Hey everyone...
So, I edited some stuff with this story especially with the pairing. I just realized that I sucked royally in the grammar and I didn't know then that the tense is supposed to be past tense.
I didn't edit everything, mind you. I'm a loyal slacker so I guess you could see that in the story. I think I started in chapter 2 with the major editing...
Anyway, I've written two new chapters after a very long hiatus (sorry i didn't warn any of the guys waiting for almost a year-major problems came up in my family and school). Second year high school was hectic in Phil-Sci. At least in my third year this year, it won't be so hectic.
I'm done with promising you guys for a certain time for my update. I'm done with breaking my promises. I can't even tell you guys how sorry I am.
Since those who had been waiting for this story to update probably got sick of waiting, I'm just going to say sorry and i hope you'll forgive me. To those who had been reading my stories and making Story Alerts and some even gave a few reviews, thanks a lot. I really appreciate it.
P.S. : This note is just going to repeat from the first chap until the 22nd chapter of my story.
Chapter 17 – Am I untrustworthy?
The silence was awkward and somewhat tense. We were still wearing our covers and Hotaru was sneaking glares at Narumi who was gulping all the time. She squirmed a bit in her chair while we huddled in front of her staring at her fearfully. Wait, maybe the staring made her edgy.
An empty stomach could make someone edgy, too, especially when we excused from class from lunch until the last session.
"Um, Hyuuga-san," I started to break the silence.
"Please call me, Aoi," Aoi said immediately. "It makes me feel old whenever people call me that," she added jokingly.
Amidst all the tension, we managed to relax a bit. I smiled at her, the Twins managed to let go of each other's hand, Yuu took a deep breath, Sumire exhaled, Hotaru kept her cool and calm face, while Narumi still gulped.
Then Aoi's brows started to meet slightly. "Why do you have to hide? I mean, who are you people?"
My gaze went from Aoi's confused face to Narumi's nervous one. "I thought she knew."
Narumi gulped once again. "Well, she partially knew. She didn't exactly know. But when she knows a little, wouldn't it seem—" But he was cut off by Hotaru's icy voice.
"How did she know?" she asked. I shivered a little.
"Well, you see," he stammered. He took a deep breath first and rushed his explanation. ". ''ttellanyoneaboutwhatsheknows!"
Do you need any translation, my good people? Here it is: "When I was walking down the hallway yesterday she came to me saying that I look suspicious and familiar so I panicked a little. And she saw me panic and said that she knows we have a secret and she's going to find out no matter what and I broke down and promised her to tell her the truth but she mustn't tell anyone about what she knows!"
He knelt down in front of us while telling us this. Aoi's face took pity on him and she stood to where he was. She patted his back.
"Please, don't blame Narumi-sensei," Aoi pleaded to us. "It was my fault for prying it out of him. Please, forgive him."
I was shocked. I mean, we didn't blame Narumi… at least that's what I thought but Aoi Hyuuga pleading to a couple of disguise-wearing unwanted's? That's pretty surprising.
"Get up, Narumi, you're staining the carpet," Hotaru said coldly while she crossed her arms. I know that pose. It's the same thing she'd do when she's contemplating about something.
Narumi got up from his knees with a guilty face while Aoi stood beside him with a scowl.
I could see why Aoi would scowl at Hotaru. It's just that Hotaru could be pretty much of a puzzle that no one but us could understand. Besides, we trusted her in all she does.
Finally, Hotaru sighed. "We must go to the dressing rooms. It's better for you to see than to hear." Yep, that's pretty much her.
Like lost puppies, we followed her to the dressing rooms. I guess we are to be cautious not to show her how we change. I just have a feeling that we need to do this than the other option.
"Hotaru, are you sure about this?" I asked her when I finished changing.
Hotaru looked at me. "Yes. If she knows, it might be a good advantage if we have more people at our backs. Besides, she'd shut her trap if she does anything stupid."
