Finally I'm a teenager! I feel so old now... Actually I finished this chapter waayyyyy before but I felt like it should be my gift for everyone since I'm finally a teenager. Thank you again, His Lopsided Grin for giving me all those feedbacks. Also, look back at my previous chapters. I made them better (hopefully.) However, yesterday I felt too lazy to update so I just waited for today. :D Anyways, enjoy and REVIEW!
"How long do you think she will take?" Anna whispered nervously as she kept glancing at the forest and back at the group. They all shrugged as if nothing was wrong.
"Why don't we do something to spend our time?" Koko said with a big grin.
They started playing another game however it was obvious how Teru and Natsume were dreadfully worried about her and their bodies seemed so stiff.
"It's ok. There wont be any ghosts here. It's ok, it's ok..." Mikan encouragingly said to herself as she walked past the petrifying trees looming over her.
Every little sound became her so called 'ghosts.'
How long has it been? She really couldn't tell. Maybe 5 minutes, maybe 10. Maybe 20 or even 30 minutes.
Finally, as if she went to the end of the earth, she found a forest of Sakura trees. She picked one up from the ground and squealed in delight.
"I got one! I can go back now!" She yelled in triumph and tucked the petal safely in her pocket. She turned on her heals and headed back when she heard a familiar voice.
"Mikan?" Mikan froze on the spot. That voice sounded so familiar, yet she couldn't quite put a finger on it.
"W-who's there?" She managed to choke out a few words. Her heart is thumping so loudly it seems to echo from the trees.
"Don't you remember me? Come here, I'll take you somewhere nice." The calm and soothing voice seems to make her feet move by herself and she unconsciously walked to where the voice came from.
"Hey, where's Teru?" Akemi worriedly asked as she desperately tried looking for her brother.
"Who knows. Maybe he went to get a drink." Kitsu shrugged and continued playing his game of poker.
The cool breeze suddenly disappeared as everyone froze at the scream of their best friend.
Natsume didn't waste a second and went racing into the dark woods with the others following close behind.
It must have been at least 20 minutes lost in the forest. Their whole group of people cuddled close to each other hoping not to get lost and to lessen their fears.
A deafening scream surrounded them as the birds flew out the trees in terror.
Right in front of the group was a bleeding and severely injured Mikan.
Her hazelnut hair and clothes soaked in her own blood.
Her face was sickly pale with deep cuts and her arms and legs were twisted in the most gruesome way.
Her silky hair was all tangled and blood stains sprawled around her.
Blood was oozing out of her cuts and wounds all over her body.
"M-mikan?" Hotaru said with the most frightened expression she would ever allow to show on her face; which was enough to show Mikan was the most important person to make her show any of her emotions.
"Call the hospital." Natsume grumbled as he kneeled to brush strands of her hair out of her face. No one moved.
"I said call the damn hospital!" Natsume yelled and burned the grass separating him and the others.
Hotaru quickly fished out her phone with shaky hands and dialed the hospital's number.
"Hello?"
"She's...hurt."
"Who?"
"Mikan Sakura Yukihara for god's sake! She's dying! We're at the forest behind The Hotel. Get here quick or else I'll kill every single one of you!" Hotaru screamed into the phone and threw it onto the ground.
She kneeled down and broke out crying.
"Who would do this? Why would they?" Nono and Anna cried and hugged each other close.
Natsume drowned all the noise out as he watched the wounded girl.
His usual cold eyes now burned in fury. He clenched his fists at his side and was slightly shaking from anger.
He punched an unfortunate tree nearby and set it on fire.
Minutes later the ambulance came with it's wail of the siren and the paramedic hastily went over and laid her down on the gurney and carefully set her inside the wailing ambulance.
Natsume and Hotaru climbed in and held each of Mikan's small and cold hands. They gave the others a reassuring smile before the doors closed.
The ride took forever before they reached the closest hospital.
The operation took almost 3 hours.
Outside, everyone already made it and waited anxiously for the doctor to come out.
Narumi's face was serious as it was when he was a teenager; not the Narumi they know.
Natsume hid is face in his palms and Hotaru finally lost control and bawled on the seats.
Then the door finally opened.
"How is she?" Natsume asked as everyone crowded around the doctor.
