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 21 – Truth shall set you free
"Sweetie!" a maid called from the steps. "Your tutor is here!"
Mikan exhaled sharply. "I'll be there in a hundred minutes!"
The footsteps going up the stairs weren't threatening to the young 4-year-old. In fact, it was merely frustrating. There was a knock on the door and the little one replied, "Come in."
The maid was about twenty with red locks and brown eyes. She should be someone who's rich, Mikan thought sadly, and not be stuck up here with me.
"Sweetie, your tutor is here," the maid repeated softly. "Come on, howalons will come right after you're done."
Even the sound of howalons didn't sound appealing. "Can't you tell her that I'm sick with monkey pox?" young Mikan whined. "Preeetttyy pleeeaaasse, Hinu-nee-chan!" She did her puppy-dog-pout expression to soften her nanny.
But Hinu got used to Mikan's irresistible pouts. "But your mother and father want you to excel. Don't you want that? Besides, there's no such thing as monkey pox."
Mikan chewed on her lip. Hinu knew it was hard for the girl to do these things—especially being home-schooled! But fate chose her to become someone powerful. So powerful, her life as a midget was dangerous. Being the daughter of the largest company owners in Asia was hard. Being the heir of the largest company in Asia was harder than missile-proof glass. And yet, she was surprised how the little Sweetie was able to keep up with all the things going around. Even more when she thought that the girl was an eight-year-old short stuff when she arrived in the manor because the kid talked like one.
"Okay…" Mikan murmured. "Please tell Ms. Kentucky to wait for me."
Hinu sighed. "Again, Sweetie, she's Ms. Kentaka."
"Kentucky sounds cuter," Mikan mumbled as she skipped towards her closet and easily found her own clothes. "Like Kentucky Fried Chicken."
As she heard her door open and close, Mikan, half-wearing a shirt, looked out the window of her room and saw kids playing and laughing gleefully. Something in her heart said, "Let me play, too!" but she knew it was impossible to get out of the house—especially when being guarded by big guys (she called them baboons) with walky-talky-thingies in their ears.
Why didn't Aniki like to get rich? Wasn't he the first born? Mikan frowned as she finished dressing. Why did he tell Mom and Dad to make me the next— what did they call it? Hair! That's right!
She sighed as she envied the kids playing in front of their big gates with letters which look like scribbles she'd make on a wall if there's no one watching. Of course, some would blame her (especially Tsubasa) for the mess but she'd let her baby brother take the blame even though the little guy was less than a year old.
You-chan, she thought miserably, I would have said no to Mom and Dad, too, but… You-chan… I won't make his life sad and lonely like I am now.
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Her heart was fluttering at the speed of chopper blades. She just evaded the baboons and she was nowhere near giving herself up. Besides, the tree she was hiding behind was big and beautiful with pink leaves.
Wiping a thin sheet of sweat from her forehead, she was huffing and puffing. She covered her mouth as footsteps got louder. Eventually, the sound faded towards a different direction.
She leaned her head against the tree's trunk. I wanna get out of here… even if it's just a minute.
Their backyard was big—big enough that it wasn't appropriate to be called a backyard.
A backyard with two swimming pools and a golf course? She asked herself. I wonder what Dad was thinking…
Nevertheless, she found herself hidden in one of the secluded areas of the house. It was where Sakura trees were found. The golf course was just ahead so it was easy to spot her brother (still 8 years old) driving a golf cart even though he knew he'd get a beating from Mom.
As if her wish came true, she found a door on the wall. It looked like one of those old-timey doors; dark wood, brass handle, needs a key to lock and unlock, heavy, and, well, old. The door was put there like it was painted by an expert.
She checked if there was anyone looking. None. She slowly went towards the door and gripped the handle. She tugged a few times but it was locked.
Where's the key? She rummaged through the dried leaves on the ground but found no key after ten minutes. She raised her head and opened her mouth to shout in frustration when the sound got clogged in her throat. Up near the door was a brass key hanging like a decoration.
"Yipee!" she rejoiced and reached for the key. After a minute or two, she was in the outside world ravishing the freedom with joy.
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"Oooh…" she breathed as she took in her surroundings. Outside that side of the estate was a not-so-big lake with beautiful trees around it. She explored and explored until her tiny legs gave out to exhaustion.
