Her Favorite Boy
By Y. M. H.O s
Chapter 7: To Be The Reason
"Have you heard?" That line has been haunting everybody. Gossip was everywhere and classes were even cancelled because even the teachers were intrigued.
Have you heard?
The atmosphere of the school has never been heavier than before. Although there were few gossipmongers who couldn't care less, there's no denying that there was some kind of dark energy that inhibited every corner of the school.
"Some say that he was so shocked by the news that he fainted!" A girl passing by whispered aloud to her blonde companion who was busily munching on Cheetos.
"No, according to my sources, he was suffering from brain tumor! He was probably hiding it from us. Poor boy, what a unique talent he has too." She replied and proceeded to the cafeteria. Unknown to them, two people were just hiding around the corner and have accidentally overheard their conversation. She nudged him and he toppled over.
"Ow! What the hell was that for?"
"Shut up! They might hear you pretty boy. What do you think really happened to him huh?" she asked and raised her brow at the raven-haired lad beside her who was massaging his rear.
"To Koko? I don't know. Stop with your name calling handsome girl." He threatened and turned away, occupied with his own thoughts.
"Why are we together? Last time I checked, you were calling me an idiot and I was calling you a bastard." She exclaimed and leaned on the wall, making sure that no one has spotted them yet. Natsume coughed.
"You and I were headed this way and the mob could've killed both of us. Two is better than one, men." He replied and she turned to him sharply.
"That was yesterday! Why the hell are you still with me now? Two is better than one you say, what are we, The Avengers? Batman and Robin?" she said but the latter just shrugged. Why, you also wonder.
"Want me to kiss you again?"
There was a deafening silence after that revelation, and the next thing they heard was a faint thud as Koko 'the Revealer' fainted and crashed to the floor.
No one really knew why, some speculated that he was in love with Mikan that he was so shocked by what Natsume said. At least that was the most popular rumor about what happened.
Koko hasn't been waking up, no matter what the most professional doctors do. They don't really know what his condition was, he wasn't responding to the tests he has been given too. Only one person came close to the real answer. She was there when the incident happened and was deeply infatuated with the lad that she researched all about him and even watched him when he's observing other people, secretly reading their minds and reviewing their memories. For Kira Suichiro, Kokoro Yome was simply fascinating. The way he knowingly grins at other people, the way his hands would entwine when he finds something interesting and the amused glint that was always present in his eyes.
There was nothing special about her, really. She was just a very keen observer, that she can almost read others' minds and know their emotions. You might wonder why Koko hasn't known it yet, the truth is that she really didn't look that interesting for him to notice and pay attention to. A girl with a pony tail, medium height and ah, a higher than average mind. But in the eyes of others, one word should describe her: Typical.
When Ruka and Mikan arrived, Koko was sporting an amused but at the same time, nervous expression on his face, same as Mikan's. The silence was deafening and when Hotaru talked, the lad looked very interested and was glancing at them from the corner of his eye. His face seemed to go serious for a while, but when Natsume entered and the bickering started, Kira noticed that his eyes widened as he stared from Mikan to Natsume repeatedly.
It only gave her one conclusion- Koko must've read their minds or memories and something was wrong. And Koko definitely didn't look like he's infatuated with Mikan anyway. Maybe there was something shocking or scandalous about the two best friends that Koko took it seriously.
"Oi. For how long are we going to hide like this?"
"I didn't ask you to accompany me, pretty boy. Go ahead, leave." She answered and leaned her head on the wall before closing her eyes.
"Your fan club will kill me if I show myself. That Tamaki would carefully slice me to pieces and feed my body parts to the lions." Natsume replied and leaned too.
.
.
"Let's play three questions." Mikan opened her eyes and raised her eyebrows at him indifferently.
"We only play that when you want to know something." Natsume opened one eye and smirked.
"Alright, you first then, pretty boy." He straightened.
"How did you meet that bastard Dylan?" she could almost laugh. So that's what it was.
"Hotaru and I were headed to a mountain because of…" she faltered but Natsume forced her.
