Prepare for drama.
Happy Reading!
Rush
By Tsuki's Angel
~Chapter 8~
-Inevitable Warfare-
Mikan was hearing the sound of a heartbeat. She lay still, sleeping, but the sound was pounding in her ear. She knew the owner of said heart owned her heart too. She was sure she was going to wake up and smile, but there was a dull feeling that was blocking her from seeing his face.
"Polka?"
Natsume shook her. She could feel it. Why didn't she respond?
"Oi, Polka. This isn't funny."
I can't open my eyes. It's hurting…everywhere, Mikan thought.
"Mikan!"
Mikan's eyes shot open to see Natsume. She was covered in a thin layer of sweat, and her breathing was labored. Her throat burned, and she ached for water. Her eyes focused on the sight before her. Natsume's eyebrows were scrunched up and his face held an unreadable expression. Mikan swallowed and continued to take deep, heavy breaths.
"Are you okay?"
Mikan could only groan in response. She slowly got up and out of bed, picking up Natsume's school uniform shirt and her underwear from where they were callously thrown last night. She threw the clothing on and walked into the kitchen. She filled the glass up with water and nearly inhaled it before she refilled it for more. Mikan's breathing slowed down. The water wasn't helping too much with the pain at all.
She tried to rip off the damn necklace that was the source of her pain. It seemed to be tightening the more she tried to pull it off. "Ugh. Why didn't I remember this last night?"
Natsume was on the other side of the counter she was leaning on, wearing a pair of dark wash jeans that clung low on his hips. "Maybe that's because you were a little preoccupied."
Mikan sipped at her water. "This isn't funny." Her voice sounded awful. "Tell me, is my neck red?"
Mikan lifted her neck, giving him a full view and Natsume examined it. Once he got a closer look, he was immediately on the other side of the counter, gripping Mikan's head and running his fingers down her neck. "What the hell happened to you?"
Mikan hesitated before she said, "It's the necklace." Natsume looked into her eyes with confusion written in his own. Mikan gently pushed him away and caressed her neck. "Persona gave it to me. Whenever I get close to anyone here, especially you, I-I feel this burn." Mikan looked at Natsume to see his reaction. Nothing so far. "Electricity—only a small shock—shoots through me."
Natsume's face hardened and he clenched his teeth. "And Persona gave this to you?"
Mikan nodded. "It was my punishment, I suppose. I wasn't following orders. I didn't abide by the contract—"
"Screw your contract!" Natsume yelled. Mikan remained silent. "Don't you understand, Mikan? Do you understand at all?" Mikan blinked in return. She knew what he was getting at. "In the end, it's all my fault! I'm the one who got you into this! If you didn't go ahead and leave to take my damn place, then—"
Mikan silenced him with a kiss. She wasn't going to let him take the blame for anything. Of course, it was not his fault. It was entirely her decision. From the beginning, Mikan was afraid that Natsume would come to this conclusion, that he would blame himself. It was another reason that she shouldn't have told him. But what's done is done, and there isn't anything she—or he—could do about it.
"Don't go and say 'if'," Mikan said, holding his face with her hands. "You can't change the past, can you?"
Natsume seemed to calm down considerably, although his teeth were still grit. "I'm not letting you out of my sight. Ever."
Mikan almost laughed, but all she managed to do was crack a smile. She held his face, and leaned her forehead on his. She ran her hands down his bare chest and over his abdominal muscles. Mikan swallowed thickly, feeling like she was about to hurl. Stupid necklace. But, somehow, being near Natsume made her forget that and focus on the moment.
"I was serious, Polka," Natsume said, stopping her hands from roaming. "You're not going on any more missions. No matter what Persona or Victoria say. I'll take care of it."
Mikan took a step back, "Have you forgotten the reason that I did all of this? The reason that I left?"
"No," Natsume bit out. "But I'm still not letting you go through with this."
"I feel the same," Mikan said, her voice cracking because of the necklace. "I'm not letting you risk your life."
