My Little Secret: Chapter 15

#01: Gakuen Alice (Natsume & Mikan)
...xXx...

Hotaru's hand that had pushed her into the room disappeared, and she slowly closed the door after she went in. Mikan turned to look at her back, hoping that Hotaru would at least accompany her, but she could only see the glimpse of her face at the closing door. She sighed. A small cough startled her and her head darted to the source immediately. It was Hotaru's brother Subaru Imai, who was checking Akira's condition. Upon catching his eyes, she tried to smile but failed miserably.
"I will leave the two of you alone," he murmured quietly.
She nodded her head once. Slowly, she walked towards the weak figure lying down on the bed. Staring at his pale face, she laid her hand on his cold cheek.
Akira opened his eyes slowly, gaining his consciousness by the minute.
"I'm sorry, Mi-chan," he breathed out weakly.
"Why, Aki-kun? Why are you apologising?" A sad smile carved on her face. Before she knew it, she started to tremble. The urge to cry was unbearable, but she had to fight her tears from rolling down her cheek. She had to. She couldn't cry in front of him…
"Because… I can't keep my promise again, to protect you…" he whispered.
She laid two fingers on his dried white chapped lips. Those words he just uttered had broken the fragile barrier which was the only thing held her back from breaking down… "Please…" Tears began to stream down her check. Her knees felt so weak. "Please tell me it's not true, Aki-kun," she cried, grasping his hand. Her heart cried, pleading to Kami that this just had to be a nightmare.
He wiped off her tears with his thumb and smiled at her. "Please don't cry, Mi-chan."

...xXx...

Crimson eyes immediately darted to the clock across his enormous Special Star room when he heard a knock. He began to feel annoyed as it was still so early. Who the hell could that be? he thought angrily as he walked toward the door. He held her golden knob and twisted it open. "What!"
The person before his doorway was no other than Hotaru Imai.
"Imai," he growled in a low voice as he stared at her, offended by her presence.
"Hyuuga, you have to come with me now," she commanded as she held her super upgraded Baka Gun at him.
He was genuinely surprised by her behaviour, but he would never give her a chance to see that emotion washed over his face. He merely shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pocket. "Whatever," he rasped and followed her to wherever she wanted him to go. He just wished she would leave him alone. After walking for a while, his eyes narrowed as curiosity began to engulf him. Hospital? Did something happen to Mikan?
He truly believed that he didn't show that emotion in his face, but Hotaru suddenly commented, "Nothing happened to her. It's him."
Natsume eyed her curiously, wondering if she had a mind-reading Alice which kept hidden in this impassive inventor. He remained silent. Him? Could she be talking about that Akira Azumi?
"They're inside," Hotaru said and stopped in front of a room.
Natsume froze when he stood near to the door. He could hear the muffled cries from the room. She's crying… Without any hesitation, he quickly entered the room. The sight before him was something he wished it was a mere dream, or nightmare to be precise. Tears streamed down continuously down her cheek as she held the pale boy's arm tightly. Mikan… He whimpered inwardly. The sight of Mikan crying was heartbreaking. He would do anything to let those tears she shed to disappear from her face. He would do anything to bring back that smile she had upon her pretty face. Anything… Looks like she didn't realise that I'm here… he noted, but his presence caught Akira's eyes though.
Azumi was staring at him with a smile on his pale face. "Hyuuga, you finally came. This will answer all of your questions. About Mikan, I leave it to you…"
"Please… don't leave me… please… don't leave me, Aki-kun…" Mikan cried out loud and hugged his arm dearly.
Akira whimpered suddenly and clutched his shirt on his chest.
Natsume quickly came over to his side.
"Keep your promise, Mi-chan…" With that, Akira drew his last breath and closed his eyes for the last time.
Mikan gasped in horror. Her face lost all colour while her eyes were fixed on him. Tears began to fall from her eyes to the ashen sheet. She laid her hands on his shoulder and called quietly, "Aki-kun… Aki-kun… wake up… Aki-kun… please… wake up…!" Her voice was getting louder each time. She shook him vigorously, as though she was trying to put a soul into his lifeless body again. "Wake Up, Aki-kun! WAKE UPPP!" she screamed on top of her lungs. She was shaking madly. Her eyes were still on him with a horror expression struck on her face. "AKIRAAAAA!"
Natsume couldn't take it any more. It was too heart wrenching, and too damn depressing. Mikan shouldn't be experience this. She was too naïve to face this. Too naïve! Akira certainly wouldn't want this to happen to her either. He was sure of it.
"Mikan, he's gone," he muttered softly as he hugged her from behind. She grasped his arms which were wrapped around her waist. She was using his strength for support. She was weak on her knees already, leaning back against his chest.
"Why… why did you leave me, Aki-kun? Why…" she wept brokenly, and before he knew it, her whole body weight was on his arms.
"Mikan… Mikan… Mikan…" he called her to consciousness. He took her face in his hand and shook her gently. He called her louder, but he knew his effort was useless. She was already falling into oblivion.