"Because of… father. Ha, I don't even know if I'm allowed to call him that."
"He said something again right? If I could just kick your father's ass."
"I doubt you could do that when you see him." She smiled.
"Your turn."
"Why did you kiss me?" the question was out of her mouth before she could even stop herself. They were silenced and he turned away, hiding his expression under his bangs.
"I don't know. When I heard Koko, I just felt so angry… frustrated." He answered earnestly.
"My turn."
"What's your dream?"
"You asked me that before. Ha, but it's out, no taking back!" she chuckled at his 'stupidity'. But Natsume was well aware that he has asked her that before. Why he asked again, we don't know.
"Dream? To have my own company, to possibly inherit my father's, ha, but that's highly… I don't know, improbable?" he rolled his eyes at her answer; of course Mikan would inherit her father's company. She's the only child and daughter after all.
"—And to travel the whole world." She waved a fist into the air. "You just wasted a question pretty boy!"
Before he could retort back, they heard noises form the nearby bush. Natsume placed a finger over his lips and he stepped back carefully, dragging Mikan silently by the arm.
"Wait."
A female voice interjected and from the bushes came out a person with amethyst eyes. Hotaru stared pointedly at Mikan who froze at her tracks.
"The deal." She told her and disappeared.
'Deal'? Mikan thought and after a few seconds it dawned upon her.
"Ah. Let's sit down again…" she told Natsume who was looking at her, puzzled.
"So, my turn. Hmmm… What do you think of Hotaru?" the lad crossed his arms and breathed out. The nearby bush swayed and Mikan glared at it, good thing Natsume wasn't looking.
"She's… unpredictable." He finally answered and a stone was thrown heavily at the trunk across them. Mikan stomped her foot and the bush stopped swaying.
"Hey, and she has something to tell you.. Hotaru, I mean." He raised his eyebrow.
"She wants to apologize for hitting you yesterday." Mikan said hastily said and Natsume laughed silently.
"Tell her it's alright. Though I don't really understand why she hit me the second time…" he mused. The bush went limp and an eye peeped through the leaves. Mikan winked satisfactorily.
"It's my last question now. If your father has said enough, and if you ever get tired of him, would you, would you… run away with me?" Mikan turned to him abruptly,and turned away again upon seeing the blush on his cheeks.
"Ah—yes of course! I would stay with you and Aunt Kaoru and Aoi. You're my best friend right?" she muttered silently but enough for him to hear. She saw his lips tugging upwards.
"I knew it. And you asked me your third question now." His signature smirk was present on his face and she couldn't help but stare at his facial features and how—dare she say it—how handsome he looked, for the first time in her eyes. What the hell?
Her eyes narrowed when she realized her huge mistake.
"You asked me if I'm your best friend." He confirmed.
"I still am…" She doesn't know why she felt a cold feeling wash over her slowly, creeping up from her arm to her back and to up her neck. She refused to admit that it was disappointment, because why would she be feeling it all of sudden?
"-But I don't really know now…" his cool voice sent shiver down her spine. 'What the hell was that supposed to mean?' She thought.
But Mikan is Mikan, and somehow the dense Mikan chose to awake that moment, clouding her thoughts of rationality and bringing her back to the Mikan she was when her mother was present.
She was about to retort back when the bell suddenly rang, startling both of them.
"I thought the classes were cancelled?" She asked and grabbed her bag that was lying limply beside her.
"Let's go then. You're running for valedictorian too right? So come on, you don't want your attendance tarnished, not that I mind." She laughed and took his arm that was offered.
"Get ready for the trouble pretty boy… but I know Sumire's wilder than Tamaki." She shuddered at the thought.
"I know the shortcuts, handsome girl. Tamaki has a pernicious mind; Sumire has a… horrifying endurance." He replied and stared at the sky.
"Ready to run?"
"Ready when you are." She replied.
"One."
"Two."
"Three." They chorused and both sprinted carefully, fiercely avoiding their soon-to-be captors.
