EXODUS
Chapter Four: If Wishes were Horses
Disc: Not mine.
-----
Natsume swiped at his damp hair and entered the hospital room to the sounds of arguing and cold looks. "What's wrong?"
"They've sedated her to maximize the healing process then he tried healing her but his power won't work. Three guesses on why." Ruka turned ice blue eyes towards the young doctor who squirmed on his feet beneath the sharp stares of his patient's friends and classmate.
"You didn't put her alice into account?"
Hotaru's violet eyes gleamed at the snap in Natsume's voice, her trouble meter trembling but Natsume merely sighed. "Never mind. Move."
The doctor shifted away but kept close and watched Natsume carefully. After giving the doctor a bland look, Natsume lifted his left hand then slowly waved it above Mikan's body.
Even Hotaru gasped at what happened next. It only lasted a couple of seconds but it was beautiful. They could feel the heat and the punch of power that trickled around them, blowing their hair softly and grazing their skin.
Bright fire flared and..rippled, it was the only word that came to Hotaru's mind, and they watched Natsume's fire swallowed Mikan's body for the second time. It danced and swirled, rippling softly and steadily like water and then disappears.
Natsume's fire was wild, untamed, alive and frightening, it was never…pretty. But this time it even sound pretty; it murmured and whispered as it shifted and glided, the movements elegant and..clean.
Hotaru blinked, eyebrows raised in a rare expression of surprise and appreciation. They looked on as Natsume stepped back. "Try again."
Hesitantly, the doctor touched Mikan's wrist and concentrated. When she lifted his hands, the red welts on her wrist had disappeared without a mark.
Confused and questioning eyes shifted towards Natsume. "I've been training with her. Her alice recognized mine as a non-threat so it shut down." He looked towards Ruka and Hotaru. "You guys should stay here in case she wakes up. I have to do something."
Natsume turned slightly at the level voice that called his surname. Hotaru stood just outside of Mikan's room and their eyes met in silent communication. Natsume nodded. "I'll take care of it."
Hotaru stared at Natsume's back until he disappeared around a corner. It dawned on her from time to time that she and Natsume were similar in some ways. They have the same cynical point of view of the academy and life in general, they have the same technique in dealing with their emotions which is to ignore it until it goes away, they are also coveted and envied mostly only for their alices and they try to avoid any kind of attachments. But when they couldn't, they treat it with wariness and they try to maintain some distance but both are also possessive towards those who managed to sneak through their defenses.
Today, Hotaru found one other thing they have in common; if the one they think of as theirs was hurt by something other than themselves, they make damn sure that it will not happen a second time. One way or another.
---
Natsume approached Natsume, his face tense and anxious, but before he opened his mouth, Natsume cut him off. "She's fine. What's being done?"
Narumi eyed the thirteen year old boy, standing in his usual stance; hands in his pocket, arrogant and aggressive. His red ruby eyes were focused on the four students who were forming a barrier around the tree. He looked relaxed and at ease, almost bored but it didn't fool Narumi one bit.
"We're trying to find out what caused it, but…"The blond shrugged. "Misaki thinks that, well, the tree had been with the academy for so long.."
"You're going to destroy it or not?"
Narumi stared at Natsume, his purple eyes sympathetic but sad.
"Of course we are, it's in the rules, and anything that goes against the academy gets destroyed. Surely you of all people should know that."
The chiding and yet smug tone in Persona's voice grated on Natsume's nerve. But his face was as flat and impassive as ever when he turned towards the lipstick wearing-cross dressing teacher. "What are you doing here?"
Narumi glanced from Natsume to Persona and back again. "I called him, to find out the easiest and safest way to destroy it."
He narrowed his eyes at the purple smile on Persona's face, knowing full well the easiest and safest way to do it. Persona's alice. With one touch, the huge tree is history.
"But of course, since you're here. I'll just leave it up to you. Oh, and send my regards to your little kitty." He waved airily, then turned his back on them. Natsume permitted himself a snarl, it always gave him the creeps every time Persona brought Mikan into their conversation.
Narumi called after him. "Wait. Persona. Wait, please."