"She has a broken leg and 3 broken ribs. Her face might have some scars but it can be prevented if she takes care of her skin. Her pulse has been steadied and her blood is flowing normally." Everyone sighed in relief.
"But..." The doctor started with a hard face.
"But?" Narumi asked, voice full of distress. The doctor remained silent eying every one of them.
"For heaven's sake, but what!?" Hotaru roared and grabbed the arms of the doctor, shaking it roughly.
"She lost too much blood. We need to transport blood to her now." Hotaru paled since she knew her blood type was different from her best friend's.
"Who has the blood type A?" Hotaru shrieked as she eyed the group.
For a dreadful moment no one talked or moved. They didn't even dare breath. Then someone raised their hand and Yuu straitened his glasses with a serious face.
"I'll give blood to her." The doctor nodded and led Yuu to the other side of the hallway.
"I just hope that they don't take too much blood." Anna mumbled just loud enough for Nono to hear.
"Don't worry. They're professional doctors." Nono reassured her while patting her back.
30 minutes later Yuu came back with his sleeve rolled up and he was pressing a cotton ball on his arm.
"ArigatÅ, Iinchou." Hotaru nodded towards him and Yuu just smiled and mouthed a 'no problem.'
"The blood transportation was very successful. We will do further observations on Mikan Sakura later on. Until she is fully recovered she will have to stay in the hospital." The doctor nodded towards them and walked away tending his other patients.
"Where are you going Hyuuga?" Hotaru said seeing Natsume walk away in the corner of her eyes.
She already regained her posture and her face was once again blank.
"I'm going to see Mikan. I'll stay here tonight." Narumi nodded and patted Natsume on the back as a meaning of 'take care of her.'
Natsume replied with a knowing nod and entered the room of Mikan.
Once Natsume entered the white room his usually cold eyes suddenly showed so many emotions.
Fear, love, guilt slowly ate him inside in the most painful way as his stomach did numerous aching summersaults every step he took towards Mikan.
Mikan looked so pale, so weak, so vulnerable. A heart monitor stood on a small table next to her bed proving her pulse was still there.
For now, she was alive.
"Mikan? Can you hear me?" Natsume whispered into her ear, sitting down on a chair next to the white bed. He grabbed her small, cold hands and held then tightly in his warm ones.
"Oi polka, wake up already." His voice cracked and his eyes became red and puffy. His vision got blurry from tears that threatened to fall. However, the Natsume Hyuuga just doesn't cry, even during the almost death of his love.
"Na-Natsu...me..." Mikan twitched as her eyebrows knit together. She was squirming and desperately grasping something solid.
"Plea...se...stop...Na...tsu...me... sa...ve...me..." Her small hands grasped his big ones as if she'll fall any minute.
Tears fell one by one down her flawless, pale cheeks and stained the white bed sheets.
It felt like his world shattered watching the only person who wouldn't give up, the only person to break his walls, the only person who would smile no matter what, crying desperately for his help.
Suddenly he felt useless. He couldn't even protect the person he loved the most. How can he possibly protect others?
He cursed under his breath and tightened his grip on her.
He brought her hand up and kissed it as a silent promise to keep her safe. That she was his to protect and he blames no one but himself.
A knock came on the door and the nurse came in, clipboard in hand.
"I'm sorry Mr. Hyuuga. Visiting time is over, may you please leave?" The nurse asked politely and smiled lightly at him.
He nodded and squeezed her hand one last time before leaving out the door.
Natsume's night was reckless.
His nights were usually bad enough but tonight he couldn't even keep his eyes closed for half a second.
He kept staring at Mikan's door and paced around the hallways. After many attempts to go in her room and check on her, he finally gave up and slumped on the chairs.
"How is she?" Anyone would've jumped from surprise but Natsume kept his head in his hands and answered as calmly as he could.
"Critical. Lost lots of blood, her face may be scarred for life; but otherwise fine, I guess." Teru didn't miss the slight quiver in his voice and nodded.
He sat down beside Natsume and fixed his gaze on her hospital door.
"Where were you today?" Natsume narrowed his eyes dangerously on him. Teru shrugged before muttering a 'I forgot.'
Natsume clenched his fists and it took every ounce of willpower not to punch the daylights out of this guy.
