Lots of reviews again! Hihi.

This chapter is more of like fluff and it's long so I hope you guys like it! :)

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

Fourth Letter

Natsume isn't a stalker.

But with him sneakily tailing a certain brunette and a blond around Tokyo would make you believe otherwise. Especially if you see his get-up. Well, let's just say that the crimson-eyed lad looks like a typical kidnapper on the loose. His messy raven-hair was currently concealed with a black cap while his conspicuous ruby orbs were kept hidden by his usual Ray Ban sunglasses and certainly it didn't help that he was wearing a warm black overcoat. So yes, basically, he's a walking darkness, hiding in the shadiest spots of the street to avoid being discovered by the two.

Well, even though that was the case, somehow, Tsubasa still managed to notice him.

He and Misaki were in an after-school appointment when he spotted Mikan and Ruka with the bodyguards behind them at a respectful distance. They weren't difficult to notice, really. But what weirded Tsubasa the most is the fact that a black figure was following them who was in turn being respectfully followed by his own share of armed men. So yes, it wasn't that difficult to know that it was Natsume stalking the two either. So all in all, they appeared like a weird bunch in the public.

As for Natsume, despite his cold shoulder yesterday when Mikan gallantly asked Ruka for a 'friendly date', he found himself restless. Somehow, his thoughts just kept on settling on that conversation, costing him his grains of calmness per second. What was more weird was his involuntary actions. He just found himself following the two everywhere which is if he might add, so unlike him.

He twitched.

Why in the hell would Mikan choose Ruka anyway? Natsume is her fiancé. In fact, if we put these terms in the cheesiest but real terms, he is her Prince Charming albeit Ruka looks more like the said character. But still, right? Natsume can teach her more about his family. They can spend time together, trying the least bit to act civilized in front of each other. It could have been him with her right now. So why did he choose Ruka?

The answer boomeranged to him like a slap.

Because you were ignoring her, idiot.

Which sent him to another set of questions.

Why is he even here? He's not supposed to care if Mikan goes on a 'friendly date' with anyone. In fact, she can date just anyone because admitted or not, the end result would still be the same. It would still be him and her - him and her in front of the altar weeks from now, saying 'I do'. So why? Why is he currently in this preposterous get-up, trying so hard to conceal his presence just to steal glances at the two? Besides, it's not as if Ruka would do anything stupid, right? So again, why?

Natsume scowled at the questions badgering his mind. What's more frustrating is that fact that deep inside him, he knows the answer. It's just that he refuses to acknowledge it as the answer. It's because, after all, the answer is because he is…

jealous.

Natsume stopped on his tracks at the sound of the word.

Was he really jealous?

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

"Boo,"

Natsume jumped and looked back, obviously irritated.

He was just standing idly there when Tsubasa almost too easily sneaked on his back and uttered the one-syllabic word. He didn't even expect Natsume to budge but…well, he did. Which was surprising. He must have been in his own abyss of thoughts seeing as he suddenly froze and let the cute little couple gain hefty distance from him.

"What are you doing here?" Natsume glared at his cousin as he resumed his walking, his eyes darting from one place to the other in pursuit of the two brats.

Tsubasa noticed. "If you're looking for Mikan-chan and Ruka-pyon, they went in that cafe," he pointed, earning a steady gaze from Natsume.

"What are you talking about?" he feigned innocence.

The older male sighed. "Couz, couz, couz," he said with an easy-going smile. "You don't need to hide it from me. I saw you following those two okay? Admit it man, you're jealous," he grinned as he draped a brotherly arm over his cousin's shoulders.

Natsume swatted it off. "Keep your stupid thoughts to yourself,"

Tsubasa whistled. "Okay, okay," he said. "But I'm sure you're thirsty. Let's go to the cafe," he smiled, knowing well that Natsume was aching to enter that shop anyway. In a way, yes, he just saved his cousin's butt from obvious stalking.

.

.

.