I swallowed as I thought about the possibilities Hotaru would do to the poor girl.
"Got any back-up, plans, Hotaru?" Sumire asked. Her voice was scared. I didn't know if she's scared for Aoi-san's sake or for what would Hotaru do.
Hotaru shrugged as she held on the door knob. "We could make plans as we go."
The Twins hopelessly looked at each other and back on her.
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"What the—"Aoi choked out. Her eyes bulged out and her mouth gaped open. When she looked at me, it seems that she couldn't even breathe.
I wonder why that is…
"Aoi-chan," Anna said. "If you can manage it, maybe you should sit down and let us explain ourselves to you." She and Nonoko guided her to a chair and rushed towards the kitchen to let her drink something that would help her calm down.
Then, Yuu stood up and started to introduce all of us using our band-names but Aoi politely said that she knows who we are since we were famous. Yuu smiled at her and started our story from the time we decided about this until now that we are saying this to her. Hotaru helped Yuu with the other details. And somewhere in the conversation, Anna and Nonoko brought in tea and sweets. They offered her tea and a chocolate cake and by some reason, she calmed down. The conversation continued until it was dinner time. Of course, those who did the most talking were Yuu and Hotaru and we would talk if we were in question. We'd tell the truth, too.
But there was some of the truth that we can't reveal to her just yet.
The two geniuses only told her about us having double-lives. But they didn't correct themselves that they had triple-lives. They only told her about the fame and school, but they were careful not to give a hint about their private one. Only I had a double-life…so far.
"So, let me get this straight," Aoi said. "You guys were the previous Most Unwanted people in Gakuen Alice and had an excuse of transferring because my twin's band almost revealed who you are and yet you still continue your title but nobody knows but you?"
We all nodded simultaneously. Narumi, who kept quiet all the time, nodded and took a piece of his muffin.
"Why is this secret important again?" Aoi asked for the nth time.
Yuu sighed tiredly. "Because we want to have a free, normal, life rather than just running away from paparazzi?"
"Are you sure you guys aren't hiding anything else?" Aoi suddenly asked seriously. Darn, the girl could sense it.
But Hotaru surprised us all. "Yes," she replied coolly. "We do have. But we don't think you are ready to know."
"Is that so…" Aoi mused. "Taru-chan."
I felt Hotaru freeze at Aoi's last statement. But Aoi had a victorious glint in her eyes. I never knew the Ice Queen would freeze on her own.
"Sumi-chan," Aoi said to Permy. Permy gasped.
"Noko-chan," she continued as she looked at Nonoko right to her eyes. Nonoko had a hard time to swallow.
"Anna-chan." Anna looked down miserably and guiltily. "Yuu-kun." Yuu gulped nervously.
How the hell did she know their childhood names? My head said.
Then softly, she turned to me with relieved eyes. "Mikan-chan," she said. I froze.
Why the hell does she know my name?
"Why do you know my name?" I asked her. "Why do you know their names?"
Aoi looked victorious at first but then she looked confused by my question.
"Don't you know who I am, Mikan-chan? Don't you know me as a kid?" She tilted her head to the side. "Or do you prefer—"
Then, as quick as lightning, Permy jumped from the couch and covered her mouth as if to stop her from saying more. Aoi looked like a scared rabbit.
"What's going on?" I asked worriedly. "Why did you cover her mouth?"
"Mikan," Hotaru's unemotional voice called. I looked at her and saw that she was careful around me.
"Please trust us," she said. "Go to the R.S. and stay there until I let Com call you. This is something that shouldn't concern you." Her voice was dead-serious and her face was calculating.
What?
"Go now, Mikan," Nonoko murmured and turned to Yuu. "You should accompany her." There was something in her eyes that communicated with him.
Yuu nodded once and held on to my hand, half-dragging me towards the R.S.
"Yuu," I started as the elevator went down. "What's going on?" I made my voice be tainted with suspicion. Yuu shook his head.
