A/N: Tadaa! Here comes the chapter three! Yay! And oh yeah, congratulate me 'cause this is the last chapter! I thought it would take 7 to 9 chapters ('cause you know I have this sort of disorder of not being able to write one-shots/short stories) but luckily, I squeezed everything in this last one. Haha! I am zo proud! Thank you guys for reading and following ISWAB!
XxSHIMMERSTARxX, Trizteza Hermosa, nix, ThESeVeNDeaDlySinZ - Thank you so soooo much for all your reviews! You don't know how I love and appreciate your kind words. You all are the best! This chap's for you!
dokiwuvnabi - Nah, you flatter me too much! I can never ever thank you for all the things you've said to me. And yep, I updated fast because the story is already on my Doc Manager. Sorry if this last chap took long! Thanks again and enjoy reading!
BubblySunshine190 - Thank you so much! Honestly, I ate noodles after reading this. Hahaha. Come on, let's eat ramen together!
READERS: To the readers who will think that I rushed this story, please understand that this should have been just a one-shot. So it might look like it was rushed but no, it's not. That's the way it goes. Enjoy! ;)
Disclaimer: Disclaimed.
XX,
Alyx Hawthorne
It Started With A Bump
Chapter Three: All The Right Words
"It all started with this
Never knew it would end up like this
How can I resist your scent
The moment I knew you and I are meant
Natsume sat at one of the benches at the park near his place, the Shitenhouji Park. Shitenhouji was quite beautiful and peaceful. And he was really glad that his place is near something like this.
Natsume bought another Shōyu ramen, then decided not go back at his apartment because he wanted to gather his scattered wits first. For sure, his friends would be questioning him why he took so long and if things got worse, his mother or his sister might be there. He also wanted to pull himself together and forget the woman of earlier. But to no avail.
He fumbled for the chopsticks then sighed annoyingly, remembering he has no chopsticks to use for the ramen. Yeah, the Ramen House just told him that they ran out of chopsticks. Can you believe it?
(At the Ramen Shop 15 minutes ago)
"So how the hell am I going to eat this?" He snapped angrily at the man behind the counter.
The man quaked with fear as he saw the precarious glare from those crimson eyes of the customer in front of him.
"I- Uhm – S-sorry sir. But w-we really have no s-stock of chapstuck. I – I mean chopstick," he faltered nervously.
The customer with red eyes locked his jaw and he saw a nerve twitch at the end.
Then the man behind the ramen counter remembered something, and snapped his fingers triumphantly.
"Oh! We have a Spork, sir! I'll just go get it," he said quickly and dashed back the kitchen.
When he was outside again, Natsume saw him holding a weird thing on his right hand. The lower part was shaped in a spoon but the upper part, instead of a perfect curve of the spoon, has spike on its end, like a fork.
"This is the Spork, sir!" the man said, grinning delightedly.
"Spork?" Natsume narrowed his eyes on the thing.
"Yes, sir! A spoon and a fork combined!" the man said, holding it out to him.
Natsume, realizing he has no choice but to use the shitty-spoon-fork or he would not have a chance to eat his ramen, snatched it, paid the ramen, and walked out of the ramen house, grumbling.
So now, sitting at the park, instead of chopsticks, he was holding a freakin' spork. Of course he knew what a spork is, but what the hell? He never used something like this in his entirely life! Why would he anyway? There are chopsticks and spoon AND fork, for goodness' sake! Why would he burden himself when he can use genuine spoon and fork? It's not like he was too lazy to use his both hands in eating.
He hissed his breath irritably. He had no choice. He opened the lid of the Shōyu ramen and, closing his eyes, inhaled its appetizing soy broth.
After a few seconds, he could feel his nerves calming. Wow, whatever is in this Shōyu ramen, he was really grateful it has its effects on his tattered nerves.
He began to eat the ramen. After a while, he leaned back on the bench, put the ramen on his lap, the hand holding a spork on his side, and closed his eyes blissfully. Soft breeze caressed his face as he heard the sound of birds chirping, of see-saw and swings creaking, of the children's laughter while playing. Yes, his decision to not go back at the apartment was really right.
Faintly, he heard a bark of a dog.
A muffled shout was heard afterwards.
Still eyes closed, he heard the dog's legs lap against the park's pavement, barking loudly. The dog continuously barked and barked and ran and ran and Natsume could hear the dog was not far from him anymore.
And then he heard the shout more clearly, "Spork, No!"
Judging from the voice, it was a woman. He faintly thought that the woman's voice was familiar but he shrugged it off almost instantly. Natsume could hear that she was now running, maybe running after her dog.