"Hey, couz," Tsubasa called as they walked, earning an annoyed glare from Natsume. He ignored it. "Did you know that when you're single, you turn into a plant?"

Natsume kept on walking. Whatever stupidity he's cousin's blabbering about right now, it was better to ignore.

"But now that I think about it, it's just so wrong," Tsubasa continued.

Natsume answered sarcastically in his mind.

"Because see, you're not single and yet you're a plant right now," he grinned.

*kruu* *kruu*

"Because seriously," Tsubasa shamelessly continued. "You're as green as the cacti in Sahara desert,"

Natsume stopped and glared at his cousin. They're in front of the cafe now and he can see the stupid brunette smiling at Ruka. Natsume had the sudden urge to smash Tsubasa's face.

"One more word and you're turning into a ripe eggplant, Shadow," he muttered and entered.

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

"One slice strawberry cake and a cup of hot chocolate please," Mikan smiled at the waitress who couldn't write fast enough just to ask Ruka his order. And when she did, she was all smiles and batting eyelashes.

Ruka tried so hard not to frown. "Just a cup of Earl Gray tea, please," he said politely with a forced smile. The waitress nearly melted.

Honestly, this set-up is killing him. It's kind of awkward, this 'friendly date'. It's not because of Mikan, goodness no. Rather it's because of her best friend.

You'd think that Ruka would be free from Hotaru's clutches when it comes to this date since she's not coming anyway but noooo. Of course not. When it comes to her best friend, Hotaru's as ferocious and as strict as their grandmother. In fact, just before he and Mikan left for this date, he was nearly killed by the woman.

Ruka was heading off to Mikan when he was suddenly pulled in a dark closet. Goodness, he thought he was already being kidnapped when suddenly, he saw his cousin's pale face in the darkness. Even so, knowing that he wasn't in the hands of kidnappers but rather, wrapped around the cold woman's merciless fingers didn't give Ruka any sense of relief. In fact, it gave him more tension. Between the kidnappers and his cousin, he wasn't sure which one's better.

"I-Imai, what do you think you're doing?" he asked. The closet was so cramped that both of them barely have an inch for breathing space and yes, they're already touching.

Cold purple eyes found him. "You," she muttered and the next thing Ruka knows, a stinging sensation already invaded his left earlobe.

"Ow! Hey!" he complained, clutching it. There, through his earlobe is a piercing. "What the - ?"

"It's a recording device," Hotaru simply said. "To make sure you don't do anything stupid to Mikan. Or in case you do," she looked at him icily. "I'll make you pay for it,"

Then she kicked him out of the closet.

Literally.

Ruka sighed.

Honestly, what was that about? Even without that scary woman warning him not to do anything stupid to the brunette, he wouldn't dare do anything. First, because he's partly french and French guys are gentlemen, as taught to him by his mom. Second, because Natsume would have beat Hotaru in killing him. And third because after he gets through with the Natsume Slaughterhouse, he would have to go through Hotaru Slaughterhouse then. And in case you don't know, Ruka's not an avid supporter of double-dead animal meat.

Mikan looked at the lad worriedly. Did he just sigh? "Ruka-pyon, are you alright?" she asked.

Ruka snapped back to reality. Right, no stupid things which involves worrying Mikan. Unconsciously, he touched the small piercing on his left ear. "Y-yeah," he smiled.

"Hey," Mikan said. "You had a piercing! Wah, somehow Ruka-pyon looks cooler," she giggled.

Ruka blushed. That's when he noticed Natsume and Tsubasa entering the shop. Tsubasa winked at him while Natsume simply ignored him. He focused back on Mikan and sighed inwardly. Somehow, all this set-up makes him uncomfortable. Great. Not only does he have Hotaru after him, he now also has Natsume. It's like he's already signing his death wish.

"Mikan-chan, Natsume has two piercings. Does that mean you also find him cool?" Ruka asked.

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

"Put these on," Tsubasa handed Natsume a pair of mini-earphones his sister made. They just successfully shooed the flirty waitress off after giving her their orders.