"Let him go. I don't need his help."
Narumi's brow wrinkled. "But you just came from a mission and you've already used enough of your alice today. Besides I don't think your alice is enough to actually kill it."
There was a glint in Natsume's eyes that spoke of. "Don't talk as if you know everything about me or my alice."
Misaki sempai appeared from behind him. "He's right. Even with your fire, if you did manage to burn it, it will probably take days. Even with an accelerant-"
"Don't bother."
"Nat-" Narumi caught his breath at the sudden flare of heat, Narumi and Misaki stepped back, instinctively recognizing the threat to their safety. Students that were standing around stood transfixed when they felt the temperature rise in an alarming rate.
"Move." The word was spoken in a low voice but it carried through the open field. The barrier alices turned and broke into a run as fast as they could.
Both of the teachers gasped at the pressure of Natsume's power, the air around them turned dry and stifling, suffocating as they dragged hot, dry air into their lungs.
Sumire, Yuu, Koko and Monchu turned a corner and drew to a stop when they saw Natsume, eyes wide, their jaws hanging open.
"It's blue. Natsume-kun's fire is blue." Sumire breathed the hot hair, her emerald eyes fixated on the solemn youth whose two hands were covered in blue flame.
And as they watched, the flame turned alive and spread up his arms and traveled all over his body. His raven hair and school uniform whipping crazily like he was standing in a storm. The air simply trembled with his power.
Amazed and struck dumb, they were also hypnotized by its beauty and elegance, seduced by the temptation of absolute power.
"Better step back." Natsume's voice seemed to echo across the grounds and needless to say, he was obeyed instantly even before they saw the blood red color of his pupils in sharp contrast with the electric sapphire color of his fire.
Maybe it was an illusion created by the heat or the lack of oxygen because in a blink, Natsume disappeared from their eyes and appeared again above their heads, shining brightly like a blue sun before disappearing completely into the depths of green. In less than two seconds, blue fire spread across the tree until it was completely overwhelmed by Natsume's fire.
Shocked, they watched as Natsume landed on the ground gracefully, crouching low with his fingers lightly grazing the ground. The blue fire surrounding his body complimented the cool beauty of his face, his calm and unflappable expression. The untamed motion of its fiery arms suited the intense swirl of emotion in his eyes.
Natsume stood slowly and straightened, his blue fire disappeared fast with a big whooshing sound like it was sucked back into him.
Without a backward look, he stuck his hands back into his pockets and walked on calmly, ignoring the looks that followed him.
The news spread like…wild fire, bringing people to the scene to look at the huge tree currently being eaten by blue flames. They watched the slow demise of the ancient tree, strangely solemn and respectful, they continued to stare at it in silence until its last ashes were blown away by the cool night breeze.
It only took three hours for Natsume's fire to consume the tree.
----
Mikan rolled her eyes and made faces to Koko and Kitsuneme while the frustrated doctor tried to shine her eyes with a flash light but she continued to babble at him.
Ruka was trying to stop Hotaru from getting out her baka gun and shoot Mikan between the eyes. Anna was playing with the uneaten plate of Jell-O on Mikan's tray while her best friend Konoko was playing with an unused IV drip. Sumire however was trying to catch the apples that Monchu was levitating in the air.
A six year old Youichi was sitting on Mikan's lap, glaring darkly towards the doctor, not letting him touch her at all.
The doctor felt a slight headache growing in his head when the door opened and in came Natsume.
"Ah, here's my partner, Natsume Hyuuga." Mikan beamed at the doctor, stressing Natsume's full name. Through out the years, Mikan learned that there are actually benefits from being Natsume's partner/slave that counter acts all of the negative aspects of their partnership.
Natsume smirked, reading her intention, glad and relieved that she was already up and about. He rumpled Yoichi's hair in lieu of a greeting. "Easy on the name, Youjo. You'll wear it out."
Mikan turned to him and smile, bright eyes blinked at him, her pajama clad body brimming with energy. "Let's go."
Natsume sat on the sofa that Monchu vacated, grabbed a magazine from Sumire and leafed over it. "We're going somewhere?"