"Then I guess you're going to be disappointed because I'm not letting you out of a five foot radius of me," he retorted.
Mikan glared at him, "No. You're not doing anything. I'm the one who started this." Mikan watched Natsume's fists clench. "And I'm ending it, too."
Natsume's eyes flashed over with brief fear, "And how exactly are you going to 'end' it?"
Mikan swallowed, "I have yet to figure that out." She avoided his eyes.
Natsume forced her to face him, "And what? What do you think you're going to accomplish?"
"I'm going to keep you alive," she said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.
"And if you die?" Natsume was furious. He knew where she was heading with this. He held her face with both hands, afraid that if he let go, she would be gone. "What happens then, huh?"
Mikan forced tears back. She felt an uncomfortable sensation in her eyes—the one a person feels when they are about to cry. "Then I die."
Natsume cracked. "Hell no!" He slammed his fist down on the counter. He was yelling now. "Polka, don't you realize that if you die, there is no reason for me to live? If you die, then what the hell am I supposed to live for?"
Mikan let out a shaky breath, "Luca. Hotaru. Prez." She looked into his eyes. "You."
Natsume still didn't buy it. Imai? She never liked him very much. Neither did Prez. He shook his head. This girl was so freaking dense. She can't even fathom what would happen to his life if she disappeared. Natsume almost smirked. He would kill the entire AAO—burn them to ashes—if they laid a hand on her. The thought brought on a particular idea in his head. "Oh, I am so going to hell."
Then, he slanted his lips over hers. He felt exhilarated, like every nerve in his body was on fire. He placed his hand on the nape of her neck and deepened the kiss. It was like white hot fire, this kiss. His other hand trailed along her bare thigh. It crossed his mind that she was only wearing his shirt. Seeing her in his shirt was pretty damn sexy in his opinion.
Mikan pulled back for a second, confused at his statement but replied, "I'll meet you there." She kissed the corner of his mouth and whispered, "But you'll be my heaven."
He started the kiss again and after a while, noticed that her breathing grew labored, more and more so. He had to stop this here. For now. He would make sure that he finished what he started later.
Mikan pulled away, picked up her glass from the counter, and took another sip of water to suppress the cough that was boiling up. She was really beginning to wonder why she wasn't dead right now. The necklace should really have done away with her by now. It was a frightening thought, really, that there must be an alternative reason as to why Persona and Victoria want her alive. Missions, no doubt. But there had to be something else—she just didn't know what. But how she wished she knew.
Mikan suddenly remembered what she was supposed to tell him. She looked at him quickly. "Natsume?"
"Hm?" he said, drawing pointless little circles on her hand that lay on the counter.
"Will you run away with me?"
Natsume stopped and he looked at her so quickly, that it startled Mikan to see his eyes on her in that short amount of time. He looks like she just asked him to marry her.
"What?"
"It's a stupid idea, isn't it?" Mikan began to lose courage. Of course, she thought, just because I want to run away, doesn't mean he does. "You don't have to answer. Just forget—"
Mikan was off her feet and the room around her began to spin. Natsume held her closely after he spun her around. "I was going to ask you that."
Mikan smiled, "Thank goodness." She was sort of relieved that he agreed to do this with her. It means she's not alone.
There was a long moment of silence before Natsume asked, "So, when are we leaving this hellhole?"
"As soon as I—"
Mikan suddenly felt very sick. She quickly set the glass on the counter and ran to the sink. Bile rose from her throat and she wretched. Natsume was immediately behind her, holding her hair back. Nothing came out of her except for water. It was all she had, and she didn't eat much yesterday. It tasted disgusting, nonetheless.
"Ugh," Mikan said, panting heavily.
"We need to find a way to rip that necklace off of your neck," Natsume said.
"That's what I was…going to say," Mikan coughed out. Blood appeared in the sink and she quickly washed it down the drain with water before Natsume saw it. He didn't need to see that.
"Can you even hold down a glass of water?"
Mikan nodded her head weakly. "I can." She corrected herself. "I will."
