A/N: The story's getting exciting isn't it? Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Paradox

"Ah! Nodachi there you are, 7:23:08 PM. Right on the scheduled arrival," Paradox said as he stood up from the swing to greet his old friends. He walked over with a bounce in his step.

"Paradox." Noda greeted him with a handshake, not surprised by his previous comment.

"Wait, you knew we were going to come at this precise time?" Mikan asked amazed at his skill, or Alice as they put it.

"Of course I knew it, my dear." Paradox said while patting her head, "Good job on the directions by the way. If it weren't for you, they wouldn't have found this park, right?"

Mikan's jaw dropped. Who was this fellow? How'd he know it was Mikan who spotted the park and not Sakurano? It was absolutely amazing nevertheless! Natsume on the other hand was annoyed. He had the get-your-hands-off-my-girl look. Noda was nonchalant over the situation. Sakurano too seemed unaffected by Paradox's 'charms'.

"So Mia?" He addressed Mikan, "Or was it Miyu?" He wondered.

"It's Mikan," she helped him.

"Ah! Yes" he recollected now, "An old man's brain. Tends to forget things." Paradox knocked his fist against his head and chuckled.

"But you're quite young, sir." Ruka too was utterly confused. "And how'd you know Sakura's name?"

"Never trust your sight, my animal lover friend. There's some truth in your fiction and some fiction in your truth. Looks can be deceptive, you know." He sat on the bench nearby, shoved his hands in his pocket. " That goes for you too, pyro. Don't rely too much on what you see."

"How do you know so much about us? " Natsume was annoyed at the strange man. Who the hell did he think he was anyway? He didn't want to trust an old geezer who could easily pass for a beggar.

"Ah! You'll grow to trust me, I know. Well let's get to work shall we?" Paradox reminded them. He paused and thought for a moment."What's the problem? Remind me again Noda."

"It's the Imai siblings they're trapped in the space time."

"How long?"

"About four years, Paradox"

"Four years?!" Paradox was amazed, "So that's what must have been causing all time ripples and disturbances in my journey. And I never bothered to check it out, thinking it was mere side effects of my travels. How irresponsible of me! I should have checked it out earlier. Not many 'non time travel alice users' survive that long in this dimension."

"You mean we can't do anything now?" Mikan asked worried.

"No darling, we'll definitely help your best friend and her brother. They both must be extraordinary to have survived there this long. Then again the healing alice must have helped them heal wounds inflicted by time. It makes sense now." Paradox assured her, "So how exactly did they end up there?"

There was an awkward silence. Natsume could feel everyone's gaze on his head.

"Well, they changed the future by reviving this boy." Noda pointed towards Natsume.

"So, you're the cause of this mess, eh? Kuro Neko." Paradox called out to him.

'Who is this guy? A time traveler or a mind reader?' Ruka and Mikan wondered.

Natsume's annoyance suddenly changed into guilt. Something he had been feeling since past 4 years, he was guilty that it was because of him that Hotaru was trapped there. He even considered going to Imai household and apologizing in person to the mother, but never mustered up the courage to do so. Yes, the Kuro Neko was not courageous enough to talk to a middle aged mother. Ironic. But he somehow managed to write a letter to her when he started high school, but never signed the letter. Somehow he knew she'd figure out it was him. And here was Paradox making him feel guilty again.

"Don't worry I am sure the letter must have conveyed your feelings to the lady." Paradox sympathized. Natsume sent him a deathly glare, "Shut up!"

"Natsume!" Mikan yelled at him, " is just trying to help us."

"It's okay dear, I am used to his coldness."

"Are you God, ?" Mikan innocently asked. Paradox burst into a fit of laughter.
"No my dear," Paradox said amused at her assumption. "But I am sure god hates me."

"Why do you say that?" Ruka asked.

"Because I disobey him. I break his rules of time and dimension. I play with time like it's a game. I try to tame his favorite and most dangerous wild animal, TIME. That's why." Paradox had a serious look. A look which prisoners on death row have. Mikan and Ruka gulped in fear. Mikan feared that God might hate Hotaru too. 'Please God, forgive Hotaru, she did it for me. Please don't hate her for that.' She mentally prayed. "Let's not get distracted anymore. I have limited time here." Paradox glanced at his pocket watch again.

