Nemuri Hime

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

Slowly, Natsume opened his eyes and blinked a few times. He took a deep breath before getting up. Strangely, he felt nothing but tired. Yesterday, he had overused his Alice during his mission again. Feeling his left hand being held by a warm hand, he looked down at the figure and smiled. It was his overactive girlfriend Mikan Sakura. She was sleeping soundlessly even in an uncomfortable position. She was sitting in his desk chair that was placed near the bed. He was sure that she was tired, too. He examined his body and was surprised it was healed. He guessed that maybe Mikan had done some healing for him. She always stayed late for him. He wouldn't admit it out loud that he felt he was the luckiest guy for having her. She always looked after him, waited for him, stayed with him, and loved him. He caressed her soft cheek gently. She stirred and slowly opened her eyes. She straightened her body and rubbed her eyes.
"Ohayou, Nemuri Ouji." She smiled.
He chuckled as he put his hand on her nape and pulled her closer. Their foreheads were pressed together as he replied, "Ohayou, Nemuri Hime."
She smiled before closing her eyes again when he leaned down and kissed her lips. It was a simple kiss. A simple kiss they always shared in the morning.
After they broke apart, she smiled and held his face. "I think we need to get ready for class, Natsume."
He grunted a reply.
She then let go of him and yawned tiredly. She got up from her seat and leaned down. She kissed his left cheek. "Get me when you are done."

...xXx...

Natsume gazed at his girlfriend with concern. He knew she was tired, so he let her sleep during class. He felt her habit for sleeping was somewhat… strange? For the past two months, she always slept during the class. The teachers would pretend that they didn't see it and continue the lesson without disturbing her sleep though. Truth to be told, even though she always slept during class, she always got the top score along with him. She was smart, she was kind, she was beautiful, she was perfect, and… she was the one that he loved the most.
Thus, he was worried about her. He didn't have the faintest idea why his beloved was acting this way. Was it because she was too tired because she consistently looked after him? No. That couldn't be the reason because he knew that his body didn't have many injuries after the mission. He only overused his Alice. That was all. Feeling bored, he scooped his beloved into his arms bridal style and walked out of the class casually without bothering the teacher who was in the middle of teaching.
A pair of devastated purple eyes watched them silently. The owner closed her eyes and sighed deeply and silently. The only one who noticed this was her beloved Ruka Nogi.
Natsume watched the Sakura petals that were scattering around him. It was beautiful like always, but the one he was holding was even more beautiful than that. He looked down at the sleeping young woman in his arms. Her face looked so serene like a child that had no worries about the world. She was indeed like a Nemuri Hime.
A thought crossed his mind suddenly. Come to think of it, since when did Mikan start calling him Nemuri Ouji? He couldn't help but worry even more because it had started two months ago. Did it have anything to do with her sleeping habit? He shook his head to clear his irrational conclusions, but everything seemed to fit into the right places.
"Are you hiding something from me, Mikan?" he murmured softly.

...xXx...

A group of students was formed at the corner of the classroom. Their faces looked so sad and filled with pain.
"That baka, I think she hasn't told him yet." Sumire started the conversation.
They all sighed in unison as they agreed with her.
"Should one of us tell him?" Anna suggested, and then Koko piped in, "I don't think so. I read Natsume's mind just now."
They all looked at him expectantly.
"Natsume… he has started getting suspicious about her sleeping habit," Koko told them.
Mikan had made them promise not to tell anything to Natsume. When the time comes, she would tell him herself, and time was almost up. They all knew the reason for her sleeping habit. Even the teachers knew about it. Natsume was the only one who was left in the dark. Well, soon enough he would find out about the truth of Mikan's condition. Soon enough.
Hotaru stood up, startling the rest. She said, "There's nothing that can be done. She has decided to do so."
With that she left them.
Ruka grimaced when he told them, "I think we should prepare for the time now. The ten weeks time will be up in two days."
A tear dropped to the floor, and they saw it was Anna's. Koko went to her side immediately and hugged her. One by one the girls started crying as their beloveds tried their best to calm them, and Ruka left the classroom to look for his own beloved.
Natsume brushed Mikan's bangs away from her face. He had let her sleep on his lap. As he caressed her soft cheek gently, she stirred but didn't wake up. She then snuggled closer to him.
Hotaru let her tears fall down her face as she watched Natsume and Mikan from afar. Suddenly, a pair of warm but strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind. She closed her eyes, but her tears kept falling. She felt so helpless. She couldn't help her only best friend.
The arms that embraced her tightened. "Let it out, Hotaru."
The arms loosened as she turned around and hugged the owner. She wept silently. "I couldn't help her. I feel so helpless, Ruka."
Ruka closed his eyes while continuing to hug his beloved. "Everything will be alright, Hotaru. We need, no, we have to trust her. She promised us, remember?"

