#15: Gakuen Alice (Natsume & Mikan)
...xXx...
...xXx...
It was a mess. Everything was a mess. He kicked himself mentally for allowing his anger to blind him. Even though he had left the canteen with an emotionless face, his heart was heavy with guilt, and it was killing him inside out.
After the event everyone started murmuring to each other.
Kira, the leader of Gakuen Alice News only narrowed his eyes at Natsume, but he was pleased with the results.
"How are you feeling, Mikan?" Youichi asked gently while rubbing her back as he tried to stop her tears. Fortunately, she finally stopped crying but continued to remain upset. He had led her back to her room and stayed with her. When he wanted to get a glass of water for her, she tightened her grip on him.
Before he could ask her, she mumbled, "Don't… don't leave me… please…"
Sighing, he hugged her. "I promise I won't leave you. I just want to get something for you to drink."
Her grip slowly loosened, and he smiled at her. Before leaving her, he kissed her forehead. "I'll be right back."
Youichi made his way to her small kitchen and got a cool drink for Mikan. Right after she drank the cool water, she hugged him again. Deep down in his heart, he knew that she was only using him for comfort. Looking at her reaction after Natsume's words, he noticed her feelings for the fire caster. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but when he made his way to the canteen, he was greeted by the scene where Natsume declared that he had nothing to do with her. Remembering Kira, he was sure that today's event would create a big fuss tomorrow.
"Mikan, I don't think tomorrow will be pleasant for you to go to school," he muttered while hugging her. Since he didn't get a response, he looked down and found she was asleep. Smiling, he carefully carried her to her bedroom and covered her with a blanket.
When he was about to leave, she muttered, "Don't leave me… please… Natsume…"
He left the room immediately as it hurt to know that she could only think of Natsume.
Unknown to him, right after he closed her bedroom's door, she murmured, "Youichi…"
Youichi stared at the miso soup before him while remembering what had happened earlier.
After he closed Mikan's room and was about to leave, Hotaru Imai called his name.
"How is she?" she asked nonchalantly.
He looked at her in the eye. "She's fine. She's sleeping now."
When he was about to walk away, something, or more precisely her invention, caught his wrist. "Yes?"
"Don't leave her," she stated with eyes that held no argument.
A sigh escaped his lips. "I don't want to be used as her comfort when Natsume is the only one she can think of."
"You want to give up on her." It was another statement.
"If she wants to be with him, I will not interfere."
"Do you really think she will be happy with him?" The calmness had not left her voice.
He let out another sigh. "Really, don't beat around the bush. Just tell me what you want, Imai-san."
"She needs you."
With that said, she left him.
To be honest, he didn't want to give up on her, but if she wanted to be with Natsume, he would be better off out of her life. He loved her more than anything, so he wouldn't force her to love him back. For the umpteenth time, he sighed. In the end, he went back to her room and waited for her to wake up.
He sighed and hoped Mikan wouldn't mind having him there in her room again. Too deep in his thought, he didn't realize that Mikan was approaching him.
She couldn't contain her relief when she stepped into her kitchen and found the silver-haired guy. Silently, she crept behind him and hugged him immediately. It surprised him as he let out a manly shriek. He shook his head in disbelief when he found her grinning at him.
"How are you feeling?" he asked gently while turning around to face her properly.
She smiled. "Much better."
Hugging him again, she quietly muttered, "Thank you for staying with me, Youichi… I thought you had left me…"
Unsure of what to say, he hugged her back. "I did plan to leave you, but I thought you would look for me when you woke up."
"Do you know that you are right?" She smiled against his chest with closed eyes. It was strange to feel so safe in his arms. Even though she had become accustomed to his presence during their trial, there were times when she felt uneasy, but now, she didn't feel that uneasiness anymore. Did that mean her heart was changing? She wasn't sure. After she broke the hug, she peered at the miso soup. "Are we having this for dinner?"
"I only know how to make this," he said with a shrug. Cooking was not in his list of hobbies anyway.
She giggled. "Alright. How about we make dinner together?"
"Mikan," he called out.
