Chapter 4
"Ruka! Stop it! Ahhhh!!!!!"
"I can't. I'm almost there."
"Oooohhhh… But you have to! The pain's killing me!" Mikan exclaimed as she continues to groan.
"Pant-pant. You expect me to just stop in times like this? I'm almost…pant-pant…there!" Ruka almost shouted as he tried to wipe away his sweat with the back of his hand.
Finally, Ruka was able to reach the finish line of the oval. He and Mikan have been practicing for the coming track and field day. But it is not like any other marathon because in this case, the objective of the game is for a pair to reach the finish line with the one on the back of the other.
Ruka and Mikan were running around the oval for the past two hours, although it was more of Ruka running alone with Mikan complaining at his back. He still can't believe he is here right now practicing for a sport that he never dreamed he would be joining in the first place. He turned his gaze to the girl beside her and remembered the event that led him to that place…
"The track and field day is fast approaching. But in contrast to the tradition of having a 5k marathon each year, this time we will only have a 2000m run."
"That's great, Mr. Narumi."
"Yeah. We can have more players to join."
"Well, I'm not yet finished. You see, we lowered it to 2k because this time, we will have it by pair."
"Huh?"
"What do you mean, Mr. Narumi?"
Suddenly a hand shoots up in the air.
"I want to join, Mr. Narumi. Then Ruka will be my partner." Mikan waved her hand gleefully. "I'm so excited that I can't stop my hand from raising!" Mikan said more to Ruka than her teacher.
Ruka sweatdropped.
And so here they are in the field practicing in their break time. It was a good thing that those with latent ability, specifically in running, were exempted from joining or their efforts could have been doomed.
Ruka suddenly noticed that they are the only people in the field. He turned his gaze to his partner and felt his heart started to pound faster.
"Umm Mikan…There's something I want to tell you."
Huh? Mikan thought. She was surprised of the sudden shift of expression of Ruka. It makes her feel uncomfortable and somehow, she also feels her heart starting to beat double.
"Mikan…I think…I-I think…I'm in love with you…"
There. He finally said it. Somehow, Ruka finds it hard to look at Mikan after saying what he had been holding on for months now. Heck, it's even more than a year now since he fell in love with her even when Natsume was still around. Natsume…what would he think about this? Would he be happy for his best friend to make a move to his girlfriend…no, it's ex-girlfriend…
"Ruka…I don't know…you see, I…" Mikan started.
"It's okay Mikan. I know you're not ready to face another relationship right now. Not with Natsume…" Ruka stopped with the mention of his best friend. It had been a long time since he ever mentioned his name in front of her, knowing that it feels taboo everytime someone mentions it. "I mean, just think about what I said, ok?"
"Thanks Ruka." Mikan forced a smile to her companion.
"Mikan!"
Mikan turned around and saw one of her good friends, Anna, approaching her, panting. She looked like she'd been running for quite some time too. But Anna is not joining the marathon, right? So why does she look like she run more than Ruka? Mikan thought.
"Mikan…you must hear this out! I heard from Nonoko who heard this from Sumire who got the information from Kokoro who eavesdropped from Mr Narumi's room and read his mind who…"
"Ok Anna. Just tell us what's going on." Ruka cut her off as he joined the two girls.
"Oh ok. He's back! You would not believe this Mikan but it's true. He's back! He's in the hospital right now!" Anna finished with a smile.
"Are we talking about…?" Mikan's voice trailed in mid-air.
"Natsume!" Anna filled in for her.
Mikan did not waste more time. She left immediately without saying another word. Ruka was about to follow her when Anna stopped him.
"Umm…I'm sorry Ruka. I think we should give them time to see each other before we visit him." Anna said to Ruka.
Ruka hung his head in surrender.
Mikan run like she never run before. She finds in hard to even breathe just thinking of Natsume and the possibility that he might vanish again before she even reached him. She dashed her way to the hospital, ignoring the curious look of the students along the hallway. When she arrived at Natsume's room, she slammed her way in and there she saw him…lying in bed covered with a sheet up to his chest, sleeping. But something else caught her eyes…a girl of her age beside Natsume's bed. She has an auburn hair tied in a ponytail, has round eyes, and a fair complexion. And something's telling her, she doesn't like what she is seeing, especially if the girl's hand is holding her boyfriend's hand…
"Hey! What are you doing?" Mikan shouted, dashing her way to the unknown girl and grabbing her hand.
The girl might not have noticed Mikan's entry for her green eyes turned rounder when she saw her.
It was an awkward scene. Mikan got a better look of the girl and her heart sank. Somehow, she noticed that the girl is really pretty. She can't help but be envious of the sight that welcomed her.
But what was most terrifying was when Mikan felt angry fire staring to rise on her skirt…
"Ooowww! W-what the…?" Mikan stammered while looking at the source of the heat. Suddenly, her fragile heart feels like it's going to crash as it occurred to her what just happened and what's about to happen.
"D-don't y-you dare t-touch her!" Natsume's voice growled that echoed all around the big room.
But it wasn't Natsume's voice that made Mikan's hair stand. It was more than that. It was the fact that Natsume was looking at her with eyes ready to eat his prey and that the statement he just proclaimed was definitely addressed to her.
Mikan cannot believe what she is seeing. And so, for the second time in her whole life, she fainted.
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"Mikan! Hey Mikan!"
She can hear voices around her, calling her name, as she tries to open her eyes. She can see shadows of people in front of her but a bright ray of light seems to prevent her from making the visions clear. But still, she managed to finally open them wide and when she did, the memories of the previous event flowed back into her memory.
Natsume…
She tried to close her eyes again. If possible, she wants to just close them and never see reality again. It's so painful. But the voices of her friends around her seems to induce her to wake up and so she finally decided to abide to their will.
"Finally, you're up."
Mikan glanced to her best friend, Hotaru. There are times that she feels that her bestfriend had almost abandoned her. But right now, seeing her by her side, she can't help but release all her emotions as she grabbed her best friend and hug her.
"H-hota-taru…H-he choke h-hurt me-e-e…" Mikan wailed to her as she tried to spit out every single word she wants to say.
Hotaru remained silent and hugged her best friend back. She had been known as the ice princess who is deprived of all emotions in the world. Yet, when it comes to Mikan, even when she persistently tries to oppose every sweet hugs from her, she knows in her mind that she would always protect this girl.
Some of Mikan's friends were also beside her bed. But the image of the two hugging pierced their hearts and so they remained quiet, just listening to Mikan's sob. An hour ago, they were very glad when they heard of Natsume's return. Who wouldn't, right? But since they know how excited Mikan would be to meet him, they decided to let her go first. So it was a devastating sight when they arrived to see Mikan lying on the floor with a piece of her uniform burnt. What was more crushing was the form of Natsume looking at the lying girl like he's really pissed off. It finally occurred to them that the fire came from Natsume.
But why would he try to burn Mikan? Certainly, it's not because of the other girl he is with? Ruka thought to himself as he remembered the events that happened just a while ago…
"Natsume! What happened?" Ruka asked Natsume after Mikan was brought out of the room.
"She tried to hurt Mizuki." Natsume bluntly answered referring to the girl beside him.
"But why? You could have just told her not to. But why hurt her like that? You know she's so fragile…and she's no sensitive when it comes to you." Ruka answered back with more force that Natsume was taken aback by it.
"Dammit Ruka. Who is she anyway?!" Natsume glared at his best friend.
And with that last statement, Ruka was left dumbfounded and quietly left the room..
rs. Reviews please!!!!!!!!!!!! )