Hey guys~ I'm back~~~

Did it take me too long or too soon? XD Hehe anyway, to those who votes for too soon, thank Daa3fan for constantly bugging me about it. XD Right?

You've been such a great companion so I dedicate this sweet chapter for you along with those nice people who reviewed! *gives out cookies to everyone*

Lots of love people~ I was so happy reading your reviews, I ended up jumping 11 times instead of my planned 10 hehe. Anyway, here you go~ Enjoy! :D

~(*o*)~(*o*)~(*o*)~

A Bitter-Sweet First

"You!" Mikan yelled accusingly as she pointed her finger at the figure standing by the door.

"Yes, what is it about me?" Natsume asked rather uninterestedly. "Too happy to see me, little girl?"

"Ehh? You two know each other already?" Kaoru Hyuga butted in even before the brunette can retort, pouting, obviously disappointed.

"That jerk almost killed me!" she accused.

"Well, she threw herself before my car"

"What? I did not!" Mikan replied almost too soon, "What, aside from being the biggest jerk of all, don't tell me you're also suffering from nasty delusions?"

Natsume snorted bemusedly. "And you it seems are suffering from-"

"Stop!" The Empress snapped with arms wide spread. "Stop, okay? Mou, this is no fun! And I wanted to introduce you two to each other so badly!" she complained like a seven-year-old, close to tears.

Mikan wondered why she felt like she just stole a lollipop from a toddler while Natsume can't help rolling his eyes at the drama his mother's pulling before his eyes. "But it turns out I didn't have to because my dear Mikan-chan and Nattie are already clooooooooooooseee that they don't need this old but gorgeous mom to match them up. So disappointed! Mou!"

"What? We're not clo-"

"Mother, I told you to stop calling me Na-"

"I DON'T NEED YOUR EXCUSES!"

"What? But-!"

"Mother-"

"Shut it! I don't wanna hear anymore of your lies! Sebastiaaaan! Prepare my private plane, we're shopping in Paris! These kids don't need Kaoru-sama anymore!" Kaoru shrieked in tantrums, tears bubbling in her eyes. She skirted across the room, banging the grand doors as she left the two staring into nothingness, speechless.

Halfway across the hall, the Empress smirked satisfactorily at her act. If there's one important thing someone should remember about Kaoru Hyuga is that she can be dangerously deceptive. And that was another job well done thanks to her ingenious acting. Really, if she wasn't just picked as the Empress years ago, she probably would be in the entertainment industry acting her way to success. Now thanks to her husband she can be nothing more than a frustrated actress.

"Kaoru-sama…" Sebastian started, catching up to the royal blood and almost failing to maintain his breath. "The plane has been prepared. Do you wish for anything more?"

"Good. Now, Sebastian, I want you to stay here with the kids and I want you to do everything I'll tell you…" her crimson eyes narrowed in amusement as evil plans invaded her whispers to the old trusty butler. "Understand?" she smiled mischievously right after she entrusted her mischief into the old man's hands or er, ears.

"As you wish your highness"

~(*o*)~(*o*)~(*o*)~

…

"What…was that?"

Natsume shifted his gaze from the silenced doors to the dumbfounded brunette across him and sighed. How many times has he witnessed his mother's tantrums before? And yet, every time he does, she kept on catching him off guard. Talk about handling a difficult and cunning mother.

"What was what, idiot?" he answered.

"Y-your mother! She just left almost crying and you're just like, 'so what'? Seriously, what's wrong with you?" Mikan flopped down to the couch next to her, utterly dizzy about almost everything that happened. She feels like she took a hundred spins in a merry-go-round and can't decipher which one's top or bottom and which is left or right. It would be nice if everything was a dream, she thought. But no, everything just had to be real.

"That's not your problem," Natsume answered as he himself settled on the couch across Mikan's, crossing his legs in the process. "Your problem is how you'll satisfy me as your husband now that you're here."

He said it in such a sexy manner that Mikan turned beet red, her mind failing to work on its own.

"W-what are y-you talking about, y-you pervert? Who told you t-to chose me a-anyway?" the corners of her mouth twitched involuntarily in disgust.

