vi. I Can't

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Natsume was out running errands today; a boring, unspectacular, uneventful Saturday. He had only one chore left to finish and couldn't wait to get it over with and go home. Namely, grocery shopping. Since he had forgotten to ask his girlfriend, Mikan, if she wanted anything in particular this morning, he decided to be a cavalier today and check if she did now.

Entering the store, he grabbed a shopping cart, dialled her number, and pushed the cart through the shelves, stopping next to the occasionally one to grab the items on display he found on his shopping list.

"Yes? Natsume, is that you?" Mikan's voice sounded muffled. He frowned, as her tone was usually cheery. "Yeah, it's me. You okay? Listen, I'm at the store, do you need anything?" Mikan didn't answer at once, which he took as a sign of her considering his offer.

"Well, if you're offering... As a matter of fact, I do. Please, I need Brownie Fudge ice-cream, a new hair brush, apples, muffins, and...uh, let me think, I know I'm missing something...what was it again..." Impatiently, Natsume tapped his foot, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling. "You can call me back once you think of it." he said, trying to end the call, desperate to get home and relax.

"No, no, I know, I almost got it, I'm this close. Please, help me out here, would you?" she pleaded. "Help you with what exactly? Thinking?" he said drily, pulling the phone from his ear to check the time. Close to 6 pm.

"Natsume, why are you being so mean?" Mikan's voice shook, and Natsume froze. Uh uh. This didn't bode well. If Mikan used that voice, it was a clear indication that she was an emotional and whiny state of emotion. He needed to treat carefully here "Yeah, sorry, I'm just tired. So, what was it you needed? Something to eat?" He wanted to get this over with badly.

"No, no, nothing of that sort. But it was important..." She pondered this for a while, during which time Natsume grew increasingly annoyed. "Mikan..." he said, warningly.

"What is it, Natsume?" she snapped abrasively. Natsume was astonished by her sudden outbreak of anger.

Today hadn't been a very pleasant day to begin with, but it seemed to be taking a turn for the worse at the moment. Natsume ran one hand through his dark hair, collecting himself, before he said "Okay, Mikan, if it's not that important, we can still head out lat-"

"Hah!" Mikan's triumphant voice cut him off, her mood swung from angry to good-humored, catching him off guard. "I got it! I got it! Okay, Natsume, I really need tampons. Please, get my a box, will you." Natsume froze, the phone almost sliding out of his hand before he caught it. "Okay then, Natsume, see you th-"

This time, it was Natsume's turn to cut her off.

"No, wait! I just want to make one thing clear; I am not buying you tampons! Anything but that!" His exclamation was met with silence on the other end.

"Natsume, don't be difficult now!" Natsume almost laughed out loud. He wasn't the one being difficult here. "No, Mikan, we talked about this! I will not-"

"Natsume, you are such a jerk. I'm asking you to do one thing for me, and you won't do it? I thought you wanted to do something for me?" Mikan sounded angry again, her breathing becoming laboured.

"Look, calm down. I'm not going to talk about this now, at the grocery store!" he retorted, weary and annoyed. He looked around him, and noticed that people had already started to stare. He had spoken too loudly, he realized.

"But I need them now!" She shrieked. "Natsume, you are being so selfish! You never do anything for me." Natsume eyebrows shot up and he counted silently to ten to regain his composure, before answering.

"Mikan! I will deal with you PMSing later, I really want to come home now!" he stated. His voice was pleading, a desperate nore had sneaked in. "I AM NOT PMSING." Mikan screamed into his ear. He winced.

Oh no, that had been the wrong thing to say. He had unleashed the fury of hell on himself. He was too tired to fight now. What had he done to deserve this?

"Mikan? I'm going to hang up now, okay?" "Don't you dare hanging up on me." she shouted. "I need tampons!"

"Yes, and I need a break.", he snarled into the phone. "But do I get one? No! Because I'm stuck having this stupid conversation with you moron." Silence. When Mikan spoke again, her voice shook.

Oh no. Don' t cry, please don't cry, Natsume prayed.

His prayers went unheard, and all his silent pleading was in vain, because Mikan started sobbing noisily. "Oh no, polka! Don't cry!" he said into the phone, desperate, turning away from the old woman who had started watching him bemusedly.

"You don't r-really lo-ho-ve me." she sobbed. Natsume couldn't bear to hear her cry without panicking or getting a bad conscience. Even if it wasn't even his fault that his emotional girlfriend started crying, he felt bad. But now, he was somewhat at fault, he admitted begrudgingly to himself, and he had no one to blame but himself (Natsume loved blaming other's). And perhaps maybe Mikan's hormones.