They ran towards the court but, alas! The heads turned and they were both frozen, hoping the other students were normal and they wouldn't shout a confirmation. They took a step back when—
"They're here!" A girl with spectacles screamed like a war cry and almost immediately they rushed forward. Mikan and Natsume didn't even hesitate; they ran for their lives, literally.
"They turned there! Hurry! Follow them!" Another voice that seemed like Tamaki's interjected, sounding nearer and nearer each step they take. Mikan was panting and Natsume's ankle was groaning from the sudden strain and they sprinted towards the halls, his fan girls running, ready to slay her and her fan boys shouting different ways to torture him which would lead to a long, and excruciating (they assured him that) death.
"Holy Massachusetts! I never thought that they would spread and station themselves in great numbers…" Mikan panted and looked back at Natsume who was concentrating on not tripping.
"This bloody school should ban these fan clubs…" He groaned and quickly took off his blazer that was soaked with sweat. The Tamaki fans purposely trampled it and shouted curses while Sumire's fought hard for it, tooth and nail.
"Natsume-" Wrong timing. He looked up just in time he fell on one knee. Pain shot up but there was no time to waste. She didn't even stop and help him, heck she didn't even look if he was okay.
"Hey, continue running, pretty boy." She called out and slowed her pace. Finally, she noticed his bleeding knee.
"We could hide there." She pointed and didn't say a word next. Their fans' footsteps were getting faint, but there's no telling how fast they could catch up to them.
He looked towards the way she was pointing, a huge slab of stone behind millions of leaves from the trees. He immediately nodded his consent, even though she couldn't see.
At last, they reached it and they looked over their shoulders if their soon-to-be captors were anywhere in sight. Maybe for the first time the gods heeded their pleas and for goodness sake, there were none. They quickly hid and made sure that they left no trace.
"Let's split up. They would be confused and they would lose us. You go there." She pointed again and looked as if she would chop his head off if he wouldn't consent.
"You go east…I go the opposite direction. Take care not to be seen by Tamaki's goons. Do everything just to survive." She clasped his hand like it was her last. Natsume snorted though it was hard because the pain from his knee was overwhelming him.
"I'd live of course. Do you doubt me?" He asked and she just studied him critically. He looked back more challengingly.
A leaf settled on her auburn hair and her face was lined with dirt, but she still managed to look er, beautiful.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts. Mikan stood up and dusted her pants. It was a good thing they have physical education today, or else she could have been wearing that bloody short skirt.
"Then, let's go. Those zombies might just be lurking around. If you just kept your mouth shut about that kiss…" She muttered and stared ahead. Natsume faked a cough and towered over her figure.
"What, are you blaming me? If you were just careful then my drink wouldn't spill on me and I would still be living in peace." He countered with narrowed eyes. She could sense a fight but she just sighed.
"What the heck are you standing for? Go!" She whispered and motioned him away. Mikan started walking to the opposite direction without looking back. Natsume watched her leave before walking away.
"Tch. Just leaving like that without another word… Such a prick." He muttered with a scratch of his head. Slowly, he turned to look again but his best friend was gone.
RUSTLE
RUSTLE
He paused when he heard the bushes a good few meters behind him move. Natsume's senses sharpened and he started running.
"He's there and I know it with all my heart!" A girl's voice screamed and the ground almost shook because of their steps. Natsume cringed when the pain shot up in his knee.
"What the heck…" He dodged under a small three and leaned.
"Where is that bastard?" A male voice, Tamaki's, rang and the birds from the forest flew overhead.
"I think I saw some movement there." Another replied and their footsteps slowed as if approaching a gazelle unaware.
"Bloody hell…" Natsume cursed and tried his best to hide from their view. It was a good thing their uniform wasn't so flashy.
"No you idiot. Do you plan on catching a small rabbit!" Tamaki scolded and he smirked. It was Tamaki and his Great Goons again… or maybe many more students who were anxious to wipe him from the face of the earth. But this time he won't be caught crying, hell, he wouldn't even be caught. He inched forward, making sure he was in complete camouflage.
