The revelation that was unveiled in Mikan's life seemed to be moving already. She was summoned by her grandfather telling her that she'll meet the man she's going to marry in a few days' time. She was cautious as to how her fiancé would look like, and how she could manage the relationship. True, she had gone through few flings with other guys, but she was never one to commit. She was aware of the fact that she falls for any guy easily, as well as have a change in heart and break up with them. If she can't handle any minor relationship, what more can she do to her fiancé? Anyhow, she'll give it a shot. After all, this was for her late mother's sake.
Natsume was resting in his office that day when his uncle Kyou Igarashi, the younger brother of his mother Kaoru, called.
"Natsume, will you be available tonight? I have to talk to you,"
"I'll be home at 7. What do you want to talk about?"
"It's hard on the phone. Why don't we meet at Chez Matsuo? I'll treat you to dinner"
"… Okay."
When it was time to go, Natsume hurriedly stormed to the parking lot and went straight to the said restaurant. Kyou was already waiting for him in the table near the fountain and he greeted his nephew with a smile. Kyou is a man in his late 30's and has eyes similar to Natsume's. He was married and has 3 kids living in the countryside.
"Glad to see you again Natsume. How's city life?"
Natsume dragged his chair and sat while leaning his back towards it. He sipped his strawberry smoothie (his favorite) and rested more comfortably.
"Let's cut the chase. What do you want to tell me?"
"Still as straightforward as ever I see" Kyou half smiled and draw a breath. "I don't know how to break this to you but let's start from the beginning."
Natsume listened intently as he was wondering what his uncle would say. Kyou, seeing the look on Natsume's face never wasted any moment.
"Before your mother died, she had a best friend named Yuka Yukihira. Your parents met her when they were still in Elementary School and became very good friends. Years later, when your mother was still carrying you, she knew she wouldn't see Yuka again because they're going to be living in separate lives. Yuka stayed in the city, while your mother managed the Hacienda. Thus they made a promise that instead of them, their children must meet."
Kyou was cut off when the waiter gave them the menu. The two made quick orders and the waiter ran off towards the counter.
"So what's with the story you're telling me?"
"I'm surprised you still don't get it Natsume."
"I would if you tell me." Natsume was becoming irritated right know considering that he couldn't seem to understand what's the big deal of this.
"It's an arranged marriage."
Natsume scoffed in his statement and took another sip in his smoothie.
"For crying out loud, it's the 21st century! You're not expecting I'd accept that, would you?" Natsume is clealy irritated now and is showing no sign of compliance. Nonetheless, this is a situation where his opinion is not needed, not when their company is at stake.
"And one more thing, Hacienda Igarashi is merging with Yukihira Co."
That's when it hit him. He understood it now. This is what all of this is about, making their business compete in the top industry. And it also hit him, that the one he's going to marry is none other than Mikan Yukihira.
Natsume was speechless. He wants their company to rise, and he would do anything for it to be possible. It's just that marriage isn't the thing he would want to do. It's the last thing on his schedule. He wasn't even sure if this is a good idea. True, the merge and the promise seem to be linked by fate and he couldn't do anything about it, or come up with a game plan at least. He decided he'll give it a try; after all, it was his mother's wish. And considering the benefits he'd get from the merge, he's sure to think like a businessman doing business, real business.
"So, when's the wedding?" he nonchalantly said.
Kyou almost gave a hearty laugh. "Why such in a hurry?" he teased. "Anyway, don't rush things Natsume, you're still going to meet your fiancé this week."
"There's no need to it. I already saw her. And she passed my standards… No, clearly it's the other way around. I passed her standards."
Kyou shook his head and smiled at how his nephew could be a jerk and an airhead at the same time.
"So, it's settled. I'll tell Mr. Yukihira about your reply and I would request that you two meet up already."
And on cue, their meals were served on the table and they spend the night filling their hunger with the main course.
Mikan was nervous that night as she wondered what her fiancé would look like. What if he isn't her type? What if she's not his type? What if she falls for him? What if he falls for her? When will they meet? What day of the week? What hour of the day? Clearly she's getting edgy as she's about to enter a path that's inescapable.
That's when her grandfather called stating that they'll meet this Saturday afternoon. He's already accepted the offer, and operation wedding is well and truly underway.
Natsume on the other hand is feeling anxious as he slumped in his desk. He wasn't doing office work, he's thinking about his damn wedding!
Unlike Mikan, he was already prepared at how he should act. He'll treat this as a business and he'll treat his fiancé the same way he treats his fan girls. Besides, he has no guarantee that his fiancé would like him, but he's determined to make her fall hard. Besides, this is all but a game to him.
