura. "She's very important to me… I swear I won't commit the same mistake again."

"You're so dumb, Natsume." The doctor released him and gave him a shove. "Sakura-san has clearly done so many things for you, without expecting anything in return. But you… What did you do to repay her kindness? Think about it, Natsume. You can only bring misfortune. You don't deserve to be with someone like Sakura-san."

Averting his eyes away, he turned his head at Mikan. As much as he hated to admit it, his uncle was right. What happened to his parents may happen to Mikan—not only to Mikan but to the people he cared for. Silently, he staggered out of the room, not having the will to face his uncle anymore.

Aoi was walking towards Mikan's room and stopped when she saw her uncle coming out. "Oji-san…" she muttered in a low voice. Her uncle wasn't mean to her or didn't treat her like trash. Her uncle still acknowledged her as his niece and provided her with everything she needed. It was a different case for her brother. He blames Onii-chan for everything, but Onii-chan is innocent. He wasn't the one who killed our parents. She watched her uncle walking to the opposite direction from her, and as he disappeared at a corner, Aoi went into Mikan's room. Even though Oji-san is kinda nice to me, he's still scary at some point. Her strict uncle always made her feel uneasy no matter what.

Once she closed the door and directed her eyes towards the bed, she gasped as she saw Mikan looking like she was about to cry. Aoi immediately motioned over to Mikan's side and touched her hand. "Mikan-chan, what's the matter?" she asked. "Are you in pain? Do you want me to call the doctor?"

Mikan shook her head and held Aoi's hands between hers. "Why is your uncle so mean to Natsume?" she said in a frail voice, and Aoi's eyes just widened in surprise. "Aoi-chan, I heard Natsume and your uncle talking a while ago. I was just pretending to sleep, so I heard everything. Your uncle is blaming Natsume. Why? Why?" She got really scared for Natsume when she heard the doctor approach him. She tried her best not to move or make any sound as the doctor continued lecture Natsume.

"Eh? Why you say…" Aoi averted her eyes away from Mikan's hazel ones and bit her lip. "Mikan-chan, since you've heard a lot, I guess it's time to tell you the whole thing…about how our parents died…"

Mikan could sense the heavy sadness in Aoi's heart and somehow she felt like she just burdened Aoi. However, if she will stop Aoi from telling her the past, then she will never come to understand why Natsume became such a cold-hearted person in the first place. She had always wondered why Natsume blamed himself for his parents' death.

"It happened 5 years ago…" Aoi started, her hands trembling a bit. It was going to be hard for her to tell the story. "Onii-chan was 9-years old at that time."

--"The Tragedy of Hyuuga Family"--

Natsume and his parents had just visited Aoi in the hospital. Aoi had extremely poor health, so she gets sick quite easily. It was a good thing they had a doctor for a relative. Dr. Akito Hyuuga was one of the best doctors there is, and he was the older brother of Natsume's father. On their way home, they stopped by at the grocery store to buy food for dinner. Since his parents were doing the shopping, Natsume decided to wait for them outside the store. And in order for him not to get bored, he took out his manga and started reading.

Two suspicious looking guys entered the store, and Natsume noticed they were reaching into their jackets for something. He didn't mind them, so he continued reading. Just then, he heard screaming from the convenience store. Turning around, he looked through the glass automatic doors and saw the same two guys holding guns. They turned out to be thieves.

One of the thieves was hauling cash from the cashier, as the other one pointed at the two only customers inside, his parents. The employee of the store was already knocked out. Slowly, he went into the store and approached them like a stealthy cat. As the thief finished filling his bag, Natsume jumped on the counter and kicked their guns away. He was studying martial arts, so it was easy for him. The thieves were surprised at the sudden attack, but they immediately tried to grab Natsume. The lad simply jumped and kicked one of them on the face. He flipped backwards and faced the other one with a deadly glare.

"You're going to pay for that, brat!" The thief tried to punch Natsume, but he was able to dodge it. As he moved away from him, he saw the other guy fighting his father. Natsume wanted to help him, but the thief won't let him off easily.

Mr. Hyuuga managed to punch the thief on the face and pulled his wife behind him. "I'll protect you," he said, as the wife clasped onto the back of his shirt.

The thief dropped butt first on the ground. It was convenient for him since he landed right beside his gun. He picked it up and pointed it at the parents. "You can't go against a gun," he said with a menacing smile.

Natsume grabbed a mop and knocked his opponent out. As the thief fell on the floor, his eyes grew wide at the sight of his parents being threatened by the other thief. "Damn you…" He charged towards the thief fast, and then the thief pulled the trigger at him. Luckily, the bullet missed him by a hair, yet it was too close for comfort.

"You cocky brat," the thief said. "You think you can outsmart me." He was about to shoot Natsume again, but the father intervened by grabbing onto the gun.

"I won't let you hurt my son," Mr. Hyuuga said, trying to pull the gun away, but careful not to pull the trigger.

The wife was getting more worried as she told her husband to be careful. However, in no less that a minute, Mr. Hyuuga was kicked away by the thief. "I've had it with you people!"

