WHAT THE TRUTH REALLY IS…
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Gakuen Alice, if you want you can take it but I surely know that what you will get is only a lawsuit from the real author, which is Higuchi Tachibana. Therefore, if I were you, I'd rather not take what isn't yours, make just story out of it, but a fiction that is- just like mine! Read and Review please. (MY FIRST FIC EVER!).
The truth never seems to be true most of the time. It's always something distant and unreachable. Once you try to catch it- it disappears from your grasps- like a mist. It blinds you from your path but then it never was there in the very beginning, you never could touch it, but only feel it. If that is what truth really is, how can we know what truth is. Well… for starters, here's a story for you to find out.
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Chapter 8: The Prince's Smile
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This… I lost… but in love – she's still not in to you. These words, these last meaningful words Luca left plagued Natsume's mind for almost 2 days now. Just three more days and the night he would be welcoming will be shared by a brunette. Natsume sat down on his usual seat in his veranda and gave out a long sigh. He loved the night and hated it as well. In these countless, and eeriely silent nights he would dream. Dreams he never would have realized and never would have wanted to remember, dreams he wanted to seek and fulfill, and dreams that he knew would never come true. But- this time, one of his dream he thought would never come true, did came and now is just some few days away for it to be realized. A dream like this coming true scares him, to the point that it drives him crazy.
'BA-KA…' He called himself over and over again. Such expression he would usually call to the brunette became one of the names he called onto himself. He knew it wasn't yet late to find a partner for Mikan but he, too, knew she wouldn't get anyone else to replace him. Still this fact scares him – after all he's just a replacement for Mikan's unknown partner.
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"Neeee!!! Nat-su-me-kun! Are you listening to me?!" Natsume just shrugged back in reply with Mikan's question. Beet red, she breathed in some air and sat down beside him. They were inside Cordellia's dress shop and were waiting for the coutourier herself to come and meet them at the extravagant looking lobby situated to the right of the owner's room. "You're my partner now, and we still need to change your suit. You-" Cordellia finally then came out of her quarters and immediately went to greet her customers.
"Good Morning Mikan-chan… and… Hyuuga-san" She smiled brightly bowing her head to the two. "Please, come with me at my quarters so we may talk at once." She lead them to her quarters. The room was uniquely numbered. Every corner of the room was brightly designed with pretty yet exotic looking flowers and butterflies and the chairs present were only a love seat and the owner's private chair. "Have a seat, over there." She said brightly while pointing with her index finger the pink love seat just opposite their current standing. Mikan looked astonished with all the wonderful backgrounds she could see and the very lovely couch she is seeing. Natsume, still with his stoic face on, dared not to move at all from his spot.
"Come on now, Natsume-kun!" Mikan ushered Natsume towards the seat. Natsume's resistance failed.
"Here, Mikan-chan, please wear this first. And when your finished seat at the love couch." She said then handed her a blue paper bag embroired with the letter NxM with glittering gold. "Here's also for you Hyuuga-san, please wear this as well so that I may easily find a suitable suit for you." Natsume only glared at Cordellia. "Oh, come now, I'm not plotting anything against you, you know. Just wear that. It has my alice that determines the suit the bearer should wear along with his partner's." This doesn't convince Natsume, but still he followed.
Ten minutes later, Mikan came out with a pretty silvery – white princess-like dress that covered her down to her feet. Her arms were enveloped – English way- down to her wrists and golden laces circled both arms. The top was squared that showed a portion of her pinkish white chest and had a pink laced ribbon under her breast and the lower portion of the dress completely shaped her maturing body. The dress had two layers, the first layer being transparent yet has a design of an imperial embroidered flowers and vines that complemented the silky white second layer that showed an air of royalty. (A/N: Err… can you picture it? I had made the design but I'm not good at coloring it and it ended up being a complete waste…). Cordellia then came next to her and magically fixed her hair down. She made Mikan's hair flow freely down with its end curly. The color of her hair was far different to the one when it was braided or tied. It was a bit lighter and creamier.
"Brilliant! You looked like a real princess Mikan-chan!"
Natsume then came forward. He wore a princely clothing with a cape attached on his shoulders and flowed down the back of his shoulder. The cape was of red and his suit was jet black mixed with brown buttons and a golden rope that dangled down to his hips. With his shoulders squared and having a body fit to be a real prince, just standing beside Mikan made them a real fairy tale couple. With a flick of Cordellia's want, the tape measure, the pen and the paper began working on Natsume. After minutes of accurately knowing Natsume's measurements, she asked them to sit on the love couch.
"Now, the two of you looked like a real couple- the princess and her prince." Cordellia exclaimed. Mikan furiuosly blushed at her compliment while Natsume only snorted and looked away.