Natsume stared at the weird red stuff on his palm. "You want me to put…mushrooms in my ears?"

Tsubasa looked back and the red and white polka-dotted mushroom earphones. Ah, what can he say? His sister is such a weirdo. "Well…yes. They're earphones. Quit yapping. If you want to hear their conversation then you have to stuff Mario mushrooms in your ears," he muttered.

Reluctantly, Natsume deposited the weird-looking contraptions in his ears.

"Oh, and choose," Tsubasa said, taking out two weird-looking things. "Ladybug antenna or cat ears," he grinned.

Natsume kicked him under the table.

Tsubasa yelped. "Hey, it's a part of the package! Choose! But if you want my opinion, I think the Ladybug antenna would fit you and oh - it comes with this…" he trailed off, taking out a ridiculous red and black ladybug butt.

Another kick.

"Ouch!"

Natsume snatched the cat ears while Tsubasa gingerly put wolf ears instead. They instantly grew tails. What the hell?

"Mikan-chan, Natsume has two piercings. Does that mean you also find him cool?" they both heard from the mushroom earphones.

Natsume froze. Tsubasa glanced at him and suppressed a grin.

Silence.

"No," they heard Mikan's voice. "He looks like a girl,"

Tsubasa guffawed. Another kick. That made him shut up. Good.

"Honestly, which straight guy wears earrings on both ears huh? Puh. Such a girl," the brunette said.

Natsume kicked Tsubasa again in annoyance.

"Hey! I wasn't even laughing yet. Wait, let me laugh first," He laughed like such a retard. Natsume glared at him. Honestly, Natsume wants to head right there and scare the hell out of Mikan. He saw Ruka look at him from where he sat and sweat-drop.

"Why does he even wear those earrings huh?"

The crimson-eyed lad stayed silent.

"Eh," Ruka's began. "They're marks, Mikan-chan. Natsume has the earring with the red crystal right? It's the blood crystal, symbolizing the Royal Family's bloodline. Then the other one with dragon carvings. Well, dragon is a very important figure in China and we have great connections with Chinese so, yeah. Natsume doesn't wear piercings because he thinks it's cool, Mikan-chan," he smiled.

Tsubasa looked over to Natsume. He knows how much he hates those piercings. After all, he was bullied when he was younger because of those which led him to fight with everyone.

"Mmm," Mikan replied. "That's cool." she said absent-mindedly as the waitress delivered their orders. Mikan looked pleased seeing the strawberry cake and instantly forgot about their conversation.

What a complete moron, Natsume thought.

"Oh, right, Mikan-chan, why didn't you just ask Natsume to teach you about the Royal Family? He's better than me," Ruka asked. Natsume cursed inwardly. Why did he have to catch such awkward topics? Oh right, because he didn't know that you were eavesdropping.

Natsume sighed and listened patiently. He saw the brunette look up from her beloved cake and pout. Damn, such a cute pout, Natsume suddenly thought and slapped himself inwardly.

"He's been ignoring me," she huffed. "He's such a jerk. And I don't even know why,"

Natsume saw Ruka look at him. He averted his gaze.

"Anyway, Ruka-pyon, please tell me all about the Royal Family," Mikan said.

"Sirs," both Natsume and Tsubasa looked up to the waitress from before. "Here are your orders," she smiled and set them down on the table. After doing so, she stayed by the table, smiling at both of them.

Tsubasa swished his tail. Man, his sister is such an awesome inventor. He smiled at the lady.

"That would be all, thank you," he grinned since his cousin was ready to spout rude things to the woman. They don't want any scene coming up, now would they? Aside from being the headline the next day, Tsubasa was sure Mikan wouldn't appreciate Natsume stalking her.

The woman continued to smile at both of them. "Welcome to M&N Cosplaying Cafe, sirs," she smiled.

"Yes, yes," Tsubasa answered. "Thank you," While Natsume tried to sip on his coffee to calm his nerves.