...xXx...

Natsume started tapping his desk impatiently, and occasionally, he would glance at his sleeping girlfriend. He couldn't believe this. Mikan had been sleeping for more than seven hours. Precisely, it was almost nine hours. He really felt something was wrong with her. He clenched his fist tightly.
What's happening? he asked himself. A knock startled him. He sighed and went to the door. Before he could ask who it was, a familiar male's voice told him, "It's me, Natsume."
Ruka? Natsume pondered and opened the door.
A group of his friends stood closely to each other. Iinchou smiled. "We would like to know about Mikan."
"Both of you didn't come for lunch, so we were worried and came here," Ruka continued.
Natsume nodded, understanding the situation. Mikan was an important friend to this group. He stood aside to let them in. He was not a person who would let another person go into his room easily. But since Mikan always treasured her friends, he had come to accept them as his close friends, too. It was the only thing he could do to keep her happy. Not long after they went into the room, Imai surprised him when she spoke, "Baka Mikan, are you trying to make us worried by sleeping for more than eight hours?"
All of them immediately looked at Mikan, who already sat up and was rubbing her sleepy eyes. Sumire, Anna and Nonoko ran to her and hugged her. Mikan laughed as she started apologizing for causing them to be worried.
He felt anxious, and he couldn't explain why. He shook his head mentally to clear his mind. His irrational conclusions were nagging his mind since that afternoon. He had a bad feeling about it.
Mikan smiled at Natsume. "Aren't you going to hug me, Natsume?"
She was teasing him like always, so she was surprised when he did hug her. She felt something different about her beloved. "Are you alright, Natsume? Is something bothering you?"
Natsume hugged her tighter before letting her go.
The group watched them in silence.
Natsume kissed the top of her head. "I'm fine."
"Can I use your kitchen, Natsume?" Mikan asked out of the blue.
The group sweat dropped. The mood around the room was changing rapidly because of her.
Natsume was so dumfounded that the only syllable he could utter was, "Huh?"
Mikan giggled as her stomach growled, answering his question. She grinned sheepishly at him.
He pinched her nose. "Do you need to ask for that, stupid? Just use it as you like. Don't forget that I want some compensation for watching over you since this morning."
Mikan smiled and hugged him. "Thank you, Natsume. I will try my best for the compensation."
After that the girls went to the kitchen. They had decided to have dinner together. It was such a rare occasion to say the least. They rarely had dinner at Natsume's place. When dinner was over, the group left the couple alone.
Natsume sat down at the head of his bed. Mikan smiled when he offered a hand to her. She accepted it and sat down on his lap. Her back was pressed against his chest. His strong arms wrapped around her slim waist. He used her right shoulder to support his head. He closed his eyes and hugged her tightly. She closed her eyes as she enjoyed the moment.
She began, "Tomorrow… let's go to Central Town."
He turned her around and pressed his forehead with hers. After a good minute of looking into her eyes, he suddenly confessed, "I love you."
Her eyes widened in surprise, but she smiled at him. "I love you, too, Natsume."
He captured her lips. Their tongues were engaged immediately as she parted her lips. They battled for dominance. The kiss became more heated as each second passed. He traced her arms with such great gentleness that it sent shivers down her spine. They broke the kiss breathlessly. He started kissing her cheek then trailed his kisses down to her neck and jaw line, then…

...xXx...

Natsume was glad to see Mikan happy and cheerful as usual. Last night they finally marked each other. After going out for more than two years, he was finally hers, and she was finally his. Nothing could break them apart. Nothing. The trip to Central Town was eventful. Mikan looked so much happier than before.
Everyone who saw them would smile as they were indeed perfect for each other. They were meant to be.
After a long day of exploring and playing, they finally went back to the academy. Natsume, who was not one that would show affection in public, kept holding her hands during the whole trip. Instead of going back to the dormitory, they went to the Sakura tree.
Natsume smiled down at his beloved who was laying her head on his lap while watching the falling petals.
Mikan turned and looked up at him. "Thank you for the wonderful date, Natsume."
He gave her a small smile.
"There's something that I have to tell you," she began and slowly continued, "Tomorrow… starting tomorrow, I—"
She was stopped by his eyes. His eyes were filled with fear. So much fear that she could feel it herself. Her eyes glimmered with the slowly forming tears. She sat up then hugged him instantly. Tears started rolling down her face. "I'm really sorry. I have to leave tomorrow, Natsume."
He closed his eyes and hugged her back. His voice was hoarse. "Are you going to leave me, Mikan?"
More tears rolled down her face as she shook her head. "I promise that I will come back to you. For you, I will come back."
She cried and told him everything about her attempt to restore his lifespan. She had found a way to restore his lifespan, but in order to do that, she would have to sleep for a long time. In order to restore back everything from the beginning, she had started healing him for ten weeks, and today was her last day.
He was holding himself from crying in front of her after she told him everything. She had worked so hard for him so that he could live a long life together with her.
"Allow me to finish what I have started, Natsume…" she said softly, still in tears.
He was left with no choice but to wait for her to come back.
She wiped her tears as best as she could.
He then let her do what she needed to do. She touched his chest before a glowing white light engulfed her hands. After a few minutes she finally let go. Her eyes were slowly closing as he held her body. He watched her face closely.
"I love you." She gave him a weak smile.
Almost immediately, he replied, "I love you, too."
Her smile grew, and before closing her eyes completely, she told him, "Ja ne…"
He closed his eyes and held her tightly. Finally, he freed his tears and wept under the tree where the petals were scattering around him.