She decided to rest beneath the cool shade of the trees. When Mikan was about to close her eyes, she heard a snapping sound. It made her alert and her hazel eyes roamed the surroundings.
Don't worry, Sweetie, she heard her mother's voice in her head. Big Foot isn't true.
But what about the boogeyman? She immediately felt a shiver down her spine. She stood up and swallowed to give herself some courage.
Suddenly, flashes of pink and dark blue appeared and tackled her. She didn't fall down but the culprits held her arms back and tied her hands while a cloth was used to cover her mouth stopping her scream. Her eyes got a better look at her attackers: two girls who look the same except for the pink hair and midnight-blue hair. Both of them had blue eyes but the pink-haired one had a lighter tone. Mikan heard approaching footsteps and saw a boy about her age with blond hair and Harry-Potter-glasses.
"We found an intruder, sir!" the pink-haired announced gleefully.
"Are we going to do the torture procedures?" the blue-haired asked.
The blond boy gaped at the two. "What are you doing?" He looked around. "Let her go, Anna-chan, Noko-chan! She might get hurt!"
The girls named Anna and Noko didn't let Mikan go which made her squirm violently. The twin-like duo giggled.
"Naw, we want to play with her!" the two chorused.
Out of nowhere, two U-shaped hooves went straight to the twins' forehead causing them to fall down and groan.
"Ittai!" Anna and Noko complained loudly.
Behind the blond boy came out a girl just their age. She had short, raven-colored hair and amethyst eyes which looked emotionless. But on closer inspection her eyes were bored and annoyed.
"Baka," she muttered. "You don't even know who you made captive of."
The blond boy gulped. "Ta-taru-chan. I-I-I tried to stop them but—"
"Stop stuttering, Yuu," the girl named Taru muttered. "It's embarrassing."
Mikan couldn't help but be intimidated by the other girl's presence. She was young but she also emitted a powerful aura that made Mikan want to crawl under a rock.
"Eh ee oh!" Mikan yelled which actually meant, "Let me go!"
With a glance from Taru, Yuu immediately untied Mikan and took the cloth from her mouth. Mikan wiped her mouth with her wrist (the cloth didn't taste appetizing).
"Mikan Sakura," Taru started, "we've finally met."
Mikan was surprised how Taru knew her name immediately. "How did you know my name?" She was grateful that her voice sounded firm despite the fact that the raven-haired girl's eyes just gave her the chills. It was like living in Pluto. Still, she continued to wipe her mouth because the cloth tasted like gym shorts though she hadn't even tasted one. She didn't want to either.
Taru smirked. "You're surprisingly brave."
"Well you're too bright for your age," Mikan countered. She was afraid yet she hated it when she's afraid. "Are you an adult with a very, very short height?"
"Oooh," Noko said. She had recovered from the headache-giving blow. "She's amazing! I want to keep her!"
By that, Mikan wasn't sure whether Noko sees her as a human or a plaything. She started to run away from the weird people but Yuu stopped her.
"Chotto, chotto!" he said. "What Noko-chan meant was she wants to keep you as a friend."
She turned toward them with her eyebrows burrowing into her forehead. "My Mom and Dad told me to never trust strangers. Those two"—she pointed at Noko and Anna—"tried to kidnap me, you"—she pointed at Yuu—"are like a persuasive kidnapper and you"—she pointed at Taru who raised her eyebrow—"look at me like I'm a wanted criminal. How am I going to trust people like you?"
Yuu, Anna, Noko, and Taru looked at each other. Their faces became apologetic except for Taru who kept her cool face.
"Gomen ne," Yuu said, "we were just playing Captive and Anna and Noko like ambushing unknown people."
Anna and Noko gave cheery grins. "We do that so that person becomes our friend!"
"They were playing Captive," Taru quickly intervened. "I was only watching them."
Mikan nodded as she understood. "Okay… I get it." She bowed. "I'm Sakura Mikan. Call me Sweetie if you want, too, but I prefer Mikan."
Yuu also bowed. "I'm Tobita Yuu. Just call me Yuu." He grinned at her.
The twin-like girls bowed simultaneously. "I'm Umenomiya Anna," the pink-haired girl said.
"And I'm Ogasawara Nonoko," Noko said. "Call me Noko if you want. We're actually twins but our parents gave us different last names. Weird, huh?" She gave a grin and Mikan couldn't help but grin back. "Our real last names are Oishi which sounds a lot weirder."
