I don't own GA

"It is impossible to love and to be wise."
-Francis Bacon, Sr.

The Fifth Meeting: Family

She blinked a couple more times before her mind finally caught on to her, and the first thing that she grabbed was the remote control of the TV the turn the device off. She swallowed, shifting on the couch to straighten herself but failing to do so because there was a weight on her lap.

Right in front of her were her parents. Yuki was raising an amused eyebrow to her and Izumi was looking expressionless, which was saying how shocked he was.

And on Mikan's lap was Natsume, snoring lightly with his legs stretched out on the couch.

"This...umm," she stammered, eyes were wandering around and were trying to find something that she could use an excuse, but there was really no use of doing that. She remembered what happened last night and she would never deny that it was the happiest day of her life since she left her hometown and changed to Mikan Yukihara.

She recalled what took place last night; Natsume found her and they took their time to catch up with each other, spending all night and until the crack of dawn. She invited him to go to the rooftop to fulfill the pattern of their accidental meetings just for amusement. It ended up to more heartwarming tales and hugs and cuddling. They were trying to take it slow but it was obviously hard when they already knew each other and what they liked and disliked. The nostalgia that she felt was more than welcoming, and she realized that she really did miss Natsume so much.

Her train of thoughts was interrupted with a cough from her mom and she turned to her sheepishly, smiling and looking down at the black-haired man on her lap.

"He...He's Natsume," she slowly said.

The reaction that she got from her parents was more than entertaining; her mom's brown eyes widened comically and her dad's jaw hung open. She told them stories about him every now and then, and she always got the same response from them: "Go see him." However, she never had the courage to do that despite their encouragement because she really thought that all those years they spent apart from each other had certainly changed their feelings. Not hers, though. And apparently, not his, too. The realization made her smile big and made her gather her wits to ask him to start over with her again. It wasn't just "going with the flow," because she knew that she wanted it and he wanted it, too. That was more than enough.

Yuka squealed, the high-pitched voice startling her, and Izumi started crying crocodile-tears, or so what he thought. She couldn't get over how cheery and outgoing her parents were, considering that she was almost an anti-social artist when she was in high school. She wasn't able to change her attitude towards people until she got to college and she met...interesting people. She mused at how her friends would react when they meet Natsume. Probably a little over the top than her mom.

The noise that they made was definitely loud, because if Natsume didn't wake up before the whole gushing-thing had happened, then he must have been a heavy sleeper. Or he was just extremely tired. But now, he was stirring, a furrow on his eyebrows was appearing. Mikan, fully sitting up now, held her arms close to her body because she didn't know where else to put them. A groan escaped from the man on her lap and she watched him carefully, her parents also leaned in and tried to observe him.

He would no doubt get scared.

And when he opened those captivating dark brown eyes that appeared crimson in the light, confusion was written in them and on his face as if he was trying to decipher a terribly hard code. She bit her bottom lip and looked at him apologetically as he tried to gather his thoughts and his surroundings, coming out of his sleepy state.

"Mikan?" he asked, though he was totally not looking at her. He was looking at her mom.

Yuka laughed out loud. "Oh, dear."

The brunette could only mocked a flabbergasted expression and let her mouth open in disbelief. "You better get up before I drop your head," she threatened him. He finally truly looked at her and he sat up so fast that Mikan was sure that he probably got beyond dizzy. He swayed and he turned his body towards her, glancing at the two other adults in the living room.

"Uhm...," he muttered nervously. He settled with sitting up properly on the leather couch, and the hazel-eyed woman had to stifle her laughter in her hand because Natsume looked absolutely adorable, looking all confused and fidgety. Yuka let herself sit on the other side of the raven and Izumi squeezed in next to his wife.

Mikan was now laughing uncontrollably. Natsume was stiff as a stick. Yuka had this jittery, excited energy around her. Izumi was eyeing Natsume curiously.

They looked like they were about to take a family picture—an awkward one at that.

"Oh my god," she breathed out as she wheezed out her last chuckle. Natsume was staring at her, looking absolutely terrified to divert his eyes to the older woman next to him, and that expression on his usual stoic face was priceless.