Mikan's hope for an early check out took a nose dive but of course, Mikan being Mikan, bounced back. "It doesn't make any sense for me to stay here much longer. I'm perfectly fine." She looked at the doctor and smiled sweetly. "I'm sure you can find someone else who'll need it more than I do."
If this was Natsume or any other person, it was a definite surety that these sweet words served as a plot for something much more sinister. But since it was Mikan, they believed it. It's all puppy dog tails and lollipops with her.
"We can't release you just yet, you should stay for at least two or three more days."
Mikan groaned in abject misery. "But I'm fine. Natsume-kun, tell him I'm fine."
At the order, Natsume lifted his face, looked at her, looked at the doctor then with a voice as flat as his expression, said, "I'm fine."
Everybody snickered when Mikan threw an indignant look at Natsume's head which she followed through with a pillow. A frustrated screech erupted from Mikan's throat when without even looking, Natsume caught the pillow, plopped it on the end of the sofa then laid his head gently on it. "Doc, maybe you should also check her blood pressure while you're at it." Natsume drawled. "And her cycle, too."
"Urusai, pervert!" She scowled at him but he ignored her so she pouted. "Mou, I can't stay here any longer. I'm fine." If her feet reached the floor, she would've stomped it in vexation.
"If you say it often enough maybe we'll believe you next time." Natsume crossed his ankles and shifted on the sofa, making himself comfortable, over the magazine, he can see Ruka setting himself down on the sofa's arm near his feet, Yoichi on his lap. He looked anxious as he kept sneaking glances towards Natsume and Mikan.
"Yuu, you can see that I'm fine, right?"
Yuu, who was sitting quietly in a corner, blinked. He looked at Natsume and blinked again. He played with his glasses, took it off, wiped it on his shirt, peered through the lenses for a couple of seconds than wiped it again. After a full minute of watching Yuu fiddle with his glasses like he was trying to search for a new way to wear them, Mikan realized that is he not going to answer her. Coward.
She turned hopeful eyes to Kitsuneme who was levitating in a slow rocking motion, when their eyes met, he merely turned his back on her. Traitor.
Adamant on her release, she turned towards Sumire who in fixed her eyes on the cracks along the marble floor that gave her a weird peculiar sensation that she'd been here before. Persistently, Mikan turned her waist to meet the eyes of Koko who already guessed that he was next in line, snapped his face away towards the window, Monchu sprawled on his back mimicking road kill. Anna and Konoko was shifting through each others hair like monkeys.
Her eyes barely met Yoichi's before the six year old feigned interest in his boots.
She looked at Hotaru and then she turned away when her stoic faced friend lifted her baka gun…her newly upgraded baka gun.
Knowing it was her last chance at freedom, desperate and bored out of her mind, she aimed her brightest, sweetest, deadliest smile on Ruka who immediately jerked and straightened in his seat.
"Ruka-pyooooooon, pleeeease. I'll just die of boredom if I stay here any longer. I will, I know it." For extra impact she pouted at him and gave her puppiest dog eyes.
Natsume blinked at the sugary persuasive voice and lifted a brow when she tilted her head down and looked at Ruka through eyelashes that flickered slightly in innocent temptation.
He felt his temperature rise slowly and one look at Ruka showed his best friend was blushing painfully. Sweat beaded his forehead, his blue, blue eyes were blinking in rapid intervals, his mouth was opening and closing. "I…I…you…"
Lovesick fool, Natsume took pity on Ruka and stood up, distracting Mikan's Smile of Doom from Ruka. Steeling himself against the onslaught of sweet innocence, he crossed his arms and quirked an eyebrow at her.
When others had quailed and bowed in submission under this gesture, Mikan merely pursed her lips and stared back; her eyes calculating. When it comes to Natsume, cautiousness is always a plus.
"I'm fine. Really I am." She lifted her hands for his inspection. "See? No red marks." Hotaru's lips curved slightly into a smile at her best friend's enthusiasm and endearing….stupidity. Natsume swept crimson eyes over her face, disbelief clear in their depths, responding to it, Mikan sent a smile so innocent, it bordered on holy. As everyone else squinted at the magnificence of such a smile except for Natsume who has martial art's control and discipline and Hotaru who put some shades on.
