#34: Gakuen Alice (Natsume & Mikan)
...xXx...
...xXx...
Closing her eyes, the cold breeze of the night comforted her already cold being. Happiness no longer filled her life. What had gone wrong? Before coming back from their honeymoon, she had always thought he loved her. However, he no longer cared about her. She didn't know what she did wrong to deserve his cold eyes. They had stopped talking to each other since then. It had been five years, and he hardly stayed in the house for a day. Usually, he only came back to get changed, and that was all.
"Mikan-sama?"
Turning around to face her only maid in the house, Rin, she asked, "Yes?"
"Natsume-sama is on his way."
Heaving a sigh, she nodded. "Thank you, Rin."
It hurt whenever she saw his cold eyes, so she always stayed away from him whenever he came back. That was why Rin had come and informed her. Not wanting to confront him, she made her way out of their room. Their room was the only room that had a balcony, and because of that, she often went there to waste her time. The first year after their honeymoon, she had stopped sleeping in their room. Well, all of her things were still here, but she hardly slept in their bed. As she opened the room to leave, she saw him in the doorway. Seeing his slightly widened eyes, she guessed he was just as surprise as she was. To tell the truth, it had been a long time since they met face-to-face. After a few seconds, she broke eye contact and closed her eyes. And without saying anything, she left their room.
"The picture won't change no matter how long you stare at it."
Crimson eyes glared at the amethyst-eyed woman. Her face remained impassive as usual. He knew that that single feature ran in the family. They were, after all, cousins. Heaving a silent sigh, he leaned down into his comfortable chair.
"How long are you going to do this?"
"I do not know what you are talking about, Hotaru," he replied coolly.
Hotaru rolled her eyes mentally. "Don't play dumb with me, Natsume. You love her, why can't you just stop playing this stupid game?"
He growled at her. "I do not play games."
"Then, how long are you going to torture her? Another five years?"
"I'm merely keeping my promise to look after her," he said sternly.
She shook her head in disbelief. "Whatever. If you keep this up, I'm sure she will leave. When that time comes, don't tell me that I didn't warn you, Cousin."
As his cousin left, his eyes turned to look at the glass window of his office. It was a sunny day, but his heart wasn't as sunny because of his wife. He loved her, he wouldn't deny that, but he couldn't tell her his feelings, not when he still kept the truth from her. His attention turned to the framed picture on his desk. After gazing at one of the two men in the picture, he muttered, "Will you forgive me if I have her?"
He gazed back at the photos on his table and clenched his fist. Hotaru was right, sooner or later, she would leave him. No, he wouldn't allow her to leave him. No matter what happened, she would stay where she belonged to, and that was at his side, forever.
Her heart skipped a beat before beating furiously in her chest. Hope filled her senses as her beloved husband might have returned to her at last. Despite his cold attitude, she was hoping, praying that he would return to her. She couldn't help but feel the day was just getting better. Her meeting with Ruka had given her a newfound strength to keep going, to work their marriage out. She loved her husband too much to leave him.
His back was still to her as he began, "Where did you go?"
She blinked in surprise. "I was out meeting an old friend from college."
"Did you flirt with him?"
Shocked, she could only utter, "What?"
"I do not repeat myself."
Furious, she snapped, "I did not flirt with anyone!"
"Next time, you will report to me when you go out with a friend," he said in a commanding voice.
She stared at his back in disbelief. Anger filled her senses once more. "I will not. I'm not your play thing, and you do not own me!"
Finally, he turned to her. "As a matter of fact, I am. You are my wife, and you will do as you are told."
He saw it coming, but he made no move to stop it as her palm met his left cheek. It stung, but he thought he deserved it for what he had done to her.
She gasped as she realized what she had done, and tears filled her eyes. "N-Natsume… I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"
Her words fell upon deaf ears as he moved to leave her.
Her mind screamed in panic as she grabbed his arm. "No! Please don't leave me… I'm so sorry… Please don't leave me anymore. I'll do what you want. I won't—"
His fingers on her lips stopped her. More tears streamed down her face as she gazed into his eyes. His eyes were no longer cold; they were just as warm as she remembered.
"I'm sorry." He didn't know what he was thinking when he uttered those words. Yet, as he looked at her tears, he couldn't resist the urge to comfort her any longer. For the first time in his life, he hugged her. He held her tightly as she sobbed in his arms, holding him just as tightly.
When he was about to get up from bed, she caught his wrist. "W-where are you going?"