"Do you wanna go to the bathroom?" she asked innocently, batting her eyelashes like she had nothing to do with their current predicament. He looked at her pleadingly, letting her snark jab aside. She felt a bit bad, so she finally decided to be nice. She tugged him closer to her by pulling the sleeve of his white dress shirt, and made him face her mom.

"Hello!" Yuka happily greeted him. Natsume smiled, hesitantly at first, and he looked like he didn't know how to introduce himself properly, like all his thoughts were shoved out of the window. Mikan couldn't blame him, since the first sight that greeted him when he opened his eyes was something he probably wasn't prepared for. This prompted her to help him out and proceeded with the introductions.

"Mom, Dad, this is Natsume. And Natsume, they're my parents."

"Nice to meet you," he told them, finally finding a steady voice.

"I've heard so much about you, Natsume. I'm so glad that you two had finally met!" Her mom's eyes glittered slightly and her heart ached pleasantly because she really looked so happy for her—for them. She noticed the gentle smile that touched her dad's mouth and she returned it with much happiness as she felt at that moment.

"It's really nice to finally meet you, Natsume," Izumi said, extending a hand towards the raven-haired man. The latter smiled at the older one and reached to give him a handshake, like a sign that they had accepted each other, which really didn't take much difficulty. Izumi had been close to Mikan and he taught her a lot of things ranging from the assets of their company and to discussing his love story with her. In return, she told him about Natsume, including the part of his waiting for her every year, and her dad had accepted him since then. It was the same with her mother and she had displayed more enthusiasm about meeting him and whatnot.

It made her want to cry because her parents were so accepting.

"It's nice to meet you, too, sir."

Mikan decided to pipe in as she leaned in closer to Natsume, pressing to his back, and put her chin on his shoulder. They were both facing their parents and five years ago, she wouldn't dare show affection to another in front of Yuka and Izumi but she had that urge now to show off what she had with the love of her life. She wanted to show them that she was genuinely in a cloud nine with the only thought of being with him. Natsume was rigid at first, probably a bit embarrassed at what she had done, but he relaxed almost as fast.

"He's a doctor, you know. I can't believe that this emo-looking kid was actually a genius," she said playfully, a grin on her face and she could practically feel the man rolling his eyes at her.

"Is it really that hard to believe that the man you sought is like ten times smarter than you?" he countered back, and she could see at the corner of her eye that he had a smile on his face, too.

"I'm decently smart, okay? Geez, you could've had helped with tests and stuff back then."

"Well, someone was busy doodling in class."

"But aren't I one of the most famous artists now?" She smirked, pulling away to stick out her tongue.

He returned her playful gaze and retorted back, "And you told me that I'm so full of myself."

"Shut up. We're both awesome, how about that?" She lightly punched his forearm, and she remembered that the two of them weren't alone. Her eyes flickered back to her parents who had these knowing smiles and looks on their faces, and Mikan never felt so shy before. She sunk back to her original position and Natsume had also finally noticed the presence of the other two.

"Do you have plans?" Yuka suddenly asked, her smile never leaving her face.

"Why?" Mikana asked, curiosity filled her voice. Natsume pulled her arms toward him, almost unconsciously wounding them around his torso.

"It would be great to have a dinner with Natsume, you know," Izumi told them. He turned to the black-haired man and asked, "Do you mind?"

The doctor immediately shook his head and smiled to her parents. "I would actually love that," he said sincerely.

There was that certain bliss in their atmosphere and in a stranger's eye, they mostly likely looked a true family. And it wasn't really far from it, not really. Mikan had wanted nothing more than for that to come true, but she'd rather not tell that to Natsume. They agreed to take it slow and start from the beginning again, but she knew that what they had before was a platform for them that would never go anywhere. They already had each other's hearts, and that should probably say a lot. When she finally finds the courage to tell him her own hopes, then she'd talk to him.

Not soon, but maybe later.

"Wow." Youichi muttered incredulously. He looked like he swallowed a fork and couldn't believe that it stayed in his stomach for years.

"What?" Natsume asked, blinking at him.

"You're actually agreeing to pay for my food willingly, and..."

"And what?" he raised one eyebrow.