"I think I heard something..." a voice said again, towards his direction.
"Idiot, you're gonna lead us to another rabbit again huh?" Tamaki scolded again and he heard the guy whimper. He crouched down behind a plant and picked a stone and threw it far from where he was. It landed almost a half kilometer away, he didn't know but the others pricked up and suddenly there was a commotion.
"Did you hear that? Maybe that's him!"
"Run run run!"
"Don't waste any second he might be escaping this very minute!" Another called out and he couldn't help but smirk. It was the truth, he was escaping that very minute. He moved stealthily like a cat and ran silently, using the bushes and the clumps of trees for cover. His knee protested from the strain but he couldn't stop now, he should find a safe place kilometers away from them.
He took a chance and looked upwards, realizing that he has gone very far inside the forest, and it was already noon. A few more hours and the school would close for the day, the sun will come down, darkness will envelope the whole place and he doesn't know the way which he came in. Aha and who knows if Tamaki and his goons will go home, most probably, he thought but there were more horrors in this place that were just lurking around the trees, avoiding the light of the day…
He grimaced. It was better if he hadn't looked up after all.
He took another step forward but his knee was throbbing so painfully that it was turning numb. A few more steps and… he doesn't want to think more about it.
RUSTLE
RUSTLE
The bush behind him swayed and he prepared himself for the attack. He was in no shape to run and it was easier if he surrenders, he thought. So Tamaki was going to catch him after all, with a wound in his knee and a broken ankle.
"Just come out and take me. I'm waiting in here." He called out and his voice echoed through the trees that were hundreds of feet wide and tall and probably thousands of years old.
RUSTLE
RUSTLE
"Just let go of your self-control damn it! We're both suffering here." He called and once again it echoed. Maybe it was just a small creature…
"Sorry..." A girl suddenly sprang up from behind the bush and Natsume almost fell at his butt.
"Did I surprise you?" Hotaru asked with a raise of an eyebrow and a small blush that he didn't quite recognize.
"Is that a question or an affirmation?" He retorted and maintained his balance to avoid falling.
"An affirmation." She smiled and fidgeted with her fingers uncharacteristically. Natsume stared at her with a questioning gaze.
"What the hell are you doing here, in the middle of the forest?" He asked curiously. Hotaru's cheek was tinted red and Natsume's too, but both were blushing for different reasons.
"I have a nook in here." She answered and pointed to a nearby bush that looked disturbingly dangerous.
"Isn't it- dangerous?" He found the words but didn't care if he was rude. He was tired and hungry and-
Hotaru chuckled with a glint on her violet eyes.
"I have food and supplies in there that could last the whole Armageddon." At that Natsume stopped thinking about it and started walking towards the bush, pushing away the cluster of 'dangerous-looking' vines (he calls it) away.
"And hey, it's a bit slippery—" She started and turned around-
TUG.
Natsume looked away in embarrassment, not knowing what to say. Hotaru didn't know what to do but there was something bubbling up inside her, dying to get free.
And that's what she did, she laughed. Not to mention, hard.
"What are you laughing for?" He demanded and tried to stand up, but there was so much pain in his knees and ankle that staying there in plain sight seemed like an alluring idea. Hotaru noticed it too and went after him and crouched down, carefully examining his evident injuries.
"How many times did you fall down?" she asked without looking at him.
"None." He lied and expected her to call him 'liar' but she just chuckled and held out an arm. He stared at it confusedly.
"What's that for?"
Hotaru stared at him as if he was a lunatic.
"So you don't want to get up?" Alright, good luck to you my friend." She said and started walking away. Natsume panicked and he pushed himself upwards, and lost his balance.
He would've had a worse injury if Hotaru Imai wasn't there to support him. She caught him just right on time, and she could've admitted that she panicked at the sight of him falling down and further hurting himself.
They started walking towards the 'nook' that Hotaru pointed a while ago, and if she didn't direct him there he wouldn't have thought that a thicker cluster of bushes was a door to a rather comfortable room.
