A/n: Written in Natsume's POV from the story "True Love" by sakuraharuno0012.

http : / / fanfiction . net/s/8029032/1/True_Love

Enjoy. -.-

~(-.-)~

"Where is he?", Queen Kaoru inquired as she met her son, Tsubasa, along the castle hallway. Tsubasa rubbed his back tiredly and looked at his queen mother.

"He's in his room. Sulking like an idiot," Tsubasa answered and glared at the floor. The woman nodded in understanding and hurriedly walked towards the room of her youngest child. She knocked at the closed door to announce her presence. Silence. She grabbed the door's handle and slowly pushed the door open. The room was dark. Things were sprawled all over the floor. On normal occasion's she would bash her son to clean up the mess in the room. But for today, the shadowed figure at the corner of the room pushed the observation towards the messy room.

"Natsuime," she called softly. No response. "Son, how long will you remain cooped up in here? Your brothers and your father are already worried sick about this strange behavior of yours. What exactly happened on Earth that made you that way?" Silence. A soft shuffling noise. I turned my head and looked at her. She gasped at the haunted look she saw on my face.

I arrived back at the Travail royal castle the same day Mikan left Earth. My family knew something was wrong so they bombarded me with endless questions but none of them got answered. I excused myself from dinner and walked towards my bedroom chamber.

"So I guess he has finally found her?", I heard my father asked mother. She nodded in silent response. They saw it. The translucent thread tied on the finger of my right hand. To others, the thread would merely look like a flicker of the light but they knew better. And I knew that they had been waiting for this occasion to happen since long ago. "Do you know who the girl is?" None of them answered. "That boy is as stubborn as a mule."

Mother smiled at him. "Look who's talking? You're the same as your sons. Where else would they inherit such a trait?" King Igarashi smirked at his wife.

"Impudent woman, you dare speak like that to your king?", he glared at her, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

"My dear man… I dare to speak so because I am your wife and your queen," she retorted with a quirked of her graceful brow. She smiled at him mischievously. Akira and Tsubasa groaned in agony as they watched their parents flirt with each other.

I watched her slowly walk towards me. I felt the warm touch of her palms as she cupped my face. Her eyes were filled with questions and worries. "Natsume, my son, we are worried about you. Please tell me what's going on?" She looked at my hand, scrutinizing the translucent thread. "Have you found the one destined for you? Have you met her?"

I opened my mouth to speak the words inside my head. To tell her the troublesome thoughts running through my mind yet none of them came out. She sighed in exasperation and took my hand in between hers. She closed her eyes and felt for the thin presence of the thread. "She is not a Travail-ion, I sense." I watched her carefully. My mother, Queen Kaoru, possessed a rare talent among all Travail-ions which enabled her to sense the threads of Fates. She furrowed her brows together and inhaled deeply. "Neither is she a person from Earth. Humans from Earth possess a similar wavelength closer to us Travail-ions. What is she then?" She opened her eyes and stared in mine, which held the same color as hers. I stared back. She gasped, her eyes widening, letting go of my hand.

"S-she's…," she breathed in, unable to complete the thought. "B-but how? I-I mean, it's impossible! This has never happened before. A Travail-ion destined to a Solace-ion is unheard of."

~(-.-)~

The rumor about the third prince of Travail destined to a Solace-ion girl spread throughout the whole dimension like wild fire. The elders who served the royal family assembled immediately as news reached them. It was news that could very well change the status of existence between the two dimensions. And it was not something anyone could shrug off without a fight.

"How could this be?", cried an elder man, wearing a blue robe, disbelievingly. "Such an event is unheard of and absolutely impossible!"

"Well as you can see Elder Surr, my son, Natsume is without a doubt tied to this Solace-ion girl named Mikan. Who, in some twisted joke from the Fates, is the daughter of the late king of their kingdom," King Igarashi drawled disinterestedly towards the elder. I was seated to the right of my father, my mother to his left, followed by my two older brothers. The elders seated in agitation in front of us. Only one of them addressed the situation with calmness.