"Oh, but I did, so what are you gonna do now?" he smirked, crimson eyes daring Mikan and all.

"W-what…you say, it's not like I have to…satisfy you…" the brunette mumbled grudgingly, hating the fact that this conversation is making her feel embarrassed about absolutely nothing. And the blushes that crept to her cheeks are not helping either, "B-besides! It's not like I wanted to be your wife!" she protested.

"Then why are you here?"

"…my mom kicked me out of our house" she pouted.

"So?"

"So…" Mikan was trying to answer, "Ahhh! Why do I need to answer your every question anyway? My mom tricked me into marrying you and I was such a big idiot for believing that lie of hers! Happy now?"

"Not exactly"

"OH MY GOD" she exclaimed "I can't believe you're driving me crazy!"

"Crazy in love?"

"Okay, stop. You're making me gag." The brunette made some gagging noise as Natsume rolled his eyes.

"Heh, quite rare to hear Natsume throw a cheesy punch line here; now aren't you special, Mikan-chan?" someone out of the blue remarked, sending Mikan jumping off her seat and getting a glimpse of another raven-haired guy in the process.

There, leaning coolly by the door was Tsubasa Andou with his lean arms crossed; beside him is a blond guy, Ruka Nogi. Mikan's hazel eyes marveled at the two people in front of her, taking in their exceptional and stunning appearance. And here she thought beautiful people only exist within actors and actresses caked with make-up and plastic surgeries. Who knew that there were still these gorgeous people who exist?

Tsubasa had soft-looking black hair matching his onyx eyes and those piercings he got matches his carefree and playboy personality well while the blond guy looks like an actual Prince Charming who leapt out of a fairytale book. Mikan can't help being lost in his soft blue eyes and daydream of once stroking his smooth gold hair.

"I'm Tsubasa Andou, Natsume's cousin. Nice to meet you Mikan-chan!" he greeted, extending his hand for the flabbergasted brunette to shake which she thankfully did regardless of her dumbfounded state.

"That's right, I hope you enjoy your stay here, Yukihira-san. I'm also Natsume's cousin, Ruka Nogi" he smiled making Mikan smile as well.

"Ah, please call me Mikan"

"Alright then, Mikan-chan" he smiled again.

Mikan can't help wondering how such nice people could possibly be related to an irritating person like Natsume. He must be cursed, she thought. How can she be engaged to the person who has the nastiest personality when she could have been betrothed instead to one of these nice guys? And the only logical conclusion she was able to draw was that: she must really have a rotten luck.

A soft snaky touch snapped her out of her train of thoughts as she realized that Tsubasa was already beside her, an arm draped over her bare shoulder. Mikan felt a little embarrassed but soon forgot about it as she saw the cold look Natsume was giving them.

"Sigh, you're really so cute, Mikan-chan. Too bad grumpy ol' Natsume got you first. Such a lucky fella~" Tsubasa teased.

"That's right so arms off" Natsume glared venomously at his cousin while Tsubasa raised both arms in surrender. The brunette, for no apparent reason meanwhile was blushing like a nutcase.

"Ho~ someone's overprotective of his girl."

Glare.

"I get it, I get it arms off, no touchy-touchy on your girlfriend. You should take good care of her, Nattie, she's really cute you know"

"Will you please stop talking about me as if I'm not here?"

"And stop calling me Nattie."

And you perfectly suit each other, Tsubasa thought in amusement.

~(*o*)~(*o*)~(*o*)~

"Hey Hotaru, is it alright for us to be playing cards like this?" a strawberry blonde girl lying flat on her tummy asked as she flipped some of her cards.

"What do you mean?" the latter replied stoically.

"You do know that your best friend is probably in the Imperial Palace right now since she was chosen by Nattie as his wife right?"

"Yeah, I tried warning her yesterday, so?"

"Aren't you gonna go and see her? Those idiots are probably badgering her already…especially that idiot Tsubasa" she replied, her nose naturally wrinkling at the mention of her fiance's name.