"So, Paradox you have to help us rescue the siblings," Noda concluded.

"It's difficult you know."

"Yes, we are aware of that," Sakurano said ending his long silence. "But there has to be a way. I mean you practically defy every aspect of time, right? Paradox?"

"Of course there's a way. There's always a way." Paradox took the cigar out and started rotating it in his hand, "Are you willing to risk it all?"

"Yes." Mikan said without a thought.

"Don't be too impatient girl. That sort of attitude gets people killed," Paradox snapped at her. She shivered at his voice. A minute ago he was all sweet to her and now? No wonder he's called Paradox. He's one huge contradiction.

"Hey, don't talk to her like that." Natsume warned him. His hand felt warm with a sensation that meant that a flame would soon appear, but he restrained himself.

"So what's the plan?" Noda asked.

The pocket watch started ringing. Do pocket watches ring? Well its Paradox's pocket watch, anything can happen. "Oh! It's 8:43:53 PM already! Damn! I must leave now. Sorry folks, can't stay. Gotta stay alive. We'll meet again. In two days time."

"Where?" Sakurano asked.

"The old watch factory in the 5th Prefecture. If my memory's right then the three of you will be there by 09:35:46 PM. See you kids." And with that he disappeared into thin air. Poof. Gone. Vanished. Leaving behind an utterly confused group of adventurers.

Three?

There were five of them.

"Three rooms please," Noda said, "Standard ones." Noda said at the reception of the nearest hotel they found in Tokyo. They didn't want to go back to Academy without Hotaru and Subaru. He came to the waiting lounge with the keys in his hand.

"Okay I've booked three rooms. One for me and Sakurano-san. One for the boys and one for Sakura-san."

"No," Natsume interrupted Noda who was distributing the keys, "Mikan shouldn't stay alone. I'll sleep with her." Mikan's face redden at his bold statement. Nodachi raised an eyebrow, glancing from Natsume, to the pink on Mikan's cheeks.

"Okay then." He handed Mikan's room keys to Natsume. "Sakurano-san you accompany Ruka, I'll stay alone."

"Let's all eat. The long journey has made me super hungry," Mikan declared.

"Yeah, me too. I'm starving," Ruka said.

"Let's eat at the restaurant." Sakurano led the way. Mikan grabbed Natsume's hand and they walked in.

"So what's up with that whacko guy?" Natsume asked as he stuffed some bread into his mouth.

"Yeah, it was like he knew us, so well." Ruka supported his best friend's question.

"He's a strange person didn't I tell you that. " Noda answered, "He is a living map of space-time dimension. He has literally travelled everywhere: past, present and future of all the dimensions. He knows everything about everyone, because he's seen their past and future."

"How can he remember everything in his brain?" Mikan wondered aloud. "That's a lot of information."

"His Alice. His Dimensional Alice has developed his brain to an extraordinary level. His brain is the map of space and time. He knows all the shortcuts in the realm of time. He practically defies time." Noda took a sip from his sake and continued, "Notice how he often talks in past tense? That's because he's already experienced all this things, he's already been here. He's revisiting this time."

"How old is he exactly?" Ruka questioned, "I mean he looks well in his late twenties, but he speaks as if he was here since ages."

"I don't know his age." Noda replied, "He doesn't either. I asked him once the same question. 'I've forgotten, my dear friend. What's the use of remembering such useless detail anyway, right?' That's what he told me."

"Useless details, huh?" Mikan repeated.

"He's probably untouched by ravages of time. He has stopped aging due to his alice, He's probably over a 1000 years old." Sakurano concluded. Everyone gave an awe of wonder at the last piece of information.

"Why does he suddenly disappear?" Mikan asked.

"Like he said, 'God hates him,'" Noda quoted him. "He never stays in same place for more than a few hours. He plays with time, it's not safe for him to stay in a place, his body begins to rot if he stay too long. It's a side effect, or rather, a curse of his alice."