"Please, Mikan," she whispered. "Don't get mad. It's for your own safety."
"Safety?" I repeated, my voice getting higher. "What's this all about?"
The elevator finally landed and Yuu put his hand behind my neck in a tight hold.
"I'm sorry," Yuu whispered before everything went black.
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"Oh…" I moaned. My head was dizzy. It felt like the whole place was shaking.
I blinked my eyes to clear the white spots and realized that I had been transferred to my room instead of staying in the Rec. Space. By the way, why wasI going to stay in that place?
"Oh right," I mumbled as I rubbed my neck. "They had business to take care of with Aoi-san and I wasn't supposed to be concerned about it." Then I felt like my heart weighed a thousand pounds.
"What are they hiding from me?" I asked myself out loud. "Tell me something I don't know," I answered to myself darkly. How was I supposed to know?
Then, as if it was automatic, I took a piece of paper from my Working Area (remember when I just have to transform my closet to my Working Area with a push of a button?) and a pen and sat in front of my table. After scribbling a few notes, I rushed to my acoustic guitar that was just sitting on its stand and tuned it. Tuning done, I began to make the harmony.
I was just testing the chorus when a knock came on the door. I didn't answer and the person just opened the door without my permission.
"I see you're working on a new song," Hotaru's voice said.
I sighed and put on the final chords. "Yeah. What's it to you?" I didn't mean my voice to become snappy but I guess I couldn't help it.
I heard my bed creak. "Mikan," she began. I ignored her. I strummed the next chords that would fit the song and tested it out.
"It's best for you if you won't know," Hotaru finished her sentence. "Trust me."
A string broke and flicked my finger causing it to bleed. But I paid no heed to the pain. I just put my guitar down and took a band-aid from my drawer. I ripped the cover and immediately put it on my bleeding finger.
"Mikan—" Hotaru started to say but I cut her off.
"I had been trusting you," I finally said. But my voice became cold and serious.
"I had been trusting you," I repeated. "I also trusted you to never keep a secret from me that concern my well-being." My voice became a whisper.
"But Mikan—" she tried to reason with me but I didn't stop.
"I'm not a kid anymore, Hotaru!" I shouted, unable to hold myself back. "I can take care of myself."
Hotaru was still calm when she said, "Even if we'd lose each other?"
I stopped dead. What did she mean? But I know my answer to her question.
"I'm not a kid anymore," I repeated. "If I knew what you're hiding, you'd know that I'd know that I'd find and make a way so that we'd be together always."
I started to walk past her towards the door. She didn't make any move to stop me. I stopped by the door.
"Maybe the problem is," I said. "You won't trust me on this one."
I opened the door and briskly walked towards the living room where the other four were huddled together with Aoi. Their faces were hopeful at first but when I ignored them, they became worried through my peripheral vision. I had to bottle up the tingle in my heart whenever they do that.
After I left the Room, I immediately went near the Northern Woods and turned off my phone and anything that they could use to track me. The reason why I went to the Northern Woods was because there is a beautiful garden of trees. Trees like the cherry blossoms. I had my favorite one there and I had been going there when I had the time.
The sun was starting to set, making the clouds have varied colors of orange, pink, and purple. It was beautiful. It soothed me for a moment.
I have arrived to biggest cherry blossom tree and sat under there. I already activated my hologram by the time I exited the Room so it's safe to say that I could walk around the place without worrying about other people figuring me out.
Under the cherry blossom, I thought about what just happened before. What is the name that Aoi was going to say? Why didn't they want me to know? Was there something that I wasn't supposed to know? When are they going to tell me? I trust them, but do they trust me?
All the while, I watched the sky turn darker and hummed a tune I have made. It always gives me tingles whenever I do it; it's like a lullaby for those who like to be at peace. The tune stopped when a twig snapped.
How come this is like a movie of some sort?
"Who's out there?" I asked in my normal voice, not bothering to disguise it.