"Hm." The sound that resounded in the room was open to interpretation. To Mikan it sounds like; okay, I'm listening and am willing to consider. Talk more.
While to Hotaru it sounds like; watch me as I reel you into my trap where you will be ruthlessly crush until you are no more but a quivering, cowering bundle of nerves.
To Ruka and the others..well..they just know that it is not good.
Natsume narrowed his eyes, placed a finger under her chin, tilting her face from side to side, inspecting her neck. "No, red marks." He muttered grudgingly.
Mikan beamed and allowed him to pushed her sleeves back, inspecting her arms. Mikan threw a smile towards the gang who looked back solemnly, anticipating doom.
She giggled when Natsume lifted her legs with his fingers on her ankles, inspecting her calves. He sighed. "Well, it does look like you're right."
Mikan goggled. "Natsume-kun. "Did you just said what I think you just said?" She snapped her eyes towards Hotaru. "Hotaru, did you hear that? Did you get that on tape?"
Hotaru's eyes gleamed. "If you want it, it'll be one thousand rabbits."
Natsume shrugged. "Miracles have been known to happen."
Then he frowned.
Oh-oh. Here it comes, the others muttered.
"Wait, I think there's something.." Natsume squinted at her face.
Suddenly afraid that she grew warts or something, she touched her cheeks. "What? What?"
Natsume leaned his face forward, eyes still narrowed. "No, no. Don't touch it. It looks like…" Natsume brought his hands onto her face while she anxiously waited for him to finish talking.
GUITS!!!
"GYYAAAAA!!!! IHHHAAAAAAII!!!! HAHASTE!!! HEH HEE HOO!!"
"Hyuuga-san. Let her go." The doctor turned panic eyes towards the scene in front of him, Natsume was pinching and stretching Mikan's cheek as if it was made out of rubber. "What did you do that for, you big bully?" Mikan sniffed, rubbing both her reddening cheeks, glaring at Natsume behind her tears. Natsume turned cooly towards the doctor, "Those look like red marks to you?"
"Uh, yes."
Mikan widened her eyes in disbelief. She was surrounded by traitors.
"Then she's staying."
"What? That is totally unfair. I'm fine. Nothing is wrong with me. Hotaruuuu." She whined and waved her arms around but Hotaru merely stood up and walked towards the door following Natsume.
"Bye, Mikan. Get some rest okay."
"Bye.Bye, nee-chan."
"We'll bring you some cookies tomorrow."
"Get well soon. You should sleep. We'll come back tomorrow."
One by one they all went out, leaving her at the doctor's mercy. "Traitooors."
Natsume eyed the closed door. "You don't believe it was an accident either, do you?"
He turned and met cool violet eyes but kept his silence.
"You're not going to tell me. But I have to say, the one behind it must be pretty strong to distraught that tree like that. You have someone in mind?"
As if he spoke Hotaru nodded. "Of course you do." Then she walked past him. "I've installed a camera in her room, if it's someone that doesn't belong in her room. It'll set off an alarm."
He sent a sidelong wary glance at her. "What kind of alarm?"
She threw a look over her shoulder, her eyes glinting in the shadows. "Loud ones."
When she disappeared at the corner, Natsume muttered something along the lines of 'girls are crazy'.
-----
Hotaru cackled with glee while the others sweat dropped and moved further away from the Ruka's freezing cold and Natsume's blast of heat as they stood inside of Mikan's hospital room the next morning since they've agreed to check on her before class started.
They already expected to have the staff half crazed with frustration but so in love with her that they will be feeding her grapes with their bare hands, so it wasn't a surprise when two nurses got out of Mikan's room giggling all the while saying things like 'cute' and 'sweet'. What they didn't expect, except Hotaru who knew all about it since she was monitoring Mikan's room, was the eighteen year old boy, fast asleep with his arms around her, looking cute and comfortable with eachother.
