The next day, at dawn, the two set out towards the city, still yawning and eyes half-closed. The skies still wearing that bluish tint, the remnants of the evening, and the melody that nature is serenading them, covers most of their journey. They're nearing Tokyo now, and they didn't talk much during the ride, both are still tired to even speak.

Natsume's phone beeped as he received a message from his secretary saying,

'Good morning Sir. Yukihira Co. is listed first in your schedule today. I tried informing you last night, but it seems you're out of coverage area, or you turned your phone off. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience Sir, and I'm sorry if I can't serve your morning coffee. Luna x'

Natsume creased his brows, feeling disgusted of the thought of his secretary's 'coffee', the worst in the world. He replied nonetheless.

Mikan, who's riding shotgun, and seeing the sour face of Natsume, dared to ask, "Who's that Natsume?".

"It's noth-" he stopped as he thought of something much more interesting. He wants to take a little revenge on Mikan from that 'flirting' incident last night. Thus he said,

"It's Luna" he said as he stares at his phone and smiles as he tapped his 'reply'. He was just tapping everywhere.

Mikan, seeing his amused look, felt something twitched down her stomach. She stammered "I-is sh-she your sister?", feeling hopeful inside.

Natsume grinned inwardly as he felt winning, and answered, "No. She's my secretary. She gives me coffee every day, very delicious. I can't possibly think starting a day without her soothing, yet awakening brand of coffee". Everything was a lie, though the latter is considered true. The bitter coffee sure does wakes all of Natsume's cells.

Mikan, feeling jealous, pressed her lips together and smiles lazily. "Oh,"

Half an hour later, they arrived at Mikan's condo. They still had to have a change of clothes, and take some things, but it's still early, thus Natsume suggested of having breakfast together, but Mikan refused.

"I'm sorry Natsume, but I think I'll just have breakfast on my own. Besides, you can't start your day without that Luna's coffee, so… I'll just see you around." Mikan sarcastically stated, and winked at Natsume whose face mirrored a crestfallen look.

"W-wait," he said, but Mikan could no longer hear him as she entered the building. Natsume could only sigh, and rub his forehead, kicking some stones near him.

"You called me Hiashi-san?" Natsume asked as he settled himself on a chair facing Hiashi's desk.

"Yes, Natsume-boy. I believe I haven't introduced you to the newest member of this company, and having you as our asset, you have to know."

Hiashi motioned towards the man sitting in the couch behind them. He seemed to be sitting for a while now.

"Natsume, this is my eldest son, Kazumi Yukihira, one of the eligible heir of Yukihira Co. Kazumi, this is Natsume Hyuuga from Hacienda Igarashi."

Kazumi stood up and shook Natsume's hand. "Pleased to meet you Mr. Hyuuga. You are the spitting image of Kaoru. Your mother was my kouhai back in our high school days. I'm looking forward to be working with you."

Natsume shook Kazumi's hand, wearing a confused look.

"One of the eligible heir of Yukihira Co.?"

"Yes Natsume-kun." Hiashi chuckled awkwardly and continued, "… well, it's a long story, but I'm assigning him to be your partner."

So this is what Mikan is upset about, thought Natsume to himself.

"Natsume-kun?"

"Hmm...? Ah yes, looking forward to be working with you too, Mr. Yukihira"

"Now then, I should take my leave. Please excuse me", bowed Kazumi and started towards the exit.

Hiashi was about to tell him about their engagement, but Kazumi was already beyond earshot, and didn't bother turning back before closing the door.

"That punk, I was about to tell him about your engagement with my Mikan", stated the old man.

"Sir, forgive me, but I believe it'd be best if the engagement is out of this matter. As his partner and co-worker, I will personally tell him about it. I want things to go accordingly."

"Very well… I bet you're still courting my Mikan then eh? She's quite a headstrong chick", Hiashi chuckled and Natsume could only fake a smile.

Me? Courting who?

"About Mikan, she's still a candidate for the next owner of Yukihira Co. Both of them are qualified, thus I made them compete for the position. I won't sacrifice any of them. Do you think it's a wise decision Natsume-boy?"

"It's a fair decision Sir. And thank you for reconsidering",

"Now, have a seat Mr. Hyuuga, I still have to discuss matters with you."

"Hey giiirls…It's weekend, where should we go? We did beach last time right?" asked Sumire excitedly over the phone. It's a conference call, thus all of them can hear each other.

"I don't know, how about we'll crash in your place Hotaru?" asked Anna.

"Ugh, again?" answered Hotaru immediately.

"What about that new club near the city? I heard it's nice there, and the place is getting popular", suggested Sumire, whose real intention was to meet handsome guys.

"Okay, fine with me", said Mikan, and the others agreed as well.

"Hey Mikan, bring Hyuuga with you", added Hotaru.

