SONG/S FEATURED
• Hoshi No Nagareru Yoru Ni sung by Takagaki Ayahi from the anime Special A – suggested by xoxochisakixoxo.
• Just Melody sung by UVERworld – suggested by Masshou no Tenshi.
Turn the Music Up
Written by: Aminatsu032
-xx-
"Mikan?" I heard my mom say from her bedroom. I didn't look at her because I was looking down. Everything that followed after that became a blur.
I couldn't believe what just happened today.
I couldn't believe that he actually…
…kissed me.
-xx-
VERSE FOURTEEN:
"Mikan! Mikan, dear! Wake up or you'll be late!" I heard my mom say at the other side of the door.
I slowly opened my eyes, having a disastrous headache. I didn't get much sleep last night…neither did I get anything to eat for dinner. Somehow, I could hear my stomach talking to me and telling me to eat something before it dies. My mom was kind enough not to ask me what happened, but I knew she was worried about me.
I stood up, wobbling, as I opened the door. I saw my mom running around the house – to the kitchen and back to her room.
When she saw me, she spoke, "I'll be leaving again for another trip. I'll be back just before Christmas."
She approached me and patted my head. "I'm sorry to leave you again, Honey. I've prepared your breakfast."
I just nodded, my eyes still half-open. "You take care, Mom." Like, woah. I couldn't believe how horrible my voice sounded like.
My mother smiled as she went back to her room. "You better eat your breakfast now." My stomach spoke to me again.
I sighed and went to the kitchen.
-xx-
"Good morning, Mikan!" I heard Anna say the moment I entered the practice room. She was caressing her guitar, like it was some kind of child.
"You're late," Hotaru noted, glancing at the wall clock. I could feel pointy icicles in her voice, though it still sounded plain.
I scratched my head. "Yeah, sorry. I didn't get that much sleep last night."
Anna suddenly stood up from her chair, nearly dropping her precious guitar. "Heeeey! Come to think of it, the date was yesterday, right?"
I twitched when I heard the word 'yesterday'. I actually didn't want to answer her back. I was glad when Nonoko called from behind the drums to tell Anna we were supposed to start. Then, when Anna wasn't looking, she winked at me. I'll be noting that in the list of favors I need to pay back for.
I positioned myself behind the mic when Hotaru said "Hoshi No Nagareru Yoru Ni" while fixing the volume of her keyboard from beside me.
I knew that song. It was one of songs in the first album of Stellar. And it was also one of the songs where Hotaru would ditch her bass guitar for the keyboard.
Himo wo toite mieta kokoro no oku
Dareka no tame ni jibun wo kizutsuke
Chiisana kono te de mamoreru you
Tsuyoku tsuyoku negau hoshi no nagareru yoru ni
Yozora ni sui—
"Stop," Hotaru suddenly said. All of us looked at her. "Mikan, you're out of tune," she noted. I raised my eyebrow. Yeah, I know I sounded horrible this morning, but I think I sang the first part pretty well!
"Let's start from that part again." she told everyone.
As soon as I got my cue, I started singing again.
Yozora ni suikomareru ikusen no matataki
Itsuka anata ni todoke ni yukemasu youni
Kono uta ni noseru ne egao no tane wo
Itsuka anata ga hana wo sakasemasu youni
Yozora ni uta wo nosete chiisana mahou wo kakeru
Zutto hitori de kurushimanai de hoshii no
Hoshizora wo miagete negai goto wo suru ne
Itsuka mabayui egao sakimasu youni
Hoshizora wo miagete negai goto wo suru ne
Itsuka mabayui egao sakimasu youni
I almost jumped when I heard applause from the door. I turned to see who it was and saw Ruka's smiling face. And beside him…yeah, you could have guessed. Shit! My eyes are burning, damn it! Hell, why do they have to show up at the least expected moment?
"Sorry. We didn't know you were using the practice room. We were about to rehearse for our performance later." Ruka said, shrugging.