"You forgot!? Don't think I forgot what you said to me before. You said you love her, and now your telling me you freaking forgot where you were!?" He growled at him and set a nearby plant on fire to show him exactly how angry he is.
"I had something important to do, okay!? Besides, you always wanted me to leave her alone. Are you taking that back?" Teru snapped and glared at him.
Natsume was taken aback.
It was true.
Why was he making such a big deal? Was he giving up?
His crimson eyes darkened even more then turned around. He didn't answer nor talk.
That was how it stayed for the rest of the night. Both Teru and Natsume were reckless and wouldn't get any sleep.
In the morning, the whole B class came to visit.
Narumi was back to his usual cheerful state as well as their class.
Mikan had woken up that morning and got all the confusions of where she was settled.
Mikan was sitting on the white bed and smiling that cheerful smile again but there were obvious bags under her eyes.
No one commented on it.
"Baka. You had us all worried about you." Hotaru stated coldly and got her infamous Baka Gun ready.
"Mou, Hotaru! You're so mean..." Mikan pouted while Hotaru glared at Mikan. Natsume's face was blank as ice while Teru was twitching and avoiding eye contact with Mikan.
It must have been over an hour when everyone's happy atmosphere went tense.
"Mikan, I'm sure it's time you told us what happened." Narumi's voice silenced everyone else. His face was cold again as it was last night.
Mikan's smile disappeared almost immediately.
She bit on her suddenly dried lip and avoided looking at them. Her arms unconsciously wrapped around herself as if giving the comfort she lacked.
Narumi's statement suddenly snapped Natsume out of his daze. He stepped forward and whispered.
"Mikan?" It sounded almost like a question. His voice was softer, like talking to a wounded animal.
Mikan's gaze slowly lifted so she was looking eye to eye with Natsume. A memory 3 years ago suddenly flashed through her.
"Where the hell are you going?"
Silence.
"Oi polka, I'm talking to you."
Silence.
"What the hell do you want!?" Natsume roughly pull Mikan's arm and forced her to look at him.
She winced in pain but said nothing.
Natsume growled in frustration.
"You know if you don't talk, I can still find out." Tears were threatening to fall now.
"It's none of your business!" She cried and pried his hands off her arm. His hands only tightened more and he knew it would bruise.
"Tell. Me." He ordered with such force Mikan squeaked in horror.
"I-I'm...ah...I..." Mikan stumbled on her words as her eyes darted around her surroundings.
She looked at everything that's not named Natsume.
Natsume gave another frustrated scowl and pulled her chin so she was looking at him.
"Just. Spit. It. Out."
"I'm going on missions ok!?" She screamed and struggled out of his strong grip.
Emotions passed through his eyes, then it was gone as soon as it came.
"Missions? Missions!? Why the hell are you going on missions!? I forbid you!" It was the first time he yelled like that and his crimson eyes showed only one emotion: anger
"I-It's none of your business! Who are you to forbid me to do something?" She snapped at him and stepped on his foot. Natsume, in return, held her even harder.
Tears were falling freely now. Her wrists were numb from pressure and she just wants to curl up and cry.
Natsume sighed and free her wrists. His eyes were softer now.
Mikan sat on the floor and bawled, holding herself.
Natsume let his bangs cover his eyes.
He slipped his hands in his pocket and walked calmly past her and promised.
"I'll keep you safe. I promise."
"I...Can I talk to Natsume alone?" Mikan whispered to Narumi. In return, Narumi smiled and motioned for everyone to leave.
When the door closed Natsume took a step closer to her.
"Tell me." He ordered softly, careful not to scare her.
"I-I..." She started and then gasped out. She clutched her heart and the heart monitor was beeping uncontrollably.
Her breath was heavy and in gasps.
Natsume's self control snapped and he went deranged.
He slammed open the door and ran straight for the doctors.
When the doctor got there he sent put her on a gurney then headed straight towards the operation room.
The last sound they heard was the sound of her heart monitor.
'...Beep...Beep...'
Yipeee! I finally updated! Well the next chapter will be... I have no idea. It might take me a long time, or short. But like always, it depends on the reviews! I'm gonna start making a R&R song if people don't start reviewing. No reviews = slower update = deflating me = disaster = never finished story. To prevent that, they invented the great thing called reviews and it's really easy to use! Got it!?