"You remind me of that little idiot." He chuckled and Hotaru paused, leaving him wondering if he has said something wrong.
The great feeling of having Natsume's arm around her vanished at once and was replaced by slight jealousy.
"Not really." She answered and turned her face away. It was a good thing that he wasn't listening and was instead looking all over the place.
"When?" He asked suddenly when he has settled on a wooden chair placed beside the door. Hotaru tensed. How would she answer that? 'Since the day you saved me from my father' or 'the very moment I laid my eyes on you'. Cheesy, way too cheesy for her liking.
She expected him to know her feelings by now, the way she blushes around him, why she punched him again, why she forced Mikan into telling him that she's sorry, why she intruded in their conversation just a while ago, and why she's saving him now. Surely, if she left him there, he'll be hoarded by Mikan's fans in the next hour.
He should have found out. Because Hotaru Imai doesn't simply soften up to somebody, much less help.
"When?" he repeated again and dribbled his fingers on the arm chair that it echoed throughout the whole nook. Hotaru opened her mouth hesitantly.
"I-I don't-" She stuttered.
"I mean, when did you build this?" He turned his gaze on her with a raised eyebrow. She froze. 'So, that was what he means...'. She doesn't know if she should be disappointed or not. It was in those few seconds that she could have told him what she thinks and feels, those few seconds when she thought he probably knew.
She was prepared for rejection, but because of his ridiculous comment, it all seemed ridiculous now. She coughed and opened a camouflaged refrigerator. How she got the electricity, he doesn't have the slightest idea.
"A few weeks ago." She answered calmly then gulped down half of the contents of the can she was holding. She was suddenly surprised when he stood up and headed towards her with a different look in the eyes; it was as if he was deprived of something. Deprived of her? Well, that was an entertaining idea for Hotaru. She stepped back and her grip on the can went slack. As cliché as it sounds, she was sure that he could hear her heart pounding against her ribs.
"Ahh-" Her back hit the wall and Natsume got nearer, she was supposedly placing a hand over his chest when-
"I'll get one of those." He muttered and grabbed the hidden handle of the refrigerator behind her. At that moment she could have sworn her heart almost ceased beating. But then again, it wasn't what she was expecting. Disappointment flooded her and she just let it out in a long but deep sigh. For the first time, he seemed to notice this and just raised an eyebrow.
"I'm fine." She said and walked past him. Natsume's eyebrow rose more.
"I wasn't asking you anything." He said and opened the can of soda. Hotaru almost slapped herself.
"I thought you were asking me an indirect question?" She countered and played with the can in her hand. Natsume was ready for this.
"Have you ever thought that I raised my eyebrow because I was relieved that I finally got a drink?" He said and sauntered over the wooden chair.
"But you were looking at me after I sighed. So does that mean that you're simply thanking me? But a raised eyebrow often is used to signify a question." He chuckled.
"Hmm. But it could also mean that I am complimenting your appearance."
Hotaru didn't know how to react, whether to blush, to laugh like she found it funny or to tell him what she feels. And as uncharacteristic it may seem like, she chose the very latter. She inched forward.
"Natsume, the truth is-"
Then a sly grin broke over his handsome face. He cringed when he felt the pain on his knees and ankle but he grinned all the same.
"The expressions on your face are priceless-" He said.
"Natsume-"
"You really remind me of Mikan."
That's when she stopped. Maybe fate didn't really mean on her finding him and rescuing him. Maybe he was supposed to end up with Mikan; they should've been together right now. It was cruel, and for the first time, Hotaru admitted defeat.
And surprisingly, it kept the tears from falling. She laughed and Natsume paused.
"Maybe because I hang out with her always."
"Tch. She really rubs on you..." He muttered and sat down the chair.
"What?" He asked expectantly. She turned her back on him and got the first aid kit.
You wouldn't know. "Nothing." She went over where Natsume sat.
"I was supposed to say that the truth is, you're reeking." She joked.