Mikan looked up at him expectantly.
"I know you're still hurting, but I need to tell you that tomorrow will be unpleasant if you go to school."
She slowly swallowed the pudding and looked down towards the yellow blob. After a moment, she gazed at him. "I'll be fine… as long as you're with me."
Despite his urge to heave a sigh, he smiled. "If you're sure about it then I guess I have no choice but to stay with you."
"Do you mind staying with me, Youichi?" she asked uneasily.
He blinked. "No, I don't mind. I enjoy our time together, and I'm sure you know that."
"Yeah… I should have known that better than anyone else since we had been together before…" she muttered quietly.
Standing up, he walked to her side. He cupped her face to make her face him. "Mikan, I didn't mean to blame you for not understanding my feelings. I love you, remember?"
She looked into his eyes and hugged his waist. "I'm sorry for not paying attention to you, but I will now."
He blinked a few times before asking, "What do you mean by 'I will now'?"
Without letting him go, she looked up at him. "Can we try again?"
He was shocked. "Mikan, I don't want you to—"
"No. I'm not using you," she cut in.
He remained silent, and she continued, "I'll be honest with you. I had feelings for Natsume for years, but it looks to me that he didn't feel the same. At the same time, you were always there when I was sad or happy. So… I won't mind being with you. I'm sure you'll make me happy, and of course, I will try my best to make you happy, too."
Relieved, he let out the breath he held. At least, she was honest with him. He leaned down until their foreheads met and said, "Definitely."
"I'll try my best to make you happy, too," he said again and inwardly added, By the time you don't need me again, I will leave…
He knew that Hotaru was right about Mikan needing him, but he also knew that it was only temporary. It was a moment that wouldn't take long to pass before Natsume finally made up his mind to tell her the truth about his feelings. He wished that he could refuse her, but those efforts were futile.
"It's late. You should rest now. I'll get you tomorrow." His smile didn't reach his eyes.
Observant as always, she noticed and asked him, "Youichi… are you alright?"
"What do you mean? Of course, I'm alright," he lied.
She pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry."
He raised an eyebrow, and she smiled at him sadly. "Just forget about it. I think I'm not worthy of getting another chance, Youichi."
Surprised, he quickly replied, "No. I don't think you're not worthy, Mikan. It's just…"
"It's just?" she urged.
He didn't know how to tell her. Even though she was being honest with him, he couldn't do the same as he knew he would look like he was forcing her to be with him. After closing his eyes, he gave her a small smile. "It is I who feels unworthy to be with you."
"Strange, I always thought you deserved someone who is more beautiful than me," she commented.
"You're beautiful, Mikan," he said before leaning down to capture her lips. He shut everything that was bothering his mind away and kissed her lips gently. Wrapping her waist with his arms, he pulled her closer. After tracing her lips with his tongue, she slowly parted her lips for him. When his tongue brushed with hers, they started teasing each other. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, too. Their wet kisses became more heated as their faces flushed. The calling for air was urgent, and they broke apart breathlessly.
"Stay…" she breathed out, slightly panting.
He hummed in reply, and she continued, "Stay for the night…"
She thought she had turned insane for inviting Youichi to stay for the night. Oh, she was absolutely losing her mind. Why she was losing herself after they made out, she had no idea. Did she turn into a pervert? Maybe. But, it might be because she had pushed Natsume out of her mind for once.
"As you wish, my princess," he whispered into her ear.
Looking at her smiling face, Youichi leaned down to her ear and whispered, "Good morning, my princess…"
She giggled and opened her eyes slowly. A pair of deep emerald eye greeted her sight. "Good morning, Youichi…"
"We need to get ready now or we will be late." He got up from bed.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she got up from bed, too.
Youichi tried to smooth his wrinkled shirt as well as he could. Taking his jacket, he approached her again and kissed the crown of her head. "I'll see you later."
She nodded and waved at him. "See you later, Youichi."
When they met up again, Youichi playfully asked, "Are you ready for the day, princess?"
He had decided he would enjoy his time with her until the end.
"Yep. I'm ready." She nodded with a smile.