...xXx...

Natsume couldn't believe this. Akira was really important to Mikan, so significant till she was in coma for a week already. He felt a tinge of jealousy. Not that he would tell anyone about it though. He stared at her flawless pretty face. She was indeed beautiful when she was asleep, like a sleeping princess. He held her hand in his and sat beside her bed. He brushed her delicate fingers against his lips.
"Please wake up, Mikan," he whispered and laid her hand on his forehead. "Please wake up…"
Subaru Imai walked into the room, with a complete report in his hands.
All eyes were on him, especially the little pair of eyes of Youichi, who had walked to and from across the room, with his short hasty cute pace.
Subaru sighed. "She couldn't accept his death. I'm afraid, only her own determination to live would wake her up."
Yuka was crestfallen to hear the news of both her daughter and her nephew.
"Onii-chan, is there something we can do for her, at least?" Hotaru asked.
Subaru gazed at his little sister and shook his head. "I'm sorry."
"I really am," he muttered. He, too, was worried about Mikan. To him, Mikan was also as precious as his own sister, just like Hotaru. He had sleepless night to find any sort of cure to wake her up from coma, but he failed miserably.
"Onee-chan…" Yoichi cried and hugged her mother dearly. He cried in her shoulder.
Hotaru glanced at Natsume. "Akira trusted you to take care of her."
Natsume didn't reply her but merely looked away. 'I will do that without you telling me, Imai.'

...xXx...

The atmosphere in the classroom was heavy with sadness.
"It's been a week, and Mikan-chan has not awoken yet." Anna said, downcast.
Her friends nodded glumly in reply. They missed her so much. Without Mikan, they oddly felt lifeless.
Narumi-sensei entered the class without his unusual entrance. The class realised this and fell silent instantly. They found this awkward to them.
"Class, I have grave news to share… Akira-kun left us this morning," he informed gently.
The class gasped.
"Left us, Sensei?" one of the students piped up.
Narumi-sensei's usage of words was sounded so wrong to their ears.
"Koko, maybe you could tell your friends what I meant," Narumi-sensei said. Sadness was evident in his eyes.
Every pair of eyes now darted to look at Koko. They were even convinced and surprised to see Koko's devastated look.
Koko lips went dried as he began, "Akira-kun has…"
Hotaru appeared before the classroom door and continued for Koko, "Passed away."
'Passed away? Why?' the class gasped in shock while the girls began to cry.
Death had always been like a real life nightmare to everyone, especially to those who were not ready to face them.
"Hotaru-chan, where's Mikan-chan?" asked Anna at once. Akira was Mikan's fiancé. She and the others knew Mikan would need their support even more now.
"Mikan-chan is in the hospital due to Akira-kun's…" Narumi-sensei trailed off. He couldn't finish his sentence. He was too upset. After a moment, he added, "We don't know when she'll wake up again. It all depends on her will."
'Sakura-san…' The class sadly thought.
It was hard for them to accept Akira's death… and now, their precious classmate was in a coma.
Nonoko snapped her finger at once. Her friends who were unhappily doing their work quickly turned to look at her.
"Why don't we go and visit her now?" she suggested impulsively. Cheery aura began to fill the room upon the thought, and Iinchou smiled. "Why not?"
The group rarely skipped class, but everyone had no desire to study when their minds couldn't cooperate and kept worrying about their friend. As soon as they reached Mikan's room, Anna arranged the blooming white lily at the side of Mikan's bed. She then turned and looked at Mikan. "Mikan-chan, we come to visit you again."
"Looks like Mikan-chan isn't going to wake up." Nonoko pouted bitterly.
Anna slowly began, "She must have really loved—"
She stopped at once when the group glared at her because a certain fire caster was with them. Quickly, she realised her mistake. "I hope she'll wake up real soon."
Natsume never bothered with the group as they looked at him in sympathy.
Natsume-kun really likes Mikan-chan…