The woman just shook her head and refused to go away. "No, you don't understand sirs," she said, now eyeing both of them from head to toe. "Are you perhaps interested in being our main cosplayers for today?"

Natsume almost dropped his cup.

"What?"

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

Ruka scratched his nape and took a sip of his tea. "Where do you want me to start?" He asked.

The brunette swallowed her piece of cake. "Ah," she exclaimed. "How come you guys have different surnames?"

"Well, that's because we have different parents, I guess," he smiled. "We're cousins on the mother side, Mikan-chan. Uncle Ioran, the present Emperor are six in the family. So that includes the ex-Empress, our late grandfather, Aunt Hiyori, Uncle Ioran, my mom, then Aunt Miyabi. Since uncle is the only boy among the siblings, he inherited the throne. Meanwhile, the sisters married different guys so we cousins have different surnames," he said.

Mikan sipped her hot chocolate. "Mmm, Ruka-pyon. Do you know the ex-Empress' real name? Because everyone just addresses her as Your Majesty," she said.

Well, it's true. The ex-Empress was rarely addressed by her name. Mainly because people are probably too scared to call her. "I heard that her maiden name is Youko Hijiri," Ruka answered.

Hijiri? Isn't that…? Mikan paused mid-bite. "Hijiri? Like You-chan?"

Ruka nodded, taking another sip. "You-chan's namesake is grandma. Youichi Hijiri. Youko Hijiri. Their 'You' are the same japanese characters,"

"Wait, did You-chan's mom marry another Hijiri?"

Ruka shook his head. "Aunt Miyabi lives in England together with You-chan until this year when You-chan came back here. Grandma, who has a serious disease had to go there for her medications so Aunt Miyabi looked after her after all these years. You can say that Aunt is Grandma's favorite among her kids. Although some say it's because she married England's third-in-line to the throne, Count Richard. Anyway, when Aunt Miyabi moved in to England, she had to change her surname from Hyuga to Hijiri to avoid attention. Counts don't have visible surnames so You-chan retained the surname Hijiri."

"Mmm," Mikan said, chewing a piece of cake. "Then, what about you, Ruka-pyon?"

"My mom's half-french," he smiled.

Mikan almost choked. She was about to ask when a sudden noise snapped everyone's attention to the back.

"Wait, sirs," the waitress chased after two familiar guys. "Please," she begged.

The taller guy with - wait, were those fox ears and tails? - grinned at her as he dragged a guy with black cat ears and tails. What the? "Sorry, we have to go, bye," and they left.

Mikan did a double-take. Did she just see Tsubasa and Natsume in weird outfits? Mikan snapped back to reality.

"Half-french? But your surname is Nogi…so your dad is Japanese. But then…the ex-Empress is Japanese and the former Emperor too. How did that happen?" Mikan asked in confusion.

Ruka simply smiled. "My mom is a result of the Emperor's fling, Mikan-chan,"

The brunette froze. Is it alright for Ruka to tell her this? Somehow, Mikan felt a little awkward.

The blond lad smiled. "It's okay, Mikan-chan. I don't really mind. Anyway, the Emperor went to France for some political meet. Then, he met my grandma, Lisette Delacour. I guess Grandpa was having some problems with the ex-Empress then and he found something in my grandma so after a night…they had my mom. Grandpa didn't know about mom until he received a letter from grandma. Of course, the ex-Empress was furious so she refused to let Grandpa meet my mom. Mom's name is Camille by the way.

Grandma raised Mom in France. When Grandma died because of Tuberculosis, Mom searched for grandpa here. It was difficult, of course since Grandpa was the current Emperor and it wasn't easy getting to him. But she managed to so Grandpa offered her shelter in the Palace although the ex-Empress was strongly against it. In fact, she made sure that Mom had a hard time living in the Palace. Aunt Miyabi and Aunt Hiyori were kind to her though. They accepted her as their sibling.