"OH MY GOSH! Bring him Mikan!" the girls chorused.

"WHAT?! No freaking way. Besides, the man is workaholic; I bet he has no time for stuffs like this",

"Oh come on Mikan! I'll bring Inchou and the rest of the gang. This will be so much fun!"

"NO."

"Pretty pleaaseee.. Just ask him, if he can't make it, fine. But please, just try asking him out. We want to see your husband-to-be…" giggled Nonoko and Anna.

"Shh you two! You know you're the only ones who knew about this", Mikan said in a hushed tone.

"Okay, alright. But you have to bring Natsume Hyuuga okay?"

"I'll just try, a'right?"

Not a minute later, Mikan dared to call Natsume about that night, and to her surprise, he picked up his phone.

"What?" Natsume directly asked. He still has stuffs to do, and he wants to finish them early.

"Uhm, are you free tonight? My friends and I are going to a night club, and I was wondering if you want to go out. Actually, they asked you to come so, if you want then… but it's okay if you can't make it, we'll understand".

"Your friends?"

"Yeah, me, Hotaru, Sumire, and, well, you'll meet them if you'd come."

The mere mention of Hotaru's name ignited a flame inside Natsume, and he immediately agreed on coming. He wanted to see this best friend of Mikan.

"Okay, I'll see you later", replied Natsume.

"Okay", that was fast, thought Mikan.

At around 7:30 pm, Mikan, Hotaru, Anna, Nonoko and Sumire were in the said club. As promised, Sumire brought Inchou, Koko, Nobara, Mochu, Tono, Misaki and Tsubasa. Tono, Tsubasa and Misaki were their sempai's way back from college, and they have had many memorable escapades together. Tono's brother runs the club, thus they are given the VIP lounge.

As they walked past the entrance, LED lights blurred their visions, sounds deafening their ears, and the music making them dance to the beat. They excitedly pushed forward and saw many people already dancing and drinking their butts off. In a corner, a couple of PDA's were busy devouring each other, not minding the people who might see them.

Moments later, a waiter escorted the gang to their lounge, a wide glass-walled room with its own bar counter, a 39" LCD screen for karaoke, a round table in the center, and minimalist couches. Impatiently they entered the room, and were ordering drinks for themselves. Mikan then went outside to fetch Natsume, who just came.

Natsume parked his car, and entered the place with Mikan.

"Thank you very much for coming Natsume", Mikan said gleefully.

"I was getting bored, so" Natsume answered and shrugged.

Mikan smiled tenderly at him, and grabbed his hand, "Come on, I can't wait to introduce them to you."

A minute later, Natsume entered the room and was welcomed by strange eager faces.

"Everyone, this is Natsume Igarashi Hyuuga. Owner of Hacienda Igarashi, and-" Mikan was cut-off when Sumire suddenly butt-in.

"Oh my God! You're even more handsome up close. I'm Sumire by the way. I'm single."

Everyone chuckled at her statement, aside from Mikan who felt the urge to remind her that he's taken. Well, technically. But they are going to end up together in the end no matter what right?

And so, the getting-to-know-you activity continued, and Natsume was keenly waiting for the one named Hotaru. He had suspected the tall, black haired, loud fellow, who happened to be Tsubasa. Unfortunately, fate is giving him a hard time; Hotaru was busy blackmailing the DJ to play her music.

"So where's Hotaru?" asked Natsume who was now seated on a high chair.

Mikan scanned the place, but Hotaru was nowhere in sight, until a black haired woman emerged from the door, and walked straight towards the two.

Mikan immediately turned to Natsume and said, "Natsume, this is Hotaru."

Natsume's eyes wandered in search for a man, but to his surprise, he saw a woman, with mauve eyes, and a stoic face just like his.

"H-hotaru?" he tried to confirm.

"Hi Mr. Hyuuga." Hotaru replied with a deadly look.

"Hotaru's a… You're Hotaru?"

"Uh... Yes",

"Oh, of course", he said, feeling utterly relieved Hotaru's a 'she', and shook her hand.

"Okay, I'll leave you two lovebirds now. You better grab your drinks, happy hour will start in a while", and she went towards Inchou, who was having his third jigger of Jack Daniel's.

"I'll have The Devil, please", ordered Mikan. "yours will be…?"

"Malawi Shandy", Natsume anwered.

Mikan's jaw dropped and asked "Are you serious? That's not even a bit alcoholic."

Natsume just shrugged and the waiter, who was also dumfounded, prepared their orders.

"You don't drink?" asked Mikan, still not believing the revelation she just discovered.

"I do, I mean I did… Let's just say I came from rehab and was given divine intervention".

"Okay… Now I feel like I'm the one who's irresponsible",

"Don't be."

After several shots of different cocktails, and tiring dance, Tsubasa decided to play a game.

"Hey guys, let's play F.U.B.A.R!"