"If you're so worried Misaki, then why don't you go and see them? Mikan's another idiot so I doubt they won't be getting along pretty soon" Hotaru replied nonchalantly, flipping her cards while staring at them business-like. Only money can drive her this serious and this game involves a pretty fat deal.

"What? No way. Tsubasa drives me nuts. He practically pulls my pink hair out of its roots. And I doubt Mikan's getting along well with Natsume either. They must be trying to kill each other now" she replied worriedly.

"That idiot will call sooner or later, crying her eyes out. I'm not meeting trouble out of schedule. I'm bound to meet it sooner or later anyway and in this case, later is the better option." The purple-eyed genius said, "Royal Flash: I win," she smirked, a smirk not unlike Natsume's.

"Oh, darn it. I'm letting Tsubasa pay for that"

~(*o*)~(*o*)~(*o*)~

"For dinner, Kimchi soup will be served as an appetizer, Indian Curry literally spiced up with the world's hottest pepper, Bhut Jolokia for the main course and for dessert, we'll have the juiciest watermelons with honey," Sebastian proudly announced, rare meaningful glints sparkling in his pale eyes as the Palace's attendants served the Kimchi soup before the royalties.

The brunette stared at the food intensely. Sure, she worried like hell how she'd manage to eat properly now that she's in the Palace considering there are a dozen of spoons, forks and knives when you only need a pair of chopsticks. Now she knows that's not her main problem.

Mikan hates spicy food. Like hell.

And looking back at the Kimchi soup bubbling before her is like sentencing her to death – or close to that. And to think that the menu was 70 percent spicy, Natsume won't be the end of her after all.

"Oh my god," she mumbled uneasily "It's…red"

"Of course it's red idiot. It's Kimchi soup. What do you expect it to be, blue?" Natsume deadpanned although he himself looks sick just staring at the bubbling soup.

"Ah…haha" Tsubasa laughed rather nervously, "I don't mean to complain Sebastian but…isn't our menu today a little too…hot?"

"Hmmm? Well then I suggest your highness should wait for his soup to cool then…however, I doubt it will be as delicious if eaten hot. Also, it is better to finish the food your majesties since the kimchis used in that soup are a present from the Prime Minister of South Korea and it'd severe our relationship if you don't eat well" the wise man smiled – a smile probably labeled as creepy.

"N-no…that's not what I meant…" at all.

"I myself don't think the food will mix up good in my stomach…" Ruka commented, paling at every second.

"S-Sebastian!" Mikan cried, "I hate spicy food!"

"I anticipated this would happen, so here you go, Mikan-chan-sama!" a monster-sized glass of water was laid before Mikan. The brunette can hear it calling 'salvation' in every drop. If only she could just drink the glass of water and go…

Half-heartedly, Mikan sipped a spoonful of the red concoction, anticipating the distant feeling of sharp pain offered by spiciness, soon wishing she hadn't the moment it overwhelmed her senses. The brunette quickly lunged at the innocent glass of water, now singing 'halleluiah' and almost abruptly extinguished the fiery sensation her senses are suffering from.

The only way she's surviving this meal is if she'd willingly empty a big glass of water in every spoonful but that means flooding – and bursting – her stomach and not to mention her water spleen at the process. There may also be the 99% of her kidneys drowning.

In the end, the hopeless brunette just wished for a meaningful afterlife.

~(*o*)~(*o*)~(*o*)~

"For dinner, I want you to make sure that Mikan-chan will be filled with water that she'll have to visit the toilet late at night hmmm?"

The Empress' words rang mellifluously in Sebastian's youth-less ears. Whatever his mistress needs, he shall comply – that is the oath that he swore he'd follow until his last breath and what he's doing now, which is indirectly sending the young masters (and mistress) into their young death, was a part of it.

He watched as Mikan Yukihira faithfully downed a glassful of water after every spoon of soup as if her whole life depended on the ritual – in which it probably does – until she finished the whole appetizer, while he tried his best not to feel sorry for the sweet young lady.

"Good job, Your Highnesses, now, for the main course!" he clapped and another set of silver platters replaced the former ones.

Looking around the youngsters, they look seasick and ready to throw up with their once-beautiful faces painted red and their lips puffy. Mikan especially looks bloated.