And at that moment, he heard the bark of the dog closer to him, closer, and closer and then,
The woman shouted the same time he felt dog's teeth sink into his palm.
"Spork, Stop!" the woman shrieked.
"Shit!" he said the same time. The ramen he was holding on his left hand flew from his grasp (for the second time), the spork he was holding gone from his right hand.
Natsume stood quickly and checked his palm the dog has bitten.
It was now bleeding heavily.
"Shit!" He cursed again in his low voice.
"Oh my god! Let me see! Oh god, I'm so sorry!" The woman, who was running after the dog suddenly saw the bleeding from the man's palm.
Natsume angrily took his hand back and directed his deathly glare to the woman who stupidly lost her clutch on her dog, resulting to Natsume's second wasted ramen and bleeding palm.
He sucked in his breath in surprise when the woman he saw in front of him was the woman earlier before; the same woman who caused his first ramen sprawling on the middle of the street, the same woman who had those haunting brown eyes, the same woman who bid goodbye so suddenly and left a trail of her face and scent on Natsume's mind, the same beautiful woman who mesmerized him.
"Here you go, Miss Sakura! Take care of Spork!" The doctor said as she handed the cute maltese-poodle dog back to its owner.
Mika heaved a huge sigh of relief and smiled brightly.
"Oh, thank you very much, Dr. Shibai! I don't know how to thank you for taking care of Spork," Mikan said as she reached out for her dog.
"Thank god, you're okay, Spork. I promise I would never ever neglect looking after you," Mikan promised, stroking her dog's wavy hair.
"Just don't forget the prescription Dr. Nogi gave to you, okay?" she reminded her.
"Of course, Dr. Shibai! By the way, where is Dr. Nogi? I would really like to thank him personally for treating and taking care of Spork," Mikan said, still holding her dog protectively in the circle of her arms.
"Dr. Nogi's already out. But don't worry, I would tell him you said thank you," Dr. Shibai said kindly.
"Thank you very much again for everything!" Mikan bowed and she exited the animal hospital happily.
Still on her arms, she stroked Spork's hair and talked to him,
"So, you want to go home now? Or we walk at the Shitenhouji Park first, like what we always do?" Mikan said.
Spork started to wag his tail and tongue, his black eyes widened in joy.
"Is it the house?" Mikan teased.
SApork stopped wagging his tail.
Mikan laughed.
"So, it's the park then?" Mikan said.
Spork started to wag his tail again.
Mikan laughed and kissed the top of her dog's head.
"You cute little thing! Come on, to the park then!" Mikan announced and skipped happily towards the park.
Mikan and Spork, who is still lounging comfortably at Mikan's arms, entered the Shitenhouji Park. There are a few children playing around, parents chatting on the sidelines, a man seating on a bench, a couple having a picnic, and several other people who, like her, is walking with their dogs.
They were walking towards a small table with stone chairs to rest to when suddenly Spork barked loudly and excitedly, then jumped out of Mikan's embrace.
"Spork!" she yelled and ran after her dog.
Spork ran across the park faster than lightning.
Mikan called again, running after Spork, but stop sometimes to not collide with other people in the Park.
She saw again spork running crazily around the man who was seating on the bench.
"Spork, no!" she yelled again after her dog.
She was ten yards away from her dog when suddenly, Spork jumped on the bench, beside the man, and without warning, he bit the man's palm.
"Spork! Stop!" Mikan shrieked.
Mikan heard the man curse savagely at the same time she shrieked. The man stood up quickly and whatever he was holding in his left hand, flew from his grasp, and on his right hand, the moment he let go of it, Spork clamped it between his teeth and played with it.
"Oh my god! Let me see!" Mikan breathed in horror.
Mikan grasped the man's right hand and looked at it.
his palm is bleeding heavily.
In mixture of shock and horror, Mikan felt tears gather on her eyes. After all, it was her fault she decided not to put a leash on Spork because she thought her dog would not do anything rash. It was her fault.
"Oh god! I'm so sorry!" Mikan cried, looking at the wound, apologizing.
She bowed and continued to apologize to the man.
The man rudely snatched his hand away from Mikan's grasp.
Startled, Mikan looked up at the man and gasped.
And she felt all the air on her lungs left.
He was the man she bumped with earlier who had a ramen which was wasted.
To say that Natsume was shocked is an understatement.
He momentarily forgot the pain in his palm.
The woman standing in front of his was the woman earlier, who was crying, he bumped with. And he realized she was crying again.
'Is she crying all the time?' Natsume's surprised mind suddenly formed the thought.
"It was you again, Mister! The man I bumped with earlier which resulted to wasted ramen! It was you again!" the woman covered her face with both her hands.