Upon detecting fear in her voice, he looked at his wife and caressed her cheek. "Meet me in the study when you're ready. There's something I need to tell you."
"I-it's everything—"
"Everything's fine," he murmured before leaning down to kiss her on the forehead.
His kiss eased her worry instantly as she relaxed. "I'll see you later then."
He nodded before going to his study. Today would be the day he told her the truth. Though he had been a jerk to her, he would make it up to her. He refused to lose her.
How are you? I am sorry for not telling you the truth until the end. I am the one whom you knew as Natsume until our honeymoon. I would like to apologise about Natsume. I know that he might have treated you wrong after I left. However, you must know that that guy always think about other people's needs before his owns. He has always thought that he betrayed me by having you. The truth is I have only one month left in this world, so I decided to ask Natsume to marry you.
You are married to Natsume, not me. After both of you left the church, Natsume and I met up at the airport to exchange place. I had asked him to go for the honeymoon, but he refused. Please do not take this to the wrong way. I have no intention of playing with your heart. I love you dearly, but Natsume loves you even more. Of course, he did not tell me this. I just know. After all, Natsume is my younger twin.
Do you still remember how we met? Actually, it was Natsume who found you first. He told me about you. As twins, we had been together for a long time, and Natsume had never mentioned girls until he met you. Obviously, he did not know how to approach you, so I came up to you and used his name. He did not know a thing until I asked him to marry you. That guy did not talk to me until both of you got married, you know. What I did is unforgivable, so I will not dare to ask for your forgiveness, but please, do not blame this on Natsume as he only did what I asked him to.
My only request is that you give Natsume a chance to prove how much he loves you.
Always yours,
Natsuki
When he returned home, he hid his shock when he found her in their room. She was wide awake, waiting for him.
Upon realizing his presence, she turned around to face him. "Welcome home, Natsume."
'I'm home, Mikan,' was what he wished to say, but his voice betrayed him. In the end, he only nodded in reply. While loosening his tie, he was utterly speechless when she approached him to help him, acting like a dutiful wife. He half-guessed that she might have hit her head somewhere today. "Are you alright?"
Her hands stopped unbuttoning his shirt as she looked up at him. "Yeah, I'm alright. Why?"
He shook his head and looked at anywhere but her.
Grasping her husband's shirt, she pulled him closer. "Look at me."
Slowly, he did what she asked, gazing at her beautiful face.
"Do you love me, Natsume?"
He blinked in surprise. Still, he truthfully answered, "I do."
"Look into my eyes and say that you love me." Her grip on his shirt tightened.
After looking into her eyes, he brought his hand to caress her cheek gently. "I love you, Mikan."
Tears gathered in her eyes before she flung herself at him. "Promise me that you won't leave me again."
He returned the hug and whispered, "I promise."
Mikan smiled tearfully into his chest. She finally understood what was so different about him and Natsuki. The man who vowed beside her on their wedding day was truly Natsume. She had always thought that he never smiled at her during the ceremony because he was nervous. However, the love in his crimson eyes told her otherwise. The intensity of his gaze was overwhelming. He didn't express his love and happiness to be with her through words.
She wanted to be angry, but she couldn't as she didn't lose anything, except for a part of her heart. Natsuki had never touched her even during their honeymoon. Even in their most intimate moments, they never went further than kissing. She had asked him why he didn't want to touch her, but Natsuki only smiled and told her he wanted to save it until they were home. Of course, she now knew the truth. Natsuki didn't feel right for touching her because she was Natsume's wife.
"Natsume…"
He hummed in response.
Pulling away slightly, she looked up at him. She slowly stood on her toes while wrapping her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. They stayed that way until he brought her closer by winding his arms around her waist and kissing her back. Tonight was their first real kiss after their wedding day. Their lips moved softly but without restraint or hesitation. They broke apart for awhile before starting again until they were breathless. After reaching their limits, they remained still in each other's arms with their foreheads pressed against one another.
Natsume opened his eyes and cupped his wife's face while caressing her cheek with his thumb. He kissed her small nose and muttered, "Thank you."
Mikan opened her slightly hazy eyes and smiled. "I wish to get to know you better, Natsume."
He let out a smile. "Me, too."
That night, they slept in their room together.
Natsume held his first twin with a small smile on his lips. He looked up at his tired wife and murmured, "I love you."
Her smile reached her eyes as she replied, "I love you, too, Natsume."