Then, Mom met my dad after one of the balls held in the Palace. I guess it was Aunt Hiyori's birthday or something. Dad's from a respectable family in Japan. After some years, they got married and had me. Right now, dad and mom are in France. They choose to live there, away from the Royal whatnot here in Japan. I chose to stay here though," he smiled.

Mikan smiled back at Ruka. "So then, that leaves us with Hotaru and Tsubasa-nii's mom. Wait, why do they have different surnames as well?"

Ruka sipped before continuing. "Hotaru and Tsubasa-nii have different fathers, Mikan-chan. Aunt Hiyori ran away from the Palace when she was in college since she fell in love with a friend whose surname is Imai. But during those times, the ex-Empress had already arranged a very beneficial marriage for her and a certain son from the respectable Andou Family. Aunt Hiyori doesn't love him though or…not as much as she loves that friend of hers. She went missing for almost a year until the ex-Empress found her and dragged her back just on time for the marriage.

I guess Aunt came to love that Andou guy and had Tsubasa-nii. But after some years, she bumped into that Imai guy. They spent a night together. The ex-Empress knew about this and locked Aunt Hiyori up in the Palace. Tsubasa-nii was really young then and since he needs a mother, Mom and Aunt Miyabi took care of him. Then, when Tsubasa-nii was about seven and I and Natsume were four, Hotaru and her onii-chan, Subaru came into the Palace. Their dad died and Aunt Hiyori had them.

Turns out, when Aunt Hiyori ran away and went missing for almost a year, she already had Subaru-nii then had Imai when she met that guy again. That's why the ex-Empress calls Imai the unwanted daughter of Hiyori. Subaru-nii is in Germany right now though. He's finishing his studied there," Ruka explained.

Somehow, the Royal Family's so complicated and intricate that for a moment, Mikan had to stay silent for some minutes to let things settle in. There were a lot of secrets that must have been kept hidden. But even without saying anything, Ruka continued.

"Uncle Ioran chose Aunt Kaoru when he was also seventeen. Aunt Kaoru's mom often visited in the Palace before. She and the ex-Empress don't get along that well. Her name was Himemiya, I think? She's a very popular woman and came from a very respectable family as well. I think Aunt Kaoru has a nephew and niece named Akira Tonouchi and Shizune Yamanouchi. They're close with Tsubasa-nii and Imai."

Mikan finished up her cake. "Mmm," she muttered pensively. She wants to meet all of these people. Somehow, she feels closer to the Royal Family with these informations. "Then, what about the Emperor? Did he have any siblings?"

Ruka shook his head. "Grandpa's an only child. Although I heard that his father the forerunner of the Hyuga bloodline. Before his father, I think another Royal Family ruled Japan but they were over throned by Grandpa's family. I think we're still related though. They were cousins or something. Although I don't remember the surnames of that Family. You can try researching in the Library, Mikan-chan. I'm sure it's there," Ruka smiled.

Mikan stretched her arms. "Ah. Thanks a lot Ruka-pyon!" she said as she sipped the last of her hot chocolate. "Ruka-pyon," she called again.

"Hmmm?"

"Are you sure you're not related to Narumi-sensei?"

Ruka almost spit his tea. "W-why would you say that?" Him? Related to that gay? Goodness.

"Eh…nothing. I thought you were. You're both blond."

"That doesn't mean anything, Mikan-chan,"

Mikan cocked her head sidewards. "But he could be your father or…your and Hotaru's dad,"

This time, Ruka choked.

"Eeep!" Mikan screeched. "I'm sorry,"

"*cough* It's okay *cough*"

.

.

.

Mikan looked shyly at Ruka. "Ruka-pyon, actually, I still have another favor to ask you,"

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

"Ow! Hey! Hey! Stop it!" Tsubasa muttered, his arms crossed on top of his chest as Natsume continued to beat him up. "Stop, okay? Chill,"

Natsume found Tsubasa's plea quite ridiculous. Chill? Him? After all the shame he gave him? Natsume Hyuga, the Crown Prince of Japan, was just asked if he wanted to cosplay and Tsubasa says chill? Not to mention that he was at fault for Natsume's dignity-stealing experience.

