Masquerade

by Pain de Au

He knew what was his nurse was seeing no one can resist the lad on the painting. From the aunties that pinch his cheek because of his cuteness, the debutantes and their desperate mothers that once tried to entrap him in marriage and the widows that tried their best to get him on their sheet. A perfect portray of what he was before everything went into a crumble.

5. Chapter 5

I don't own Gakuen Alice and never will.

Warning: Mixing things up are my forte. I am on the process of achieving unity and coherence so forgive my not so good grammar. XP

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18xx

Your Grace,

My apologies for the insolence of my reply… but I think the words that you've written in your letter were all feelings that you've caught at the moment when your eyes had clapped to mine. I highly doubt that my simple appearance would put you under a spell.

Forgive me but as of now I cannot find any reasons to believe in you.

-s.y.

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CHAPTER 5: HIS REACTION

Different varieties of flowers adorned the vast garden of the manor. Starting form the fiery color of roses to the simplest but hardy daisies, everything looks so magnificent at the same time mysterious. Looking from afar one can describe it as a rainbow descended from heaven or perhaps God himself decided to bless the land with such grace.

Place like this can make a maiden felt as if she was truly in haven. Like spending the rest of the afternoon having a picnic and reading romantic novels under the warm shade of the sakura tree at the center of the garden or having a nice long walk in the arms of their lovers but then neither of the situations were fitting since the garden was privately owned by the infamous Natsume Hyuuga.

Mikan should considered herself lucky to witness and appreciate such beautiful garden but she didn't even hold the ever present appreciative gleam of her eyes because she was too busy pondering about on how she got on the bed when all she had remembered was collapsing in one of the couch in the hall due to exhaustion. Having her resolve she got on the basin near her bed to wash her face and donned her dull green, closed neck gown.

Walking down the hall, she noticed that everything was cleaned up. All the things that she didn't manage to lift were placed at the corner. No dust can be found and most of all the warm feeling of the April sunshine penetrated through the window making the haunted mansion into a mansion brimming with life.

"I can imagine how it looks like when it was first built."

She whispered to herself while placing her small and tanned hand in one of the window pane. Now she knew how she ended up in her room and how the staffs helped her when she had retired off to bed. She then closed her eyes and placed her cheek on the window pane to drink more of the warmth of the sun.

Ever since she was a child it had become her habit to at least feel the sun or gazed at the clear blue sky that connected her towards her beloved Grandpa who, in Mikan's opinion became part of the angel brigade of God. Thinking about the last part she chuckled to herself.

What was the point of wallowing oneself to a lost of a beloved when one can rejoice that the so called beloved was happy and free of pain, watching you above?

"Let go and be happy."

She chuckled again remembering that was one of her principles that made her cling to the positive side whatever the situation maybe and developed her in becoming a strong woman.

"I'd gather you've enjoy the sun now, Miss Sakura. So you might as well inform me where are the servants of the manor?"

Startled by the husky yet clipped tone of the voice, she turned to her left side. Her sight behold Hyuuga clad only in a clean pair of trousers and a white shirt that can reveal the expanse of his pale chest only that it was hindered by his folded arms. Looking like a formidable enemy with a dark scowl on his handsome featured any man or woman would either cowered or swooned at his sight but then we all knew that Mikan is neither to do those things. Preparing her reply, she began opening her little but kissable pink lips to retort but was interrupted with another question that he asked in her way.

"Or rather where are my furnitures and possessions?"

Natsume said with giving more emphasis to 'furnitures and possession'

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Natsume woke up with a better mood than that of yesterday perhaps it was because he was not pestered by his nightmares that he has every night or maybe because he found himself rather contented with staying up at his room.

Well, it changed when he heard his stomach growled. How he wished that humans need not sustain their bodies with food. If that happen he can lock himself in his room where he didn't need to endure the stares and pity that he felt when he ventured out of it. He considered it his sanctuary.

"Oh well, I'll just snuck out of my room to get food." He grumbled.

Standing up, he braced himself for the pain that would inflict him while walking to his destination. Truth to be told, he did not mind if he get bruises or have his toe nail broken due to bumping of the things he encountered every day he got out of his room. It was nothing compared to the things he experienced in his commission moreover it served as an indicator that he was still alive. Not able to see, but alive.

So imagine his surprise when he ventured out of his room and did not encounter anything to give him any pain that he wished and anyone that would greet him despite of his forever sour mood, even a mouse that hunts for food did not appear nor squeak to indicate that there was someone else.

Smelling the trouble that can only be concocted by one person, he hurried toward the citric smell. His boot made a heavy 'thump' each step he made toward the smell. He acted as if he was a beast ready to jump onto his prey any minute now. Banging the door open he realized that the full blown of sunlight was directed to his face. Covering his face, he swore oaths under his breath; he heard someone chuckled in one of the window directed to the garden.

It looked like his idiotic care taker did not take his advice. Scowling he moved with a grace of a prey, at least with the furniture gone missing she cannot tell his presence unlike in the past. He opened his mouth to make a scathing remark when he heard her chuckle again.

For moment, he closed his mouth and thought to himself if he has his sight, what will he see? From the chuckles that she was making, he was sure that she was remembering something good, what would she looked like? For a moment, he wanted her to share her thoughts to him like he was the most closed person to her. An image of his fiancée formed on his head simultaneously a stake was pierced straight to his heart, reminding him that woman were never true to their words. A disability send them running in another direction. Scowling even more, he folded his arms to his chest.

"I'd gather you've enjoy the sun now, Miss Sakura. So you might as well inform me where are the servants of the manor?"