"You could use it, anyway," Hotaru said, turning the black keyboard off. "Mikan's not all it today so we better just stop."
I frowned. I really thought I sang the song correctly this time. I glanced at the door only to find out that Natsume had been looking at me. All the headaches from this morning suddenly came back. I suddenly became all wobbly again. Darn it! This really wasn't the time!
Stupid, stupid, irresistible eyes.
"Sakura, is something wrong?" Ruka asked. Great. Now everyone was looking at me. Of course there was something wrong!
I forced a laugh. "Sorry; just having a headache. I better just head to the clinic and rest."
I swiftly walked through the door, knowing Natsume was just standing there. I was actually having the urge of bumping into his shoulder, but I dropped it. Having Yakako to talk to would be really good right now.
-xx-
"So, you went on a date with Natsume?" Yakako asked as she gave me a bottle of medicine.
"It wasn't actually a date it was more of a – " I paused, looking for a word, " – an errand, probably? Or a favor? Something like that."
Yakako nodded as I slipped one of the tablets into my mouth and drank the water on my bedside table.
I groaned. "I probably should get some rest now."
Yakako laughed, sitting at the nurse's chair. "You should. I don't want people to think I don't make my patients feel better."
I positioned myself into the bed, my face sinking into the pillow. Mmm…soft bed. I love you. You remind me of…- I paused in the middle of my thoughts – someone.
At that I drifted to sleep.
During those hours, I had a dream, but when I woke up, I couldn't remember a single thing – well except for the fact that he was there. Wasn't there a kind of spell that can remove a person from your mind?
I stood up. My headache was getting a little bit better. I glanced at the clock. 11:30, it said. There was still thirty minutes before my afternoon classes start. I thought it would be pretty bad to ditch all my classes today.
"I'm going to grab some lunch now," I called to Yakako as I walked to the door.
"Come back if you're not feeling well again," she called back.
I walked to the staircase to head for the cafeteria, cursing quietly at every little thing that bugged me, when I heard footsteps drawing nearer and nearer to me. I turned my head to the right and saw a rampage of girls holding gifts heading to my direction.
My eyes widened. I was about to get caught in a stampede! My first thought was to head down stairs but I heard more. My eyes searched for a good hiding spot. Thank goodness, I saw a small storage room near the staircase.
I quickly opened the door and shut it behind me, panting.
"What the hell was that?!" I asked aloud. Maybe that's just how it goes when you're about to get squished and stomped on.
"Fan girls." Stupid girl. You shouldn't have asked.
I turned to the direction where the voice came from and saw Natsume's face, slightly illuminated by the small light coming from a small window. He was sitting on a wooden box at the far-end of the storage room.
"Are you feeling better?" he asked, flatly.
"Um…yeah," I stammered. "Y-you were hiding?"
Natsume rolled his crimson orbs. "Duh." That was so like him.
I just groaned and sat in a corner.
Seeing I was still there, Natsume raised one of his eyebrows. "You're not leaving, like you did this morning?"
My brows furrowed at him. "Are you telling me to leave?" Yes, I was sort of uncomfortable with him alone, but asking me to leave? What is he getting to?
"Tch. No. I was just presuming you were avoiding me or something."
I twitched. Avoiding him?! "You think I left because I was avoiding you?"
Natsume looked at me as-a-matter-of-factly.
Somehow, I felt offended on what he was trying to say. I mean, hello! Me? Avoiding him?
"That's it," I said. "I'll stay here to prove it to you."
Natsume smirked. "You're serious?"
I rolled my eyes. "Of course I am."
He smirk grew wider. God, this was getting to me.
Natsume slowly stood up and went near me. While he went nearer and nearer, I instinctively moved backward until I heard a soft 'thud'. I cursed under my breath realizing there was no more space to move backward to.
Natsume leaned his face forward. He was so close, it suddenly reminded me of last night. My temples thumped again.
"What's up?" he said in his husky voice. "Chickening out?"