...xXx...

Mikan squirmed slightly as she felt the grip on her hand suddenly tighten. Slowly, she opened her eyes and her sight blurred at first before she gained complete consciousness. It was dark. Tacitly, she knew it was night because she could see the moon glowing down in this room through the glass window. She looked around and noticed that she was in the hospital. Suddenly, Akira's face appeared before her mind and her eyes burned with tears.
Aki-kun… she thought miserably. He had gone, he went away without her. How could he promise her that he would never leave her side in one day then left her on the other? He was her precious cousin. She loved him because he was her cousin. He protected her and cared for her. She felt the grip on her hand tighten. Her eyes immediately darted to the figure sleeping beside her.
"Natsume…" she mumbled quietly. He was sitting on a chair with his head on his arm on her bed. His raven hair was slightly messy, but he was so gorgeous and gentle-looking when he was asleep. She brushed his bangs off of his shut eyes and gently removed his tight grasp from her hand without rousing him. She leaped off her bed at once and started to change into her uniform which she found in her bag at the corner of the room. Knowing that there were no eyes were around, she changed quietly in the room and combed her hair neatly. She took her bag and walked towards the sleeping boy. She caressed his cheek gently, again not rough enough to disturb his sleep. He had really made her feel something stirring inside her chest since the day he laid his lips on her. She was not sure what was that feeling though. It felt too alien for her. She didn't know if he felt the same. If he did, she wondered what would happen then.
"I'm sorry, Natsume," she whispered into his ears and planted a kiss on his pale cheek. He stirred for a moment, but he went back to sleep again. She sighed in relief. Quietly, she gathered her pace toward the door. With a last glance at the handsome raven, she left with haste…

...xXx...

It was dark suddenly. He knew he was in a different place before this darkness suddenly engulfed the environment around him. He turned around to find any exit — if there was one available, but there was none of it. Everything was painted in pure black.
"Natsume…" a honeyed voice called.
He knew at once who that voice belongs to.
"Mikan?" he called out, narrowing his eyes to see her, but he failed. Just then, she appeared beside him out of thin air. He startled.
A smile carved on her face. "Natsume…"
"You really worry me," he said at once before hugging her tightly. He knew this was wrong, but he couldn't help himself. He just wanted her in his arms. He needed her. He liked her. He… loved her.
"I'm sorry, Natsume," she whispered into his ears, and instantly, she vanished before his eyes.
He blinked a moment, staring at the darkness around him, but he couldn't see anything. He couldn't see her.
"Mikan?" he called out, but his voice echoed back at him. Panicked, he called out again, but there were no reply from her. It was then he felt as though he had lost her… forever. The feeling was frightening. He called her repeatedly, but she was nowhere to be found. He ran and ran but there were no ending to this endless road of darkness. At one point, when he turned back to run again, he fell down… into an endless trench of darkness again. "MIKAN!"
"Mikan!" he gasped out loud. He could feel beads of sweat rolling down his chin. He found himself back in the familiar hospital room which he had accompanied Mikan for a week already. He closed his eyes and shook his head.
It was only a dream, only a dream, he told himself over and over again. What a weird—
He stopped abruptly when he saw an empty bed. His eyes dilated in horror as he stood up. "MIKAN!"
She was not there. He stared around the room, but he was the only living being in the room. He went petrified. She had disappeared. His dream felt so real. She was really gone!

