The Spirit of My Life

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

Swinging her feet back and forth, Mikan looked at the children that were running around the school grounds from the sakura tree. Suddenly, a 7-year-old boy approached her tree. She eyed him carefully and realised that he was a new student. He looked up at the branch she was sitting on for a while before starting to climb the tree.
"You won't be able to climb the tree, boy!" she said with a small smile.
The boy did not stop though.
She giggled when he was easily slid back down to the ground again, as the tree was too high for him to climb.
She studied the boy and caught the color of his eyes, dark crimson that was matched with his raven hair. She had to admit that the boy was quite handsome for his age. His friend called for him, and she finally learned his name: Natsume. His friend was a blond boy with a pair of sapphire eyes, and his name was Ruka. She continued watching the boys. Natsume's attitude was kind of cold as if he was hiding his true feelings. She wondered why since the boy was only 7 years old. She shrugged and caught a petal that slowly descended from above.

...xXx...

She was intrigued by him. She didn't know why he was trying so hard to climb her tree even though he didn't try it every single day. He was 8 years old now. Remembering his 7-year-old face, she couldn't help but giggle. At that time she had admitted that the boy was quite handsome, but now, she was absolutely sure he would become the most handsome boy in the academy.
Her eyebrows rose until it was hidden behind her bangs. He had successfully climbed her tree, but he suddenly lost his balance and began to fall backwards. She gasped before jumping down to catch his young body, preventing him from hitting the hard ground.
"You're really reckless," she said as she released him.
Before she could step away from him, he caught her wrist.
"Are… are you a ghost?" he asked with wrinkled eyebrows.
She couldn't help but laugh, and Natsume released her wrist in surprise.
"Do you think you can touch me if I'm a ghost?" She tilted her head with eyes that were filled with amusement.
He only stared at her. "But… you're…"
"Transparent," she completed his sentence.
He nodded mutely.
"I'm neither a human nor a ghost, Natsume-kun."
His eyes widened in surprise.
She giggled. "I knew your name since the first time you approached my tree."
He scrunched his eyebrows while asking, "Your tree?"
She turned her eyes to the tree. Her eyes looked so far away as she spoke, "This is the tree where I resided for years."
He looked up at her. "What are you?"
She turned to him. "I'm the spirit of this Sakura tree."
He remained still.
"Why are you always trying to climb my tree?"
He looked away from her. "It's none of your business."
She chuckled. "I know, but why my tree when…" She gestured to the other Sakura trees. "… you could climb the any other tree?"
He blushed before telling her, "You…"
She crouched down until she was on the same eye level with him. "Hm?"
He blushed redder. "It was because of you."
Suddenly, she hugged him. Before he could utter a word, they started floating. He gasped. She let him sit on one of the strong branches before floating in the air before him. She told him that it was a treat for him for trying so hard. After that day onwards, he always visited her and tried his best to climb her tree by himself.

...xXx...

Natsume stared at the tree before him. He wished to see her so badly. Since he turned 12, he couldn't see her anymore. He didn't know the reason why. Her smiling face still etched into his mind. It was still a mystery to both of them why he could touch her during their first conversation. She had told him that no one had ever had the ability to either see or touch her physically. After trying his best for weeks from that day onward, he finally could climb her tree by himself. They didn't talk much, but that didn't mean they were not close. She was just like another Ruka in girl version, but he knew he was closer to her than Ruka. They had grown closer until…
"Natsume?"
He blinked and turned to his girlfriend Mikan Sakura.
"What are you doing here?" she inquired while looking at the Sakura tree.
He let out a small, sad smile before looking at the Sakura tree again. "Nothing."
He eyed his girlfriend who suddenly stared at the Sakura tree with glazed eyes. His breath caught in his throat as he saw everything around them stop moving as if time had been halted. He watched her stepped closer to the tree and closed her eyes. She pressed her right cheek on the bark and remained still. Suddenly, the wind picked up and surrounded her body. A bright light was emitted from her body, and he had no choice but to close his eyes. When the wind stopped blowing, he slowly opened his eyes. He gasped as he saw her, the spirit of the Sakura tree.
She smiled at him. "Hello, Natsume…"
"Sakura…" he whispered. He had named her Sakura after their first conversation as she told him she had no name. He stepped closer to her. He hesitantly reached out to caress her face as it had been five years since he had met her last. He was afraid that she would disappear if he touched her.
"Am I dreaming?" he muttered as he cupped her face.
"I'm afraid you're not." She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.
He pulled her into his arms and embraced her tightly. "I missed you so much… Where were you?"
"I have been with you all this time, Natsume…" She hugged him back, still with her eyes closed but a relieved smile on her face.
He broke the hug and gazed at her deeply. It dawned on him then. She was indeed always with him all this time. How come he didn't realize it until this very moment? He shook his head mentally before renewing the feeling of her lips against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pressed her body close to his. She parted her lips, allowing him to deepen the kiss. Their kiss was just like their first kiss on his 11th birthday, gentle, sweet and filled with passion. They ended their kiss as the need of air was calling out. While holding her nape with one of his hands, he pressed her forehead with his and told her how much he loved her.

