Author's Note
Thanks to the people who reviewed: chammel, YingLang4eva, jwinkee, Natsumesama, tomboy ninja13, enrevolemina, black cat girl 2006, ahahahah, nikkuru, winglessfairy25, littledoggy, me, pinkcherry6, cutegabrielle16, michiy0, glenda23, Hikashe-chan, Natsumiyu
Note: I'm not sure if there really is an airport in Nagoya or such thing as Junkuji High School. I just made it up. Haha.
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Chapter Seventeen
Home in Nagoya
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I went home after that incident in the fountain. I was soaking wet and I didn't want to catch a cold. As for Hotaru, she came home around six pm twirling a rose in her fingers. Where did she get that rose? Anyway, it didn't matter.
I couldn't sleep that night, memories of Natsume kissing me bothered my mind. I tossed and turned, I threw some of the pillows on the floor, I kicked the blanket out of the bed and tried several possible positions that would make me go to sleep – but alas! I could barely close my eyes. The cheek that Natsume kissed was still warm and whenever I touched it, it seemed that he was kissing it again. God, I'm so pissed off.
It was already two am. Hotaru was already sleeping. My eyes were heavy but my mind was awake. Staring into space wasn't going to do me good. I stood up and opened Hotaru's lap top. I knew her password, although it took me lots of snooping and brainstorming to find out: blackmail.
I went to 'My Pictures'. There were blackmail photographs of Ruka. I wanted to laugh. Hotaru is so damn obsessed with him. Then, there were school photos. Photos of Hotaru, Nonoko, Anna, Sumire and I… I remembered that day, that was one day where Hotaru brought her camera to take blackmail photos of the weak boys - but we ended up taking photographs of our group. I browsed through the photos and by three, I was getting sleepy.
I climbed back into my bed and dreamt of my friends. I miss them so much. But I miss my hometown the most. Nagoya…
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The next morning, I got a text from the producer of MFL – Jonathan Yamida. It said: Please come to the meeting room ASAP. Have you memorized your script? We have decided the place we're going to shoot this week's episode.
Oh damn. I forgot to memorize my script. Oh well.
Hotaru and I dressed up and went to Tokyo Media Industries. We went into the Meeting Room which was on the 4th floor. By the time we got there, Natsume and Ruka were sitting down with the other members of the cast, Krissy and Yuuka were there. Mr. Yamida was there also and some other people that I didn't know but I just smiled at them helplessly, I sat down and there were Xerox copies of the script and some of the 'plans'. Hotaru sat next to me, but since she wasn't a cast member she just ate the cookies that were on the table and eavesdropped.
"So have you memorized your script already, guys?" Mr. Yamida asked. Everyone replied 'Yes' except for me.
"How about you?" Mr. Yamida said, turning to me. I froze and stared at the front page of my script.
"Um…I memorized the front page" I said quietly.
"That's stupid," Natsume remarked.
I glared at him. "Shut up. Why? What's wrong with memorizing the front page?"
"Because," Natsume said – taking his copy of the script. "It just says: MY FAVORITE LOSER EPISODE 78"
He smirked at the way I twitched when I realized what he said was true.
Mr. Yamida stared at me.
"Um…I need to go to the restroom!! Be back in awhile!" I said, trying to save myself from further humiliation. I stood up and turned around. "Uh…where's the restroom?"
"Hallway, left" Yuuka said. I nodded and exited the meeting room.
By the time I came back, it seemed that the rest of the cast (except Natsume who was smirking at me) forgot about the whole 'front page' thingy. I went back to my seat and listened to what they were talking about. They were talking about some kind of place they were going to shoot Episode 78 at.
"Oh, Mikan – we're going to shoot Episode 78 at Nagoya"
WHAT?
"NAGOYA?!?!"
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
My eyes gleamed. "N-no…that's my hometown!!"
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The sound of the jet was annoying, but the thought of going back home again – even just for a day or so made my heart leap. I missed Nagoya so much!!! I missed my friends, I missed my teachers (yuck. I can't believe I'm saying I missed my teachers), I missed my grandpa (I wonder how he is now), I missed the mailman, I missed the person selling cigarettes on the street, I missed…
"Oi, stupid – we're boarding the jet already – or do you want to get left behind?" Natsume said, looking at me disgustingly. Had he forgotten about the whole kiss-on-the-cheek thing already? Then what was the kiss for if he didn't really actually mean it?
