Ghost's Girlfriend

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

He had known her for five years, but he never had the courage to tell her that he loved her until it was too late.
"Tell me that I'm not dreaming…" Ruka said with dreamy eyes.
His best friend's voice echoed in his head. He refrained himself from growling at him and grunted in response. If he had foreseen this, he wouldn't have introduced her to him! He had known her first, so he should have been the one that became her boyfriend. How stupid he was as he was defeated by his own fear of rejection, and he had to face the pain he had started himself now. Looking into his best friend's happy face, he couldn't help but feel jealous of him.
"You're damn lucky," he murmured under his breath.
Ruka blinked and turned to his best friend. "Did you say something, Natsume?"
"I said you're not dreaming," he lied professionally as his face remained cold and emotionless.
"Are you coming to the party, Natsume?" Ruka asked, not noticing his best friend who was clenching his fists.
"No," he replied after a moment.
"Why? I thought you got the invitation from Mikan," Ruka reasoned out.
Of course he got the invitation from her, the only girl he would fall in love with. It was irritating that he wished he could steal her away from his best friend. She was going to host a Halloween party at her parents' old mansion which was just perfect for the occasion.
"Hn," he grunted, pretending he couldn't care less about it.
"I thought you would come with us," Ruka said with his shoulders slumped.
After thinking it over, he sighed inwardly. "If you insist."
Before walking away from him, Ruka flashed him a smile. "Then, I will see you later."
Natsume could tell his best friend that he had changed his mind, but Ruka had already left him. He sighed loudly as he plopped himself onto his queen-size bed. He stared at the ceiling before closing his eyes and thought about what he should wear for the party. It was not like he really liked the party, but he at least needed to dress properly.

...xXx...

"Welcome!" Her cheery voice and smile greeted them when they arrived at her parents' mansion.
He was lost in his thoughts for a moment as he studied her. Apparently, she dressed in a white silk kimono with Sakura patterns. He could tell that she was wearing light make-up, and she looked like a princess. Looking at Ruka's General outfit, he thought again why he didn't dress in kimono since she was his girlfriend. One word could describe them as incompatible. Truth to be told, he was the one that perfectly matched with hers. He was in a General outfit, but it was from the feudal era, so he was wearing a kimono, too.
"Ruka-kun, Natsume-kun, please make yourselves comfortable." Her voice pulled him from his musings.
The party was attended by quite a number of people, he noted as he and Ruka went inside the mansion. Just like any other Halloween party, they dressed like demons, Draculas, etc. He didn't really care about them though as the only one he cared about was her.
"Did you find the party boring?"
He blinked his eyes and turned to look at her who sat beside him. To be honest, he didn't really like the party. He wondered when she sat beside him as he didn't feel her presence at all. He thought maybe because of his unsettled minds, she was able to slip in without notice. Quickly, he averted his eyes from her as he couldn't muster up the effort to scare her away with his intense gaze.
They remained silent until he spoke, "Where's Ruka?"
She hummed and looked at the night sky. "Ruka already left the party, Natsume."
Immediately, he turned and looked at her in surprise. He just realized that he stayed longer than he expected.
Feeling that his eyes were on her, Mikan sighed, "It's already two in the morning, Natsume. Everyone has gone home except you."
He frowned. Why Ruka didn't tell him that he was going home? They were housemates, weren't they?
Mikan looked at Natsume with sad eyes.
"Do you like me?" She asked no one in particular.
Time seemed to stop as he heard her question. After a moment, he asked, "What did you say?"
"Nothing," she breathed out almost tiredly and stood up. "If you would like to retire, you can just go to the usual room."
It was not a secret anymore that he and Ruka used to be invited to her parents' mansion so often that they even had their own room now. Before she could leave him, he caught her wrist. They stared at each other for a minute. Their eye contact broke when she blinked at him.
"Yes?" She asked lightly. After realizing that she wouldn't get any answers from him, she sighed, "Ghost's girlfriend."
He blinked his eyes, confused.
She elaborated, "You know that Ruka was dressed as a ghost of a western general, right? Just for today I became his girlfriend."
The realization dawned on him. Suddenly, he felt like a child that was caught stealing a candy from the jar. He didn't remember giving any indication that he was angry about the idea of her going out with his best friend. But then, out of all people he knew, she would be the one who could read him.
"I wish to retire for the night, Natsume." Her voice brought him back to reality again.
He didn't release her wrist and murmured, "I like you, Mikan."
She blinked and stuttered, "W-what did you say?"
He smirked at her shocked face. He was too happy to care about anything else. He answered her question by pulling her to his arms and kissing her passionately…
"Lame." His deep voice reached her ears.
"Leave me alone," she said warningly and ignored him.
"Ask someone to help you," he continued, ignoring her warning voice.
"I said, 'Leave me alone'." She glared at him heatedly.
"Trust me. You will need it," he said again.
She stood up from her seat and pointed to the door. "Get out!"
"How could I?" he said in a-matter-a-fact tone that was complete with an eyebrow raised.
Her face flamed in fury, but before she could say anything else, he captured her lips with his. She tried to push him away, but it was no use as he was much stronger than her. He pushed her until her back hit the desk. After a moment in a losing battle, she gave up into his demands and kissed him back. His tongue swirled with hers passionately, and he slowly pressed her back flat on the desk. Everything on the table was pushed away as their activities became more heated. He broke their heated kiss and smirked as he saw her flushed face and half-lidded eyes. He leaned down and kissed her forehead lovingly and whispered something into her ear before leaving her.
After he walked quite a distance from the room, he chuckled when…
"Natsume!" The loud voice echoed through the mansion.
All the maids and servants shook their heads, but smiles were evident on their faces.
Mikan sighed as she gathered the scattered papers on the floor. Natsume just wouldn't leave her alone when she was working. Remembering his words, she flushed.
"I couldn't and wouldn't leave you because you are my wife, Mikan. Your story was good, but why don't you write something more realistic? And I think you could find a better title than Ghost's Girlfriend."

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