"Tell me," Natsume growled, clutching the cat ears. "What these things do,"

Sweat started to trickle down Tsubasa's forehead. "W-well,"

"Well?" Natsume looked at him dangerously.

Tsubasa chuckled nervously. He couldn't say that it was just a bet between him and Hotaru right? If Natsume wears those without much of a complaint then Hotaru will let Tsubasa hug her for a week. But confessing that to Natsume would mean that he'd turn into an awesome eggplant.

"H-hey, look! Ruka-pyon and Mikan-chan are out already!"

Natsume swished his head, glared at him and quickly followed them.

Tsubasa sighed in relief.

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

It's already been an hour since Natsume and Tsubasa lost the two and by now, Tsubasa can barely walk.

Well, let's just say that Natsume had the liberty of kicking his shin when he thoughtlessly annoyed the young Prince, making them lose the two. Right now, they were resting in Starbucks with a fuming Natsume and a battered Tsubasa. Nevertheless, they didn't fail to catch the attention of everyone. Of course, the people around don't know that they're Royalties.

Natsume was still wearing his sunglasses and so is Tsubasa but alas, their coolness just seem to ooze off their bodies. Almost all the girls around are ogling them.

Tsubasa sighed. If Misaki were here, she would have glared those girls to their death.

"Hey, hey, look," Tsubasa heard a girl say.

"Oh my god, another hottie!" another giggled.

"Is that his girlfriend? Like, ungh, no way,"

Tsubasa looked up only to see Ruka entering with Mikan, catching everyone's attention. Ruka looked a little flustered.

"Oh, do they know each other?" Another snippet.

"Yeah! Hey, we should check them out,"

Tsubasa and Natsume looked up at the two when they approached.

Mikan pouted. "Were you stalking me?"

"Excuse me?" Natsume asked coolly.

The brunette huffed. "I knew it was you! You were the one in the cafe a while ago, wearing that ridiculous cat costume," she muttered.

Tsubasa stood up and dragged Ruka elsewhere. "We're uh…we need air. Bye,"

Mikan sat down. Natsume refused to look at her.

.

.

.

"Stop ignoring me, whacko!" Mikan frowned, glaring at Natsume.

Silence

The brunette shuffled awkwardly. "Fine. I'm sorry, okay?"

Crimson eyes finally looked at her. "What for?"

Her brown eyes knitted. "Well…I don't know. Because you're mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you?"

Mikan frowned. "I don't know! If you're not mad then why were you ignoring me?"

Silence

"Stop doing that!"

Natsume sat up straight and sighed. "Stop bothering me and just go on dates with Ruka," he muttered.

Mikan paused then laughed.

"Great. Now the lady's nuts," Natsume muttered under his breath.

"Natsume," Mikan called. "Are you jealous?"

Natsume stared at her. So what if I am? "You really are crazy,"

"Hey, answer me,"

"You wish, Polka. Why would I be jealous?"

"Why are you ignoring me?"

"Why did you go on a 'friendly date' with Ruka?" and not me?

Mikan sighed. "You are so jealous. Fine. Because you were ignoring me and because I had to get you this," she sighed and pushed a small black box across the table.

Natsume looked at it as if it would sprout an arm.

"What's this?" he asked stupidly.

Mikan looked at him weirdly. "It's called a bomb."

"Ha-ha."

Mikan sighed. "It's called a present okay?"

"What for?"

"Sheesh! Why do you ask a lot of questions? It's a belated birthday present okay? Go on, laugh. Just don't throw it away,"

.

.

.

"I said laugh," Mikan said.

"Why would I?"

"Well, I thought you would! Anyway, if you won't then open it,"

Natsume continued to stare at it.

"Natsume, it won't bite. Open it,"

So yes, the raven-haired lad slowly unwrapped the little box. It was full of colorful papers.