"Oh god, why is it always have to be you who will experience my clumsiness? I'm sorry. I am so so sorry," the woman sobbed, apologizing again and again.
Natsume, shaking his head to clear his head from the shock, realized what was happening.
"Well, there may be a reason why we always have to meet with unfortunate events,"Natsume said.
He saw the woman was crying earlier and he has the urge to comfort her and make her stop from crying.
The feelings did not change a bit.
He was drawn to her beautiful eyes and the thoughts he could only think of is to make the woman stop from crying, comfort her, and see her smile.
Natsume realized all these thoughts and he did not know whether to be afraid by how strongly he was attracted to the woman or be happy because, finally, he was sure that he has hormones.
"No, it's okay," Natsume said, not realizing he said the exact phrase earlier.
The woman looked up, surprised.
"What! What are you talking about? What are you saying it's okay? Are you out of your mind? Your hand is bleeding, for goodness' sake!" the woman burst out, and realizing what she said (about the bleeding hand), her brown eyes cleared with a decidedly strange glint.
The woman sniffed, wiped the tears on her face and reached out for Natsume's left hand, which was not bitten.
"Please, sit here," she guided him.
Natsume does not know what she would do but decided to follow her instruction.
She sat down beside him and fished things out of her bag.
An alcohol, betadine, cotton, and a gauze.
'She's going to treat my wound,' Natsume thought, smirking inwardly. Well, he is a surgeon and he sure can treat his own wounds. But heck, he would never pass the opportunity of this young woman hovering concernedly on him.
After a few minutes, Natsume looked down on his perfectly bandaged palm.
'She's not bad in things like this,' Natsume thought.
"You did it good. Are you a nurse? A doctor?" Natsume suddenly asked. He had this urge to get to know the woman more.
She smiled mesmerizingly.
"Nope, I'm not a nurse nor a doctor. I am a pre-school teacher. Well, about these wounds and bandaging thing, as a pre-school teacher, you would not avoid the kids having wounds or scratches whenever they play. So, I learned a lot on how to treat wounds because of my children," the woman said softly.
Natsume nodded understandingly. He saw the love on the woman's eyes when talked about her children.
She suddenly turned to him and smiled to him, her eyes brown eyes twinkling, her glossy locks looking golden against the setting sun.
She took his breath away. She really is even more beautiful when she is smiling.
"Are you a teacher, too?" she asked.
Natsume blinked, entranced at her sight, and then he chuckled at her question.
"No, I'm not a teacher. I'm a surgeon," Natsume said, watching for her reaction.
The woman's eyes widened.
"What! You're a doctor? And a surgeon, at that! But you're very young! You look like you're 25 only and you're a practicing doctor already! Wow, figures why you noted the bandaging I made," the woman admiringly said.
Natsume felt the corners of his mouth curling upward,
"Thanks," he said.
Then the woman's eye's widened again, as if suddenly remembering something.
"Oh no! Spork! Where is my dog!" she stood up suddenly then looked around her frantically.
Natsume laid a hand on her shoulder to calm her.
"You dog is under the bench," he said a matter-of-factly.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, bent over and picked up her dog, who is still clamping the spork between his teeth, playing with it.
The woman leaned back on the bench and caressed the dog's hair lovingly, whispering words he can't hear.
Then Natsume remembered what she said minutes ago.
"Did you just call your dog "Spork"? That's the dog's name?" Natsume said incredulously.
The young woman nodded her head and hugged her dog closely.
"Yep! His name is Spork. I know, it's weird but you see, I named him after the utensil "Spork," spoon and fork? That is the only thing he plays around. He does not like cushions or pillows. He only likes spork," she explained.
Natsume looked over her face and her dog then back to her face again.
"You mean your dog saw the spork I was holding then ran across the park just to get it and play with it?" Natsume said, his eyebrows rising unbelievably.
The young woman nodded her head, her smile faltering.
"Yes. Spork saw the "spork" you were holding and ran to get it. You see, he's been sick for a week now. He had no energy to play around so I brought him to the Kamazawa and the doctor told me I almost lost him. Spork is my parent's gift to me, you know. So I cried because I thought I was going to lose him. But now he's okay, and well, his energy and eagerness to play a spork got back also," the woman explained, stroking her dog's head.
Natsume nodded understandingly. So that was why she was crying earlier.
They talked for minutes, about their life's story, about everything they wanted to talk about. It feels like they do not want to end their conversation.
But after a few more minutes, the young woman stood up.