...xXx...

"Natsume!"
His whole body shook by a pair of strong arms on his shoulder.
"Natsume! Wake up!"
Natsume opened his eyes slowly and his vision blurred at first. Slowly, he could see Ruka's face better, staring down at him worriedly.
"Ruka?" he mumbled groggily as he sat up straight.
"You are having that nightmare again." Ruka stated worriedly.
Natsume sighed exasperatedly. Since the day she left him, he had never once slept peacefully. That dream he had on the night she went away had always haunted his dreams. "I'm fine, Ruka," he growled under his breath and jumped off the bed. "Now, leave me alone. I need to shower."
Ruka flinched when Natsume told him to leave the room. His best friend got colder and more unsocial since the day Mikan disappeared from the hospital.
They couldn't find her at all. Natsume went mad, he ran around the academy to find her, and obviously, he failed. He never spoke much since then. He always stayed alone. Ruka was no longer allowed to be at his side for too long.
"Natsume…" Ruka mumbled and sighed. In the end, he left him alone. To be honest, he felt bad for not telling him the truth. He knew where Mikan had gone to…
When they were informed that Mikan was gone from the academy, they were all panicked. As one of her friends who cared for her, he, too, was concerned about her. That was the reason why he came into her best friend's laboratory. He had some questions to ask her about Mikan. He was surprised to see that even on this very moment, Hotaru Imai could still busy doing her inventions. How thoughtless of her to do so. He was expecting her to be the one who tried furiously to find her or something… at least, to shed some tears rather than not to care.
"Imai, aren't you worried about Mikan?" Ruka asked, slightly annoyed. He knew she was an impassive inventor, but he never knew that she would be this emotionless. He doubted if she was even human.
"Huh?" Hotaru sighed as she was too absorbed with her invention.
Ruka clenched his teeth. He couldn't believe that Mikan had trusted this girl as her own best friend. "Aren't you worried about Mikan? Your best friend is missing, Imai."
"Hmmm… I know." She hummed casually.
His jaw dropped as she knew her best friend was missing, but she was still here, busy with her work and had not shown even a slightest care about Mikan at all. Nothing!
"I presume, by your… relaxed attitude, you, by chance, knew where she went to?" he prompted sarcastically. He was mad. He was Natsume's best friend. If Natsume disappeared, he, for sure would be seriously worried about him… Perhaps would have gone mad like he was now and rebel against the school like he did when he was younger when he was under control of Reo.
"Yes," she whispered quietly.
He stared at her in disbelief. "You do?" He swallowed hard. Now, he felt bad to think badly about her. No wonder she was so casual.
"How much?" Hotaru said suddenly.
Narrowing his eyes curiously, he inquired, "What do you mean 'How much' Imai?"
Hotaru chuckled and turned to look at him. A smirk was on her face.
Ruka froze. He had always hated to see that expression on her face. It always meant one thing…
"Nothing is free, Nogi. Information, too, must get paid to be known," she said impassively.
He frowned. Even every shot of him taken – without his permission – by her, he had to pay for each piece. He was her un-contract, forcefully-work, unpaid model for her photos. "How about 500 rabbits?" he suggested, knowing that three digits and above would unquestionably be quite a temptation for her.
"Not enough, Nogi. This piece of information is quite precious to me you know." She sighed nonchalantly.
Ruka scoffed quietly. He didn't believe that she would say that. He ran a hand through his blond hair in frustration. "Fine, how about 550 rabbits?" he said timidly, hoping that with the little increase in money would make her agree.
Hotaru pursed her lips and glared at him.
Ruka stood on his ground uneasily. He knew he was in trouble for make a fool out of her. Increase the offer by 50 rabbits was definitely a wrong idea. He closed his eyes in chagrin, ready to receive any Baka Gun shot from her. Much to his surprise, it didn't come at all.