Face tight like a mask, Natsume slammed the door closed and narrowed his eyes when both of them snapped awake.
"Who? What?" Tsubasa blinked his eyes in the sunlight, his arms still around Mikan who sighed softly and stretched, her pyjama top riding high on her stomach as she smiled towards Tsubasa. "G'morning, sempai."
Tsubasa who already noticed the number of people standing on one corner of the bed and two other boys at the foot of the bed glowering at him, wasn't so sure about the good part of the morning, but it'll sure be an interesting one.
"Morning, brat." Just for kicks, he leaned down and pressed a kiss on the top of her head and chuckled when the large group winced, except Hotaru who was pulling out a camera, and the two boys sent him dagger looks. Man, if looks could kill. "Sweetie, I think we have some company."
Mikan frowned and turned. "Oh, hey guys." Her smile bloomed as she struggled to sit up and giggled when Tsubasa held her waist to help her.
"Uh, hi." They muttered at her.
"What." Natsume hissed. "Is he doing here?"
Mikan pouted at him. "I called him. I was bored." She sent an accusing glance at her friends. "You guys didn't want to stay with me."
Tsubasa leaned back against the bed and stretched. "Give her a break, Hyuuga. She's gone through a lot. It's only natural that she didn't want to be alone."
"We left her alone so she'll rest."
Tsubasa propped Mikan against him. "What she needed was comfort. Besides, who's to say she wasn't resting?"
Natsume narrowed red ruby eyes, glinting in the sunlight like jewels. "And at what time did you guys finally stop playing last night?"
Tsubasa rolled his eyes. "Geez, Hyuuga. What are you? Her mother?"
Anger enveloped Natsume's face, heating up his intense eyes as he took a step forward towards the bed.
"Mou, Tsubasa-sempai. Don't tease Natsume-kun like that." She looked at Natsume and the others. "I'm sorry. You're right, Natsume. It's just that. I was lonely."
Natsume gritted his teeth. "Then you should've called one of us." You should've called me.
Sad amber eyes met angry red ones. "Don't be mad, Natsume-kun. I don't like it when you're mad at me." She crawled on the bed and reached for Natsume's sleeve. "It's just that I heard what you did from the nurses and figured you'd be tired and the others too. I was actually hoping to ask you tonight." Mikan leaned forward and sneaked a peek on Natsume's lowered head. "Is that okay?"
Natsume's heart can be made out of graphite for all he know and it will probably still melt because of that sweet, sweet face. Stay strong, Natsume. Don't be so weak. But the pleading look in her eyes softened him His scowl didn't have a chance. Damn it!
"Fine. Here."
Mikan blinked at the box of Hawalons and she beamed at him. "Arigatou, Natsume."
Natsume glared at Ruka who was making whipping motions in the air. The others chuckled.
"Yare, yare. Then I'll be off then." Tsubasa scooted towards the edge of the bed, put on his socks and boots and his hat. His jacket hung from his finger over his shoulder. When he stood up he slid his dark eyes towards the two boys and pulled on Mikan's loose hair.
"Oh, princess." Mikan's big, big eyes swerved towards him and he chuckled at the crumbs near her cute little mouth. He brushed it away and can feel two pair of eyes, glaring at him as though picking which body part to cut off first. "Remember what you promised last night?"
Mikan blinked and tilted her head. "Oh, yeah." Eyes widened as she crawled towards Tsubasa and tilted her head up as Tsubasa leaned down. Sneaking a glance at the boys who looked like they're about to have an apoplectic fit, it was only at the last second that Tsubasa shift his head and let Mikan pressed her soft, soft lips on his right cheek. He grinned at her. "Thank you, baby."
Hotaru checked her pictures on her new digital camera and smirked when Tsubasa walked..no, swaggered in front of Ruka and Natsume. The air was filled with tensity while darling little Mikan sat on the bed, oblivious, munching on Hawalons. Suddenly, like he couldn't take it anymore, Natsume turned on his heel and walked out, slamming the door behind him.
Mikan stared at the door. "What..I thought he wasn't mad anymore."
The Pack exchanged glances and sighed.