Last Chance: Chapter 2

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

The sunlight that filtered through the glass window hit his face unceremoniously. Slowly, he opened his eyes while blocking the morning light. After realising he was in the living room, he asked himself, How did I end up here?
"Good morning, Natsume."

He darted his eyes to the source and found a little girl. Before he could ask anything, the memory from last night flooded back. Spontaneously, he got up and stepped away from her. "W-who are you?"

She smiled at him. "Why are you asking such a silly question, Natsume?"

He lowered his eyebrows. "I'm really extra sure you are not my daughter."

The girl chuckled, which oddly calmed his nerves. "Of course, I'm not your daughter." I'm much older than you.

As she took a step forward, he took a step backward. She sighed. "Please, Natsume. Just sit and calm down. I'll explain everything."

Still unsure, he eyed her cautiously before sitting down. He tried to remain calm as she approached him. As soon as her little hands touched his knee, he tensed.

"It's okay; I won't hurt you," she whispered quietly.

Once again, her soft voice calmed the tension within him.

"Can I sit on your lap while I explain everything?"

If she was a normal child, he wouldn't mind. He loved children and wished to have his own in the near future. However, remembering what she did last night, he was still uneasy being around her. Since he was silent, she assumed he had agreed and climbed onto his lap without another word. Looking at her innocent smile, he couldn't find the will to push her away.

"My name is Mikan Sakura," she began. "I'm your…"

Something was wrong with him. He didn't hear what she was telling him except for her name. It was too late for him to look away when his gaze found her lips. And he had made a fatal mistake by having the urge to taste those lips again. Shaking his head, he tried to push the idea away. He couldn't kiss the girl. She was just a little girl for goodness' sake! Molesting a child was against his principle.

If only he paid more attention to her face, he would have seen her lightened eyes, and her voice became a drug that drew his desire to touch her.

He clenched his fists tightly and shut his eyes as he fought the sudden desire to kiss her lips. Before he could think she was placing some sort of spell on him, he felt her little hands cupping his face. Still, he refused to be distracted and kept his eyes closed.

Yet, every control he had snapped when she muttered, "Kiss me, Natsume…"

Upon opening his eyes, he lost his rational mind and did as she asked, kissing her to oblivion. The sound of the opened door was no longer his concern as he moved his lips against the smaller one. He had never thought a child like her would be able to return his hungry kisses back. When the need for air became unbearable, they broke apart breathlessly.

Before he could try to kiss her again, a voice turned his attention away from the little girl. "Natsume!"

He looked at the owner's voice with glazed eyes. "My wife, you're back."

His wife's glare had no effect on him. "You're such a monster! I can't believe this; you are kissing a child!"

He shrugged. "Does it matter when you were kissing my brother behind my back?"

She gasped in shock. "W-what?"

"My brother told me everything. He told me how you always run off to him whenever we have a fight, and you even let him bed you!"

Shame was clear on her face. "Natsume… I—"

"Leave."

Before his wife could utter another word, he repeated, "Leave."

"I'm so sorry, Natsume," his wife said with tears in her eyes before leaving them alone.

As his glazed eyes became clear, he looked at the spot where his wife had been in horror. Without caring for the child on his lap, he got up and rushed to the front gate in hopes of finding his wife. But of course, his wife was already gone. Upon returning to the house, he glared at the child. "What have you done to me?"

"Have you forgotten what I said? I'm your wife."

"My wife? My only wife is the one who left just now! Even if I'm not married, I won't marry a child!"

"I told you, I'm your wife from the previous life."

"I don't care! You're not my wife now."

"…"

"I want you to leave."

"I can't leave you." Not until my mission is accomplished.

"Oh, why is that?"

"Because I'm—"

"Oh yeah, because you're my wife. Hell with it. I don't care anymore!"

With that said, he left to his room.

Mikan sighed in defeat. Her heart throbbed in pain whenever she looked at Natsume's angry eyes. She knew this was just a mission; however, she couldn't help but feel the connection between them. When they kissed, she felt so complete. Shaking her head, she went to close the door. Her mission wouldn't be easy, she knew that, but she didn't think it would be this complicated either. Well, as long as her mission for today was completed, other things wouldn't matter.

For hours, Natsume didn't leave his room. To be honest, it was not a big deal. Her mission was to keep him safe for the next nine days. It was a good thing that Natsume was someone who preferred working at home, so she didn't have to trail behind him like a bodyguard. She had been sitting down on the front yard since their little fight. Although it was quite hot, the blazing sun above did nothing to her skin. Someone immortal like her wouldn't be able to get sick because of the heat. While pulling the green grass absentmindedly, she had a nagging feeling in her heart that she had to apologise to Natsume. After all, it was because of her that Natsume kissed her.

"What am I thinking?" she muttered to herself before getting up and going back to the house. She made her way immediately to the kitchen and scanned the fridge's contents. It almost surprised her that his fridge was full with healthy foods and many kinds of fruits. Shrugging, she took out a few ingredients and put them all in a plate. Her pale brown eyes lightened as she murmured a few ancient words. As her eyes returned to normal, she blew the ingredients softly. In seconds, everything was nicely cooked and ready to eat.

After putting the meal and a glass of fresh orange juice on the tray, she left the kitchen and headed for his room and study. Even though he was working at home, he was a workaholic. Upon arriving, she put down the tray before his door and knocked.

"What?" he barked from his room.

Wanting to save her breath, she left immediately. The scent of the meal would make him open the door himself.

And she was right.

Natsume hadn't had breakfast yet because of the confrontation with his wife. Since he didn't want to see the girl's face, he had resorted to stay in his study and continue to work. Of course, working for hours without breakfast would make him hungry. As soon as the delicious smell of food reached his nostril, he opened the door and found the meal. He was about to ignore it until he saw a small piece of paper near the plate.
I'm sorry.