"How do you play that Tsubasa?" asked Nobara eagerly, who's now feeling tipsy.

"It's simple my dear friends and countrymen. Fucked up beyond all reason, or simply FUBAR is an ancient game we play in the olden times…"

Misaki, Tsubasa's girlfriend, lighly punched his head, and he immediately gave the instructions.

"Okay, okay. What we need is a deck of cards. We stack 'em and put it in the middle. Everyone has his turn in picking a card. Each card has a corresponding rule: Ace: 1 drink, and so on. 4: you ask someone a question and he must answer your question with a question and it keeps going until someone screws up."

"5: 5 drinks. 6: the person must complete the phrase 'I never…'. 7: The person puts their thumb down on the table whenever they want and the last one to put theirs, drinks. The thumbmaster can do this as many times as he wants."

"8: categories. 9: rhymes. 10: everyone drinks. Jack: Assholes drink, I mean guys. Queen: ladies drinks. King: Waterfall, my favourite part. Everyone drinks and won't stop until the first person who picks a card stops."

And with that, everyone sat around the table, drinks ready, and randomly picked the first person who'll start.

Mochu was picked, the hardcore drinker among them. He grinned mischievously and said while rubbing his palms, "I hope you guys are prepared for the Waterfall". The group groaned in disappointment and in protest. They're not that into alcoholic drinks, or becoming drunk, and having Mochu as the first person scares the hell out of them.

"Alrighty then! Let's see what card I'll pick…" Unfortunately, Mochu got 9 hearts (rhyme), and he accidentally started by saying "Oh man…"

"CAN!", exclaimed Nonoko.

"Pan!"

"Shaman!"

"FAN!"

"Ban!"

The group was at the edge of their seats, searching their knowledge in vocabulary for words that will rhyme. Suddenly, they were halted, when Natsume gave his rhyming word,

"Mikan."

And as if saying a bad word, they stopped, and started to tease, "OOOOhh… Mikan eh?"

"Well well well, isn't this promising. I knew there was something going on around you two… Wait a- do I hear wedding bells?" teased Tono and Tsubasa, now standing and clinking their brandy snifters, "A toast! To Mikan and Natsume, may you two produce lots of offspring and live a life of mushiness and gooey-ness."

Mikan, who blushed piping red, playfully slapped the two and was stealing glances at Natsume who in turn, seemed to be downright amused.

"Okay, moving on. It's my turn", said Mikan, and picked a card.

"4 diamonds…What's this again Tsubasa-sempai?"

"You ask a question to someone",

"Okay… Natsume", she said still blushing, and the crowd went wild for the second time.

She hid her smile before gulping, and asked, "Why are you so full of yourself?"

Natsume shrugged and smirked, "Why are you so into me?"

Mikan's vein popped, and balled her hands, "What?!"

"Why are you so into me?"

"I'm not, idiot!"

"Hey you should answer by giving him a question Mikan!" reminded Misaki, who's giggling beside Tsubasa. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

"If I'm into you, then I should accuse you of being into me too!" Mikan exclaimed.

"That's not a question."

"Fine. Are you into me?"

"Am I obliged to answer that?" Natsume retorted, slumping his back to the couch, and smirking in amusement.

"What do you think?" Mikan answered, whose face is now consumed by scarlet color.

Natsume eyed her seductively across the table, winked at her, and answered, "Well what do you think?"

Mikan was now lost for words. She didn't know what to ignore, the freaking arrogant Casanova man across her, or the loud, deafening teasing shrieks and giggles around her.

"Hahaha! Nice one man! It's the first time I saw my kouhai's face turn like that", said Tsubasa, and Mikan could only lower her head to hide her embarrassment.

"Anyway, let's continue. Hotaru, it's your turn!"

"I got 3 diamonds." And with that, she gulped three shots of Patron.

The game continued, and fortunately, the Waterfall wasn't picked yet, making the game more exciting. It was Natsume's turn now, and he picked 6 spades. He then followed the rule of finishing the phrase 'I never'.

"I never… say things I don't mean." Hearing this, Mikan's head shot up, and was feeling a bit awkward and relieved. What does he mean by 'What do you think'? Relieved because now she knows Natsume is true, and that she could trust whatever he says. The problem now is, she doesn't know how to trust her heart.

At 11 pm, the group decided to go home. Tono and Mochu were drunk, and some of the girls were already feeling tipsy. Fortunately, the Waterfall didn't materialize because Hotaru got rid of all the Kings.

Misaki and Tsubasa volunteered to escort Tono and Mochu, Anna and Nonoko were fetched by their driver, and Hotaru is still in the right state of mind to drive herself home. Mikan is going home with Natsume, the only one in the group who haven't had a drink aside from 'juice'.

"Woah, nice car you have Hyuuga-san", said Koko, admiring the sleek designs of ACURA ILX.