Hotaru was coming as well. The stem of the rose she had yesterday was poking out of her back. She still had it? It's just a flower! What could be so important about it, anyway?
We couldn't use a helicopter going to Nagoya because there were camera men, the producer, the director, the cast, the makeup artists, the hairstylists etc.
My heart raced as the jet took off. I was going back home. I'm going to see everyone I knew and cared about.
"Hotaru, are you excited?" I asked, turning to my best fried who was sitting across me. She glanced at me and continued eating some peanuts that were there. Ugh. All she cared about was food.
"Nice view" Natsume said.
"Yeah. Tokyo's so nice when you look at it from above"
"Ah… dummy…I wasn't talking about that"
I looked around and I saw that my skirt wasn't fixed well and a bit of my…gulp… underwear with a heart and star design could be seen.
"YOU PERVERT!!" I yelled and threw a pillow on his face. It didn't really hurt him, because it's a pillow. So the whole trip I looked for things to bludgeon him with.
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"Wake up" Hotaru whispered, I opened my eyes and it was the two of us in the jet. I looked outside and we were in the airport. As I got off the jet, I breathed in the delicious Nagoya air. Home…
We took a limousine to our shooting place. It was some hotel that I never heard of. I memorized half of my script as I had my hair done – and luckily, I was able to memorize all of them. Work is boring, I was excited to hopefully see me friends and grandpa. After hours of shooting, the director told us we did better than planned and we can go touring for awhile.
"Mr. Yamida – can we go to my high school? I want to visit my friends" I asked. Mr. Yamida glanced at his watch and nodded.
"Of course, the chauffeur can take you!"
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I was extremely excited. The four of us went to go to Junkuji High School. We passed familiar streets, temples, stores and people. I was home again!! I was never this thrilled to see the ordinary provincial streets of Nagoya. It looked very plain compared to big city Tokyo. Still, Nagoya is one place in the world where I'd rather be the most.
Then, the awaited moment arrived. It was lunch time in JHS, The chauffeur stopped by the gates and people started whispering. I got off the limousine and everybody started freaking out. They freaked out more when Natsume and Ruka came out. Looking all celebrity-ish.
"OHMYGOD!!!! NONOKO!!! ANNA!! IT'S MIKAN!!!" screamed Sumire.
"HEY GUYS!!" I said, opening my arms for a hug – instead they all stampeded towards Natsume and started squealing. Sumire grabbed hold of Natsume's arm and Nonoko and Anna shared another arm of Natsume. It kinda bothered me that Sumire was nuzzling Natsume's arm. NOT THAT I WAS JEALOUS.
"This is some interesting school" Ruka remarked, as lots of freshmen (the sophomores, juniors and seniors weren't much interested in Ruka) gathered around him. Hotraru rolled her eyes and looked around.
"It's just a boring school" she said.
"I never went to school. I grew up being home-schooled and then by eleven, I was put into theatre school and acting class. My mom was the type to have a celebrity child. They gave me singing lessons and experimented if the piano, guitar or cello would boost my career as my singer. By, thirteen – I was welcomed into the acting community and my mom disappeared from my life. The same as Natsume, too" Ruka said. The freshmen squealed at his biography.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Ah…I'm going to meet Yuu and Kokoroyomi"
"Who are they? Some of your girlfriends?" Ruka asked, following Hotaru.
"No. They are boys"
Boys
Boys
Boys
Boys
Ruka shook his head. "Ahh… so you have a boyfriend already?" he smiled nervously.
Hotaru just ignored him and entered the school building.
"Ah, Hotaru!! Wait!!"
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"Stop doing that!" I yelled, pulling Anna, Nonoko and Sumire's arms out of Natsume who couldn't care less.
"Why? It's not like you care about Natsume!" Sumire said, and then made a face. "Do you?"
I glanced at Natsume nervously and shook my head. "No"
"So, you still have a crush on Ruka?"
Did I?
"No" I replied again.
"God – you came from Tokyo and all of a sudden you're just some boring old woman"
Okay, that really hurt me.
"What are you staring at?!?!" I asked Natsume, I was definitely losing my temper.
"Another view" Natsume murmured. Then I looked down. I realized I was wearing a camisole.
"OH YOU STUPID PERVERT!!!" I yelled, I was definitely SUPER DUPER PISSED-OFF AT HIM.