Having the satisfaction that the idiot did not answer he continued his quarry.

"Or rather where are my furnitures and possessions?"

Mikan recovered from her shock state. Clearing her throat she answered.

"Oh, lovely morning, isn't my lord?"

"I don't have that much of patience so might as well answer my question."

Natsume glared on what he hoped was the right direction.

Sighing, Mikan replied "I woke up finding no one but myself in here. If you must know I was busy renovating your so called mansion into a more comfortable home yesterday but I was overcome with exhaustion so I am guessing that your staff helped me finished what I have started thus their tardiness. Your furniture was not gone, my lord. It was placed on the side so that you wouldn't bump on it and injured your poor body."

Mikan started walking towards the table posed behind Natsume's back to prove her point but then she noticed Natsume turned right ignoring his actions she continued.

"Also, don't you enjoy the warmth of the sun? You are not a vampire so why did you always preferred to have your mansion covered with dull heavy curtains?"

Stepping on her right side, she questioned out of curiosity. She knew she was getting on his nerves but she believed that it was the only way for him to surrender to her offer.

Gritting his teeth in annoyance, Natsume answered while he stepped to his right side.

"Didn't it ever cross your mind that I was doing it for the sake of my employees? It was better to have this place like that to lessen the image of their employer looking like a beast! I don't want them to have the looks of pity nor a horrified expression in their faces!"

"A beast? You are not a beast neither in a horrible form!" Mikan answered, whatever was he thinking certainly was not correct. Mikan inched closer to him.

Natsume side stepped again. He felt vulnerable if Miss Sakura was to be behind or near him that was why he kept turning while she kept inching toward him but he will never admitted that simple fact even if Imai become an optimist.

"Why are you doing that?" Mikan frowned.

"Doing what?" Natsume asked innocently.

"You keep on turning around and around while I was trying…" Mikan shook her head.

"You are hallucinating Miss Sakura. Anyway, come with me, you are changing the topic!"

Natsume said to cover his vulnerability. Unconsciously he gripped her upper arm and dragged her to one of the room upstairs. Mikan did not know whether to brush his hands away or let her self be dragged by him in gods-know-where. She decided on the latter. Half a way in the stairs only then Mikan realized that instead of her guiding him, he was the one who was guiding her.

Natsume, on the other hand, was intent on getting on their destination. He knew very well the way to it. Throwing the door open he dragged Mikan to the corner where he drew the white linen covering the painting. If he was not the sentimental fool that he was, he would let the twin burned it but for him it was the only thing that kept his vanity and his golden days alive. He knew what was his nurse was seeing no one can resist the lad on the painting. From the aunties that pinch his cheek because of his cuteness, the debutantes and their desperate mothers that once tried to entrap him in marriage and the widows that tried their best to get him on their sheet. A perfect portray of what he was before everything went into a crumble.

"Look, what do you see?" He asked.

Mikan gazed at the person on the painting. It behold a lad showing two fine short brows that matched to the predatory and fiery expression of his eyes that manifested an arrogance as if the painter was a worm to be stepped on. But then, there was a hint of seductiveness that can make ladies swoon over its handsome features. Still looking at the painting she answered Natsume's inquiry.

"I see a lad. Neither a man nor a boy, perhaps he did not know what he wanted. There is a hint of deviltry in his eyes and full of mischief. I think he think of himself high, but then most of the people at such age were like that. "

Natsume's brows drew together, holding her arm just like earlier he spun her around facing him. He asked the same question and she gamely answered it.

"I see a man, full of experience and knew how the world was ruled upon. I see a man tarnished not only with wars but also with battles within himself. I see a man so considerate enough to think of the others inside his house." Sucking her breathe Mikan continue. "I see a man in dire need of shave and guidance."

Just to prove her point her left hand gently touched his cheek to caress the four o'clock shadow of his face. Coming back to his senses, Natsume jerked back from her touch afraid that it may caused the longing in his heart awakened from its slumber. Presenting his back to her, he started walking out of the room his hunger forgotten.

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Fearing that his most buried fears were exposed, Natsume retrieved back to his sanctuary. He realized that any more minute in her company he will let her crawl into his skin. Mikan Sakura was something. She was different from her predecessors. She annoyed him a lot and she read too much of him. Most of all she reminded him of what he can never had. He should plan of how to get rid of her.

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Night came at the manor; the servants were woken up near noon. They were wondering why did Natsume not demanded any food or the fact that when Kitsu delivered his meal he just accept it and closed the door barricading himself to others. Another was Mikan Sakura who, after eating supper, gone upstairs and never talked to anyone unlike their first meal together.

Mikan went into the room Natsume had dragged her earlier. Aligning the candle to the painting she had stared to it for a while before she touched the drawn cheek of the person portrayed into it. Unlike earlier when she touched Natsume it was warmed but now it was cold. She whispered something before covering it with the same linen that Natsume tore off.

"Good Night, My prince."

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A/n: Done with chapter 5! After the long battle with our preliminaries I have come out barely alive. Happy and contented with result but then sorry for the update today, I was distracted with the karaoke blaring from two directions that was why don't blame all of grammatical errors to me. My ears are still ringing from a high pitched voice of a man pretending to be a girl. It was the most annoying thing I have ever heard. Anyways the next update maybe will be on this story or my other story. Hahaha I should edit the trashy prologue of that one. I have come up with better idea. {evil smile}

Anyway for a future reference…. What kind of pet will annoy Natsume the most? Just Review I wanna hear opinions but basically I am weighing the pros and cons of a cat or a dog.

Ok I am officially ending it here, my note was taking forever so enjoy your week ends people .

-pain de au