I looked at the Elder in front of me, Elder Kimura. I studied his outward expression. He was stroking his long white beard, carefully, assessing the problem. A grin tugged at the corner of his lips as if he found the whole situation funny and quite interesting.

"My king," he called King Igarashi's attention. "If I may so boldly ask your son, Prince Natsume, a question." He looked at me with those calculating blue eyes of his. I looked at him unwavering, masking my emotions with indifference. I nodded.

"You may, Elder Kimura." Everyone inside stayed silent. Waiting. The silence that dwelled was so thick you could already cut it with a knife.

"Your Highness, if I may so boldly ask, what are your feelings towards this Mikan girl?", he inquired with a quirk of a brow. I was expecting him to ask that question. And although, I was already prepared with the answer to it, I was unable to speak the words out of my mouth. It was as if I lost the ability to talk and became mute.

'What do I feel about her? She's annoying. She's troublesome. She only knows how to cause me trouble. Whenever I see her, I feel this annoying feeling at the pit of my stomach that wants me to wrap my arms around that slim body of hers and pull her close to me. To press my body closer to hers. To capture those soft tempting lips. To inhale the scent that only she possesses.'

All of these strange thoughts ran through my mind in a whirl of motion. Every one of them stayed silent and waited for me to answer the question asked. "I…," I started then looked at Elder Kimura.

"Is it that hard to express your feelings, your highness?", the old man chuckled. I glared at him. He grinned in return. "Let me rephrase the question then. Do you love the girl?"

'Do I love her?' I asked myself. "I…"

I glanced at the transparent thread tied on my finger. I remembered the times I spent with her. Times which were splendid in ways indescribable. I looked at the elder once again. And answered with all honesty, "I love her. No matter how troublesome she is."

The elder smiled and nodded in agreement. The rest of my family looked proudly at me. Tears were falling down Queen Kaoru's soft cheeks as King Igarashi soothingly rubbed the arm of his wife. But there were some who was not happy with the revelation at all.

~(-.-)~

How dare you leave me suddenly and make me miss you! Get your ass back on Earth before I really find a way to break the barrier and get you myself! Meet me at the park at eight, or else.

- Natsume

I waited anxiously at the park, craning my neck to see if a girl with short brown hair was running towards this spot. But there was none. I glanced at my wrist watch: 8:00 pm. 'Where the hell is that woman? I specifically told her to be here at this time,' I thought annoyed. But worry was starting to slip through my mind. Questions like what if something happened to her? What if she got stuck in between dimension cracks? What if she was hurt? I tried hard to push the horrible thoughts aside.

"Natsume?" a voice called and I looked to see if it was Sadz. But was disheartened when I saw Luna instead. "What are you doing here late this evening, Natsume?"

"Oh? Uhh… I was waiting for someone," I said, scanning the area once again. The girl cocked her head to the side, a sly smile formed on her lips.

"Are you waiting for Mikan-chan to come?" I snapped my head back and stared at her. And I saw it. The colors behind that sweet and nice persona. I glared hard at the woman.

"What have you done to her?", I hissed. She laughed wickedly and looked down at me. She started circling me, smirking.

"Why? Isn't she just a dirty Solace-ion?", she said conceitedly. "She's not worthy of you, your highness. Someone who is a member of that race is not worthy to be the destined one of the crowned princes of Travail." She traced my jawline. Her lips pursed together. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me closer and whispered in my ears. "I should be the one destined to you, Natsume."

I pushed her away from me. Her hand burning the parts she had touched. I looked at her cold-bloodily. My hands automatically reached her slim neck, grasping it with enough strength to choke her. She coughed as she tried to gasp for air. "I warn you, vile woman. If anything bad happens to Mikan, I will personally kill you without mercy."

My hands tightened its grasp around her neck. She coughed even more. "S-s-she's…," she stuttered. I loosened my grip. Smirking she said, "S-she's p-probably d-dead b-by now… Y-you w-won't see her alive anymore!" She laughed maniacally. My eyes widened at her statement and my body shook with indescribably terror. Terror with the thoughts of my love dying.