"...you're smiling. Dude, two days ago, I could've sword that you had this grumpy-looking face with all the eyes saying we'll all be smithereens if we dare look at you," the silver-haired lad stated as a matter-of-fact.

Natsume shrugged, and Mikan couldn't help but feel amused at the conversation taking place now. She also couldn't take her eyes off the young woman across from her, next to her beloved, looking like the exact replica of Natsume. It was astonishing because the siblings had the same eye color and the same jet-black hair. It made her recall of what happened yesterday morning when Natsume had mistaken her mom as her.

"Please, don't," the man suddenly groaned. He looked at her like he knew what she was thinking and she just grinned back.

"You and your sister look so alike," she said, amazed.

"Right?! I wasn't the only one!"

"Oh my god."

"Wow. Last time I checked, I'm not a gullible 24-year old woman."

Her three companions at the table spoke at the same time that Mikan couldn't help but let the bubble of laughter escape from her. Youichi followed suit, and soon all four of them were snickering, grinning, and sending jabs at each other. It was a really comfortable atmosphere and she would've never thought that the young man who asked her about her artwork a week ago, was actually related to the man of her painting. It made her wonder if Youichi already knew about her when they met at the art building that day, so she asked him.

"Did you already knew who I was at that time?"

Emerald-green eyes turned to look at her and he innocently tapped his cheek before replying, "I actually did not. But when I continued to talk to you, I somehow managed to piece them all together."

"Wow. You're actually smarter than I've given you credit for," Natsume teased, flashing a smirk to them.

"Pfft. I think you're underestimating me, old man," Youichi retorted back, knowing that he had hit a nerve. The doctor twitched and stood up to sit next to Youichi before he got him in a headlock. Talk about not giving a damn about what the others were thinking of them right now, especially at a restaurant.

Mikan couldn't help but feel like they were teenagers again, fooling around and telling each others interesting stories and having entertaining conversations. She'd never thought that the aloof boy at the back of her classroom would be this grown-up man (well, maybe not at the moment) more than capable of anything. She wondered how many times had he saved a life, how many times he had sleepless nights because he was busy treating a patient, how many times he had skipped his meal because he was buried in his paperwork. These were the things that he did now; she seemed to be less insignificant compared to him.

However, the way he smiled at her was enough to tell her that she was significant to him.

"So, Mikan, tell me about yourself...," Aoi started, and their conversation became more involved with just them as the other boys continued to joke around.

It made her happy to know that she was becoming part of Natsume's life again.

Mikan was always careful when she was cleaning her apartment, which was actually a penthouse that her parents had given to her, but today, she was more than motivated to actually scrub all the dirt in all parts of her place. Why? Well, because she insisted for their dinner to take place at where she lived. She told them that it was because she wanted her parents to know how she was doing because it had been a month since she last time saw them. That was part of the reason; in all honesty, she wanted to cook for them.

She wanted to cook for Natsume.

She prepared the dinner plates, the red wine that her dad loved so much, and the glasses of drinks. She removed the apron that she was wearing and covered the pot of stew with its lid, loving the smell of the food. She then heard the doorbell ring and walked to the foyer to answer it.

The first one that came was her favorite crimson-eyed doctor. She was greeted by that unusual smile on his face and she noticed how nervousness was etched on that smile. She took in the sight of him; he was wearing a formal dark crimson button-up shirt and black pants. He had that familiar unkept black hair but she could tell that he attempted to slick it back. She was glad that he didn't, because she truly loved that messy look on him.

She blushed at her own thoughts, which didn't go unnoticed by Natsume, and he smirked at her.

"Well, are you just gonna stare at me or you'll let me in?"

She let out a laugh before she motioned him to come in.

"That smells nice," he said and she grinned to him.

"I've been cooking."

"You cook?" he asked, sounding a bit incredulous. She knew that he was teasing her because of that mirth presented in his eyes, and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Of course I do!"

"Because you love food."

"And you do, too," she retorted back, sticking her tongue out.

He chuckled and said, "So you've learned how to cook because I love food?"