"What exactly did Persona say about the necklace when he gave it to you?" Natsume asked, as he gave her a fresh cup of water.
Mikan traced back her memory to that cold, snowy night. "He said something along the lines of, 'You can't take this off yourself once you have it on'."
"You can't take it off yourself?" Natsume inquired.
Mikan's eyes widened, "You're not thinking…?"
"I am."
"No," Mikan said. "It's not going to work." She looked at him warningly. "It's cursed, Natsume. If you tried to take it off, you don't know what could happen."
"You don't know what could happen either," he said.
Mikan shook her head, "It's Persona. If he created this thing, then do you really think it would be that easy to take off?"
Natsume gave a longing look and in a pained voice said, "It hurts you to be with me." He was leaning on the counters with his elbows and his were on his forehead.
Mikan pulled him up and forced him to look into her eyes, "It hurts me more not to be."
"Why won't you let me try?" Natsume asked, gritting his teeth again. "You're so stubborn!"
Mikan smirked, "So I've been told."
"You're smiling at a time like this?"
"Hm," Mikan said, leaning closer to him. "I've always been the odd one, haven't I?"
"So you did notice?" Natsume asked.
He was right about to start kissing her again, when there was a knock on his door. He grumbled something about people not caring to knock any other time except now and went to answer the door.
"What?" he snapped, answering the door.
It was Luca again. He had a worried expression on his face. "Natsume—" Luca was cut off when he saw Mikan walking to the door. He nearly fainted. "Oh, dear God…" This happened to him before. Luca could only imagine what these two do when they're together. Why was it always him that has to bump into these awkward moments?
Natsume glanced back, and scowled. He slapped his hand over Luca's eyes and glared at Mikan. "Go put some clothes on!"
Mikan tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow, keeping her distance from Natsume for a little bit of relief. "What were you about to say, Luca?"
Luca's head was tilted back a bit from Natsume's hand being over his face. "I-I came to tell Natsume that Victoria was substituting for Narumi in c-class."
Mikan's eyes widened. "What?" she screeched. She walked right up to Luca, pushed Natsume away, and grabbed his shirt. "What was she doing there?" Luca's face showed that he was extremely uncomfortable. "Answer me, Luca!"
"I-I don't know, Mikan!" Luca said, looking anywhere but her. "Natsume, help me!"
Natsume sighed as he walked behind Mikan. He easily lifted her off her feet and set her down behind him. He looked straight at her angry and frantic face. "Go to our room."
"Not until I find out what Victoria did to Narumi!" Mikan said firmly.
"Our?" Luca said. "What do you mean by 'our'?"
Luca was ignored by both. "Polka, I swear, if you don't—"
"Natsume, this isn't the time to be arguing! Narumi could be in trouble!" Mikan was restless now.
"Luca, wait right here," Natsume said.
He shut the door in Luca's face and went straight to Mikan. "What's wrong with you?"
"Victoria and Persona did something to Narumi," Mikan said anxiously. "I need to find out. They're probably torturing him. Oh, Natsume, this is my fault."
"I guess we're both guilty, then."
Mikan was getting pissed. "Didn't I tell you it wasn't your fault?" Natsume didn't reply. "Go get Luca. I'll be right there."
Natsume let Luca in and Mikan joined them shortly on the couch clad in her DA uniform shirt and skirt that she wore yesterday. She seemed to have misplaced the blazer. Luca looked better now that she was fully clothed. Natsume was still pissed at her show a few minutes ago.
"Did Victoria do anything…peculiar?" Mikan asked quietly.
Luca sighed, "Mainly, she gave orders to do work that Narumi apparently left us. I know that's not the truth." He rubbed his sweaty palms against his pants. "Narumi never leaves us work."
"Narumi knows," Mikan said. "Narumi knows everything, Natsume. That's why they took him. Narumi knows me too well. He probably knows what I'm planning on doing now."
"What can they do to him?" Natsume scoffed. "He's just as much of a teacher as them."
"They're going to torture him," Mikan said, eyes widening.
"Where'd they take him?" Luca asked.