"Deal," Hotaru agreed suddenly.
He choked again and stared at her in disbelief. "Really?"
She nodded in reply and held out her hand. "Money comes first, Nogi."
He slowly fished out his wallet from his pocket and gave her 550 rabbits. He then stared at her promptly, waiting for her answer.
"Alice Academy of United States," she declared and counted the money twice.
He bit his lips and went deep in thought.
"So Mikan went back to America," he mused and nodded his head. He swivelled and flashed a smile. "Arigatou, Imai."
He was about to walk out of the lab when she called him, "Nogi."
He stopped and looked at her. "Yes?"
She walked towards him.
He then could clearly see her face which was partially hidden by her short raven hair at first when she was busy doing her invention. Her eyes were slightly puffy. There were even bags under those shimmering purple pools.
"You worked too much, Imai. Shouldn't you at least give yourself a break and go to sleep?" he commented at once.
She glared at him with that frightening death glare.
"Sorry," he mumbled at once.
She hesitated and sighed exasperatedly. Now, she was standing right in front of him. Her eyes were shut with her hand covering her face half-hidden, downcast. "You know, I told Mikan not to go, but she wouldn't listen."
He noticed a tinge of sadness in her tone.
"She insisted so badly and made me promise that I must not tell anyone that she was going there."
"Why are you telling me this? Why did you tell me where she went if you made a promise to her that you wouldn't tell?"
Her body suddenly shook a little, and he heard a little sob.
"H-Hotaru? Are you crying?" He held her delicate shoulder with his hands.
"I told her not to go, but she wouldn't listen to me. If I told her that I would tell Hyuuga where she went, she would erase my memories and others, too. She doesn't want to be found."
He knew at once she was truly worried about Mikan. She masked as an impassive person so that no one would get worried about her worrying for Mikan. Hotaru was surely a strong person. He felt a feeling of respect to her. She gave him another whole new image of her in his view.
"I have to say that I would, but I can't keep it for too long, Ruka, I'll explode if I did."
He froze as she just called him by his first name, and realised that he just did the same to her just now.
"I'm sorry, but you must promise me that you will never, ever and ever tell this to Hyuuga, or anyone else. Please…" Her probing purple eyes were pleading.
He stared at her with his blue ones. Her hands were holding his tightly as though this promise was something he couldn't refuse. He gave her an assuring smile. "Yes, I promise."
She gave him a small smile in reply before she looked away and sighed. "Thank you, Ruka. I knew I can trust you."
He couldn't help to grin slightly. This feeling to be trusted by her was really something special to him. "You can always count on me, Hotaru."
She gave him another smile. That very smile and the word 'trust' were the very first road towards their newly blossoming relationship as lovers…
He leaned dejectedly against Natsume's door. He wished he could just tell him where Mikan had gone to, but he promised his girlfriend that he wouldn't tell. He exhaled deeply.
"Ruka?" a familiar voice called out beside him.
He startled and met the gaze of the purple-eyed girl.
She knew he was having trouble to keep that promise, but she was pleased that he still kept it.
"I'm fine, Hotaru. Let's go." He took her hand in his and walked away.

Prev Chapter 1—The Arrival Chapter 2—The New Student Chapter 3—The Older Brother Chapter 4—The Younger Brother Chapter 5—The Partner Chapter 6—The Fans Chapter 7—The Name Chapter 8—The New Guy Chapter 9—The Truth Chapter 10—The Mission Chapter 11—The Kiss Chapter 12—The Sacrifice Chapter 13—The Time Chapter 14—The Promise Chapter 15—The End of Time Chapter 16—The Reason Chapter 17—The Dream Chapter 18—The Dance Chapter 19—The Departure Chapter 20—The Little Secret Next