"N-no…" I murmured. My heart beat faster and faster. It was hard to look at his handsome, smirking face so close to me. And to think I just realized I loved him! That was just great! PEACHY. Darn it!
At last, after countless beatings, Natsume leaned back and turned around to sit at the wooden box again.
"How long are you going to stay on the floor?" he said, pointing to the space beside him.
My eyes widened. "You want me to sit beside you?!"
Natsume rolled his eyes. "I thought you said you weren't avoiding me."
"I'm not, but –" I deliberated the consequences for a minute, before I actually did what I had to do. If I didn't sit beside him, I was safe, because I wasn't actually sure on what he was going to do, but if I sat beside him...well, if I sat beside him, then...OH WHAT THE HECK?!
I stood up and crouched beside him.
Natsume chuckled silently for a moment before he leaned his head at my shoulder.
"Wait wha – what are you doing?!" I asked, alarmed.
Natsume didn't answer back, we just stayed like that for some time, being comfortable at each other's touch.
You might not notice, but I was suddenly becoming obsessed with him...okay, maybe I have. And maybe, just maybe, I didn't want to attend afternoon classes after all.
.xx.
We assembled at the gymnasium to watch Cross sing. Everybody demanded for it since, they say, that it was Natsume's birthday yesterday.
We went out of the compartment after a while and it turns out that Ruka and Hotaru were both looking for us. I couldn't care less anyway, I liked the feeling of being with Natsume.
"Hey, guys! This is it!" Ruka started, warming up the crowd.
"Yeah. Enjoy." I sweat dropped. Well that was said rather flatly. That was Natsume.
As the music started playing, the crown quieted down.
Machi no hitogomi ni magire hitori sameta me wo shite tojiteku sono kokoro
Yasashisa wa motomezu ni kizu tsuku dake nara
Hito to surechigatte yuku tabi ni usureteku kimi no iro kurai yoru ni obienaide
It's melody ushinatte shimatta kokoro no kakera atsume
Itsuka kimi ga waraeru you ni yeah
Just melody hontou wa yasashiku mujaki na kimi no egao
Itsumo boku ga mamotteku kara
Zenaku shitta hito mitai ni kotae wa mitsukete nai kedo
Kimochi wo again ososugiru koto wa nai
It's melody deai mo wakare mo atarashii oto wo kureru
Ano egao mo nakusenai oto yeah
Just melody melody wasurenaide tooku hanarete itemo
Kimi no melody kikoeteru kara
Mado ni utsuru hikari sae mo mou terashite wa kurenai you na ki ga shite
Hitori de kogoetetan da
It's melody ushinatte shimatta kokoro no kakera atsume
Itsuka kimi ga waraeru you ni yeah
Just melody kanadete yuku no sa toki no gosenfu no ue
Hitori hitotsu umareta hi kara
It's melody deai mo wakare mo atarashii oto wo kureru
Ano egao mo nakusenai oto yeah
Just melody melody itsuka kimi ga utatte kureta ano uta
Kitto boku wa wasure wa shinai
You are my song
And I'll be with you
Friends will be friends
Forever and ever together
A round of applause ended their performance. I was about to go to the stage to congratulate Natsume when Hotaru tapped my shoulder.
"We have to practice, you know," she said flatly, grabbing my hand. "You've spent enough time with him."
When we arrived at the practice room, I couldn't help but notice the new magazines that just came in.
I randomly picked one up and examined the cover.
"Controversial!" it said.
At the background, there was a picture of a boy and a girl, facing each other. The girl was a brunette and the guy had raven-black hair. My eyes suddenly widened.
Wait a minute – this was from Natsume's apartment! When I went to his place at six with that plan of bringing back Hotaru and Ruka together!
OH MY GOD! AND HE WASN'T WEARING A SHIRT!
I froze as I dropped the magazine.
This was bad. No, it was real bad!
Utmost gratitude to by beta, Ninjah Keewi! XD