"Thanks Koko",

The group kissed and hugged each other goodbye, and were now driving separate ways. Mikan was left with Natsume on the parking lot, now ready to leave.

"Get in", Natsume stated as he opened the door for Mikan.

Minutes later, they were on the road, but Nastume is driving at only 30 km/hr. His real intention was to spend more time with Mikan, and the only way he can think of is slowing down.

"I met your uncle", he started.

"…I see. So you already know?"

Natsume nodded and Mikan added, "I'm not gonna lose".

"I know", Natsume quickly answered.

Mikan smiled and fiddled the necklace around her neck. "You know, you always have a way of comforting people. Now I feel like I owe you big time. How about this, instead of driving me all the way home, you can just drop me on the curb few blocks away from my condo."

Natsume snorted in protest and answered, "Ridiculous. It's nearing midnight and you've drunk few shots. It's too dangerous."

"But that's the only way I think I can repay you", pleaded Mikan.

"I'm not consenting to that."

"Just this once, please?"

Natsume heaved a sigh and said in a hushed tone, "Your grandfather was right. You are a headstrong chick."

"What was that?"

"Nothing. I said 'okay'",

"Pull over there", Mikan pointed to a waiting shed not far from her condo. Natsume cut his engine and waited for Mikan to close the door.

"Thanks again. Good night" and Mikan walked towards the building.

Natsume's mind is not that twisted to just leave a lady alone like that, thus he stepped on the clutch, and followed Mikan at a speed of 3km/hr, just to make sure she's home safe.

Few walks later, Mikan arrived at the building, and Natsume was relieved to see her finally entering her condo. He was about to accelerate and go straight home when he saw a figure across him, near the entrance of the building. It was dark, and he can only see the man's silhouette, but there was something quite familiar about the figure. The man seemed to be standing there for a while now, and not long after Mikan entered the building, he went on his way towards the dark part of the alley. Natsume shrugged off his suspicious thoughts, and convinced himself that it's just coincidence.

Morning is fast approaching, and Natsume was still wide awake. He had slept a total of 2 hours occasionally, but he still haven't escaped from insomnia, not after seeing a suspicious man near Mikan's home at that kind of time. He rolled to his side, and took his phone from his table.

"Mikan, are you awake?" he texted Mikan.

There was no reply. Of course, it's 3 in the morning for crying out loud, and this makes him more worried than ever. For the past few days he's fetching Mikan, that was the first time that he saw that person. He always drops Mikan in front of the entrance door, and as far as his memory goes, there hasn't been any man standing there.

He rolled again to face the ceiling.

I'll just confirm that tomorrow evening. He thought, and he finally slept straight without worries, or so he thought.

In the morning, after breakfast, he was just as worried as last night. He can't even start with his work thinking about what could happen to Mikan, and considering that she'll face it head-on no matter what, she's bound to be in a troublesome situation. Later that afternoon, he was headed towards Mikan's condo. He doesn't need to have a conversation with Mikan, just to see her safe is enough. Fortunately, across the building, he saw Mikan coming home from God-knows-where. She strolled towards the flower shop nearby and bought a bouquet of fresh flowers for her vases. Afterwards, she entered the building without noticing Natsume's car.

Natsume scanned the place again, and found the same man still leaning on the wall near the entrance door. This time, with broad daylight, he saw the man's face. And he was indeed familiar; he could never forget his face.

The snatcher.

He wore casual clothes different from before. Probably to lessen any suspicion, but unfortunately for him, Natsume recognized him all too well.

But what's he doing here? Is he coming for revenge?, thought Natsume who's now opening his car door to confront him.

However, just before he could get out, the man walked away towards the same alley, hands on his pockets and looked around as if checking for someone who's following him. Natsume retreated back to his seat, and when he saw his chance, he quickly followed the man.

He was walking fast, and the people on the pavement give Natsume a hard time to keep track of him. Natsume quickened his pace until he reached the end of the pathway, and to his dismay, the snatcher was no longer in sight. He disappeared in thin air, and Natsume got no clue which block he'd gone to. Disappointed, he walked back towards his car.

Why is he leaving when Mikan goes home? He could strike her right then and there, but why retreat?

After a few minutes of solving the puzzle, Natsume finally fitted the pieces together.

He's checking what time and with whom Mikan usually goes home, then he'll have his chance.

Natsume mounted both his arms on the steering wheel and rested his forehead on it. But I'm not giving him his chance.

Natsume decided to change Mikan's schedule every night, just to confuse the snatcher, and if he's fortunate, he'll dispose him in no time. He should have lots of excuses to be with her and to be the one to drive her home. It's nuisance indeed, but it was a pleasurable nuisance. And the thought of them spending every night together calmed his mind, and was able to drive home worry-free.

End of Chapter 8

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So that was chapter 8.. Hope you liked it..

Review!... :)