Three months was what they needed to know each other better. It didn't take so long since they had been living under the same roof for five years despite the lack of communication. Well, they did argue here and there especially during her pregnancy because of the mood swings. Still, they eventually worked out their differences.
Natsume was happy. Remembering his older twin, he named his first twin Ryusuki while the younger twin became Ryusuke. He would have used Natsuki, but since he had gotten himself twins, he had to find names that matched. To tell the truth, he didn't think this day would come. Mikan loved him because he was Natsume, not Natsuki. His lips tugged upward as his cousin and her fiancé, Ruka, joined them to take a look at their twins. He still wasn't sure how they both got together, but it didn't really matter to him as he finally got the family he had always wanted. Should he call this a second chance? Maybe not because Natsuki was the one who invited her into their lives. Then, should he call this a chance within another chance? It sounded weird, but he shrugged mentally. What mattered to him was that he was grateful for this chance.
"Mikan-sama?"
Turning around to face her only maid in the house, Rin, she asked, "Yes?"
"Natsume-sama is on his way."
Heaving a sigh, she nodded. "Thank you, Rin."
It hurt whenever she saw his cold eyes, so she always stayed away from him whenever he came back. That was why Rin had come and informed her. Not wanting to confront him, she made her way out of their room. Their room was the only room that had a balcony, and because of that, she often went there to waste her time. The first year after their honeymoon, she had stopped sleeping in their room. Well, all of her things were still here, but she hardly slept in their bed. As she opened the room to leave, she saw him in the doorway. Seeing his slightly widened eyes, she guessed he was just as surprise as she was. To tell the truth, it had been a long time since they met face-to-face. After a few seconds, she broke eye contact and closed her eyes. And without saying anything, she left their room.
...xXx...
Natsume narrowed his eyes as he scanned a dozen photos of his wife. Apparently, she went out to meet an old friend namely Ruka Nogi today. He knew the man, but they weren't that close during their elementary school. Even though he had never spoken a word to his wife, he monitored what she had been doing every single day."The picture won't change no matter how long you stare at it."
Crimson eyes glared at the amethyst-eyed woman. Her face remained impassive as usual. He knew that that single feature ran in the family. They were, after all, cousins. Heaving a silent sigh, he leaned down into his comfortable chair.
"How long are you going to do this?"
"I do not know what you are talking about, Hotaru," he replied coolly.
Hotaru rolled her eyes mentally. "Don't play dumb with me, Natsume. You love her, why can't you just stop playing this stupid game?"
He growled at her. "I do not play games."
"Then, how long are you going to torture her? Another five years?"
"I'm merely keeping my promise to look after her," he said sternly.
She shook her head in disbelief. "Whatever. If you keep this up, I'm sure she will leave. When that time comes, don't tell me that I didn't warn you, Cousin."
As his cousin left, his eyes turned to look at the glass window of his office. It was a sunny day, but his heart wasn't as sunny because of his wife. He loved her, he wouldn't deny that, but he couldn't tell her his feelings, not when he still kept the truth from her. His attention turned to the framed picture on his desk. After gazing at one of the two men in the picture, he muttered, "Will you forgive me if I have her?"
He gazed back at the photos on his table and clenched his fist. Hotaru was right, sooner or later, she would leave him. No, he wouldn't allow her to leave him. No matter what happened, she would stay where she belonged to, and that was at his side, forever.
...xXx...
To say she was shock would be the understatement of the year. When she got home, she found her husband waiting for her in their room, at the balcony to be exact. How strange that Rin didn't say a word about him being at home. Before she could attempt to leave, she heard him say, "Stay."Her heart skipped a beat before beating furiously in her chest. Hope filled her senses as her beloved husband might have returned to her at last. Despite his cold attitude, she was hoping, praying that he would return to her. She couldn't help but feel the day was just getting better. Her meeting with Ruka had given her a newfound strength to keep going, to work their marriage out. She loved her husband too much to leave him.
His back was still to her as he began, "Where did you go?"
She blinked in surprise. "I was out meeting an old friend from college."
"Did you flirt with him?"
Shocked, she could only utter, "What?"
"I do not repeat myself."
Furious, she snapped, "I did not flirt with anyone!"
"Next time, you will report to me when you go out with a friend," he said in a commanding voice.
She stared at his back in disbelief. Anger filled her senses once more. "I will not. I'm not your play thing, and you do not own me!"
Finally, he turned to her. "As a matter of fact, I am. You are my wife, and you will do as you are told."