The last one was Taru. She didn't bow; instead, she held out her hand. "I'm Imai Hotaru. Never dare call me Taru." Mikan carefully shook her hand like it was going to bite hers. Then something clicked.
"Imai?" she repeated. "Are your parents Imai Hiruzen and Imai Kin?"
Hotaru nodded once. "You must've heard."
"Yes," Mikan replied. "My parents mentioned them before and they are really good friends. I heard they own the—what do you call that?"
"Police force," Hotaru supplied, "also with the Forensics Investigation, the CIA Japan, and the rest of the Government-used agencies for security, secrets, and protection. They also own HyperTronics."
All of them, including Mikan, gaped at her. "Taru-chan," Anna said, "is amazing!"
Hotaru rolled her eyes. "I told you a thousand and thirty-nine times, do not call me Taru-chan!" She gave Anna a glare which didn't bother the latter.
Anna and Noko giggled. "But we like calling you Taru-chan. It's cute. Yuu-kun thinks so, too." Hotaru turned to Yuu who laughed nervously.
"What about you, Yuu-kun?" Mikan said, trying to change the subject. "What do your parents do?"
Yuu was glad to be released of Hotaru's glare. "My parents own Tobita Industries. They make the latest gadgets in partnership with Taru-chan's parents."
Mikan beamed. She had heard of Tobita Industries and HyperTronics from her parents. They actually spoke highly of Yuu and Hotaru's parents. She was about to ask about Anna and Noko's parents when the twins beat her to it.
"Our parents own Delish!" they chorused. "They make the sweetest delicacies," Anna added.
"From candies to pastries!" Noko continued in harmony.
"Oh!" Mikan exclaimed. "I love their candies!"
They started to talk about candies and food—generally food—when Yuu asked Mikan about her parents and why it's like she knows every one of their parents.
She grinned. "My parents own IzuNazu Management & Corporations. Sometimes it's just IzuNazu Inc. I don't know what that means but I think it's big," she added as she pouted.
"What?" they yelled in unison (except for Hotaru who typically rolled her eyes).
They knew that IzuNazu Inc. was the leading economic business company in Asia. They covered everything from food to gadgets to hotels to clothes and the list goes on and on. Anna and Nonoko couldn't believe that their victim for Captive was the heiress if ever Tsubasa, the heir, stepped down.
"I heard Tsubasa was told he's the heir," Hotaru said.
Mikan shook her head a bit bitterly. "He was. He gave that position to me."
Scratch that. Their victim was the heiress. Oh their parents weren't going to be happy when they hear about that.
"When that reaches the news people, you won't be able to go out of your house," Yuu said in a worried tone.
Anna nodded. "It's going to be a nightmare." She shivered in emphasis.
"You sound like you've been there," Mikan observed from their expression. Hotaru may have an emotionless face but the way her eyes tightened, it was obvious it annoyed her.
"You're right," Noko said. "Our parents told us that Anna and I are the next people to move up to their position when we are ready. The next thing we knew, we were locked up in the house for a long time."
Yuu frowned. "Same thing with me. They put surveillance cameras around the house and the bodyguards won't let me play outside. Took me a few months before they allowed it."
Mikan pitied her new-found friends. She told them that the media people already knew and that she was already a prisoner of the house. Her lucky break was sneaking out the door she pointed.
"So that's why you're here!" Anna, in her new realization, said. "Our parents allowed us to go outside just a few weeks ago. The good news in the media was, our faces weren't posted for—Noko-chan, what did Mommy and Daddy call it?"
"Security reasons," Hotaru bluntly said. "I had no problem whatsoever with my family." Her voice didn't waver but Mikan noticed a faint doubt in Hotaru's eyes. She was about to point that out until a siren—a loud one at that—rang beyond the walls of the Izumi Manor.
They all stiffened. Hotaru immediately asked Mikan how long she was out.
"About twenty?" she replied. Hotaru said something Mikan couldn't hear and then grabbed her hand. The raven-haired dragged her towards the door with the others flanking them.
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"Mikan Sakura Izumi!" a man in his early 30's half-yelled. "What on earth gave you the idea of going out?" The man had sandy-blond hair which made him look younger. His eyes were the color of golden brown (some people say he's the brother of Edward Cullen). Right then, those eyes showed worry, anxiety, and disappointment. Anger? Still unknown.