...xXx...

"Welcome back, Onii-chan," Aoi greeted her older brother Natsume who nodded in reply.
"How's work, Natsume-chan?" Kaoru teased her son.
Natsume twitched. He ignored the latter part and replied, "It was fine."
"Ah, Natsume… welcome back," a voice greeted him again, and he looked at the source.
He gave a small bow. "I'm back, Yuka-san."
The brown-haired woman smiled.
He turned to his mother. "Have you planned everything for tomorrow?"
"Yes, yes, don't worry about it, Natsume-chan!" Kaoru grinned.
He twitched again. Again, he reminded himself that he would ignore his mother's last remark.
Everyone who was present in the living room of Natsume's huge mansion was holding their faces laughing. They all knew how he became short tempered when his mother teased him.
Natsume took a deep breath before calmly speaking, "Good night. Have a maid deliver my dinner to my room later."
He left the living room and went to the second floor. He walked to the end of the hall. His room was located far from the rest because he wanted to be left alone. Furthermore, it was he who designed this mansion. In his mansion his room was the biggest. He opened the door slowly as if not to disturb whoever was inside the room, and that was his love. He closed the door behind him and locked it. Slowly, he approached the sleeping beauty on his bed. She was a real sleeping beauty named Mikan Sakura. He sat on the bedside and held her hands. Her body was still warm even though she had slept for almost four years.
After he graduated from Gakuen Alice, he had asked Mikan's mother Yuka Azumi to let Mikan live with him. He wanted to be the one she saw first when she woke up. Yuka was reluctant at first, but since his mother was her best friend, she agreed. Within two years he finally got himself a mansion through his share holder, and he was known as the best investor in Japan. He leaned down to kiss her forehead and started telling her about his day. He always did every day.
He caressed her cheek. "Tomorrow is your 21st birthday, Mikan."
"I missed you so much. Please wake up… Nemuri Hime…" he said softly.
He didn't know for how long he had avoided using the term Nemuri Hime. When was the last time he used that term? He couldn't remember. Maybe it was a few months ago or maybe a few years ago before Mikan went into her deep slumber. He sighed audibly and let go of her hand. Leaning down, he kissed her cheek. He stood up and walked to the bathroom.
Unknown to him, Mikan moved her hand a little when he walked to the bathroom.

...xXx...

Natsume slowly opened his eyes when he heard the ruckus downstairs. He sat up and yawned. He was sure that Aoi was the one who organized the New Year activity. During the day they would celebrate the New Year, and during the afternoon, they would celebrate Mikan's birthday under the Sakura Tree at his garden. Even though she was asleep during her own party, they all stayed with her, and he would hug her the whole time until the party finished. Before getting up he smiled down at his beloved who was sleeping beside him.
He caressed her face and held her left hand. He began, "O—"
He was stopped by Mikan's hand. Her hand was moving in his. He almost slapped himself to assure him that this was not a dream. She moved her hand more fervently before gently gripping his. She slowly opened her eyes. His breath hitched in his throat. She blinked a few times and looked at her side. Her right hand was brought forward to touch his face.
Her voice was low and hoarse as she called his name, "Natsume…"
He was willing himself to breathe again and pulled her body closer to him. He cried, "Mikan…"
He called her name over and over again as his happy tears rolled down his face. His love had come back to him as she promised.
She hugged him back, and while smiling, she asked him, "How many times do you want to call my name until you are happy, Natsume?"
He was so happy that he laughed. He kissed the top of her head, her eyes, her cheeks and finally her lips. After he calmed down, he smiled at her. "Ohayou… Nemuri Hime."

The End

Thanks for reading.

Prev 1. Fiancée Inn 2. My Clumsy Princess 3. Just Stay with Me 4. To See You 5. Nemuri Hime 6. It's Always Been You 7. Remember Me 8. Farmer or Princess? 9. Ghost's Girlfriend 10. Life 11. White Christmas 12. The Spirit of My Life 13. Involuntary Third Wheel 14. Six Hours 15. Melt The Snow 16. Within Another Chance Next