...xXx...

A small smile graced his handsome features as he leaned against his Sakura tree. He remained still as he felt something or someone's head lay on his lap. He opened an eye to take a peek, and as expected, he saw his wife's face. He closed his eyes again before absent-mindedly tracing her brown locks with his fingers.
"Natsume…"
He hummed quietly in reply.
"I have been meaning to ask you…"
He remained still.
"Which one do you love the most, this tree or me?"
He opened his eyes and looked down at his wife. "Huh?"
She pulled herself up and stared at her husband's crimson eyes. "This tree or me?"
"Please enlighten me…"
"You always look at this tree like the way you look at me."
That was absurd, he thought immediately. He sighed inaudibly as he looked at his wife's face.
He pulled her into his lap. "That is ridiculous. You know that you're the one I love the most. I wouldn't marry you if I didn't."
When she was about to object, he continued, "I love you with everything I have, Mikan." You're my Sakura.
Mikan sighed in defeat before snuggling closer to his embrace. "I love you, too, Natsume…"
He buried his face in her strawberry-scented hair. He still couldn't believe that she kept using the same shampoo even after they got married. He didn't dislike it though. He still remembered the tale of his wife. Sakura had told him that Mikan was actually her in flesh. He couldn't see her after he turned 12 because the Kami finally allowed her to have a real body as Mikan Sakura. Apparently, Mikan was born with an incomplete soul, and her body had been in coma for years. Until her soul and Mikan's soul blended together, Mikan would not know about Sakura's memories.

...xXx...

A 7-year-old girl ran around the Sakura tree before sitting down across her mother. She looked at her mother while tilting her head. Her mother was gazing at the Sakura tree with a faraway look again. She always wondered why but never tried to ask her mother. She then saw her mother smile.
When she was about to ask why, her father spoke, "Do you remember the story of this tree, Kisa?"
Kisa Hyuuga looked at his father before nodding. She always heard that story when she was young from her mother. It was about a spirit who lived in a Sakura tree for thousands of years. No one could see or touch the spirit but one boy. Her mother never told her the boy's name though. She always thought that the story was made up by her mother.
Unknown to her, it was her parents' story, not a made up story.
"The spirit had a happy life with the boy," her mother said, surprising her.
Kisa blinked. "I thought the story was ended when the spirit met the boy in flesh."
Her mother turned to her. "No, the story still continues… until now…"
She scrunched her eyebrows. She didn't understand what her mother was talking about.
"No matter how hard you try, you wouldn't understand with that little head of yours."
Kisa twitched before she glared at one of her older twin brothers Ryusuke.
Ryusuke grinned at his younger sister before the quietness around them dissolved as she started arguing with him.
Ryusuki, the oldest twin, looked up from his book and shook his head. He didn't know why Ryusuke kept teasing Kisa which always ended up making her angry.
Ryusuki heaved a sigh. "Stop this nonsense, both of you. We came here to celebrate Mom and Dad's anniversary. Please behave well just for one day."
That statement successfully stopped Ryusuke and Kisa from arguing. Natsume and Mikan threw a surprise look at their oldest child.
Ryusuki turned to his parents. "What? Do you think I wouldn't know that today is the 20th anniversary of your wedding?"
"As expected from my son," Natsume said almost smugly.
Mikan slapped Natsume's arm. "Our son."
Ryusuki felt like rolling his eyes. Before Ryusuke and Kisa could throw questions at him, he spoke, "Both of you should take a look at their wedding pictures."
Ryusuki knew they wouldn't find anything on the picture. But, if they inspected everything carefully, they would find a set of numbers on the album. Looking at his siblings' faces, he refused to tell them that. The only way to make them stay civil with each other was to make them work together without them realizing it.
Natsume and Mikan only smiled at each other at how their oldest child handled his younger siblings.
Ryusuki shut the book he was reading before casting a knowing look at his father and mother. He received a nod from them. He let out a small smile in reply. Since he was 10, he already knew that the tale which her mother always telling them was true. In fact, it was his family's tale. He knew it because he found this one special book in their library. He found the familiarity of the story and wished to find the author, but instead of the author's name, a set of numbers was left on the book. He was surprised when he successfully decoded the numbers. The book was actually written by his own father to his mother.
Ryusuki turned to Kisa. "When you're old enough, you'll understand the tale."
Kisa looked at her older twin brother before accepting the book he was reading. She knew the book as her brother always read them whenever they gathered here under the Sakura tree. She had tried to read the book, but for now it was useless as there was a lot of kanji that she didn't know. She could read the title of the book though. It was The Spirit of My Life.

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