The person went out of the shadows and I saw the face. It was the face I wished that I had never seen today.
"Hyuuga-san," I managed to say from shock, immediately tainting my voice with the geekiness left in me.
He was wearing a black hoodie with a strip of crimson line that crossed from his right shoulder towards his upper pelvis and a pair of black cargo pants. He stuffed his hands in his hoodie pockets before narrowing his eyes slightly at me.
"Oh," he said unemotionally. "It's the geek who crashed into me yesterday." His tone was covered by sarcasm by then. His lip partially lifted at the side to show disgust.
"I'm sorry," I said and was surprised that I didn't feel a single tinge of irritation. Probably tired because of the stress.
"Drop the act, stupid," he suddenly said. I panicked. Did he find out?
"What act?" I innocently asked. Something tells me he didn't fall for it. Damn.
He snorted. "I thought geeks were smart. Drop the fake voice, you idiot."
I used my normal voice just toning it down a little knowing that he heard Equinox's voice before. "How d'you know?"
He rolled his eyes. "Like you weren't making a racket a minute ago."
Oh. Darn, I really am stupid.
Wait, I said to myself. Doesn't that mean that he heard my humming? What if he familiarized it with Equinox? Oh, shit.
"Sorry, then," I said and bowed my head. "Then, I must go now since my standards are a shame to yours. There's no need for me to be here." I stood up and dusted myself.
I almost took a step when he stopped me with a solid, "no".
I looked right into his eyes and felt myself being mesmerized by them. I could feel his coldness but inside those cold eyes were those who were searching for someone to understand them. I couldn't even blink myself to wake up.
What the heck? Don't act like a love-struck idiot! My God, Mikan! Pull yourself together, girl!
"But, you don't want my presence here," I said to him curiously finally managing to control myself.
He snorted once again and walked towards me. He sat down just about three feet away from me. Nonetheless, he was still under the tree.
"I may be at a higher level than you but I'm not like those bitches," he muttered. I managed to smile at that.
So just like me, he has a mask on. The only difference was, I'm wearing two and I can't seem to throw them all away.
"May I sit down, Hyuuga-san?" I asked him. He kept silent but I guess that's a yes.
A moment passed on, and I couldn't take the silence anymore.
"Um, why are you here?" I asked him.
He kept watching what was in front of him. "This is my tree."
"Pardon?"
"You heard me," he said monotonously. "This is my tree, stupid."
I ignored the stupid. "So, does that mean that you went here before you became famous?" I stated the obvious and only received a sarcastic snort.
"Well, I'm sorry. I only transferred here," I muttered.
He twisted his head slightly to my direction and returned it to its original position.
"You said we were famous. Then why don't you know where we go?" he asked coldly and irritatingly.
I popped a knuckle in my neck. "Not all famous people's biography could be known. For example, shoes are very famous with many unique designs. But what is a tip of a shoelace called?"
He only gave me silence.
I sighed. "It's an aglet, Hyuuga-san."
"I don't need to fuckin' know that," he growled. I cringed at the bad word. Yes, I've been saying things like that but not like him.
"Very well, then," I said, calling it quits. I really don't want to waste my resting time with an argument.
The sky had turned light purple when he was the one who broke the silence.
"Why do you have to hide your voice?" he asked me. He was referring to the times in Music class when we have to sing a tune and I have to break my voice to hide my original voice. I forgot he was in my Music class.
"It's… for classified reasons," I replied with a strained voice.
He turned his head to me and turned it back. "Idiot," he muttered. I looked at him with a confused expression.
"Hiding your talent?" he asked sarcastically. "That's the sickest thing I've ever heard."
I exhaled sharply. "You don't know anything about me."
"Really? I didn't realize." He had the signature sarcasm in his tone. "I do know one thing. Hiding someone's talent… is the worst thing I've ever heard."
I looked down on my lap as I thought about what he said. And finally turned it back to him.