Together, they went to the school building. And as expected, the news about them was out with a few headlines like "Youichi Hijiri Makes His Confession", "Mikan Sakura Confirms Her Relationship with Youichi Hijiri", etc. The articles were too extravagant, but no one objected to their relationship, or rather, all of them accepted their relationship with open hearts. Well, all of them except for Natsume Hyuuga.
After homeroom was over, Mikan went to Youichi's classroom.
"Did anyone see Youichi?" Mikan asked his classmates.
Everyone turned silent. They looked at each other, but no one said a word.
Mikan scanned the classroom and found out that the Special was not present, too. She narrowed her eyes. Somehow, she had a bad feeling about this.
"I wonder where they are," she muttered.
"Maybe we should look for them at their usual spot," Nonoko suggested.
Agreed, they made their way to the boys' usual spot, Sakura Tree.
He was surprised when Natsume requested to speak with him. However, Natsume stayed silent for minutes that felt like hours. Suddenly, a wicked idea crossed his mind. "You know that Mikan and I are a couple now."
When Natsume's back stiffened, he knew he had pushed the right button to start. "I know you have feelings towards Mikan, but I'm sorry; I can't let you have her."
"I don't care about that," Natsume lied while gritting his teeth. He was trying to control his anger. How he wished to just threaten him to stay away from Mikan. Taking Ruka's suggestion to speak with Youichi might be a bad idea. While glaring at the bushes not far from him, he thought he had lost his mind for agreeing.
"So, why did you call me here if it's not about that?" Youichi tried again.
"…"
"Why don't you just admit your feelings?"
"…"
"I always thought you were a gentleman, Natsume." Youichi didn't give up.
Natsume clenched his fists.
"But, I guess I was wrong…" Youichi knew Natsume would snap soon because he saw the boy's body tremble slightly and his fists turn white.
Too focused on Natsume, Youichi and the boys behind the bushes didn't notice the girls approaching the Sakura Tree.
"You are a coward," Youichi stated, and that was the last straw.
Natsume turned around so quickly that Youichi didn't have the time to dodge his fist. He stumbled backward and almost lost his balance. Blood flowed down at the edge of his mouth. The boys tensed and gasped in horror when they noticed the girls and Mikan, who ran towards Youichi. Natsume, who was still oblivious, grabbed Youichi's collar in anger.
"What are you doing? Let him go!"
Natsume froze as he recognized the high-pitch voice. Instantly, he let go of Youichi and saw Mikan running to Youichi's side. A string of curses repeated in his mind. It seemed like the gods were not on his side and hated him so much that he always met her in the worst conditions.
"Are you alright?" Worry was evident in her eyes and voice. She quickly pulled out her handkerchief and wiped the blood away.
"I'm alright. Don't worry," Youichi assured her with a smile.
Mikan turned to Natsume and glared at him heatedly. "What's the meaning of this?"
After the event everyone started murmuring to each other.
Kira, the leader of Gakuen Alice News only narrowed his eyes at Natsume, but he was pleased with the results.
"How are you feeling, Mikan?" Youichi asked gently while rubbing her back as he tried to stop her tears. Fortunately, she finally stopped crying but continued to remain upset. He had led her back to her room and stayed with her. When he wanted to get a glass of water for her, she tightened her grip on him.
Before he could ask her, she mumbled, "Don't… don't leave me… please…"
Sighing, he hugged her. "I promise I won't leave you. I just want to get something for you to drink."
Her grip slowly loosened, and he smiled at her. Before leaving her, he kissed her forehead. "I'll be right back."
Youichi made his way to her small kitchen and got a cool drink for Mikan. Right after she drank the cool water, she hugged him again. Deep down in his heart, he knew that she was only using him for comfort. Looking at her reaction after Natsume's words, he noticed her feelings for the fire caster. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but when he made his way to the canteen, he was greeted by the scene where Natsume declared that he had nothing to do with her. Remembering Kira, he was sure that today's event would create a big fuss tomorrow.