"Stop it old man," Natsume muttered with a napkin clasped against his mouth "I'm not eating anymore of this ridiculous meal" and left.

"Ah! I forgot! I promised Misaki a date! I'm sorry Sebastian, I've got to go too!"

"I…uh…forgot to feed Usagi-chan! I'm sorry Sebastian, gotta go. Mikan-chan, good luck okay?"

They were obviously lying, Mikan thought, teary-eyed and hopeless now that she's alone. How dare you leave me alooooooneeeee?

Poor Mikan.

~(*o*)~(*o*)~(*o*)~

"That's weird" Misaki said as she sipped her orange juice.

"What is?" Hotaru asked, taking a bite of her crabstick.

"I thought Mikan-chan's supposed to be bugging you right now? I don't hear your phone ringing yet,"

"…"

"I wonder if she's alright?"

"…" bite. "She's probably dead by now"

~(*o*)~(*o*)~(*o*)~

"I feel like I'm supposed to be dead by now" Mikan flopped on her canopy bed, unmoving; not that she doesn't want to – it's more like she can't. She feels like she just drank the whole Indian Ocean and learning that the toilet in her own Comfort Room was not working seemed to double the liters she drank due to that eccentric dinner.

Every time she moves, her whole tummy wobbles which is just plain weird because it's as though she's from a kiddy program that jumped out of the television called Mr. Wobble.

"Arghh…I can't sleep like this" she mumbled as she stared at the pink curtains of her four-poster princess bed. She's supposed to enjoy the grandeur of her enormous room but thanks to her dinner, her vision is limited to the sky-themed ceiling of what's supposed to be her private haven.

"I have to pee!" she complained to no one, "Or else I'll wet my bed by sunrise tomorrow and I don't want that to happen" she groaned.

"Must…find…toilet…" the brunette wobbled out of her room at the same time trying her best to stop whatever liquid her body's trying to excrete at the moment. The last time she wet her pants was when she was two and it's not a very good time to commemorate that unpleasant event now that she's sixteen and all grown-up, not to mention under the scrutiny of that jerk Natsume.

The brunette took twists and turns, randomly opening doors here and there and trying her best to push back in her mind the scary ghost stories she's heard from camping trips because thinking of them sure won't help her urinary system to delay her excretion of liquid waste.

Finally, at her final turn, she found a comfort room where she gladly emptied her body into nothing more but comfort. That's why they call CRs Comfort rooms right? To give comfort, she told herself.

Finding the room of comfort was scary enough but going out of it with your worries down the drain and nothing to think of was more frightening. Suddenly, the scary stories she's been doing her best to vanish all raced back to her empty skull that for second thought, sleeping in the bathtub isn't such a bad choice.

Not until Natsume sees your face dripping with your own saliva. Ugh, ugly.

Besides, there's no way Natsume's seeing her in those lace pajamas. The brunette doesn't know what happened but her clothes seemed to be dumped off somewhere that when she opened her closet to change, everything was transformed into laces and frills.

"It's okay…it's okay…" Mikan consoled herself as she walked in panic, "Oh who am I kidding? It's not okay! I forgot where I came from! Why the hell does this place need to be so huge anyway?"

Driven crazy by her frightening ideas, the brunette ran as fast as she can; no longer caring which direction to turn or if she has to turn at all. Her mind's filled with those pale screeching ladies in white, walking Japanese dolls, Oni's and that scary version of Hotaru in her nightmare.

Spotting a grand door that resembles the door of her own room, relief washed over her as she pushed the doors open, eagerly wishing for her safe sanctuary back only to find…

~(*o*)~(*o*)~(*o*)~

"What, can't wait for honeymoon?"

Mikan was left staring at Natsume, agape, obviously shocked by the fact that she entered the wrong room and bothered by another fact that he's half-naked, a towel draped over his muscular shoulders, wearing only black pants and his hair dripping wet. The brunette doesn't wanna admit it but her brain practically screams the word 'hot'. Either it's because of the fact that she's drenched with sweat or the dinner or because of Natsume, she isn't aware of but she'd rather it was not the latter.