"Cordellia- san! Do I really look like a princess?" Mikan, with big beady eyes asked, with a an expression full of hope and happiness.
"Yeah. Why don't you ask your prince- Hyuuga-san, for clarifications." Cordellia smiled brightly and then sat comfortably on her seat.
Mikan gleefull turned towards Natsume. She caught his attention by placing her hands on the very small space that divided them and eagerly looked at him. Her expression was full of happiness, and with the question still yet to be asked, full of hope. Natsume looked at him. Shocked then smirked. A small click was heard but was soon forgotten when the question was finnaly asked.
"Ne, ne… Do I really look like a princess, Natsume- kun?" There was no reply. … Another pause. … "Uwaaahh!!! Cordellia-san! Nat-shu-meh-kun! Itch hurtshh! Oussshh!" Mikan blabbered as Natsume, smriking, pinched both of Mikan's cheeks. Another click came but the sound was drowned by the booming voice of Mikan. "Natsume!" Mikan exclaimed.
"You…" he said as he reached out and held a bunch of her hair gently. "…untied your hair. It suits you more." He said with a gentle face that made Mikan flustered. Click…
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! "Okay, that's enough… futaritomo… Go get yourself changed so you could go."
Five minutes later, the to went out of separate rooms all tidied and ready to go. Mikan tied her
Mikan-chan, you may get your dress the night before the actual night and same with Hyuuga-san. See you on that day, and tomorrow, just try and enjoy yourselves. Bye-bye!"
"Arigatou, Cordellia-san. Surely the dresses would also be beautiful just like these!" She said as she handed the dress back to her and waved good bye. Natsume followed suit.
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"Nannniii!!! Mitte, mittee!!! Natsume-kun's smirk! It's so gentle!" "What's these photos!" "He's sooooo lookkkssss like a prince!!!" "OMG!!!" "Kyyaaaaa! It's Natsume and…."
"MIKAN!!!!" A group of Natsume and Luca fan club members cornered Mikan the next day. "Care to explain these?" The girls showed her photos of the two of them – herself and Natsume with yesterday's dresses on. There were three yet unimaginable photos captured. She examined closely how the pictures were taken and soon notice the big words plastered both at the top and bottom of each photos. All of the photos were flyers. Inviting students to join the contest and win.
"Be the Prince and Princess of the Night. The seemingly fairy tale won't be a fairy tale anymore! Are you Belle and His Wondrous Beauty Beauty and the Beast " Mikan read the first flyer and the photo shown wasduring the time Natsume pinched her cheeks and he was smirking. A likely rowdy prince.
"…Or are you the Sleeping Beauty whom had awoken and found her Prince?" She continued reading with the second flyer and this time, it was a photo of herself leaning too close to Natsume with her hands occupying the only space that separated them with her eyes full of excitement. Flipping over to the last flyer, she read once more.
"Or the ever happy Cinderella having found his Prince who loved her so dearly as well?" Th last photo showed something she wasn't even sure if it was really thiers. Surely she could remember the action being done, but she culdn't quite remember how she and he had those expressions! The photo captured was when Natsume gently held some strands of Mikan's hair while slowly complimenting her. Her eyes in the photo showed looks of love- but is it really love!?! This only confused Mikan more.
"CARE TO EXPLAIN?!" The fan girls brought Mikan back to reality. She saw jealous eyes all around her. They weren't angry though, they were only curious. Whoever took these pictures really did his best for capturing such moments.
"I-I-I don't know. We just went to Cordellia-san for Natsume-kun's measurements and she only asked us to wear those clothings. We didn't knew we were being photographed!" Mikan honestly replied.
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Meanwhile, at the boy's dormitory. Two bestfriends sat in silence as two somewhat similar papers flew out of the room and the last ashes, carried off by the wind.
"Looks like you did it again… You're one heck of a lucky guy!"
And in the darkness, where these two best of friends sat, thin lips slowly and quietly –pressed together- arched upward with a hint of happiness. The other boy, who sat opposite the man, knew nothing about it. Only the darkness as its eyewitness, saw a smile no else knew he had.
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AUTHOR'S NOTES:
WOOOOHOOOO! The chapter's finally up! Please review…. Oh yeah. Did you quite understand the type of dress I'm describing. I'm not good at describing, illustrating it would be easier. Sorry if it only puzzled you more. Hoping for fine reviews!!! Thanks for reading and waiting up for my works!!!!
Errrr… there was something missing in the other chapter… but the plot still the same. I accidentally uploaded the old file. There was just an additional endliner that suited the chapter title: The Prince's Smile. Sorry…