"TSUBASA-SEMPAI!!!"
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Ruka followed Hotaru to one of the classrooms. She opened a door that said: 2-B – it was probably her classroom. In there were two boys. One had blonde hair with glasses and one had brownish hair.
"Ah. Yuu, Kokoroyomi" she said.
So those were the two guys Hotaru was talking about. Ruka thought. Why am I feeling a sudden urge to pull her out of what will seem to be like their conversation? Ah…I'm not jealous, okay? I'm really not…
"Ruka…what are you doing here?" Hotaru asked, seeing Ruka peeking inside the classroom.
"Nothing" Ruka responded and entered the classroom. "HEY! You must be Yuu and Kokoroyomi"
Yuu and Kokoroyomi looked at him weirdly.
"They don't watch My Favorite Loser" Hotaru explained. "No, can you just go away?"
"Why? What are you gonna do?"
"It's a private meeting amongst the three of us only" Hotaru said, taking Ruka's arm and taking him out of the classroom.
"It doesn't concern you, Mikan or Natsume. It just concerns the three of us and some other people – anyway, why don't you run off to Mikan?"
"Why, Mikan?"
"Remember what you told me the other day. You like her, right? So just…and anyway, yesterday wasn't really a date – just a setup, so it didn't really affect us – so…I'll see you later, Mikan told me that we can go out for dinner later"
"But…"
Hotaru closed the door.
It's not like I care about knowing what Hotaru does right?
What the hell is she going to do with those guys?
Are they her boyfriends?
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Andou Tsubasa is a senior in JHS. I don't have a brother, but Tsubasa acts as my brother all the time. He asks me if I'm okay when I'm sick, he also gives me his extra lunch when no one would. His girlfriend, Misaki is also like a big sister to me. I went shopping with her once and it was so fun. I wish they were my real siblings and I get left out when they go together because to me, they are as close to me to being a brother and sister.
"TSUBASA-SEMPAI!!!" I screeched, and at once – the dark haired senior wearing the gray cap ran out of the senior building (I don't know why the senior building was separated from the freshmen, sophomore and junior building)
"MIKAN! You're back from Tokyo!!" he said, and hugged me.
"Onii-chan!!!" I said, and hugged him back. I missed Tsubasa so much. When my other so-called friends Sumire and co. didn't pay attention to me, I would always stay with my 'big brother'.
"Stop flirting with each other" Natsume said coolly.
"Ahh…Natsume Hyuuga. The ever-so-popular celebrity" Tsubasa said, letting go off me.
"Who are you, bastard?" Natsume asked, looking at Tsubasa head to toe.
"HEY!! Don't call Tsubasa a bastard!! He's a senior, you know!!"
"And what do I care if he's a frikkin senior or not?"
"Don't worry Mikan, he's just another of those guys with a superior-complex personality"
"Huh? What do you mean, onii-chan?"
"NOTHING" Natsume yelled and glared at Tsubasa. "You two are flirts"
"TSUBASA, has a girlfriend"
"And it's YOU obviously. How disgusting. You – a sophomore flirting with some senior…you're just some idiot who throws herself at guys"
"I HATE YOU" I shouted, and was about to slap Natsume when Tsubasa took hold of my hand.
"Haha. It's funny. You're jealous"
Natsume just glared at Tsubasa.
"You're overprotective over Mikan. It's funny to look at. You care about her so much"
What was onii-chan talking about?
"I…I…don't care about that dummy"
"Ahh…whatever" Tsubasa smiled. He handed me a pamphlet.
"You might wanna go later. It's gonna be fun"
SPRING FESTIVAL
"WOW! I love festivals!" I squealed, staring lovingly at the pamphlet.
"Yeah, wear your kimono okay? You and…Natsume might want to go. And tell Hotaru also – you might enjoy it"
"THANKS ONII-CHAN!!" I said, and hugged Tsubasa again.
YAY!! WE'RE GOING OUT LATER!!!!
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Preview of Next Chapter:
"Why are you always going out with Yuu and Kokoroyomi!?…not that I care…it's just that…" – Ruka
"Look, Natsume!!! My grandpa used to tell me that when there are lots of fireflies, the gods are giving an opportunity to the people to make themselves EACH a wish. So close your eyes Natsume, and wish for something" – Mikan
LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR REVIEWS!! JA!!!