"Probably underground," Mikan said. "Into the tunnels. There must be alternative routes that lead to some kind of cell chamber."
"Tunnels?" Luca said skeptically. "We have underground tunnels?"
"We have a town on school campus, Luca," Natsume said. "Of course we'd have some secret underground tunnels leading to torture chambers."
"We have to find him," Mikan said. "And then we have to help him run—"
It happened so quickly, that nobody could have predicted it. They heard a deafening explosion. Mikan was up and out of her seat before anyone could stop her. She ran to the window and looked outside. She couldn't believe her eyes.
The academy was being attacked.
There were bombs being dropped into the northern forest. There were people infiltrating academy grounds. They carried guns, grenades, and worst of all, their alices. Trees were on fire and the sight was absolutely horrid. It reminded Mikan of the AAO headquarters she destroyed. The gravel was bashed in and the concrete walls were blown up.
Hundreds of infiltrators ran onto academy grounds, burning, destroying everything they saw. In a matter of minutes, a war broke out. Mikan immediately saw DA students—and other high school students—fighting already. She knew that Victoria's DA had to be prepared at a moment's notice, but this was all too sudden for her.
Mikan began to formulate a plan in her head. She would really have to stick it out. She only heard what happened in wars, and it wasn't pretty. Killing people shouldn't be something that she wasn't used to, but this scared her for some reason. She never expected this to happen. She hoped she wasn't alone, but she knew that what she was going to do would ensure that she was. Mikan was trapped.
Alice warfare was beginning.
Mikan acted quickly. She ran over to Luca. "Luca, get Hotaru, Anna, Koko, and everyone that you can. I'm sure Hotaru has some kind of device that can get you away from here. If she doesn't, force her to make one. And quick."
"Mikan?" Luca said. "What's going on?"
"Just go!" Mikan said. "And take Natsume with you. I'll explain later."
"Oi, Polka," Natsume said, grabbing her arm. "What the hell's going on?"
There was another loud explosion. Mikan's throat began to burn again. "Natsume, I can't explain too much now, but the academy's being attacked. You have to go with Luca and do what I just said."
"Where are you going?" Natsume asked, before she could run off.
There was a smaller explosion, and the sound of crumbling bricks. "You're going to have to trust me on this one, Natsume." Mikan looked at him. He wasn't going to leave her. "I'll meet up with you as soon as possible, okay? Just…trust me."
"I'm not leaving you."
"You have to, Natsume," Mikan said, trying to come up with an excuse to make him go. She thought of one. "I have to get some supplies from my room. You have to go. I'll teleport as soon as I'm ready. There's nothing to it."
Natsume was persistent. "Why can't we go together?"
"Teleporting two people takes more energy than one," Mikan said. "As you already know, I need all of my energy."
Natsume reluctantly agreed. "Fine, but once I see you again, you're not going anywhere."
Mikan nodded, "I promise, when we meet again, we will stay together. But for now, we have to separate." She leaned up and gave him a long, lingering kiss. "I love you." Mikan held his hand tightly. She hoped that she could keep that promise. Or, at least, try to. At that moment, she wondered whether or not she told the truth. She knew what she was about to do. What she had to do. Why was it that she felt this horrible longing to run with him?
Natsume kissed her once, twice, thrice before turning around and running with Luca. Mikan took a deep breath before looking at what destruction has happened. In a matter of minutes, buildings were on fire, people were being evacuated, alices were fighting. Mikan clenched her teeth and teleported to her room.
To say that she was surprised would be an understatement. Isabella and Ivan were waiting for her. They were in their specific mission outfits, designed especially for their unique alice. Mikan was relieved to see them there. She had to go look for them, anyway, to tell them that they had to fight.
"Mikan," Isabella said. She ran over and hugged her tight. "I'm so glad you're okay. Ivan and I were about to grab your mission uniform and look for you."
"I'm here," Mikan said. "and I'm better than ever."
Ivan gave Mikan a hug, just as Isabella did. "I'm sure you know what we're doing, right?"