"DAMN YOU! Where the fuck is she?", I screamed at Luna who was now as slowly losing consciousness. She grinned at my helplessness.

"Y-you… w-won't… s-see her anymore," she whispered before passing out. I discarded her to the ground and thought of where in this blasted planet could she be. My thoughts ran through all the possibilities and pushed all nasty thoughts away.

'Think, Natsume. Think, damn it!' I glanced at my hand. Then it hit me. The string in my hand connected me to her. With it I could pinpoint her location, I just needed to concentrate hard. I closed my eyes and felt for her presence. 'Come on Mikan. Woman! Where the hell are you?'

The connection was sudden. I saw her at the bench where she confessed to me before. 'I finally found her,' I breathed a sigh of relief. It was unbelievable. I could sense her whole being. It was also as if I could even touch her whole body. Then I sensed the shift in her emotions, she was scared. I opened my eyes and dashed towards the place where she was.

~(-.-)~

The constant rocking of the carriage woke me from slumber. I looked outside the carriage's window and saw children joyfully playing with each other. The young boys were chasing the girls and scaring them with the bugs they caught. The girls shrieked in fear and ran away from the other kids. A small smile formed itself on my lips as I felt my hand receive a reassuring squeeze. I turned to my side to see my Queen mother, smiling that gentle smile of hers. 'It would be alright,' her eyes spoke softly. I nodded my head.

It had already been a month since that event. The tragic event that took place the night I was supposed to meet with Mikan again. I glanced out the window again. And as I closed my eyes, I recalled the events that took place once again. The events that continuously haunted me for the last few weeks.

I ran with all my might. Any moment now, the dark being that appeared behind her could take her life away. Could take her away from him. I couldn't let that happen. Not now. Not ever. 'Please, please, protect her. Please protect Mikan,' I prayed to the gods.

I could almost see the huge tree that was the witness to her confession to me. The feelings I tried to push away and disregard before. I sharp sting pierced my heart as I remembered how I purposely tried to break the bond that connected us together. I won't let it happen again. I won't. Then a blinding light stopped me from my tracks. I covered my eyes with my hands as I waited for the light to vanish. The place darkened once again and I finally saw her. Mikan was sitting on the ground, clutching the lifeless body of another woman with green hair.

"Mikan!," I shouted. But before I could even come closer to her, dimensional portals opened right beside her. Out came men with white armors and swords, they were the Solace knights. I knew who they were because I had battled with some of them during the fights between the two dimensions. They carefully ushered her back to their dimension while carrying the lifeless green-haired woman.

I could easily take out those men if I wanted to. But with the barrier separating the two of us here on Earth, it would be impossible to even take her with me. I clenched my fists as I watched her helplessly be taken far away from me.

It was later on found out that one of our kingdom's elders and his followers were the ones behind the assassination of Mikan. They couldn't accept the bear thought of a Travail-ion marrying someone from the Solace-ion race. The king immediately sentenced them to be eternally banished from the lands of Travail. A meeting was conducted between the royal family, the elders and warriors of Travail.

"I know plenty of you have heard it already. My son, Prince Natsume, had been destined to the former princess of the kingdom of Solace," King Igarashi said in a powerful tone. Hushed murmurs and whispers broke out as each individual looked at me disbelievingly. I stepped forward and addressed all of them.

"What we speak is the truth. The string wrapped on my hand is connected to Princess Mikan of Solace," I said, raising my hand for everyone to see. They stared hard at it. Confusion was etched in their faces. The string of fates was always known to be a red string. But the string tied on my hand was golden. "I know the union between a Travail-ion and a Solace-ion was unheard of ever since the great barrier rift was created by our ancestors many years ago. But also remember that we were once united with this great nation before. And maybe this time, the fates planned that both our dimensions become one once more."