"I-I'm not! It's not what you think, I got lost and I wanted to go to the toilet so badly but then mine was broke so I had to find— hey! What are you doing?"

Natsume laughed bemusedly as he pinned the brunette against the door, his lips inches from Mikan's ear so that his breath tickles her, making her more uncomfortable. The young prince, on the other hand is enjoying his show very much.

"What, do you not like it?" he whispered seductively in a husky voice. "Mikan.."

"…s-suddenly saying my name like that…" Mikan muttered, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks. "Why are you so cruel…?"

"Oh, am I?"

The brunette closed her eyes shut as she felt Natsume getting closer and closer, the warmth of his body penetrating her cold skin, leaving tingling sensation. His lips were centimeters away from hers now and Mikan's legs began to wobble into jellies, her breath quickening. She can barely breathe and yet she can still take in the hypnotizing scent of Natsume…so hypnotizing that a lungful isn't sufficient enough at all.

Closer…closer…she can almost feel his lips brush against her, his body almost on top of her. What was that feeling? It's like being scared, excited and giddy all at once. Her body says it's a good thing while her mind's urging her to snap out of it but how is she to oblige if her body's acting on its own?

Closer…seconds began to tick away like eternity. His lips are really close now, so close she can suck in his warm sweet breath…

"Puh!"

Mikan blinked, only to see Natsume smirking at her, once again drying his hair.

"Disappointed?" he teased mockingly, "Sorry but I'm not kissing you" yet.

Mikan felt outraged and embarrassed at the same time that her face must probably be very, very red right now but who cares? Right now, her mind's filled with anger and the thoughts of bloody murder. What the heck was she expecting anyway? She was such an idiot.

"You wish! Stupid Natsume!" she cried furiously, her cheeks burning as she watched the prince chuckle in plain amusement.

Silence.

"A-anyway…I was lost and I'm sleepy"

"So?"

"Send me to my room; I have no idea how to go back there" Mikan demanded.

"Don't want to" Natsume plainly responded as he collapsed on the nearby couch.

"Then where am I supposed to sleep?"

"Dunno, don't care"

"Fine, then I'll be sleeping in your room and on your bed so go and sleep in the couch!" she stuck her tongue out rebelliously and took a dive on Natsume's red and black king-sized bed. It was so comfortable that Mikan quickly wrapped the blanket over her cold body, ready for her deep slumber when Natsume decided to join her side of the bed.

"W-what do you think you're doing, you idiot?" Mikan cried, obviously embarrassed at the fact that Natsume was so close.

"This is my bed. I'm sleeping so shut up"

"Didn't you hear me? I said I'll sleep here so sleep on the couch!"

"It seems that you're deaf because I believe I just said this is my bed so scoot, and be quiet"

"Arghh! I hate you!"

"…"

"Fine! But I'm putting this humongous pillow between us! If you do anything weird…"

Natsume snorted, "Suit yourself little girl. I'm not touching you. Now would you please let me sleep?"

"Hmph!"

~(*o*)~(*o*)~(*o*)~

A little figure of a girl stared, dumbfounded at the hugging couple on the bed in front of her. She couldn't believe her eyes and she was so shocked that for a moment she thought she was hallucinating. But no, there on the bed was her older brother hugging – and being hugged back – by who's supposed to be his fiancée, a peaceful look plastered on their faces like those of a newly-wedded couple after a sweet honeymoon.

Aoi Hyuga stood frozen in her place, still staring disbelievingly at the couple, a scream threatening to escape her mouth which would wake the whole palace up,

"MOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMYYYYYYY! NASTUME-NII AND MIKAN-NEE DIIIIIID IT ALREEAAAAAADYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

~(*o*)~(*o*)~(*o*)~

Yey! It's done woohoo!

I spent 2 days doing that and it ended up too long but oh well…

Did you enjoy it? XD Was it too much for their first meeting and *cough* first night *cough* together? Teehee. XD

I'm such a naughty brat, I know.

Comments, suggestions, Complaints, anything! Just REVIEW and I'd gladly reply~

REVIEWWWWWWW~