"Tch." She couldn't help but laugh. The irony.
.
.
.
She was almost certain that someone had followed her. How the person did it, she doesn't have any idea. But the footsteps weren't carefully unheard, and the rustle of leaves crushed underneath shoes echoed in her ears. It was a life or death situation, after all.
Her senses perked up again, and she sensed something, or rather someone nearby. Mikan grabbed hold of a branch of a red wood tree and tirelessly climbed until the world grew slightly smaller and a kilometer left before she could see the ocean looming and the curve of the world overhead. It was a refreshing sight, but she was careful not to look down. It was nauseating.
She stared. A figure the size of a pen from her sight, stood just meters away from the tree that she was on. Her eyes narrowed. If only she could throw a stone at the idiot. But no, she shook her head, it was a stupid idea, she'll get found out for sure. If only she has an invisibility cloak like the one from Potter, or the elder wand! She would have fun cursing every fan club member of Natsume's that tried to kill her, she'll keep her fans, maybe Natsume could have fun with them. She thought and a grin spread over her lips.
Or the resurrection stone, she'll still live if Natsume's fans kill her again and again, and again…. The grin vanished and a grimace took its place. Mikan lowered her head and need not hide, the leaves were enough to hide her, or she could camouflage at least.
She looked down and repressed the urge to throw up. The height was almost unimaginable. The figure glanced around, as if it knew that she was just somewhere in sight. But she was carefully and heavily hidden, and she silently thanked the owner and the gods of the forest, the lake, and finally she offered a bow to thank and honor the huge Red wood tree that ensured her safety. But she spoke too soon, and when she bowed…
CREAK
"Holy Massachusetts!" She exclaimed when she felt the branch she was sitting on weaken and a crack appeared. Why the hell now? And why this branch? She saw that it would take only a few minutes until the branch gave up and proceeded on climbing onto the next branch almost five meters away.
"If I get any higher I'd throw up..." She muttered to herself, quite forgetting her loud announcement earlier. She forgot that there was a person too, standing just below her tree.
"Hungry…" She muttered again and was reaching for the branch when-
"If I were you I wouldn't try to go higher." An amused voice echoed.
She almost lost her grip in shock. There was no way… she thought but her mind worked again and she soon remembered her outburst a while ago. Her first instinct was to climb higher and higher, until the person loses sight of her then she'll climbed down from the back of the tree, surely the trunk of the red wood tree was the size of a sofa. But the person will hear her…
Maybe she'll just swing from branch to branch like Tarzan…Nope, too impossible.
"So you're planning on staying there for the whole night?" the person mused and brought something from his/her pocket. Mikan cleared her throat, a proud expression over her face.
"So what if I am? Are you planning on staying here the whole night too?" she said challengingly and the figure shook a slightly, it seemed to be chuckling.
"Yes, I am staying here. In fact I could stay here for the whole week." The figure said but Mikan wasn't convinced.
"Oh yeah?" she snapped. The figure held out his hand upwards. It was too small but she could see it almost too clearly that she could make out the paper wrapped around it gingerly. A Yum Burger, the best, tastiest burger in the world.
She swallowed. No, she wasn't going to be tempted. Her stomach growled loudly and she was thankful that that figure couldn't hear it.
"Aren't you hungry at all?" Asked the person with an enticing voice and she swallowed.
"No." Mikan said firmly and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"Well, I'm going to eat it, after all." The person unwrapped the sheet from the burger and she swallowed hard.
She watched as the figure brought her Yum Burger near his/her face and took a huge bite. A very huge bite for her, that is. She clutched the branch tighter without even thinking that it might break.
Her stomach growled and protested, her heart went to the Yum Burger yet her mind wanted and desperately hung on for control.
"No, no, no…" She mumbled to herself and tried in vain to turn her face away from the disdainful figure.
"Stupid, stay away from me you evil, you must be the reincarnation of evil itself, go away now, go away now…" she whispered to herself and her eyes widened when she saw the figure was about to take another bite off the burger.