Mikan nodded, "Keeping this academy safe." Keeping my friends safe, she thought.
So she lied to Natsume. She knew she was a horrible person. But more than anything, she wanted Natsume safe. He would eventually know that she wasn't leaving with him, but Luca and Hotaru would make sure he left with them. They would be safe and as far away from the academy as possible. At least, that's what she hoped. For now, her place will be here with Ivan and Isabella. And if fate wanted it, they would meet again soon.
"We're going to take different sections," Ivan said. "The rest of the DA is scattered between the school buildings, main buildings, hospitals and such. There isn't very many of us, but I'm sure the faculty and a lot of high school students are taking part in this."
"I'll take Central Town," Mikan said. "I'm sure they need help there."
Ivan nodded, "I'm taking the high school division. Isabella's taking the front gate."
"No, that's way too dangerous," Mikan said. "You could get easily bombed there."
"Same with Central Town," she said. "Besides, someone has to take that position. I'll be with some others, anyways."
Mikan hugged both of her friends again. "Try to keep in touch. Keep those cell phones on. They're the only means of communication we have."
The both nodded and headed out of her dorm. Mikan quickly went to her closet and dragged out her uniform. The she slid on the black shorts and strapped a gun onto her thigh. She slid on a white tank top and put her leather jacket on afterwards. After zipping up her boots, Mikan searched her closet until she found a backpack. She filled it with a couple of water bottles, some food, and supplies. She didn't know how nasty this war was going to get, but she needed to be prepared.
War. That sounded so awful. To think, she was getting ready for something that began so suddenly. But, this is what she was trained for. She ran out of her room. Mikan ran down the current hallway, making sure nobody was left in their rooms. She did this on every floor before she just teleported to Central Town.
Mikan felt like she just stepped into hell. Alices were screaming for their lives and running. She recognized the symbol on the back of one of the men's shirts. AAO. Of course. Surprise attack. Mikan struggled to keep her composure. Seeing this shouldn't make her queasy, but it did. She went through stuff that was just as bad as this.
Mikan shook her head. No. She was just worried about Natsume. That's all.
. . .
Hotaru was getting annoyed with all these people in her lab. She wasn't used to this. Nobody was supposed to be in her lab except for her and occasionally Luca.
"Imai, you're supposed to get us out of here," Natsume snapped.
Hotaru glared at him, "Calm down, Hyuuga. I don't see you working on anything."
"She'll be here, Natsume," Luca whispered so only he could hear.
"How do you know?" Natsume grumbled in a low voice.
"She said she would," Luca said.
"I don't think she has a problem with lying to me to keep me safe," Natsume said. "I feel like a damn three-year-old."
"You're acting like one," Luca said, sitting down next to him. "Quit whining. She knows what she's doing."
"She's an idiot," Natsume said.
"Is that why you love her?"
Natsume looked up to see Hotaru. He raised an eyebrow, "Don't you have a machine to work on?"
"Don't you have a shirt you can put on?" she talked back.
"Does it really bother you?"
Luca cut in, "Here, Natsume." Luca tossed him his hoodie. "Just wear this."
"And for your information," Hotaru said. "I've already finished."
"That quick?" Luca asked.
"Yes, well, it was an old thing I had lying around. I never really wanted to finish it, but I suppose it made it reentry to my lab. I made a few tweaks and had it transport."
"How does it work?"
"Only three people can go at a time maximum," she explained. "You simply press a series of numbers and you separate atomically. After that, you get transported a few miles away from this academy where we will meet and make a plan."
"Atomically?" Luca asked. "Meaning, atom by atom? Won't that…hurt?"
Hotaru raised an eyebrow, "I'll make sure you'll be the first to find out."
"Start sending people off," Natsume said. "How many are there, anyway?"
"Mainly our class," Hotaru said. "That's all that we could get." She turned her attention to the group of people lounging in her lab. "All, right. We're going to get started. I'm not sure when the idiot will show up, but we have to follow orders. Get in line."
Natsume's jaw stiffened. Luca saw this and placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "She'll be here."