He saw it coming, but he made no move to stop it as her palm met his left cheek. It stung, but he thought he deserved it for what he had done to her.
She gasped as she realized what she had done, and tears filled her eyes. "N-Natsume… I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"
Her words fell upon deaf ears as he moved to leave her.
Her mind screamed in panic as she grabbed his arm. "No! Please don't leave me… I'm so sorry… Please don't leave me anymore. I'll do what you want. I won't—"
His fingers on her lips stopped her. More tears streamed down her face as she gazed into his eyes. His eyes were no longer cold; they were just as warm as she remembered.
"I'm sorry." He didn't know what he was thinking when he uttered those words. Yet, as he looked at her tears, he couldn't resist the urge to comfort her any longer. For the first time in his life, he hugged her. He held her tightly as she sobbed in his arms, holding him just as tightly.
...xXx...
She snuggled closer to her husband and sighed in happiness as she felt his strong arms around her waist. If it was possible, she wanted to stay like this forever. Her beloved husband had finally returned to her now. However, it did not last long because he pulled away. She blinked her sleepy eyes open. "Natsume?"When he was about to get up from bed, she caught his wrist. "W-where are you going?"
Upon detecting fear in her voice, he looked at his wife and caressed her cheek. "Meet me in the study when you're ready. There's something I need to tell you."
"I-it's everything—"
"Everything's fine," he murmured before leaning down to kiss her on the forehead.
His kiss eased her worry instantly as she relaxed. "I'll see you later then."
He nodded before going to his study. Today would be the day he told her the truth. Though he had been a jerk to her, he would make it up to her. He refused to lose her.
...xXx...
Dear Mikan,How are you? I am sorry for not telling you the truth until the end. I am the one whom you knew as Natsume until our honeymoon. I would like to apologise about Natsume. I know that he might have treated you wrong after I left. However, you must know that that guy always think about other people's needs before his owns. He has always thought that he betrayed me by having you. The truth is I have only one month left in this world, so I decided to ask Natsume to marry you.
You are married to Natsume, not me. After both of you left the church, Natsume and I met up at the airport to exchange place. I had asked him to go for the honeymoon, but he refused. Please do not take this to the wrong way. I have no intention of playing with your heart. I love you dearly, but Natsume loves you even more. Of course, he did not tell me this. I just know. After all, Natsume is my younger twin.
Do you still remember how we met? Actually, it was Natsume who found you first. He told me about you. As twins, we had been together for a long time, and Natsume had never mentioned girls until he met you. Obviously, he did not know how to approach you, so I came up to you and used his name. He did not know a thing until I asked him to marry you. That guy did not talk to me until both of you got married, you know. What I did is unforgivable, so I will not dare to ask for your forgiveness, but please, do not blame this on Natsume as he only did what I asked him to.
My only request is that you give Natsume a chance to prove how much he loves you.
Always yours,
Natsuki
...xXx...
Natsume heaved a sigh after signing all paperwork for the day. He glanced at the clock and found it was nearly midnight. Knowing his wife's schedule, she might have already fallen asleep. A month had slipped by since he gave Natsuki's letter to her. She didn't say a word after reading the letter, and he didn't force her to. He knew that she needed time alone. If she truly wished to leave him, he would let her go. He was such a liar. Just before he gave that letter, he vowed not to let her go, but… as much as it hurt him, he would. He didn't want to, but he didn't want her to stay and see him as his older twin either. They resembled each other a lot, but they were not the same. Unlike him, Natsuki was more open about his feelings.When he returned home, he hid his shock when he found her in their room. She was wide awake, waiting for him.
Upon realizing his presence, she turned around to face him. "Welcome home, Natsume."
'I'm home, Mikan,' was what he wished to say, but his voice betrayed him. In the end, he only nodded in reply. While loosening his tie, he was utterly speechless when she approached him to help him, acting like a dutiful wife. He half-guessed that she might have hit her head somewhere today. "Are you alright?"
Her hands stopped unbuttoning his shirt as she looked up at him. "Yeah, I'm alright. Why?"
He shook his head and looked at anywhere but her.
Grasping her husband's shirt, she pulled him closer. "Look at me."
Slowly, he did what she asked, gazing at her beautiful face.
"Do you love me, Natsume?"
He blinked in surprise. Still, he truthfully answered, "I do."
"Look into my eyes and say that you love me." Her grip on his shirt tightened.