"Mikan, I don't think tomorrow will be pleasant for you to go to school," he muttered while hugging her. Since he didn't get a response, he looked down and found she was asleep. Smiling, he carefully carried her to her bedroom and covered her with a blanket.
When he was about to leave, she muttered, "Don't leave me… please… Natsume…"
He left the room immediately as it hurt to know that she could only think of Natsume.
Unknown to him, right after he closed her bedroom's door, she murmured, "Youichi…"
...xXx...
She felt warm. Slowly, she opened her eyes and vaguely remembered that Youichi had led her back to her room. Remembering Natsume, she felt like crying again, but strangely, the tears wouldn't come out. She didn't know why. Getting up from bed, she walked out of her bedroom.Youichi stared at the miso soup before him while remembering what had happened earlier.
After he closed Mikan's room and was about to leave, Hotaru Imai called his name.
"How is she?" she asked nonchalantly.
He looked at her in the eye. "She's fine. She's sleeping now."
When he was about to walk away, something, or more precisely her invention, caught his wrist. "Yes?"
"Don't leave her," she stated with eyes that held no argument.
A sigh escaped his lips. "I don't want to be used as her comfort when Natsume is the only one she can think of."
"You want to give up on her." It was another statement.
"If she wants to be with him, I will not interfere."
"Do you really think she will be happy with him?" The calmness had not left her voice.
He let out another sigh. "Really, don't beat around the bush. Just tell me what you want, Imai-san."
"She needs you."
With that said, she left him.
To be honest, he didn't want to give up on her, but if she wanted to be with Natsume, he would be better off out of her life. He loved her more than anything, so he wouldn't force her to love him back. For the umpteenth time, he sighed. In the end, he went back to her room and waited for her to wake up.
He sighed and hoped Mikan wouldn't mind having him there in her room again. Too deep in his thought, he didn't realize that Mikan was approaching him.
She couldn't contain her relief when she stepped into her kitchen and found the silver-haired guy. Silently, she crept behind him and hugged him immediately. It surprised him as he let out a manly shriek. He shook his head in disbelief when he found her grinning at him.
"How are you feeling?" he asked gently while turning around to face her properly.
She smiled. "Much better."
Hugging him again, she quietly muttered, "Thank you for staying with me, Youichi… I thought you had left me…"
Unsure of what to say, he hugged her back. "I did plan to leave you, but I thought you would look for me when you woke up."
"Do you know that you are right?" She smiled against his chest with closed eyes. It was strange to feel so safe in his arms. Even though she had become accustomed to his presence during their trial, there were times when she felt uneasy, but now, she didn't feel that uneasiness anymore. Did that mean her heart was changing? She wasn't sure. After she broke the hug, she peered at the miso soup. "Are we having this for dinner?"
"I only know how to make this," he said with a shrug. Cooking was not in his list of hobbies anyway.
She giggled. "Alright. How about we make dinner together?"
...xXx...
Dinner was delicious as most of it was cooked by Mikan. After they finished cleaning the table, they sat down and enjoyed their mango pudding."Mikan," he called out.
Mikan looked up at him expectantly.
"I know you're still hurting, but I need to tell you that tomorrow will be unpleasant if you go to school."
She slowly swallowed the pudding and looked down towards the yellow blob. After a moment, she gazed at him. "I'll be fine… as long as you're with me."
Despite his urge to heave a sigh, he smiled. "If you're sure about it then I guess I have no choice but to stay with you."
"Do you mind staying with me, Youichi?" she asked uneasily.
He blinked. "No, I don't mind. I enjoy our time together, and I'm sure you know that."
"Yeah… I should have known that better than anyone else since we had been together before…" she muttered quietly.
Standing up, he walked to her side. He cupped her face to make her face him. "Mikan, I didn't mean to blame you for not understanding my feelings. I love you, remember?"
She looked into his eyes and hugged his waist. "I'm sorry for not paying attention to you, but I will now."
He blinked a few times before asking, "What do you mean by 'I will now'?"
Without letting him go, she looked up at him. "Can we try again?"
He was shocked. "Mikan, I don't want you to—"
"No. I'm not using you," she cut in.