"That may be so," I began. "But I told you, I have reasons. Reasons I wouldn't tell to a stranger."
"What's your name?" he suddenly asked.
"T-Tera Waname," I answered instantly.
He held out a hand. "Natsume Hyuuga."
I knew where he was going but I played along. I shook his hand.
"Now," he began as he retrieved his hand quickly. "What are the reasons?"
"Have I forgotten to elaborate my meaning of strangers, Hyuuga-san?" I asked innocently but made sure I made it sound fake. "I meant those I haven't known very well. You, sir, are just an acquaintance. You must reach as my friend then my best friend to earn my trust." I smirked at him geekily.
He went back to sitting position and stayed silent.
"You don't trust your friends, then?" he asked suddenly.
I turned my whole body at him. "Of course I do—" But I stopped short.
Trust me…trust us…I'm sorry…it's for your own safety
Maybe not enough.
"Are you saying?" His tone was amused. He probably thought I reconsidered my decision. But he was in for deeper poop.
I smiled sadly to myself. "Of course I do trust them. But what if they don't trust you?"
He snorted. "Do I need to answer that, geek?"
My patience stretched even more. "Of course, not Mr. Jerk!" I sarcastically said with a fake smile. "But thank you for your time but I must go. My friends are waiting for me at dinner."
He didn't make any signs of attention so I just walked away leaving him with his beloved tree.
"Pig," he muttered. I think a tick mark appeared on my forehead.
Remember, you have to be Equinox to beat him up. Act stupid and it's the end of your life, I thought darkly as I stomped my way to the Room.
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"Mikan Sakura…valid…please enter," Com announced and the door opened and I smelled the yummy scent of American-style dinner.
But before I could step into the living room, I was bombarded with hugs and sorry's.
"We're sorry, Mikan!" The Twins chanted while keeping me in a tight hug.
Permy also joined in the hugging session. "You aren't hurt aren't you? Oh, I'm so sorry!"
"I could forgive you if you don't kill me first," I managed to wheeze and air finally entered my lungs like a lifesaver.
I faced their apologetic faces and included Yuu's worried face and Hotaru's unemotional one. Aoi stayed at the back with the same confused look.
"Guys," I started. "I'm sorry for running off like that. I should have stopped and thought about it more."
I looked at Hotaru. "Maybe the real problem was I don't trust you guys enough."
Yuu was the first one to speak. "Well," he began and opened his arms for a hug. "We're sorry, too." I hugged him but released him immediately.
"You were right, too," he continued. "We haven't trusted you enough either."
I smiled at him happily. But when Hotaru looked at me, I bowed my head in shame.
"Do you know the reason why I didn't stop you for going out?" Hotaru asked me. "I trusted you not to act stupid. But I guess I have to say sorry to you, too."
I looked up at her and saw her opening her arms. I immediately leaped into her arms and hugged her tightly.
"Sorry, idiot," she muttered. She let me go and held me on the shoulders.
"But you have to trust us that this is not the time for you to know," she added solemnly. I nodded. I can live with that.
The smiles died down and I approached Aoi-san with an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry with the incident I've caused earlier, Aoi-san," I said. "But maybe I should introduce myself properly." I held out a hand. "I'm Mikan Sakura. Also known as Equinox and Tera Waname."
She shook my hand with a smile. "I'm Aoi Hyuuga! But you could just call me Aoi-chan. The –san makes me feel like my mom." She added a cute laugh.
"Aoi-chan it is!" I agreed and laughed with her.
Everyone either chuckled or giggled with us and it died down when my stomach growled. They snickered and went to the dining room leaving me with Aoi-chan.
"So, Mikan-chan," Aoi began. "What made you realize the trust issue?"
I chuckled at her term. "Someone helped me," I replied softly.
Her eyebrows rose slightly. "Really?" she asked me. "Who?"
I smiled knowingly. "That's a secret." All she gave me was a surprised but happy face.