Wow, I am beyond apologetic for making you wait this long. That is, if I even have any readers left. How long has it been? Two months? See, I'm sorry I couldn't promise anything. But I went to Japan (lol, it's not my place to rub in) and was busy with school and stuff.

However! Like I promised from the very beginning. I will finish this story and here it is. It's been 11 months since I started this, almost a whole year (it's Halloween in one week and that was the day I thought of the idea for this) and it clearly took longer than foreplanned. However, I do feel a tad more confident in my writing now - although you probably won't even notice that much of a difference. So without further ado, I present the final installment of Rewind!

Chapter 19: The Two Proposals

Natsume was up early today. Not necessarily because it was his birthday; why should he be nervous about that? No; he planned on doing something today and though it may seem a little minor, it was a pretty big thing to him. Yes, the mighty Hyuuga was feeling nervous.

"There's something wrong with me," he mumbled before mentally hitting himself for talking out loud. But before he could even act on his self-scolding, a miraculously goofy grin appeared on his face, "No, there's something right with me."

This up/down, nervous/confident rollercoaster ride was hitting Natsume like a woman in menopause. The allegory of his various selves played relentlessly in his mind. In the end, of course, after walking halfway down the long courtyard, he concluded that he just had to suck it up in the end anyway.

A tangle of black. A muscular back. Found you!

Taking a deep breath, she promptly headed to her target capturing his hand in hers. She pulled him away and briskly began speeding towards her chosen area. This girl had a task at hand – quite literally – and, just like her, she was going to carry it out. She'd had it drilled into her head and it comprised her very resolve to bestow upon Natsume his birthday present. It had to make up for the three missed years and even be a whole lot more. She wasn't quite sure if her present lived up to that but hey, she was broke. And Natsume was special; she had tried her best at least.

He was being dragged away before he knew it. Not that he particularly minded. Seeing her today, in the appropriately aged flesh, was as much a birthday present as a relief and a blessing. He didn't want to let go of this hand.

The query, though delayed, did occur to him as to where she was taking him. The determined pout coupled with the faintest – cutest – blush lead him to believe it had something to do with his birthday.

He was curious.

Postponing that thought, he remembered his own mission for today. Wherever she was taking him, it might as well be the best opportunity for him as well.

He shook his head of his thoughts and turned to look at the girl who tirelessly sped ahead of him. Her extra long waves of auburn flowed lightly and delicately on the breeze issued from their hurried pace. He couldn't help but admire the way they tumbled and cascading down her back. He wanted to run his fingers through it, if not for their current situation and the fact that he really had no right to do so. He'd change all that pretty soon.

His gaze rose to the side of her face which, quite timely, she turned towards him briefly. Her rose tinted cheeks pulled up in a quick smile. "Nearly there," she chimed. And as pathetic as it may seem, it felt like a host of heavenly figures were chorusing some sort of divine tune. God, he loved this girl so much. No denying it anymore, no protesting it anymore, and no finding reasons not to anymore because after such a long absence from his life, he'd realised how much he wanted her to the near point of need. Besides, he'd already come to terms with the fact that there was no reason not to love her.

Natsume was so busy in his thoughts of her that he didn't notice that they had slowed down. She let go of his hand – to his brief dismay – to place them on her knees so she could regain her breath. Natsume was slightly puffed but he was thinking about too many things to leave room for feeling tired.

He watched her return to her normal form, hands folded behind her back and rocking up on her heels with a cheeky gleam. He raised a brow. "Look around," she said.

He finally became aware of his surroundings and he noted suddenly that this was the very place he had found her on the day she transformed back to normal. The place they were reunited and, he smirked, the place he had kissed her.

Nice choice, he thought. "You sure have a knack for finding creative sentiments," he congratulated. She beamed.

Suddenly he remembered he needed to tell, or rather ask, her something. He panicked a little before deciding he'd better get to it as soon as possible.

"Mikan –"

"Natsume –" They spoke in unison. They stopped, and looked at each other mildly stunned before each giggling or chuckling.

"Me first!" They both said again. Once was funny, but this time was a bit awkward.

Natsume took the lead. They were, after all, both stubborn people. "No really, Polka, let me go first."

"But, but!" she replied with a tone of urgency. "I really want to get this finished! Please let me go first!"

He thought about refusing but she looked up at him with pleading eyes and a plainly irresistible pout. "Please?" she intoned for the last time.

Not fair.

He sighed in defeat. He had to stop staring at that pout before he kissed it. "Go on."

Her expression lit up and inwardly he patted himself on the back. It paid off to be a gentleman sometimes.

"Okay," she started in a bit of a shy tone, "close your eyes and hold your hands out, palms open – like that! Right, and don't peek."

Though he felt like a small child being told what to do, he ignored it. He was far too curious about what she was going to give him. He didn't even bother to feel like an idiot standing there like that.

He waited.

I wonder what she's going to give me. I'd be happy with anything from her, really. It's probably something small. She couldn't afford much else.

He heard her take a deep breath and his lips twitched upwards a bit.

Besides, where could she have put it? It's not like she had pockets or anything. And… and… she didn't have anything in her hands when she grabbed mine, did she?

He felt something touch his open hands.