He remained silent, and she continued, "I'll be honest with you. I had feelings for Natsume for years, but it looks to me that he didn't feel the same. At the same time, you were always there when I was sad or happy. So… I won't mind being with you. I'm sure you'll make me happy, and of course, I will try my best to make you happy, too."
Relieved, he let out the breath he held. At least, she was honest with him. He leaned down until their foreheads met and said, "Definitely."
"I'll try my best to make you happy, too," he said again and inwardly added, By the time you don't need me again, I will leave…
He knew that Hotaru was right about Mikan needing him, but he also knew that it was only temporary. It was a moment that wouldn't take long to pass before Natsume finally made up his mind to tell her the truth about his feelings. He wished that he could refuse her, but those efforts were futile.
"It's late. You should rest now. I'll get you tomorrow." His smile didn't reach his eyes.
Observant as always, she noticed and asked him, "Youichi… are you alright?"
"What do you mean? Of course, I'm alright," he lied.
She pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry."
He raised an eyebrow, and she smiled at him sadly. "Just forget about it. I think I'm not worthy of getting another chance, Youichi."
Surprised, he quickly replied, "No. I don't think you're not worthy, Mikan. It's just…"
"It's just?" she urged.
He didn't know how to tell her. Even though she was being honest with him, he couldn't do the same as he knew he would look like he was forcing her to be with him. After closing his eyes, he gave her a small smile. "It is I who feels unworthy to be with you."
"Strange, I always thought you deserved someone who is more beautiful than me," she commented.
"You're beautiful, Mikan," he said before leaning down to capture her lips. He shut everything that was bothering his mind away and kissed her lips gently. Wrapping her waist with his arms, he pulled her closer. After tracing her lips with his tongue, she slowly parted her lips for him. When his tongue brushed with hers, they started teasing each other. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, too. Their wet kisses became more heated as their faces flushed. The calling for air was urgent, and they broke apart breathlessly.
"Stay…" she breathed out, slightly panting.
He hummed in reply, and she continued, "Stay for the night…"
She thought she had turned insane for inviting Youichi to stay for the night. Oh, she was absolutely losing her mind. Why she was losing herself after they made out, she had no idea. Did she turn into a pervert? Maybe. But, it might be because she had pushed Natsume out of her mind for once.
"As you wish, my princess," he whispered into her ear.
...xXx...
Mikan snuggled closer to source of the heat. She smiled with her eyes closed when she felt a hand combing her hair.Looking at her smiling face, Youichi leaned down to her ear and whispered, "Good morning, my princess…"
She giggled and opened her eyes slowly. A pair of deep emerald eye greeted her sight. "Good morning, Youichi…"
"We need to get ready now or we will be late." He got up from bed.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she got up from bed, too.
Youichi tried to smooth his wrinkled shirt as well as he could. Taking his jacket, he approached her again and kissed the crown of her head. "I'll see you later."
She nodded and waved at him. "See you later, Youichi."
When they met up again, Youichi playfully asked, "Are you ready for the day, princess?"
He had decided he would enjoy his time with her until the end.
"Yep. I'm ready." She nodded with a smile.
Together, they went to the school building. And as expected, the news about them was out with a few headlines like "Youichi Hijiri Makes His Confession", "Mikan Sakura Confirms Her Relationship with Youichi Hijiri", etc. The articles were too extravagant, but no one objected to their relationship, or rather, all of them accepted their relationship with open hearts. Well, all of them except for Natsume Hyuuga.
After homeroom was over, Mikan went to Youichi's classroom.
"Did anyone see Youichi?" Mikan asked his classmates.
Everyone turned silent. They looked at each other, but no one said a word.
Mikan scanned the classroom and found out that the Special was not present, too. She narrowed her eyes. Somehow, she had a bad feeling about this.
"I wonder where they are," she muttered.
"Maybe we should look for them at their usual spot," Nonoko suggested.
Agreed, they made their way to the boys' usual spot, Sakura Tree.
...xXx...