"Of course I love you, don't be silly!" he reassured her, resting himself against a shelf, causing the old woman to frown at him disapprovingly. At this point, he couldn't care less.

"If you did, you wouldn't insult me all the time!" she complained, still crying. "Be reasonable, Mikan! You know I love you. And you know I'm prone to insulting people. And with people, I mean you. Now don't make a big deal out of this. I'm currently standing in a public place. Where people might overhear this conversation." he emphasized.

"I don't care. Why is it you always care what others think, Natsume? You care too much what other think of you and too little what I think of you!" Now she was being nonsensical. Natsume wondered if she was even aware of it. Mikan started rambling when she got angry, or sad, or emotional. Or drunk.

"You know I don't care what other think of me." he told her, with forced patience. "In that case, why won't you buy me my boy of tampons?" she demanded, smug. Damn, she had him there.

"It's a matter of principle." he explained, switching the phone to his other ear.

"You are such a jerk, Natsume. I don't know what I ever saw in you." Mikan wailed, and started sobbing again. "Please, Mikan, get a grip!" Natsume hissed into the phone. The sobbing stopped, and Mikan sniffed. Then she said "You know what, Natsume? I think you were right. I was being silly." She declared. Natsume sighed happily. "Great, Mikan, thank God we got that over with and now I can-"

She didn't let him finish.

"I don't know why I ever thought this thing between us could work out. You're not the person I thought you were. I don't think I can do this anymore." She sniffed again.

"Wait! Are you breaking up with me?" he shouted into the phone, not caring that every single customer in the godforsaken store was openly staring at him now. "Yes, I guess I am." Mikan replied, and started sobbing again.

"You're breaking up with me because I won't buy you a box of tampons?" Natsume asked, his mind numb, incredulously. "I'm sorry, Natsume, I'm really sorry!"

"You are not breaking up with me because I won't buy you a goddamn box of goddamn tampons!" he exclaimed, his voice rising with each word. "Natsume, please, don't make this any harder than it needs to be!" his girlfriend, or rather, ex-girlfriend, sobbed. "Goodbye, Natsume. I loved you once." Then she hung up on him.

Natsume stared at his phone for a few minutes, in shock. Someone approached him from behind and patted his shoulder. "Take it easy, bro. You'll find another one. I bet you're real popular with the ladies!" But Natsume didn't want anyone else. He wanted his Mikan. Always had, always would. No matter how many temper tantrums she threw because he wouldn't consent to buying her sanitary articles.

Defeated, he finished his purchase, putting ten different brands of tampons into the cart. Fuck this, he thought.

"You're whipped, man!" the cashier told him, pity in his eyes. Natsume grumbled an insult, left the store and drove home. He really was whipped, he realized. Another realization hit him soon after; he couldn't find it in himself to care. As long as he had his girl by his side, he would consent to every dumb plan and notion she could come up with. Probably. Even if they involved tampons.

When he entered their flat, he heard loud sobs coming from the living room and echoing of the walls.

He dropped the bags in the kitchen and followed the strangled sounds. Mikan sat on the sofa, a pillow pressed to her chest and cried miserably into a tissue. She wore a short, thin night-gown and Natsume swallowed as he stared at her long, white legs. He sat down next to her carefully and held a box of tampons out to her as a peace-offering. She looked up, saw him and started crying even harder.

Natsume sighed, sat down next to her and pulled her head to his chest. "Sorry." he mumbled into her hair. "I love you."

"I know." Mikan replied teary-eyed, and used his shirt to wipe her eyes and her snotty nose. Again, he found himself not caring. "I don't want to break up with you." she told him, throwing her arms around his neck and snuggling into his chest, her hands grabbing the fabric of his shirt.

"I'm glad." Natsume said sardonically.

"Thanks for the tampons." Mikan mumbled. Her tears had ceased dropping, yet her brown eyes were red-rimmed and her cheeks bloated. She looked like a mess, and Natsume still wanted to kiss her like crazy. Mikan peeked up at him through her wet lashes, smiling tentatively. "That wasn't so bad, was it? Buying them, I mean."

"I think I lost some of my dignity, but as you can see, I survived." Natsume allowed. "But I sure hope that was the last break-up we went through this month, okay? You know what they say, third time's the charm."

"Promise." Mikan smiled, and her cold hand crept beneath his shirt as she pressed a wet kiss on his jaw, engulfing him in her scent of lemon and citrus fragrance. Natsume soon let her distract him. The good think about Mikan breaking up with him was that afterwards, she was always eager to make it up to him.

A/N: I know, this oneshot is silly, not very good, and kind of rushed. Hope you like it anyway. You know, feedback is appreciated, and a thank you to everyone who reviewed and favorited.