Time flew faster than anybody could think, and Saturday finally came. Natsume was already finished in his grooming. He wore casual clothes since it's just their acquaintance, and waited for his phone to ring which signals him to go.
Mikan was still picking what clothes she'll wear. She has no idea what kind of girl her fiancé prefer. But why is she so concerned with it? It's not like this she's going to impress her fiancé. No, not just yet.
Minutes later, both parties were already on their way to the hotel they thought would be a perfect place for the two to meet. Natsume and Kyou came earlier and were seated in their chairs.
"Are you nervous?" asked Kyou who was wearing a black suit.
Natsume shrugged and answered "Nope,"
"Why, Natsume, aren't we a little over zealous today?"
"Not one bit. Actually, I feel nothing" he nonchalantly replied and shifted his weight to the backrest of the chair.
Mikan, along with Hiashi and Narumi, were inside the elevator and wasn't giving any hint of wanting to start a conversation. They were quiet for the rest of the ride, like a guilty suspect given the verdict.
Mikan on the other hand, seemed to feel edgy and shaky as she counted the floors left for her to meet her fiancé.
Ugh, fiancé. Give me a break, I'm not prepared for this. Damn this arranged marriage stuff. Double damn this shitty dress! I feel like a banana peeled open. I'm just meeting my soon-to-be-husband for goodness' sake, not try to seduce the hell out of him.
The elevator dinged, signaling their exit, and out they marched towards the waiting company. Kyou stood up and warmly shook Hiashi's and Narumi's hands. Natsume stood up also but only to give them a bow. Hiashi smiled at the memory of his first meeting with Natsume and reckoned that he would be fitting to be his grand-son-in-law. Hiashi angled his body as he gently pulled Mikan from his back and let the two, face each other.
Mikan was bowing her head so as to hide her embarrassment from everyone, thus she couldn't see any reactions they make. Meanwhile, Natsume was busy eyeing every inch of her: her auburn hair with light curls at the end, her soft brown eyes hidden by her averagely long lashes, her perfectly angled small nose, and her pink, softly pressed lips, her pale skin, her firmly packed body, her long legs, and her red dress that perfectly hug the curves of her body revealing fair amount of skin. This was not the Mikan he first saw, not to mention that this may be his first time to actually see her. He didn't notice that much details of her, not until today. He didn't even know the woman had a long hair. Still, he'll play cool, though his eyes fail to hide it.
Narumi coughs once, twice, as though telling Mikan to lift her head up. Fortunately she got the message and she coyly raised her head. She searched for the eyes of the man she's going to marry and to her surprise, found the same orbs that made her blush ten shades of red not too long ago. No doubt, these eyes were his: crimson, with dark long lashes and slanted eyebrows. Her sudden annoyance was even more heightened up when she saw another feature that is painfully familiar: his damn arrogant smirk.
Oh crap. She looked around hoping they just randomly ran across each other through the busy hallways but no, the hallways aren't busy because they're the only ones occupying the room. Cheese and sprinkles! Not this man again! No please! Please tell me he isn't the one I'm marrying!
Unknown to them, Mikan was already boiling up and could no longer keep it in. Thus she outrageously pointed a finger at Natsume who in turn was shocked at her sudden move, and shouted "YOU! You woman-killer, arrogant, Casanova-wanna-be, narrow-minded, impossible, egotistical, thick-head! What are you doing here?!"
Everybody was surprised by the sudden outburst and they couldn't help but split them, like two boxers separated by a referee, one on either side of the ring. Narumi shielded Mikan, Kyou held Natsume's arm and Hiashi became the referee.
"What's with you two?" Hiashi said almost shouting.
Mikan was still glaring at Natsume who is currently stunned at the blunt descriptions he just knew about himself. Kyou who is still holding Natsume's arm took the liberty of opening a light topic.
"So I take it you two already met huh?"
Natsume shoved his arm away and traced his lower lip using his thumb almost seductively towards Mikan. "Yeah, we did. And that was memorable isn't it Miss Yukihira?"
Mikan was ready to lounge a counter attack but Narumi cut her off. "Well, it seems there's no need for an acquaintance after all. We'll leave the two of you now." Mikan gave him a disbelieving look and Narumi simply released her from his grasp.
"Be a good girl," he whispered and winked before leaving. Hiashi on the other hand wanted to know more about what was happening but got blocked by Narumi insisting they give the two some time to cool down and that the details are to be served later. He agreed directly and went back towards the elevator.
"Kyou, you should follow them too. I can handle myself." That said, Kyou gave Natsume one last look before glancing at Mikan and took his leave. Now the two are left alone together.