She didn't have anything at all with her…Wait a second…!

That something was her own hands, which she took his in. There was definitely no present in it.

She can't possibly be –

He felt her soft lips connect with his.

Oh what the hell?

His eyes shot open to see lightly shut lids and long eyelashes. Am I dreaming?

She kissed him softly, shyly. He felt a tingle run down his body to the tips of his toes. Mikan's kissing me..! He closed his eyes again and gently returned it. Sure, he'd kissed her before, but this…

This light, innocent kiss, most importantly given by the one he loved was a different feeling all together. He felt like he could tip toe on the clouds and that he'd managed to capture drops – no, buckets – of sunshine in his arms.

Never had he felt so damn good! And it was just a kiss. Right? A soft little peck on the lips isn't really that amazing right? Wrong!

She stepped down from her tiptoes and looked up at him. He looked like he had just been hit by relatively large rock to the head.

"H-how was it?" she looked up timidly. "Happy Birthday." Her hand was folded in front of her mouth, her eyes imploring the first the question.

"I-uh, wow." He struggled to find the right words to articulate. "That was… uhm… thanks." She giggled. She cocked her head with a happy smile. His reaction brought her relief. She'd guessed that it was a pretty good present. Thanks, Koko. She wondered if the mind reader could hear her wherever he was.

She watched with an exuberant smile as Natsume came back to his senses. He saw her return his gaze upon her and a blush crept onto her cheeks. She caught the quickest decision made on his face before she was being crushed in a tight embrace.

"Natsume?" she was just barely able to breathe. But she had to admit that the warmth from his arms felt really nice.

She felt his breath on her ear before he spoke. "Mikan," he used her name without reservation, "…be my girlfriend."

She felt her heart thump loudly before skipping a beat. Did I hear him right? Gasping in surprise, she heard him add, "Please, just that one more present for today?"

Did he just plead with me? Her face turned hot as she clutched his shirt, "Y-yes! Natsume, I love you!"

The words she just spoke made him feel as though he could leap to the skies. Mikan Sakura is mine. She is now officially MINE… and she loves me!

He retracted from his bone crushing hold on her to a position where he was clutching her shoulders and holding her to face him. He took one more look at her red face before proceeding to – in quick succession – place a brief kiss on her forehead, nose and lips. He lingered a fraction longer on the latter before breaking away from her steaming hot face.

"I love you! I love you too!" His rare smiles couldn't even rival the ear to ear grin that Natsume Hyuuga never otherwise wore.

This was the best birthday he'd ever had. All thanks to one little girl.

EPILOGUE:

Mikan was not the only girl in the class with unwavering resolve. Sumire Shouda had decided to ask Natsume out again. Only this time, it was on his birthday and in front of the whole class.

"That's it, Natsume! I am single. You are single. I like you. Therefore we should go out. No more excuses." She crossed her arms and waited anxiously for a reply.

"Sorry, woman, but I'm afraid I don't meet your criteria," he said with a painfully irritated face.

Permy scoffed, "How could you possibly not?"

"For your information," he growled. "I. am. not. single." He articulated every word crisply for her to understand. The class – save Koko and Imai, of course – gasped.

Sumire was bewildered, "WHAT? Who?"

"Mikan Sakura," he stated shamelessly.

The rejected girl's jaw dropped. "B-but, you hate her!"

"On the contrary," he replied coolly, "I love her."

All eyes fell on Mikan, who had sunk down into her chair, almost under her desk in embarrassment. Her face was pink, but it was still cute.

Not forgetting this fact, and glaring particularly at the teacher who had just appeared at the doorway, he announced dangerously, "So anybody else should keep their hands off her."

After recovering from the shock, Sumire formulated a valid question, "But she just got here. How could anything even have happened between you two? Were you seeing in secret or something?" The class murmured her agreement.

"Nah," Koko stood and joined the stars at the front of the room, "he's had a loong-time crush on her." Natsume was going to kill him. "They couldn't possibly have been meeting before," but he'd spare him for that save.

The class calmed down somewhat. "UGH!" her voice, more annoyed than broken-hearted rang through the room. "Now what am I gonna do?"

"Easy," Koko cut in. He grabbed her hand and tugged her towards him perfectly for a kiss. "Take me instead!"

The class went crazy. Hotaru had the foresight to prepare a video recorder. Ruka and Kitsuneme were cheering and even Natsume spared a smirk. At this point, Mikan had raised her head above the desk.

Permy's face was dyed with pink, but she couldn't bring herself to speak. After stuttering for a while and trying but failing to reject him, she let out a frustrated grunt and buried her red face on Koko's chest. "Victory!" he announced to the class who responded crazily.

"Well, you're quite original," Natsume rolled his eyes at Koko and his method of kissing.

The boy grinned his signature goofy grin and retorted, "I only learn from the best!"

There you have it folks! Thanks for anyone out there if you exist who has kept up with me in this story. I burnt out of fanfiction for a while there but I promised myself I'd finish this. Even if you're new, thanks for reading it to the end and I sorely hope you enjoyed it. As shameless as I am, I would appreciate reviews. I appreciate the ones from the previous chapter too :D

Thanks a million. I probably won't be writing much fanfiction after this too. So yeah. :) Thanks for reading!