She gave him a dark look playfully and strolled to the dining area, Natsume following closely behind. "Be thankful that I—" she trailed off, holding her tongue at the words that were about to come out. She recalled that she hadn't given a reply to his declaration yet, but she wanted to say those three words at the right time. She wanted both of them to be ready when she finally responds to those sincere feelings of him. She didn't want to say it now when there were most likely fragments of fear remaining inside him after she left him.

She wanted him to trust her before anything.

They just reached the kitchen when the sound of the door bell echoed in the house again, and Natsume volunteered to go. Mikan was a bit impressed; she expected that he would stay away from situations where he would be alone with her parents but apparently, he was more courageous than she'd given him credit for. She heard their greetings, her dad's deep voice and her mom's happy one. She put the dishes that she made on the table and a few seconds later, her parents and Natsume came into the dining room.

"Mikan! How are you?" Her mom walked closer to her and pressed a kiss on her cheek. Her dad was close behind her and patted her daughter's head.

"I'm doing well," she answered with a smile.

"I missed your cooking," Yuka said, looking at the prepared table thoughtfully.

"You can all sit down, you know." She gestured for them to do that, and Natsume looked a bit awkward, trying to figure out if he was allowed to sit next to her. It made her giggle a bit and she told him to sit beside her, while her parents were at the other side of the table.

"This looks delicious! I really missed your food!"

"Mikan, you really did improve."

"Wow."

Compliments were thrown to her and she accepted them with a grin, and the lack of words from Natsume was a feat. She'd never thought that she was capable of rendering him speechless when it came to these kinds of things.

"Let's eat!"

"Itadakimasu!"

Clanks of the silverware, laughter and smiles shared, nervous conversations that turned into comfortable ones and requests for more food—those were the things that Mikan had seen in her dreams. She was happy that she was able to gather her family like this and have them get along with the person that she'd given her heart to. Unbeknownst to her, the people who surrounded her that night could practically feel the happiness radiating off of her; she was the source of their smiles.

"Natsume, you're a doctor in...?" Izumi asked, curiosity evident in his tone.

"An ER doctor," the man in question replied.

"Oh, dear. Isn't that hard?" Yuka asked.

"It is hard, especially since I don't have that many years of experience yet. I'm a young doctor and the other staff know that, which is why I get most of the help I need."

"What made you become a doctor?"

Mikan saw Natsume's eyes softened, a gentle smile touching his lips, and she wondered if it was because of what she thought it was.

"It's because I know how it feels to have that desire to save someone," he answered earnestly. Yuka had a thoughtful look on her face, and so did Izumi. They looked expectantly to the crimson-eyed lad and he continued, "My mom had cancer when I was young, and I took care of her. When she passed away, I...almost committed a mistake. I blamed myself because of my failed relationship with my sister and my dad. I blamed myself because I wasn't able to save my mom, because I had this misconception that I could have done it. But this girl saved me and promised to become my friend."

The brunette could feel the tears springing to her eyes and she had to look away.

"Then few years later, I unexpectedly met her again. I wasn't able to see the world without the darkness in it, and as cheesy as it sounds, she was like this light that pulled me out of my self-hatred. We became friends. Then I fell in love with her."

Yuka was almost tearing up and Izumi had this wistful smile on his face.

"I found out that she wasn't able to remember our first meeting, and I was okay with it. But when I saw her suffering because of it, I wanted to help her. I didn't want to lose her like how I lost my mom, and I was willing to do anything for her. But, she disappeared again."

Mikan was startled when she felt a warm contact on her hand, and she glanced up to stare at Natsume, who was looking at her with this smile full of love and sincerity. Eleven years ago at the rooftop, she wouldn't even think that she would interact with this boy, much least fall in love with him. However, they were in her house now, eating food that she cooked and holding hands.

"And now that I saw her again, I don't want to let her go. I want to be the one to heal the remaining wounds in her. I just want to be there for her," he finished.

A few tears had escaped from Yuka and she hastily wiped them off and replaced them with a smile. Izumi did the same, and he looked directly to Natsume.

"I'm glad that you found each other."

"Me too. I'm glad that I found Mikan again."

A/N: Okay, one more chapter to go then the epilogue~! I hope you guys liked this chapter! Thank you for reading and for your reviews!
-CrimsonHazelEyes