"So...umm...what are you doing here?" I ask, trying to sound casual.
"I was having a bath." He says. My cheeks start to burn again. I turn away from him.
"I'm sorry about awhile ago. I wasn't spying on you or anything. I was just curious." I blabber on.
"Curious?" He says.
Oh god, Mikan you git. Curious? About what? I feel my cheeks getting hotter and hotter.
"I mean. I umm...I saw you earlier on, on the rooftops."
He freezes. He was running away from the guards. Right. Not the best thing to say.
"I'm not going to turn you in or anything." I say quickly.
He smiles. "Thanks."
I start playing with my fingers. Looping them around and pressing my index fingers together and taking them apart. Natsume is at the lake splashing water on himself. The sun is still high in the sky but not directly above us anymore. Its rays are getting softer and friendlier. The heat is bearable now, not that it really matters anyway.
Someway along the road is a caravan. There are loads of men and women wearing turbans and long flowy garments to protect against the heat. It somehow mystifies me and the camels start to look like bobbing lumps of mashed potato. Yumm...
Ruuka seems to be dozing off and I smile faintly. He can doze off beside me. That means he trusts me to some point, right? Not that I care...cause I don't...
His head is hung, his back against the palm tree and one of his legs propped up, he seems like a child. I am in awe as to this giddy feeling that I begin to have.
His rabbit has moved to eat more grass. I hope that Natsume isn't hungry. It comes to rest beside me and I feel the need to pet it. Slowly, I reach my hand out to touch its fur. Its rabbit ears stand at erect at the sight of my hand.
"Here little bunny. I won't hurt you." I hear myself mutter.
Its nose twitches. The little eyes seem to be nervously looking at me and back at its master. Slowly, the white mass of fur approaches me willingly. I pat its head gently and smooth out its fur. Such a cute little critter.
Having had enough of my attention. The rabbit hops away and off to the side of the lake. The caravan from earlier on has passed and I see it heading towards the marketplace. What strange items might it have for sale? Mentally, I note that I need to go check it out some time later.
Having nothing better to do, I rest my head on my knees. I don't want to go home yet. Besides, Natsume is enjoying himself sunbathing.
A slight breeze picks up and I stifle a yawn. Some minutes pass with me just blankly staring into space, trying to imagine pictures in the clouds. Ruuka still has not stirred. Another yawn. My eyelids seem to be getting heavier. Yawn...
I start to the sound of a branch breaking. My eyes flutter to behold a dark sky. Oh my god! How many hours has passed?
I shuffle my position to get a better look of the place. As I do so, Ruuka stirs. He too fell asleep. I wonder what time it is.
"It's gotten dark. You should probably get home." He says.
Gah...that's right. Father might send the guards to look for me anytime soon. But where's Natsume?
"You're right. I should be getting home. Err... have you seen my cat?"
He looks off towards the lake and so do I. Where's Natsume? That idiot cat.
"Natsume?" I call. "Let's get back now. Where are you?"
Ruuka stands and helps me to my feet. His hands are cold and roughly calloused. But I still manage to blush at the contact. A gust of wind sends me shivering slightly. My clothes aren't really suited for a stroll out at night.
A slight rustle from one of the desert bushes.
"Natsume stop playing games now. Let's get home."
"It seems like he doesn't want to come out yet. Must be letting off some stored up energy." says Ruuka.
He heads towards the bushes and somehow it comes to me that I need to stop him. But wind blows sand into my eyes.
"AAAAAAAH! WHAT THE HELL?"
The next scene I see looks like this. Ruuka is on the ground beside the bushes.
Some dark haired naked man is now behind said bushes in some kind of crawling stance.
"Natsume!" I call out.
The dark haired man stands and faces towards me. I almost forgot that this was one of the days that he'd turn into a man.
"Mikan, it's cold. Where are my clothes?" He asks.
I don't have any of his clothes on me. How are we supposed to walk back to the palace now then?
"I don't have them."
"You're an idiot."