"You're giving me shredded papers…as a birthday gift?"

"Whacko! Reach inside, stupid," Mikan muttered impatiently. She spent so long thinking of a good birthday gift and she wishes in heaven that he'd like it.

Natsume fished a silver chain with a crystal box as a pendant. Inside the tiny crystal box was a suspended red gem with a letter 'N' engraved on it.

Natsume was speechless.

Mikan smiled. "Look," she pointed to her chest where the same necklace with the same pendant lies. Only, hers has an orange gem in it with the letter 'M'. "They're couple necklaces. That stone inside is my birth month's gem, Garnet. And this one in mine is your birth month's gem, Topaz. I thought we could exchange birth gems plus, my gem looks so much like your eyes so I had the first letter of your name engraved on it." she smiled. "Sorry it's all I can - "

"Thank you," Natsume smiled at Mikan.

Mikan was so shocked that she didn't hear him. "Excuse me?"

"I said Thank you, idiot. But I have two conditions if you want me accepting this,"

Mikan gulped.

"First, don't go on a date without anyone besides me,"

Mikan blushed.

"And second, make a me bento,"

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

"What time do you think it is?" the ex-Empress asked the four as they arrived home. "Not telling me where you went off to and neglecting your Princess Lessons."

"I'm sorry," Mikan mumbled.

She harrumphed. "Well, Princess Lessons were cancelled. Clean yourselves up," she muttered and went away.

The four simply looked at each other.

"Tsubasa-chan! Nattie, Ruka!" a voice called. The four quickly looked at its owner.

"Aunt Miyabi!" Tsubasa smiled as he rushed and hugged the woman. She has dark black hair like her family but hers was cropped until her shoulders and was curly. She also inherited the same black eyes although hers are meek and gentle.

"Oh, I missed you guys," she smiled as she hugged one of them.

"Mom!" Youichi called.

"Coming, dear," she called out then faced Mikan.

"And you must be Mikan-chan. Hi. I'm Miyabi Hijiri, nice to meet you!"

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

December 14, 20XX

Dear Natsume,

I had a good time with Ruka today. He taught me a lot about the Royal Family. Somehow, I feel closer to you although it's probably pointless feeling this way since I'll be going away anyway. But, it was fun knowing more about you guys. Although I feel happy to have understood more about your Family, I also can't help but feel a little sad. It just made me realize how far and ethereal you guys are. We live in completely different worlds.

Did you know that everyday, when I wake up, I'd pinch myself to make sure that I wasn't dreaming? To make sure that here I am, Mikan Yukihira, the ordinary girl, still impossibly living in your world. Because everyday, I'd thought that I was dreaming. That one day, I'll just wake up and realize that everything that happened with us was all but a dream. Because everyday with you seemed so impossible. How could I breath the same air as you guys? How can you call my name as if I belong? How can you guys make me feel like a family?

Anyway, I'm glad you liked my gift. When I saw it, I instantly thought of you and your eyes. Natsume, I probably never told you this but I like your eyes very much. They're so fierce and yet gentle. Being held in your gaze feels strangely like being protected. Whenever I see your eyes, I feel safe just like how I felt when you rescued me from your fangirls. Don't you think it's weird? How my name, Mikan which means Orange has the same color as your birthstone? And how your name, Natsume which means Jujube has the same color as my birthstone? Just like how you protected me, I hope that my present will also protect you.

Don't ever lose it!

Today, your Aunt Miyabi arrived. She seems like a nice person. I hope I get to really meet her. I want to spend my last days doing worthwhile things.

Oh, and I'll still make you your bento. Honestly, why that? You're so weird Natsume. But I'll make it for you!

Ten more days Natsume. Ten more letters. Ten more messages for you. Ten more days with you.

Love,

Mikan

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

Ah, lots of background informations right?

I'm also thinking of writing a prequel to this. This time about their parents. What do you think?

By the way, the gemstones was inspired from the Alice Stones exchange hihi. Did anyone notice?

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