Mikan almost choked on her rice ball on hearing this. Natsume sensed her uneasiness.

"That's enough talk about that weirdo," He said sternly.

"Hyuuga's right. Let's finish up and retire to bed soon. It's been a long day," Sakurano concluded.

The two lovers lay silently on the bed, staring into each other's eyes. Neither of them speaking anything. She smiled at him. He smiled back, which was a rarity.

"I love your smile," She told him. " You should smile more often."

"I'll try," he said as he caressed her face. He started fidgeting with her long brown silky locks. This was the first time he did so. He twirled the strands around in his fingers and felt the softness on his skin. She blushed at the thought of this.

"You let your hair down. You remembered your promise."

"It wasn't much of a promise, idiot." she teased. "You demanded that I do it."

"Shut up," he mumbled with a small smile on his lips.

"I had dreams about it, you know. You telling me to let my hair down." She said in a low whisper. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "I thought if I did so I would find you."

"And that you did," he said before burying his head in her hair, smelling it. Strawberry. He smelled sweet delicious strawberry. He was enjoying it, until she disturbed him.

"What letter was paradox talking about?"

"Nothing," he really didn't want to talk about that wacko again, he had given him enough of a headache as it is.

"Natsume! Tell me. Why are you hiding things from me?" She was clearly annoyed, she sat up on the bed.

"It's no big deal okay? Let it go." He assured her.

"You really are an idiot. I don't see what the problem i-."

"Mikan, stop it. Please." There was dead seriousness in his voice. Mikan was shocked. She knew she better let it go.

"I'm sorry," she said, with teary eyes.

There was a pause, and then he asked,"Do you hate me?"

"What?" Mikan asked in disbelief, "What are you saying Natsume?"

"Don't you hate me? It's because of me your best friend is suffering, and you said you feel guilty when you're around me and yo-" Before he could finish his sentence, his mouth was covered by hers. Her hand was placed softly on the side of his face. She deepened the kiss when he didn't respond. This was rare. Usually he always would enthusiastically respond while kissing. He tasted salty tears at the rim of her mouth. He backed off to brush away from her tears.

"I would never ever hate you for anything Natsume, okay?" She cupped his face "I love you. I always have." She forced him to look her in the eye. "And I always will." It wasn't the first time she'd said it, but Natsume still loved hearing it all the same. He kissed her after hearing those much needed words, and the two lovers dozed off to sleep in each other's arms.

Scarlet lay beside him, admiring his disrobed body. Her red dress scattered shabbily all over his face. She knew he was awake, just closing his eyes to relax for a while and get ready again. He always does it. But she never rests in between, she loves to watch him. Admire his body. His looks. His charms. She loved the defined curves of his chest and lower abdomen. She loved when sometimes he would sit in the candlelight for relaxation, the dim light would flood over his skin. She loved his dark eyes on her body in the late night. Their relationship was somewhat twisted, but he made her feel like a woman.

"Aren't you going to catch some sleep?" he asked her. Finally opening his eyes.

"No, Osouji-sama. I'm fine," she replied. He smirked at her silliness.

"You're a strong woman. I like that about you." he said as he caressed her hair. She was overjoyed on hearing the word 'like'. Her cheeks flushed up instantly.

"You're blushing," he commented.

"Sorry about that, Osouji-sama." she apologized thinking he didn't like her blushing.

He grabbed her and kissed her roughly, she responded with enthusiasm as she moved her tongue in sync with his. They continued their rough french kiss until he pulled away. She never backed out first. Never. She made sure her master enjoyed to his satisfaction. He continued planting open mouthed kisses all over her bare shoulder, her chest, and everywhere he could manage to. Scarlet silently enjoyed the pleasure, preparing herself of the impending mission. She cannot fail him.

Never.

A/N- What'd you guys think? If you have any comments and suggestions, leave us a review! We love hearing from you. This chapter was written by edwardelric108 and edited by Sonic-Keyblade007 and Neverlookback756.