They were all in the living room. Mikan's newfound friends shrunk in their seats (Hotaru merely stared at the man). She noticed that she was also shrinking in her seat. She sat properly and looked at her father.
"Dad, I just—" she started to say but her father cut her off. "Did you know that I have to deal with the bodyguards because—"
WHAPACK!
The sharp sound made almost everyone in the room cringe. It was the contact between Mikan's father's head and a rolled-up magazine held by a woman. The woman looked just like Mikan; a brunette, had hazel eyes, and very lightly tanned skin. The only difference between the two was their characteristics. And to prove that…
"Izumi Yukihara," the woman said calmly, "how will she ever explain if you interrupt?" She looked at Mikan who relaxed a little. "Tell us your story, Sweetie."
"Mom," Mikan said and chose her words carefully, "I'm sick."
Yukihara's brows met and deepened into his skull while the woman raised her eyebrows.
"I'm sick of being kept a prisoner here," Mikan continued. "I'm even jealous of my friends." She politely gestured her hand towards her friends. "They get to have some time to be outside while I'm here stuck with Ms. KFC being home-schooled."
Yuu, Anna, and Nonoko paled as they feared they might take the blame of Mikan's disappearance.
It seemed that Yukihara calmed himself down because he asked them of their names. The four told him as politely as they could and he turned to the woman. Both of them had understanding looks.
"They're Imai, Tobita, and Oishi's kids, Yuka," he murmured. He turned back to them. "How did you get out?"
Hotaru was the one who replied, "Our parents gave us freedom though it's limited due to our status in the society." She gave Mikan a glance and stood up to say, "With all due respect, sir, I agree with Mikan. I had my sources tell me that children locked up in houses without seeing the light of day would resort to indifference to other people and sometimes insanity. They are also easily influenced by people in public may it be good or bad. So if you want your daughter to be the heiress you want her to be or you expect her to be, let her have her proper freedom." She sat back and crossed her legs and arms.
Silence could be tasted in the air. Yukihara kept glancing back and forth between Yuka and Hotaru, Mikan, Yuu, Anna, and Nonoko had their jaws to the ground, and the bodyguards had bobbed their heads forward in disbelief.
"What?" Hotaru asked innocently.
"Ta-taru-chan…" Nonoko said. "Can you say things a little bit… easier to understand?"
Anna whispered, "What is indifference and insanity?" to Yuu who quickly explained. Mikan was scratching her head as she tried to understand what Hotaru just said.
A soft laugh was suddenly heard. Yuka didn't seem to be surprised by Hotaru's intellect.
"You truly are Imai's kid," she said with a smile. "I agree with you. Even though it's not my idea"—she narrowed her eyes at Yukihara—"I believe we should give our child the freedom she deserves."
"Curfews," Yukihara muttered. "I can go with the plan if we have curfews."
Curfews were discussed among them and the guards. The three, Yuu, Anna, and Nonoko, felt like they shouldn't be there—the grown-ups, Hotaru, and Mikan were discussing things beyond their leagues.
"So where were you hiding?" Yuka asked. Mikan felt a lot more relaxed when her mother spoke. Her father just speaks like a boom box—loud and demanding. Maybe that was because they were alike in characteristics…
Mikan looked around the room and exhaled slowly. "I would prefer if they go out."
Yuu and the others started to stand but Yukihara stopped them.
"Where are you going?" he asked. He must've gotten over Mikan's recent act.
They looked at each other. "Outside…?" Nonoko's answer turned into a question.
"No, no." Yukihara gestured for them to sit down again. "Please stay. At least my wife and I have people to trust our Sweetie with."
Mikan, on the other hand, blushed. Her father can get her embarrassed without meaning to but she hoped that if she was going to school her father can just smile and sign autographs without saying anything.
Yuka prompted Mikan to tell them. Mikan told them the story and Yuka, for the first time, gave her husband a nervous look. Yukihara nodded accordingly.
"Listen," he said, "all of you. The door Mikan found was a secret door used for emergencies only." His eyes found Hotaru who nodded once in understanding. "If there's going to be a mess use the door as an exit."
Anna then understood that he was speaking to all of them. So she said, "Sir, if I may, why tell us about it?"
Yukihara flashed a smile. "I have a feeling you'll be together for a long time."