Typical Natsume. "It's not my fault! I forgot it was a full moon tonight!"
"Idiot."
"Shut up!"
A clearing of a throat.
"Could one of you please explain what's going on?" Ruuka says.
"It's plain as day you brighthead. I'm a werecat." Natsume replies snottishly.
"A werecat?" Ruuka looks at me bewilderdly.
"No time to explain. Could you help us get some clothes?" I ask.
"Uhh...right, sure. Wait here a moment."
He picks up his rabbit then heads off towards the marketplace.
"How could you forget my clothes?" Natsume asks pissed.
I try to ignore him and sit beside the lake. The moon is reflected in all its glory inside the lake. It's bright and cheery and yellow, tonight it seems to look just like the sun.
"Why do we even have to ask that sunny-head to help us? Let's go Mikan!"
Maybe it's just the moon but Natsume is talking like a lunatic.
"You want to be seen naked?"
He smirks.
"I have nothing to be ashamed of."
I roll my eyes and act out a barfing sound. There is some shuffling of leaves coming from behind me and then Natsume comes into view with some small palm leaves fashioned into a make-shift skirt.
"Let's go." he says.
"No. You look suspicious as hell."
"So what? You're the princess."
"Let's just wait for Ruuka, okay?"
Natume growls in his panther way. Yeah, he can do that just as well as when he's not a cat. His makeshift skirt is gradually slipping from his hips and I turn my head just in time. He cusses some awful things like BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP, and stuff.
Ruuka comes back after a few minutes with some trousers and a brown cotton shirt, which Natsume grudgingly puts on.
"These don't fit well."
"Would you shut up and stop complaining Natsume!" This time it's my turn to growl.
I turn to Ruuka and apologize for everything that has happened, starting from the bathing incident.
"It's alright. I'm glad I could help."
Then shouting starts.
"Hey you there! Come with us!" A gruff male voice says.
I look back to see several soldiers coming into view.
"Oh BLEEP. RUN!" Ruuka says.
I don't know why, but I run anyway. And so does Natsume.
"Oi! STOP!" The soldiers begin to give chase and the sand drifts everywhere and we're running under the cool Arabian Moon.
"Why the BLEEP are we running?" Natsume asks.
I too wonder but I don't have the breath to ask. We're running towards sand dunes now and I start to think that the guards will soon catch us with us having nowhere to hide. Ruuka remains silent.
"Hey sunnyhead! I said why the BLEEP are we running?" Natsume yells.
I don't know how he can even talk like that now.
Ruuka still says nothing but motions us to take a sharp left behind some trees. We fall into a hidden pit and after some moments hear the guards run past us.
"You BLEEPING stole these clothes!" Natsume yells at Ruuka once he had his footing, which was, on all fours.
"What? No, he didn't! Don't accuse him like that!" I say.
"What do you think the guards were chasing us for Mikan? He stole these clothes!" Natsume says angrily and starts ripping his shirt off.
"Hey! Stop that! You didn't steal the clothes, did you Ruuka?"
No answer. Oh BLEEP, he did.
"Well, I mean. That's okay. We were the ones who imposed on you. I'm sorry." I say.
"What the BLEEP are you apologizing for, Mikan? You're the BLEEPING PRINCESS and you were being chased by the guards because of this freakishly tanned sunbleached guy!"
"Natsume!"
"No. He's right I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me. I shouldn't have told you to run."
"I'll tell you what got into you. Bad blood!"
"Shut up, Natsume!" Right now the only thing keeping Natsume from ripping off his pants is dignity. And I am glad for it.
"Let's go Mikan!" Natsume grabs my arm and tries to pull himself and me out of the ditch.
"Where do you think you're going, Black Cat?" A guard says from above.
Oh my BLEEP. We're caught?
Sorry for such a late late late late laaaate update. I honestly didn't know how the story would go. haha. But I pretty much have it now so just be patient...if you want to read it. REVIEW PLEASE! hehe... SMILEYS.