The Travail-ion people looked at one another then back to me. Slowly, I kneeled in front of everyone and bowed my head low. Gasps were heard but I heeded no attention to them. "So please… I beg everyone. Give me your blessings to seek the hand in marriage of Princess Mikan. As your prince, I beg this of you." I waited for their reaction. I waited for anyone to give their disapproval. But loud shouts of cheers and good lucks were given by the people.

It took about a month for all the preparations to be completed. The travel to this dimension was a bit troublesome along the way but each one of us managed to pass through safely. And now the royal Solace castle loomed closer to our carriage. I could once again see her. I could once again lay my eyes on Mikan, my beloved. And this time, I won't let go of her.

~(-.-)~

Panic aroused the moment we stepped down from the carriage. The knights that accompanied us immediately raised their swords to protect the royal family from any form of danger. I raised my hand and motioned them to lower their weapons.

"We came in peace," I stated. One of the Solace-ion guards snorted in disbelief. I smirked at him. My mother slowly walked forward and smiled at the men.

"We only came here to speak with the King and Queen of Solace. My name is Queen Kaoru. This is my husband King Igarashi and my sons, Prince Akira, Tsubasa and Natsume," she introduced. The men widened their eyes at the realization and scrambled to their feet inside the castle.

~(-.-)~

We slowly walked inside the castle hall. I scanned my eyes around the place, hoping for a chance to see the woman who haunted my dreams for so long. Seats were immediately prepared for us, the enemy visitors, as guards took their proper positions.

A man with short golden hair stood in front of us and spoke in a commanding voice.

"I am King Kazumi and this is my wife, Queen Serina." He gestured to the beautiful blonde-haired woman beside him. "What can we help you with? If you haven't forgotten, we are no more in alliance."

I heard a snort coming from behind the pillar and titled my head to the side to see who it was. A grin tugged at the corner of my mouth as I saw Mikan. Shamelessly, snooping at what was currently happening. I quirked a brow at her impertinence. 'What a troublesome woman,' I chuckled mentally.

"I am King Igarashi, my wife Queen Kaoru, and my three sons, Prince Akira, Prince Tsubasa, and Prince Natsume," my father introduced. "We came for the girl named Mikan."

"What?" The man, who I assumed was her uncle, asked and narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"You heard me," King Igarashi smirked at King Kazumi.

"What do you want with my niece?", King Kazumi commanded.

"It is most unusual, but I approve of this," Igarashi mused, chuckling. "Your niece has formed a bond in which your people call 'true love' with my son, Natsume, and he wished to ask for her hand in marriage." He gestured towards me. I looked seriously at the stricken faces of both royalties and nodded my head in confirmation.

"...How the blazing bits of Hell did this madness happen behind my back?" King Kazumi shouted in anger, clenched his fist and slammed it on the table.

"Well?", father asked a bit impatiently. My mother smiled ruefully at the Queen of Solace who secretly smiled in return. My two brothers were obviously trying to stop their laughter from bursting out. I merely rolled my eyes to everything.

"Mikan!" The man shouted out desperately. My heart skipped a bit as I finally saw her coming out into full view. She was wearing a white tunic robe that carefully hugged the curves of her body. Her long auburn hair swayed gracefully with her every move. She was splendidly breathtaking.

Tsubasa-aniki discreetly leaned closer to me and whispered in my ear. "Careful. You're drooling," he smirked. I snapped out of my trance and glared at both my grinning brothers.

"What's going on? Please tell me this all isn't true and you're just playing a horrible prank on us!"

"I can't..." I heard her say in that soft voice of hers. Mikan bit her lower lips to keep herself from laughing. "Because it's true..."

"So you are Mikan, the one who has captured my cold son's heart?" King Hunter asked, eying her closely.

"Apparently," she answered. Mikan quirked brow at me and I could feel the heat rising up my cheeks. I mentally slapped myself and shook head disapprovingly at my father's choice of words.