That was it, her control snapped.
"NOOO!" she shouted and the figure stopped and turned to look at her and she could bet a thousand dollars that that face bore an amused expression.
"What? I didn't hear you..."
If she hadn't paid attention before, it wasn't anything to regret for. But maybe the guy was her fan? But a fan wouldn't do such evil deeds to her, it was downright an outrage.
"I said don't bite that." She said, regaining her composure. He didn't say anything afterwards that made her think that he didn't hear her.
"Okay, okay. You don't take another bite- that's mine and in return I go down." She explained and he chuckled.
"The odds are with me, Mikan. Why do you think I will abide by your condition? I could eat this," he gestured at the burger "and wait for you to come down. I'm not that kind of an idiot." He said and Mikan felt a shudder run up her spine when he said her name. His voice was somehow familiar and his hair- midnight blue, glowed faintly in the dim sunlight. Have she met him before?
But he was right. The odds were proving to be with him, he could just wait for her to starve up there. She made up her mind. There might be honor in not yielding and dying but she wouldn't like to die slowly. She made her way down the tree.
"What're you doing now?" He asked, his voice slightly getting louder by each branch she descended on.
"I'm going down. What do you think am I doing you evil reincarnation?" She called and he almost doubled over when she said that. Evil reincarnation? Mikan was too… kind for her own good. He waited until she finally set her two legs on the ground, lost her balance and fell on the hard-packed soil.
He dared to crack a smile.
"The ground must have been hurt really bad." He remarked and received a glare that turned into a surprised stare.
"You-!" He waited. "You evil! So you're here huh? Here to hand me to those brutes? Well, you're not going to succeed…" she pointed a finger at him. He feinted a bite on the burger and immediately her expression changed into surprise, horror, hatred then defeat. His eyes narrowed. Was she this close to giving up? Just for a burger? But then it pained him to see her forlorn and tired face that he sat down a patch of grass behind him.
"You can succeed…." She trailed and sat down too. He observed her from his peripheral vision before tossing her a wrapped burger.
"What's this?" She exclaimed, clutching the burger tightly. He rolled his eyes and inched closer to her.
"You don't want it? Then give it back." He said and reached out a hand. Mikan retreated.
"Finders keepers.." She countered and unwrapped the burger, eyes delighted.
"You didn't find it. I gave it to you." He said.
"I found it in my hands." She snapped and took a bite longingly. He laughed and she looked up.
Why was her heart beating so fast?
'It's because you just came down a fifty-foot tree', her mind said. 'No, you just longed for your Yum Burger', her stomach said. 'It's because you heard him laugh', her heart said lastly and she forced herself to believe her stomach. Yes, she just wanted her burger, that was all.
Dylan caught her staring and held her gaze. Her eyes were brown but there was a hint of green and blue in them. She turned away hastily and took another bite.
"Why are you here?" Mikan asked while chewing. "Just came for a walk." He replied and continued to chew on his burger. She dismissed his answer and ate more.
"Of course I went to find you." He said and can't help but feel like he just confessed. But heck, he just did. Dylan turned away.
"You're joking. Maybe you just came here to capture me." She laughed at that ridiculous thought.
Capture your heart? He thought but wistfully shook his head. He was just tired and hungry that's all.
"Yeah. And that burger has a sedative to keep you unconscious while I carry you to our altar and offer you to our god." He said seriously and for a moment she was tempted to believe him. His eyes were icy blue and it was saying something she couldn't quite understand.
And then she laughed when a smile formed on his lips. His lips were thin and slightly pale that it gave her the impression that he hasn't kissed anyone before. Perhaps… when she faced and accidentally kissed him before, that was his first.
She couldn't believe she was thinking about that. It was too... absurd and ridiculous at the same time. But she entertained the thought. It was enough to keep her up at night.
"Where's your best friend?" He asked indifferently in a tone that made Mikan do a double take. A tinge of worry was etched at her forehead and he can't help but feel a stab of jealousy.