"Well, I have to go now. I must go back and get all my lesson plans ready for tomorrow," she then scribbled something on a piece of paper then turned to Natsume. With a troubled smile, she continued,
"I am so sorry again for everything that happened and I want to repay you for your kindness. Call me whenever you need anything. I would gladly help you. Thank you very much again, Mister," she bowed and walked away from him, her dog sleeping comfortably upon her arms.
Natsume was disappointed their conversation was finished and he was more disappointed that she was going.
And then she said something that made his head perk up. With his crimson eyes narrowing in thought, his brilliant mind worked over time, thinking of situations and events, one after another.
Setting his mouth in a grim, determined line, he stood up and was about to call her when he realized something.
He did not know her name.
How stupid can he get? Natsume thought irritably.
He ran across the park and placed a hand on her right shoulders, effectively stopping her from her walking.
Spinning around, she faced him, a surprised look on his beautiful face.
"Oh! Did I forget something?" she said, cocking her head to one side.
"Yes. Your name," he answered quietly.
The young woman gasped in surprised then chuckled softly.
"Of course! How silly of me!" she slapped her palm on her forehead then she extended her right hand, her mouth twitching merrily,
"My name's Sakura. Mikan Sakura," she smiled.
Natsume loved her name.
"Mikan Sakura," Natsume said her name, loving the way her name curl effortlessly on his tongue.
"Mikan Sakura," he repeated again, his mouth curling up on one corner.
He liked her name. Definitely liked it.
The young woman in front of her blushed furiously when he repeated her name over and over.
"U-uh, yeah. That's my name. Uhm, what's yours?" she asked, her red face looking upon the ground, her right hand softly petting her dog.
'She's so beautiful,' he thought admiringly.
Natsume chuckled at her shy reaction towards him. Chucking her chin, he forced her brown eyes to meet his crimson ones.
"I'm Hyuuga Natsume," he said, smirking.
Mikan blushed furiously at his actions. Then she stepped back an inch hesitantly from him, her face still red as tomato.
After a few moments, when Mikan was sure her face was not as red anymore, she looked up at him and smiled.
"Well, Dr. Hyuuga Natsume, it's nice to meet you. Again, I'm really sorry for the ramen and for the wound. Please, don't hesitate to tell me what can I do to help you, okay?" she bowed, "Ja ne!" She bid.
She was about to turn around again when Natsume stopped her, catching her wrist.
Confused, she faced him again, her brown eyes questioning.
Natsume thought of this a few minutes ago, when she offered to seek her help if he ever needed one. And he sure as hell needed it. Now. And she's the perfect answer.
"Yes, actually,I need your help," he said to her, earning a more confused look from the young woman.
"What is it, Hyuuga-san?" she asked politely.
Natsume closed his eyes briefly.
'Now or never, Hyuuga,' Natsume thought.
He opened his eyes and looked deeply at hers. Gripping softly both her shoulders in his hands, he solemnly said,
"Be my girlfriend."
Natsume entered his apartment and his first words are,
"I have a girlfriend,"
Koko spat the sushi rolls he was eating.
Kitsuneme fell from the chair he was swinging.
Ruka choked on the beer he was drinking.
All of them wide-eyed, they shouted in unision,
"WHAAAT!"
Natsume was grinning, as he closed the door of his apartment.
"Koko, you better clean that mess or you'll never set foot here again," Natsume warned, but he was still smirking.
He walked straight to the couch and flopped himself comfortably.
He reached out on the table, got a can of beer, and chugged it down.
"Natsume Hyuuga, the forever bachelor, has phobia in women, has a girlfriend?! Maybe the world is nearing its end!" Kitsuneme excalimed.
"So, who's the unfortunate girl?" Koko joked, cleaning up the mess.
Natsume glared at the both of them and they immediately shut up.
Ruka sat down beside Natsume in the couch, running a hand over his messy blonde hair.
"Natsume, are you kidding or what?" Ruka asked concernedly.
Natsume sat up and glared at his best friend.
"Why? Do I look like I'm kidding? And what the hell are those kind of reactions?" Natsume asked pointedly to his friends.
Kitsuneme sat up from the floor and excalimed,
"You are asking us why the hell we have this kind of reaction?!"
Then they shouted aggravatingly in unison,
"THE LAST THING YOU SAID WHEN YOU WALKED OUT OF THIS VERY APARTMENT WAS YOU DON'T WANT A GIRLFRIEND AND NOW YOU ENTERED HERE AFTER 3 HOURS AND YOUR FIRST WORDS ARE YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND?! WHAT THE HELL!"
The Natsume they knew would totally throw them out without a word, especially after saying such words to him.
But the Natsume in front of them now is different. Totally different.
He just shrugged at them and continued drinking his beer, a playful smirk on his lips.