In an instant, before the thief could point the gun at them, Natsume tackled the thief to the floor. As they landed roughly, the thief accidentally pressed the trigger and shot Mr. Hyuuga on the chest. The wife screamed in horror as she caught her husband in her arms. She dropped on her knees to support his weight and trembled as she saw the blood oozing out of his chest.

Natsume turned his head at his parents and froze at the sight of his now dead father. "This…This can't be…" he muttered. Angry built up inside him in a flash. He took the gun away from the thief, got up and stomped him on the stomach. "You and your stupidity really did it now…"

The thief only smirked at him in return. "My stupidity?" He chuckled. "Don't you mean yours? You were stupid enough to tackle me, so I ended up shooting your old man. I can't believe you would go blame this on me. What an idiotic kid."

Hearing the cry of his mother and the words of the thief made his blood boil in rage. "You bastard!" Without thinking twice, he attacked the thief by hitting him with gun, knocking him out.

"Natsume…" Mrs. Hyuuga's tears dripped down her face as she held her husband so tenderly and lovingly. "Your father…He's dead…"

At that point, Natsume wanted to cry as well, but he felt guilty. As he was about to console his mother, he saw the guy he beaten earlier sitting up and reaching for his gun. "Mother, be careful!" he said, and Mrs. Hyuuga turned her head at the thief.

The thief got his gun and aimed it Natsume, at the same time Natsume aimed his gun at him. Natsume pulled his trigger first, but the bullet got blocked by his own mother. Mrs. Hyuuga thought that the thief was going to shoot Natsume, so she got in the way just to protect him. But it turned out that Natsume shot the gun first, giving a tragic result to her.

As he mother dropped dead on the floor, Natsume became more furious than ever and shot the thief right on the head. He dropped the gun and knelt down to take his mother in his arms. He hugged her mother tightly and started crying. "I…I'm sorry…This is my fault…" he whispered.

"What happened here?" a familiar voice reached Natsume's ear.

The young lad turned his head at the doorway and saw his uncle, looking so shocked. Who wouldn't be? The distressed doctor saw his brother's body lying in a pool of blood and his sister-in-law dead cold in Natsume's arms. It was too gruesome—even for him.

"Oji, this is my entire fault…" Natsume said in monotone, looking back at his mother.

Dr. Hyuuga narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. "What the hell are you saying?" he said furiously. "How can this be your fault? You're just a kid. You couldn't have possibly done this."

Natsume didn't say anything afterwards and continued crying silently in guilt and shame.

--"End of Flasback"--

"When I heard the news of what happened to my parents, I really cried hard and only Akito-oji-san and Ru-chan comforted me. Onii-chan didn't want to face me. He told me it was his entire fault." Aoi was crying and shaking. "Oji-san didn't want to believe him at first. He kept on telling Onii-chan to stop blaming himself." She lowered her head and closed her eyes, as she let her tears fell on the sheet.

Mikan was almost close to tears, but she tried to stay strong for Aoi. She needed to be strong so she could comfort her. "But what made you uncle hate Natsume so much?" she asked, almost too afraid to hear the answer.

"The convenience store had a hidden camera and it recorded everything that had happened," Aoi started. "Oji-san and I saw everything there… It was so unbelievable. My heart felt like it wanted to break into so many pieces, and Oji-san became so enraged that it was so scary." She shivered at the thought of her uncle's stoic face.

Heaving a deep sigh, Mikan caressed Aoi's cheek and then pulled her into a hug. "So that's why… Your uncle saw everything and blamed Natsume as well."

Aoi nodded her head as she cried on Mikan's shoulder. "And because of that, he started treating Onii-chan like dirt as if he wasn't his nephew at all. For the past years, Oji-san continued his harsh treatments towards Onii-chan and continued to blame him. Oji-san kept on saying that Onii-chan was a jinx."

"No wonder he became so cold…" Mikan said, patting Aoi's back for comfort. Finally, she knew the reason behind Natsume's attitude, the reason why he was so distant and rotten. The things he had to go through in life were very painful, and Mikan felt so sad. Somehow, she wanted to be at Natsume's side and bring him happiness. Then she recalled what Serina told her before.

"Don't leave him in the dark, Mikan." She finally understood what it meant. Natsume was enveloped in a world of darkness—a world full of misery and pain. Mikan swore that she will continue being friends with him. She swore that she will never leave him in the dark, not only for his sake, but also for those who cares for him.

End of Episode 18

Himeno: Okay, I'm not good with the action scenes or death. I apologize to the readers for that.

Mikan: It was okay.

Himeno: I'll try to improve next time.

Aoi: Uwahh… I finally did it. I told the story.

Mikan: I can't believe something like that happened to Natsume.

Aoi: Onii-chan suffered so much.

Mikan: Don't worry… I'll try my best to help him.

Aoi: I can always count on you, Mikan-chan.

Himeno: Well, Mikan-chan is the light, so she'll do something about Natsume.

Aoi: I'm excited for the next chapter.

Himeno: It will feature some couple moments. Natsume and Mikan, of course!

Aoi: Don't forget to review, okay? No flaming.