Mikan crossed her arms across her chest and kept her eyes sharp against Natsume. Natsume then motioned his arm towards the chair telling her to sit down, and she did.
"Please tell me you're not the one I'm marrying." Mikan weakly stated.
"Okay. 'I'm not the one you're marrying.'"
Mikan rolled her eyes and scoffed "Are you pulling my leg?"
"Yes I am." He straightly answered without showing any hint of compassion, in fact, just the opposite.
"Well you seem to be straightforward, what a revelation."
"Well you seem to be a woman, I didn't know."
"Is this your way of interacting with people?" she raised her brow as well as her voice to show her annoyed state but he didn't seem to budge.
"No. This is my way of interacting with people who greets others by embarrassing them in front of an authority figure." He sounded angry now but maintained a stoic façade which made Mikan realize that it was a bad thing to do, yelling at him like that without warning.
She cleared her throat and sat more comfortably on her chair, trying to avoid Natsume's gaze. But damn, the man was furious!
"Look, I'm sorry. Why don't we start over again, for the second time?" Natsume said while he raised his eyebrows and plastered a poker smile on his face and an arm across the table. Heck, why am I the one apologizing now?
"I'm not shaking that wicked hand of yours again."
"Why are you so angry at me? Is it because I didn't kiss you that time outside your grandfather's office?" he leaned forward across the table and added "Well don't worry, one of these days I'll be forced to kiss you."
Mikan only gave a sigh and bowed her head as she recalled how stupid she looked that time. "You think you're the only one at odds to this marriage? Well to tell you honestly, I'm only doing this for my grandfather, no other personal reasons. Damn, if I had known it'd be you, I would decline automatically. Don't be so full of yourself." She said as she gave him a dagger-like stare and emphasizing the sarcasm in her voice.
Natsume leaned back on his chair and crossed his arm across his chest, imitating Mikan. "So, what are we going to do now? It'd be a waste to go home without displaying that dress around."
"I'm not going anywhere with you."
"Well I seriously doubt that." He stood up and offered his arm to Mikan.
Mikan rolled her eyes and shook her head as if telling Natsume she's not conforming to any of his offers. Thus Natsume grabbed her arm away from her chest and started dragging her across the floor. Of course, she was forced to walk, no, hobble rather, towards the elevator.
"Let go of me jerk or I'm calling my guards!"
"Yeah right. Last time I checked, youwere cut-off from your assets."
And that was enough to piss the hell out of Mikan. She doesn't need a status check-up, let alone a stranger who spontaneously remind her of that. She shoved her arm as hard as she could and gave a deadly glare to Natsume. She stormed towards the elevator, giving one of Natsume's shoulders a powerful thud in the process.
Once she got inside the elevator, she hit the close button immediately, leaving no chance to Natsume getting in.
Stupid, meddling jerk.
Natsume hurriedly took the stairs and skips 4 steps each peace, in hopes of catching the elevator from the 18th floor. Finally, when he succeeded in reaching the ground floor, he saw Mikan already getting out of the building.
Damn it, I just got here. After that breath-taking (literally) cardio routine, he started running again, this time taking off his suit which contributes largely on the sweat coming out from his body.
He managed to get her anyway, thank heavens for that.
Natsume grabbed her arm again and tries to calm his heavy panting but still has a firm hold on Mikan's upper limb.
"I'm.. not.. finished with.. you yet." He said in between pants.
"Well if this is again about me being cut-off, or your stupid innuendos, then I call this appointment terminated. What do you want from me anyway?" She then tries to break free from Natsume's grip but, the fact that she's no match for a person with brute strength, not to mention a male, she's betting her hopes up.
"I really don't understand you. There I was, trying to talk sense with you, but you just shoved me off and bumped me right through my shoulder." He recovered from his exhaustion now, thus gained stamina for arguing with the woman.
"You really 'wanna know?" she raised her brow and angled her head a bit to the right. Natsume could only raise his free arm and gave a 'bring-it-on' look.
"Let go of me first, and I'll tell you exactly what you want to know."
On cue, he surrendered and threw both of his hands on air and waited for her reply.
"It's simple Einstein… You're a douche-bag!" With that, she ran straight towards the bus that was just about to depart, leaving Natsume dumbfounded on the sidewalk.
He watched as the bus passed him and saw Mikan on the windows giving him a victorious look. He just rolled his eyes and started walking towards his parked car.
As he was comfortably seated, he gave a nasty smile at the thought that formed in his mind.
That was easy. Women right now are playing hard-to-get, whereas I'm playing you're-gonna-be-begging-for-me. Heads up Miss Yukihira, 'cos you might not know what's coming to you.
End of chapter 3