While looking at Natsume's back, Youichi began, "Natsume?"He was surprised when Natsume requested to speak with him. However, Natsume stayed silent for minutes that felt like hours. Suddenly, a wicked idea crossed his mind. "You know that Mikan and I are a couple now."
When Natsume's back stiffened, he knew he had pushed the right button to start. "I know you have feelings towards Mikan, but I'm sorry; I can't let you have her."
"I don't care about that," Natsume lied while gritting his teeth. He was trying to control his anger. How he wished to just threaten him to stay away from Mikan. Taking Ruka's suggestion to speak with Youichi might be a bad idea. While glaring at the bushes not far from him, he thought he had lost his mind for agreeing.
"So, why did you call me here if it's not about that?" Youichi tried again.
"…"
"Why don't you just admit your feelings?"
"…"
"I always thought you were a gentleman, Natsume." Youichi didn't give up.
Natsume clenched his fists.
"But, I guess I was wrong…" Youichi knew Natsume would snap soon because he saw the boy's body tremble slightly and his fists turn white.
Too focused on Natsume, Youichi and the boys behind the bushes didn't notice the girls approaching the Sakura Tree.
"You are a coward," Youichi stated, and that was the last straw.
Natsume turned around so quickly that Youichi didn't have the time to dodge his fist. He stumbled backward and almost lost his balance. Blood flowed down at the edge of his mouth. The boys tensed and gasped in horror when they noticed the girls and Mikan, who ran towards Youichi. Natsume, who was still oblivious, grabbed Youichi's collar in anger.
"What are you doing? Let him go!"
Natsume froze as he recognized the high-pitch voice. Instantly, he let go of Youichi and saw Mikan running to Youichi's side. A string of curses repeated in his mind. It seemed like the gods were not on his side and hated him so much that he always met her in the worst conditions.
"Are you alright?" Worry was evident in her eyes and voice. She quickly pulled out her handkerchief and wiped the blood away.
"I'm alright. Don't worry," Youichi assured her with a smile.
Mikan turned to Natsume and glared at him heatedly. "What's the meaning of this?"
OMG DID YOUICHI AND MIKAN DO IT? LOL...aww natsume. poor him...caught at such a bad time xD
ReplyDeleteUPDATE SOON!
You-chii
O: is natsume finally gonna confess :D
ReplyDeletethat was amazing. i like it. when yoichi said that he will be with her untill she doesn't need him anymore i cried. that was sweet and so 's so sweet to let go of her if she doesn't love her and it's so sad because he loved her. i really love it.
ReplyDeletepoor natsu-chan
ReplyDeletethis story's nice . a little bit of grammar mistakes but it was good .
ReplyDeleteWOW!Was that awesome or what?It was the best chapter EVER!
ReplyDelete'wOw..iM spEechLess..
ReplyDeletewhAT cAn i sAy?
I wAs dumbfOuNded..
It wAs aWesOme..LovE it..
yOuichi is sO swEet whEn it cOmes tO MikAn..hAha..
aNywayz..updAte sOon..xD
Love this chapter! I kinda feel sorry for Youichi because he knows that Mikan wil not be his but there might be a chance.. Update soon!
ReplyDeleteit's all natsume's fault! Didn't he even know that youichi was just trying to be nice and help him? -"
ReplyDeleteActually I like it more when youichi is the younger one
(he's cute as a little brother or so), but this is okay
Oh well, good luck for the next one
oh no! :(
ReplyDeleteMikan! Why should you appear at quite be misunderstandable scenes!
Argh.
Any ways, it's a good chapie
Mabui-kun-sama, I already sent the poster that I promised you decades ago. (Note the sarcasm)xD. I sent it as a comment at your friendster. It's also at my friendster profile, at the bottom.
Good luck to your Natsumikan entry. I saw it and the theme was good. A look at greener pasture..Hehe, Natsume, the farmer.
The Lady of my Heart is a success. Yeah, too bad it's finished. It's an awesome story afterall.
Your Fateful Reviwer: aRVee-CHAn
Like your story please Update soon
ReplyDeleteas you can...
Can wait for the next chapter
oh snap! :)
ReplyDeletethanks for the chapter!