—Mikan
A small smile made its way to his lips. She was a strange child, but if she apologized, he couldn't stay angry with her now, could he? It would be he who was a child if he couldn't forgive her. He promised himself that he would talk to her after he finished the meal.

For a year, he had wanted to tell his wife what he thought about her running off to his brother. They were having another fight about having a child yesterday. He wanted children. Although he had the fear that the child wouldn't be his, he still wanted one to call his own, to have someone call him 'Father.' With Mikan's appearance, he thought about letting his wife go to his brother for good. He had always known that her heart was no longer his after their second anniversary. His brother was a player, but it seemed his wife was the one who captured his heart. For the umpteenth time, he sighed. He had a lot to think about.

Upon finishing the meal, he walked to his balcony and saw the girl lying on the front yard. Her arms were wide open as if she was ready to receive the heat of the sun happily. He smiled. What a silly girl.

Although she looked like a 10-year-old girl, he had a feeling he was wrong. The way she acted was not that of a child. She was behaving like a… woman. Shaking his head, he pushed the thought to the back of his head. He would question the girl later.

The bright sun and the gentle breeze made her sleepy. To humans, it was absolute madness, but to her, it was perfectly normal. Though she preferred to feel this in her own house, this would do for now. She shouldn't let her guard down, but she had put a barrier around the house. If he was trying to leave, she would know immediately. Just a little nap…

Natsume's features softened considerably when he saw Mikan's sleeping form. Her state reminded him of when he picked her up yesterday. Crouching down at her side, he gazed at her chubby face. When she was asleep like this, she was truly like a normal child. His forehead creased as she started mumbling. Leaning closer to her, he tried to catch what she was saying.

"Akira… Don't worry… I'll give my best to stay here…"

Akira? He was absolutely sure this was a guy's name. If what she said was true, shouldn't his name be uttered through her lips? He had no doubt now. The girl was lying to him about her identity. Whoever she was, he would find out about it by the end of this day. He didn't like to be kept in the dark because it reminded him of his wife. Remembering how his wife betrayed him brought enough pain to his heart though it wasn't unbearable anymore. And all was thanks to this little girl.

The sun would set in an hour, so he gathered the child into his arms while trying not to wake her up. Unfortunately, her eyes snapped open as soon as she was tucked carefully in his arms. They stared at each other for several moments. Without a word, he continued his way back to the house with her in his arms.

"Thank you, Natsume…" she murmured after he lay her down on the couch.

Sitting across from her, he faced her with a calm expression. "I want honest answers."

Since she didn't answer, he began, "Exactly who are you?"

"I'm your—"

"Please don't tell me 'I'm your wife'."

"I'm your guardian angel."

He blinked. Out of everything, that was the last thing on his mind. "Prove it."

A sigh escaped from her lips. As soon as she closed her eyes, a pair of black wings appeared from behind her little back.

To say that he was shocked would be an understatement. Of course, he had expected her to tell the truth, but that didn't mean he had to accept it easily.

"Black wings…" he muttered quietly.

"Disappointed?" she tilted her head to the side.

"Can I touch it?"

She gave him an 'Are you kidding with me?' look.

Seeing his determination not waver, she sighed again. "Very well, but please be careful."

Since she remained where she was seated, he went to her side. Glancing at her closed eyes, he curiously touched her black wings. It was so soft in his hand. A moan escaped her small lips as he ran his hand on the base of her wings. Thinking he was hurting her, he withdrew his hand immediately. However, her flushed face proved him wrong. His eyes widened when he realised what it meant and quickly went back to his seat.

When her face returned to normal, he looked at the table before him. "I'm sorry."

He caught a pretty blush on her chubby face. "I-it's okay. You didn't know that my wings are quite sensitive."

His eyes were glued to her slowly disappearing wings. Looking back at the table, he continued, "What did you do to me earlier?"

Both of them knew he was referring about this morning.

"A simple spell to enhance your desire to touch me," she told him the truth.

Enhance? His eyebrows knitted. If he was someone else, he might have groaned loudly. To enhance only meant one thing, he had wanted to touch her himself, and the spell was only urging him to do it. He kicked himself mentally as he had molested a child. Even though she might not be a little girl, she appeared to be one. The sound of his name brought him back to reality.

"I'm sorry. I can't tell you more than that. What you need to know is I mean no harm to you, though I will ask you not to question my way of protecting you."

Before he could open his mouth, she continued, "Please, Natsume. The less you know, the safer you are. I need you to trust me."

He resisted glaring at her. She dared to deny his rights to know what he should know. How could he trust her when she couldn't trust him?

She seemed to know what he was thinking as she added, "I can assure you, Natsume. You will know everything, but not now."

Resigned, he breathed out, "Very well. What do you want me to do?"

A smile graced her beautiful face. "Stay in the house."

Disbelief was written all over his face. "What?"

"You will stay here until I say otherwise. It's best for you to stay within the barrier I made around the house."

Great, house arrest! He groaned mentally. Honestly, he was not a child anymore. Without saying another word, he left to his study.

Prev Chapter 1—Prologue: New Charge Chapter 2—Day 1: House Arrest Chapter 3—Day 2: Changing Chapter 4—Day 3: Growing Up Chapter 5—Day 4: White Wings Chapter 6—Day 5: Affection Chapter 7—Day 6: To Know You Chapter 8—Day 7: Matter of Heart Chapter 9—Day 8: Beauty is a Curse Chapter 10—Day 9: Q&A Chapter 11—Day 10: See You Chapter 12—Epilogue: New Life Next