Natsume didn't reply.
. . .
Mikan ran down the street. The town was beginning to empty, people were running away fast. The streets were bare except for a running person here or there, trying to find safety. She found herself at a bar. There was nobody inside and she wondered whether or not this would be a good hideout. Does the AAO have any desperate alcoholics? She wondered.
Mikan stepped inside. The place was in good condition—just empty and had some wine bottles thrown here or there. The place gave her the chills.
"Hello?" Mikan said. "Is anyone there?"
Silence greeted her. Mikan kept her nullification alice on alert. If she was attacked by surprise, then she would automatically nullify the alice that attacked her. Gunshots are what she worried about, though. She couldn't do much to block those. Suddenly, Mikan heard a piercing scream. A cry for help.
She ran out of the bar and saw an AAO agent holding a student by her hair.
"Hey!" Mikan yelled, getting out her gun. "Let her go! She's only a student!"
The agent pointed a gun at her. Mikan loaded hers. "Step back, or the girl dies."
Mikan held her ground. "Let her go!" She was screaming. "Let her go, now!"
The man threw the girl harshly on the ground. She scrambled to her feet and ran. The man headed straight for Mikan. Mikan tried to back away, but the snow as slowing down her progress. She stumbled backwards until the agent clamped his hand around her neck and lifted her off the ground.
Mikan felt herself choking. She desperately tried to pry his fingers off of her throat. As quickly as she could, she kicked the man hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He let go of her and staggered backwards. Mikan hurried to pick up her gun and shot him straight in the head.
Her hands were shaking, and she was panting like a dog. Mikan slipped down to her knees and placed a hand over her pulsing heart.
The man was merciless. He was about to kill an innocent student. How could he do that? Did wars really bring out this in people? Mikan felt herself sniffling from the cold, but it also might have been from the tears that she was letting out.
"So scary," she whispered.
Mikan didn't want to go through that again. She got out of it, sure, but she would have been dead if she didn't think fast enough. Why was she even scared? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't the AAO be afraid of her? Maybe it was because she had never been in a war before. Sure, she went around on missions, but all the while she knew what she was set up for. Danger. Wasn't a war the same?
No. It wasn't. Wars are unpredictable. Mikan had no idea what was in store for her. Would she end up dying? Wars last for years. All people do during that time is fight and kill. Mikan helplessly wondered if the upcoming years in her life would be her fighting in this war and dying in it. Would that happen? Her life was shortened as it was. The thought burned her mind. It was frightening. She could very well tick the number of years she had in her life off her fingers.
Mikan deeply breathed in cold air and stepped up. She furiously wiped her face with her black leather glove. She replaced her gun on her strap and began walking down the street, ignoring the dead man making the snow go red.
Snow. It was funny, but she wasn't cold at all. She was wearing shorts, and she wasn't cold. Maybe because it was her fire alice burning inside of her that kept her warm. She didn't know, but she was glad that at least she wouldn't freeze to death.
As soon as she was running again, Mikan ran down to the square.
. . .
Natsume stood outside the machine they were using to escape. He impatiently tapped his foot. Wasn't she supposed to be here by now? It should take her that long. How many supplies was she bringing?
Luca stared at his best friend and gave Hotaru a look. They both easily knew what Mikan was doing. She wasn't coming. She was going to stay and fight. Natsume should know this too, but the trust he had in her led him to believe otherwise. It was all futile. She wasn't coming, and Natsume would have to face the fact.
"Natsume," Luca said tentatively. "We should be getting ready to leave soon. Imai said that we were the last three."
"She'll be here," Natsume said, but he paused. "The last three?"
Luca swallowed. "Yeah. We need to get going before something bad happens—"
Suddenly, the side of Hotaru's lab blew up. Debris flew everywhere, and it could've killed someone. But luckily, the three hid behind a lab desk. The wall was on fire and beyond it one could see the snow outside. Luca jinxed it.
Luca grabbed Hotaru and pushed her forward. Natsume traveled not far behind, walking over busted cement bricks.