"I don't know. But I do hope he's doing alright." She said, crumpled the wrapper and placed it in her pocket.
Dylan stood up and walked towards her. Mikan felt some kind of nervousness bubble up inside her and she was tempted to retreat, until he extended his hand.
"You don't want to stand up? Fine by me." He said and almost pulled back his hand when she suddenly grabbed it and pushed herself up.
"Hey there, Mister Grumpy. Don't go running away from me yet." She said and smiled unconsciously. Mikan walked forward but Dylan stood in place.
"You're not moving?" she asked coyly but then caught his stare at her hand, err, rather, their hands still holding. Immediately, she let go but he snatched it back.
"Give me that." He said and proceeded walking, a boyish smile gracing his lips. He tugged at her hand.
"Let's go."
Mikan was glad he turned away because she was sure she was blushing madly. She followed and caught up with him, her hand warm in his.
Evil reincarnation. Maybe she was slowly falling for him.
It was mad. Everything was in turmoil. Koko's head was spinning and he held it with his hands. It was like a hollow block fell down several times on his head and finally gave up on torturing him.
"Ow." A monosyllabic word came out of his mouth and he felt that his head would explode from the strain. Hell, the word was that short, he wasn't even sure if it is even a word, how could it make his head ache like this?
Someone might have punished him for reading other's secrets.
"Doctor, I think he's awake." An unfamiliar female voice said and something shot up his arm and he cringed. Injections. But the pain in his head slowly subsided and he found that he could open his eyes.
Everything was white. Almost, except for the lone vase with the dried flowers in them. He expressed his sympathies and saluted. The flowers have done their job. They could have lasted longer if someone had placed water in the vase, the back of his mind thought. He grinned. A random thought after another.
A person cleared her throat and he turned.
"Excuse me, but are you feeling alright?" She asked. He cocked his head to the side. She wasn't a nurse and she looked like he had seen her somewhere before. But he greeted with a smile.
"Yes, I'm fine." He replied and the girl's face heated up and he noticed it. It would make his day to know what's going on in her mind. He grinned and stared at her to access her thoughts and memories.
Blank. Nothing.
He chuckled and almost hit his head. It was impossible for a person's head to be empty like that. He tried again but nothing came still. He was beginning to panic.
"Who are you?" He demanded and the girl was shocked by the outburst. She called the doctor. Koko sighed. Maybe he just couldn't read her mind. He could try the doctor next.
"How do you feel?" The man asked and he grinned in return, concentrating.
Blank.
His grin melted and was replaced by horror.
"No, no. This is just a dream. I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming…" He rocked back and forth on the hospital bed and a crease of worry appeared on the doctor's forehead.
"How do you feel child? Are you feeling fine? Is the morphine-" He was cut off when Koko suddenly lied down the bed and closed his eyes. He called the nurses.
A group of four came in and attended to him and Koko dared to open his eyes and stare at one of the nurses. Beads of sweat were on his forehead and Kira wasn't having a hard time deciphering what was happening. She knew that face.
Koko blinked. Still nothing. Could it be that his ability-
His eyes were sweltering and he looked away. But the nurses and the doctor was still busy with his dextrose, checking his vitals.
"Get out." He whispered. None of them heard, but Kira did and tried to approach him.
"I said get out." He said a little bit louder and the nurses paused to hear but didn't almost care.
"GET OUT! I SAID GET OUT! DON'T YOU HEAR ME? I-" They were horrified but heeded his wishes shakily. Kira didn't move an inch.
"I don't need you… I don't-" He choked and let his tears fall. She came over and held his hand. He recoiled but she held on tighter.
"Leave me alone… Please." He was now pleading and it was painful to watch.
"It'll be fine." She said and combed her hand through his hair.
"It won't, it won't…"
Nothing was important at that moment, all was lost.
And Kira cried with him.
It's unedited, I don't have beta. I would like to apologize. This chapter should have been finished last May, but due to my lazy soul, I just finished it. I'm so sad for Koko.
Y.M.H.O