"I approve," King Igarashi repeated with a thumbs up. I groaned out loud. 'This people just won't stop embarrassing me, will they?' I thought exasperated.

"I don't?" Kazumi shouted.

"That's not really your choice, is it Uncle Kazumi?" Mikan asked.

"I am your legal guardian! I have every right to say no!" he countered.

"Why say no?" I heard her ask stubbornly.

"Because they're Travail-ion!" he exclaimed as if that explained everything. I felt like bursting from laughter at the train of conversation between the stubborn niece and uncle. I stifled my laughter with enough will power to keep a poker face. Now, I found out where she got that stubborn streak of hers.

"And you're Solace-ions, you don't hear me shouting out the obvious," King Igarashi stated impassively at Kazumi.

"How could you have...? How did the Sight have bonded him as your 'true love'?" Kazumi asked, incredulous. I saw her give him an easy shrug. I grinned at her. 'Troublesome woman.'

"So can I?" Mikan asked her uncle. I almost bawled over from laughter. This woman was really amazing. I saw my mother gave me the 'look' so I arranged myself and listened to the conversation with forced seriousness.

"I think this is a wonderful idea," Queen Serina stated suddenly making her husband look at her disbelievingly.

"Serina!" King Kazumi shouted at his wife. She pinched his cheeks. "Ouchie~! Not in front of the Travail-ions~"

They suddenly reminded me of both my parents. Women really were scary beings. I glanced to the side to see my mother smiling and my father openly enjoying the other man's discomfort.

"Think about it. The two dimensions could finally be reunited through this marriage. It is a sign from the Sight. It wills it, it wants it. We must abide by its rule," Aunt Claudia stated and then smiled down at us. "Of course we accept. Please take care of my cute little niece properly."

The five of us stood from our seats and walked towards the three Solace-ions. I watched her hug both her Aunt and Uncle then turned to look at me. Our eyes finally met. She blushed and looked away slightly. I smirked at her.

Both royalties shook each others' hands and began talking about the wedding preparations. I stood in front of her, my eyes never leaving hers. The others in the room nodded to each other and slowly left the room, leaving only the two of us. Mikan looked up at me. Her eyes studyied me closely as I studied hers.

I saw her lift her hand and slowly touched my face. Relishing to the warmth of her hands, I closed my eyes. Her hands shook as she traced the contours of my face. When I opened my eyes, tears were pouring down her soft cheeks.

"I can finally touch you," she whispered achingly. I felt my heart swell and pulled her into a tight embrace, inhaling the sweet scent of her body. She wrapped her hands around my neck and run her hands through my hair. She stared in my eyes. Love was shown in them. It felt as if I could drown myself just staring in those chocolate brown orbs.

I took her hand and intertwined it with mine. Cupping her face gently, afraid that I might harm her small body. I stroked my fingers through her hair and smiled at her. "Your hair is longer," I said. She grinned at me.

"This is my original hair length," Mikan replied with a glint her eyes. I stared at her in confusion. "Whenever I go down to Earth, I always change the length of my hair. For blending purposes." It was her turned to study my features and giggled. "You look dashing in your red armor, your highness."

"Red. A strong color for passion and battle. I came here to take you away with me, my lady," I countered and smirked. "I come to offer you a proposition as well."

"And what proposition is that, my dear sir?"

"I come to offer you my name. It isn't much. But I would like you to have it."

Her lips quivered. And tears formed in her eyes once again. She inhaled deeply to steady her breathing. "I didn't know you were such a romantic," she teased.

"Hey, my mother's a romantic. I was bound to catch it sooner or later," I grinned boyishly. "So do you accept?"

"Do you even have to ask?", she asked with a quirked brow.

"I had to be sure," I answered, capturing her lips with mine.

The preparations for the wedding took some time. There were some troubles that came along the way. But in the end, the both of us were finally married. With it, the union between the two dimensions broke the millennia of bloodshed. Peace finally settled in. And a new chapter began.

So do I believe in destiny? My answer, "Hell Yeah."

The End.