Six Hours

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

The giant clock of Sapporo rang loudly at precisely six o'clock in the evening, and the Halloween spirit filled the night. People of different ages with various costumes strolled through the streets with bags waiting to be filled with candy.
Mikan, who was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, was sitting on a bench in the main town. Her pale brown eyes scanned the mobs lazily while thinking where to start her search. Three years ago, she tried the southern region of the town, but her searches were fruitless. She tried the west two years ago, but the result remained the same. The person she wanted to see wasn't in the north last year either. This year, she would try the east, but she was afraid that she would be disappointed again. Heaving a sigh, she gazed up toward the black sky, and the blue moon greeted her line of sight.
"Natsume…" she muttered to herself and closed her eyes.
An unknown amount of time passed, so when a pair of warm lips landed on hers, her eyes snapped open. Instinctively, she shoved the person away as hard as she could. While still in a state of confusion, she heard a soft thud followed by a groan. Due to the darkness, she couldn't see who kissed her until the clouds moved away from the moon. Shock overcame her. "Natsume!"
He smirked. "Good evening, Mikan."
Disbelief was visible on her face. "Are you drunk?"
After getting up, he arched one eyebrow. "Do I look like I am?"
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you did when you kissed me out of the blue."
"Out of the blue under the blue moon," he replied with a shrug.
Shaking her head, she accused, "You're not Natsume."
"How have you been, Mikan?" He changed the subject.
Startled, she stared at him again. "Exactly who are you?"
He refrained from rolling his eyes. "A ghost."
"You're so out of character, Natsume."
"Hn."
She giggled. "That's more like you."
"So?"
"I'm good. What about you?"
She received another "Hn" from him.
"I didn't know that an hour passed," she grumbled after looking at her wristwatch.
"Let's go for a date," he said before pulling her away from the bench.
"Hey!" she exclaimed, but didn't try to pry his hand off of her wrist. Suddenly, he stopped and pulled her into his arms.
Embracing her tightly, he whispered touching words into her ears, "Don't tell me that I'm out of character when I do this to the person I love the most."
Her eyes slowly widened. "Natsume… I—"
Pressing his lips to hers successfully cut off whatever she was going to say. Slowly closing her eyes, she began to welcome his kiss. He was more than happy to taste every inch of her moist cavern when she parted her lips for him. Afraid that she would leave, he pulled her closer and deepened the liplock. After what seemed like forever, they broke apart from the heated kiss. Both stayed close together for several moments before beginning to stroll around the town in random directions.
"Where have you been, Natsume?" she started.
He spared her a glance. "Why?"
"Ruka told me that you were in this town, but I couldn't find you for the past three years." The last part sounded like a whisper.
"Miss me?" he teased.
She squeezed the hand that was entwined with hers. "Yes."
He halted and gazed into her eyes. His hand reached out to caress her cheek with his thumb. "I miss you, too."
As much as she wanted to say that he was acting way too romantic, she couldn't. He had told her just now that he acted like this because she was the person he loved the most. Coming from him, those words felt too good to be true. To tell him how happy she was, she hugged him tightly. They continued their stroll after breaking the hug.
"How is he?" he asked lightly.
She knew he was referring to Ruka. "He was engaged to Hotaru three years ago."
"What about you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Didn't you get engaged to the man who was chosen by your parents?"
She pulled her hand from his grasp. "Are you playing with me?"
Silence fell upon him.
"Is this all you're going to ask me after I searched for you for so long?" Tears started pooling in her eyes.
"Mikan, I—"
"Don't bother saying anything if you don't care about me!"
As she started to walk away from him, he caged her in his arms from behind and stopped her movements. Tightening his hold, he whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Tears continued to slide down her face.
After turning her around, he pressed his forehead against hers. "I'm sorry for testing you. Will you forgive me?"
She laughed weakly. "What will you do if I say no?"
He wiped her tears. "Of course, I'm going to make you say yes."
"How?"
She gasped in awe when he smiled. "I'll show you."
They made it back to where they met earlier, but no one was around anymore since midnight was near.
Another gasp slipped from her lips when he knelt down on one knee and showed her a small, red box. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
"Mikan Yukihira, will you marry me?"
"Natsume…"
"I'm so sorry for leaving you so suddenly. I was so shocked when your engagement was announced three years ago. I know we weren't even going out at that time, but Ruka told me that… no, I should have known this myself that you loved me back at that time. I guess I felt unworthy of your love…"
"Natsume… I—"
"Let me finish. I told Ruka that if you were to look for me, he should tell you that I'm in this town. You couldn't find me in the past three years was because I was looking for you, too. It's ironic how we couldn't find each other because we were searching for each other. I wasn't sure if you would come to this town, but… I don't know… I just had this feeling that you would come for me."
When she was about to open her mouth to say something, he continued, "What I'm going to tell you now is very important, but I'm afraid I'll scare you away."
He locked his gaze with hers. "I'm not a living being any more, Mikan. The day I left you was the day I was involved in a car accident that cost my life. Today is the only day that I can gain a body to find you."
Surprise took over him when she pulled him into a tight hug and burst into tears. After knowing he was dead, he had thought she would run away from him.
"If that's the case, I will marry you." She tightened her arms around his neck. "Actually, the day I left to this town was the day I lost my life, too."
His eyes widened in shock. After a moment he smiled and hugged her back. "I love you, Mikan."
Tears of happiness rolled down her face. "I love you, too, Natsume."
They had known each other since they were ten. After graduating from high school, they went on their separate ways but still kept in touch. The distance between them made them realise that they loved each other, but because of feelings of unworthiness, they didn't say anything. They died with regrets, but they are given six hours every year on this day to find each other again.
As both hands on the clock neared 12, their bodies started glowing.
He slipped the diamond ring he had kept ever since realizing she was the one he loved onto her finger.
She embraced him in a tight hug. "We have to meet again next year for our wedding, Natsume."
He let out a throaty laugh. "Yeah, for our wedding…"
Before they disappeared into nothingness, they kissed under the blue moon. The kiss was a promise to meet again next year. They wished they could have more time together, but they knew it was impossible. Nevertheless, they were glad that they were given another chance to see each other again even though it was only for six hours.

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