Oh. I just realized that we're halfway through the story. And that I should have said that last chapter. =))

Yeah, I think this story's pace is fast. and I still haven't edited it yet... :( so sorry for anything that makes you confused or whatever.

Enjoy the chapter! ( I kind of like this chapter, by the way. You'll understand soon :P)

Chapter 12- Excuses

Silence hung heavily in the air. It amplified every sound coming from outside the room.

"I thought he was dead," Mikan softly spoke. Her voice was still laced with anger. "Nobody told me he got away."

Koko then stepped in front of her, so that it was only at his eyes she was looking. He sternly, but at the same time gently, said, "It's because we don't want to add more to your worries then. And we thought he would stop."

"What?" she asked incredulously. She stepped sideways, as to be able to see Natsume, who hung his head in guilt. "You thought he would stop? Why would he? He still hasn't gotten his revenge! And he didn't get caught. Why would he stop?"

"Mikan," her boyfriend quietly said. She was fuming mad that she didn't hear the plea in his voice. She glared at the two men. Then she said, "Look. You might be thinking 'How could she know what he really is thinking?' I'll tell you how. I was there, in that dark room, blindfolded and bound. I was there listening to him say that he would get his revenge, whenever it may come. I was there listening to him repeat that a hundred times. How would I not know!"

Natsume looked up at her, and he regretted doing so. He saw her face full of anguish, anguish that he had not seen for a very long time. He felt a stabbing pain in his heart. Then, while still avoiding her eyes, he told her, "See? That is the very reason why we wanted you to just forget about him."

"Excuse me? And how could I forget when there might be instances like this again? I may not be his target anymore, but I was his victim. I AM his victim! Do you think the trauma is gone just like that? You think it made me happy when I realized it is Miku he is after now? "

"Look, I'm sorry, Mikan, but-"

"No. No more excuses, Natsume. I'm tired of those. I'm tired, period," she said, and then she turned around, got her coat, and was about to walk out the door, when her boyfriend caught her right arm. She looked back at him, ready to yell, when she noticed he wasn't looking at her face. He was examining her arm.

"You got hurt," he angrily said, as he tore the sleeve of her blouse, "And you never said anything about it."

"What!" Natsume exclaimed. He walked towards her, and saw the wound. Mikan, meanwhile, was struggling to escape Koko's grasp. She retorted, "It's just a small and shallow wound. I can disinfect it at the car; there is a first aid kit there."

But the two guys wouldn't let her go. Instead, Natsume grabbed her other arm, forced her to sit on a chair, and attended her wound. He felt her flinch when he put on the disinfectant, so he tried to be gentler on applying it.

As he bandaged it, he heard her say, "What a waste of bandage. It's just a shallow wound!"

He looked up at her, and saw anger burning in her eyes. But he also noticed that the look was softer than what was in her eyes a few minutes ago. He rolled his eyes at her, and gave her his signature smirk. He said, "Well, we don't want it to be a scar, right? It will ruin the famous Mikan Yukihara's beautiful body."

She blushed at his comment, and he saw it. When he finished, she immediately stood up, and without looking at him, said, "We'll be going then. See you around. Let's go, Koko."

She then grabbed her boyfriend's arm, and rushed out of the room.

"Stop grinning like stupid, Koko," she said in a voice full of irritation, the moment they were a few stores away. "You look like a Cheshire cat. And everybody's staring at you."

"But I can't help it," he said, as he walked at a leisurely pace. "You two looked so sweet and cute back there. Like a couple who just had a fight, and made up quickly."

"Koko!"

"Hai, hai, madam, I'll stop teasing you already," he said, but the grin on his face didn't disappear. He mused, "What is he thinking right now? Maybe he's thinking about the sparks he felt when he touched you. Maybe-"

"KOKO!"

Natsume stared at his hands. He had just dropped Miku at her house, and explained to her parents what happened. Now, in the seclusion of his room, he stared at his hands, and thought of what had occurred at the mall.

He could still feel the tingling in his hands. The moment he touched her, it was there, and it never disappeared, even when he held Miku's hands. After so many years, he felt it again. And that wasn't the only thing he felt the moment their skin touched.

Everything he didn't feel when it was Miku he was holding, he felt at that short span of time he was tending her wound.

Her words then echoed in his mind.

No more excuses, Natsume. I'm tired of those.

He grasped his head. He felt so confused on what to feel, on what to do.

Because he knew marrying Miku was just an excuse for him to not show Mikan his true feelings.

OOOOOOOOOOHHHH...=))

To everyone who has been following my story, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! It makes me so happy that you like the story (so far), even though it is quite messy.

I'll try to update next week. if not, the week after next. :D

Please review!