"Well, believe it or not. I have a girlfriend already,"
Koko, Ruka, and Kitsuneme looked at each other and sighed in resignation.
"What's her name?" Ruka asked, curious.
Natsume's face softened, to his friends' utter surprise, his eyes were glinting with a strange emotion. Happiness? Or maybe, love? Well, if it really is love, they are sure that their friend haven't noticed it yet, that Natsume haven't realized that he's already half in love with the young woman he's talking about.
But the idea of Natsume Hyuuga? In love?
Come to think of it, maybe the girl is really different to make Natsume fall for her, head over heels.
"Her name's Sakura. Mikan Sakura," Natsume smiled.
The following day, Natsume picked up Mikan at the Pre-School she works at and together, they went to the family dinner at the Crown Pearl Plaza Hotel. Though her mother was really surprised, and Aoi was dubious, that Natsume announced he has a girlfriend, all their doubts faded when they got to talk and know Mikan Sakura.
She's a lovely, intelligent, witty, soft yet has a willful spirit kind of woman. And both Kaoru and Aoi thought that Mikan is perfect for their hard-headed, logical Natsume. The truth is, they haven't seen Natsume laugh as many times as when he is with Mikan. They did not know that behind his cold facade, there's a warm heart ready to love and be loved. And they were glad that finally, Natsume found someone to care for him. Yes, they fit together like a puzzle piece and Kaoru wondered why Natsume only met her now, after so many years of putting up with a cranky, single, bachelor Natsume.
After a few months of courting, Sakura Mikan officially accepted Natsume's offer for her heart. And nine months later, she also accepted his offer for her hand, at the same park where she agreed to help him and act as his girlfriend for his dinner with his family.
The wedding was lavishly extravagant. Why not? They are the Hyuugas. And Kaoru Hyuuga won't accept anything beyond perfection and extravagance. And it's his son who's getting married, the same person whom she thought would be a bachelor forever. The same person whom she thought would never learn to care for another woman except her and his sister.
Looking at the couple now as they stood side by side in the church, Mikan wrapped in a swirling silver wedding gown, her groom handsomely clad in a magnificent black and ash-gray suit, she whispered lovingly to her husband,
"Finally, my dear. Our dreams for our children came true. They already found someone who will look after them just like what you did to me and to our children," Kaoru looked up at the sky and softly blew a kiss upwards.
Three months after their wedding, Natsume and Mikan decided to live in a modest pent house in the heart of Tokyo.
Now, as Natsume lie comfortably on their marital bed, waiting for Mikan to come back from her ministrations with Spork, his thoughts and reminiscing were cut off when his beautiful wife entered their room again.
He sat up quickly, smiling at her. Yes, he smiles. Only with her and for her.
"He's okay, now? He won't bother us again?" he said mockingly, referring to their dog, Spork.
Mikan smiled and sat lay down beside her husband. Natsume automatically wrapped his arms around her petite frame against his, stroking her long, glossy locks.
"Yup, he's full and playing with his one and only toy, again!" his wife said merrily.
Natsume smirked slyly, remembering where they left off before Spork called out for his dinner. He slowly, slowly started to touch the bare thighs of his wife's, inching upward and upward until he softly tugged the offending lacy thing covering her.
Mikan slapped his arm playfully,
"Why you pervert!" she laughed.
Natsume smirked at her.
"Well, my wife, I thought we had agreed on that a long time ago?"
"Well, when I said that you are really a pervert, I did not know you would take advantage of it! Pervert!" she joked at him, laughing.
Natsume tightened his grip around her waist and shoulder.
"True. But you love me, anyway," he whispered against her ear and softly kissed her forehead as her wife blushed madly on his words.
This woman in his arms was his first pretend-girlfriend, his first real girlfriend, first fiancee, and one and only wife.
As much as he does not like to admit it, he met her because of that dog, Spork. And he would forever be grateful to him.
One can never really tell how the world goes round. Unexpected events happen that changes other people's lives. But it was all destined by fate. After all, for them, it was really destiny that got them to walk on that same street where they met, where it all started with a bump.
FIN
A/N: And there goes another story! Finally found the will to write a draft and update this one! And I am so really happy that finally, it's done. Yay! I thought it was going to take me months to finish this. But, hah! Guess I was wrong. Haha. Thank you very much to all those who followed and finished reading this story! It's not really good but I hope you would appreciate it. For the last time, sweet criticisms are okay but your positive reviews are craved! Thanks, everyone!
Chapter title is from the same song of One Republic.
And again, thank you for reading!
Leave a mark. XX,
Alyx Hawthorne
(November 6, 2012; 1:22am)