As they were all stepping into the machine, something in Natsume clicked. His eyes widened as he said, "She isn't coming."
Luca glanced at him worriedly, "Natsume, get in."
Natsume glanced at Luca. He stood still. Luca began to worry. Was he going to leave? Natsume took a hesitant step forward and Luca filled with relief. But it was only to be replaced with shocked when Natsume closed the machine with him outside it. Luca stared at his best friend with wide eyes.
"See ya, Luca," Natsume said, waving to his friend. Then, he turned around and ran out the broken wall.
Luca called after him, "Natsume!"
But it was useless. He was gone.
. . .
Mikan reached the square and immediately ran down an alleyway. She was hiding. There were countless AAO agents scattered amongst the buildings. Mikan hid behind a couple of frozen crates. She kneeled perfectly still, waiting for the right moment to start an explosion that would kill them all.
Mikan noticed that they all stood on the edge. Of course, she could create a fire big enough to kill them all right then and there, but there was no telling what that could do to her health. She needed her health more than she needed to wipe them out, so she was going to wait.
Mikan became aware of the way they moved. They moved towards the center of the square, and faced the edge at one point of their guarding. She figured out what they were doing. If anyone were to come near the square, they would kill them on the spot. Mikan wondered how she got away. Then it hit her. They were walking towards the center, with their backs facing her.
That was the opportune moment.
Mikan waited for a while, and when she saw them moving towards the center, she got ready. As their backs faced her, she moved from behind the crates and up towards the opening of the alleyway. Once they were far enough away, she walked into the square, ever so quietly. She was completely prepared to kill, but what happened next shocked her to no end.
An explosion appeared out of nowhere. The ground the agents stood on literally blew up, sending bodies flying five, ten feet away. Mikan was knocked back onto her backside. She held an arm up against the bright flames. Then, her eyes widened. Out of the flames appeared someone she did not expect to see.
Natsume.
Her jaw dropped and she watched him walked towards her. He wore an angry expression and the fire that was blazing behind him only intensified it. Mikan was at a loss for words.
Natsume was crouching at her side in a matter of seconds. He looked directly into her eyes. "So…you tried to get rid of me?"
Mikan got up into a sitting position. She avoided his gaze and looked down. "I had to stay and fight."
Natsume held her chin and gently turned her face to look at him. "I'm not stupid."
Mikan frowned, "Okay, so I had to keep them off your track."
Natsume smirked, "How did that work out for you?"
Mikan's lip was quivering. "Not too well."
Natsume's eyes widened, "Are…are you going to cry?"
Mikan finally looked at him with her eyes. "Why are you here?"
"I told you I wasn't going to leave you, didn't I?"
Mikan's throat burned. "But you could get killed—"
"Oi," Natsume said, exasperatedly rubbing his temples. "Polka, stop treating me like I can't take care of myself. If you don't remember, I'm still a Dangerous Ability student. I just don't go on missions, thanks to a certain someone."
Mikan almost smiled. "That certain someone saved your life." Mikan leaned up to peck his lips. "And she's almost glad that you're here."
"Almost?" Natsume said, bumping his forehead with hers.
"I'm not sure that you can handle fighting by my side," Mikan teased.
Natsume gave her a small smile—the one that was meant only for her to see. It sent Mikan's heart fluttering. Natsume whispered, "Well, why don't we find out?"
Natsume got up to his feet and helped Mikan up. She held his hand tightly. There was no mistaking that she was happy that he was here now. She felt so alone. She was sure she was going to die in this bloody war. But with Natsume, she felt like everything was possible.
Mikan stood in front of Natsume, clasping both of his hands in hers. She looked up into his eyes. "You're dangerous for me, Natsume."
Natsume raised an eyebrow, "Why would that be?"
Mikan hugged him and he hugged her back. She sighed. "You make me believe in the impossible."
Okay, Merry Christmas to you all. This was a quicker update, no?
Major plot twist. Ha! I hope you enjoyed it.
Reviews are appreciated.