After looking into her eyes, he brought his hand to caress her cheek gently. "I love you, Mikan."
Tears gathered in her eyes before she flung herself at him. "Promise me that you won't leave me again."
He returned the hug and whispered, "I promise."
Mikan smiled tearfully into his chest. She finally understood what was so different about him and Natsuki. The man who vowed beside her on their wedding day was truly Natsume. She had always thought that he never smiled at her during the ceremony because he was nervous. However, the love in his crimson eyes told her otherwise. The intensity of his gaze was overwhelming. He didn't express his love and happiness to be with her through words.
She wanted to be angry, but she couldn't as she didn't lose anything, except for a part of her heart. Natsuki had never touched her even during their honeymoon. Even in their most intimate moments, they never went further than kissing. She had asked him why he didn't want to touch her, but Natsuki only smiled and told her he wanted to save it until they were home. Of course, she now knew the truth. Natsuki didn't feel right for touching her because she was Natsume's wife.
"Natsume…"
He hummed in response.
Pulling away slightly, she looked up at him. She slowly stood on her toes while wrapping her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. They stayed that way until he brought her closer by winding his arms around her waist and kissing her back. Tonight was their first real kiss after their wedding day. Their lips moved softly but without restraint or hesitation. They broke apart for awhile before starting again until they were breathless. After reaching their limits, they remained still in each other's arms with their foreheads pressed against one another.
Natsume opened his eyes and cupped his wife's face while caressing her cheek with his thumb. He kissed her small nose and muttered, "Thank you."
Mikan opened her slightly hazy eyes and smiled. "I wish to get to know you better, Natsume."
He let out a smile. "Me, too."
That night, they slept in their room together.
...xXx...
She was sore and exhausted through the pain she had endured for hours. Yet, all was worth it as she gazed at her twin bundles with happiness. Her baby boys possessed the same raven hair as their father, but they had her brown eyes. Her beloved husband joined them soon after. The happiness in his eyes was unmistakable. She was sure he would become a great father for their boys. It was really impossible not to like or love her husband when he was so attentive to her. True, he was a man of few words. People would think he was cold, but if they truly looked into his eyes, they would know better than that.Natsume held his first twin with a small smile on his lips. He looked up at his tired wife and murmured, "I love you."
Her smile reached her eyes as she replied, "I love you, too, Natsume."
Three months was what they needed to know each other better. It didn't take so long since they had been living under the same roof for five years despite the lack of communication. Well, they did argue here and there especially during her pregnancy because of the mood swings. Still, they eventually worked out their differences.
Natsume was happy. Remembering his older twin, he named his first twin Ryusuki while the younger twin became Ryusuke. He would have used Natsuki, but since he had gotten himself twins, he had to find names that matched. To tell the truth, he didn't think this day would come. Mikan loved him because he was Natsume, not Natsuki. His lips tugged upward as his cousin and her fiancé, Ruka, joined them to take a look at their twins. He still wasn't sure how they both got together, but it didn't really matter to him as he finally got the family he had always wanted. Should he call this a second chance? Maybe not because Natsuki was the one who invited her into their lives. Then, should he call this a chance within another chance? It sounded weird, but he shrugged mentally. What mattered to him was that he was grateful for this chance.
The End
Thanks for reading.
good story with a good happy ending :)
ReplyDeletewhat an amazing qstory you have
ReplyDeleteSweet story. Appreciated if there were more details. Thanks for the story
ReplyDeleteWonderful story! I love your plot 3
ReplyDeleteOrangeKiss
great story! really WOW! keep writing _
ReplyDeleteawwww! that was really cuteee :)
ReplyDeletethis is such a sweet oneshot in a way :)
ReplyDeleteLol youre right id doubt this would happen lol :) nonetheless , i love it :)
ReplyDeleteI really love the story. :)) Though, I didn't get the first part. But then, it was so nice. I love it. I got confused at the letter part. . Anyways, love your story. :))
ReplyDeleteI so so so love this story... It's so cute Natsume here has a twin and yeah, I'm glad he's not that bad towards Mikan. I thought he had hidden desires there, hehe.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work and I'll be looking forward for more interesting stories.
Chi
I am so confused.
ReplyDeletethis is awesome, as always:) continue having inspirations in writing! JA!
ReplyDeleteBEAUTIFUL.
ReplyDeleteone word to describe your story.
I so love it!
After reading your story, it made me realize again that LOVE really is a wonderful feeling hehe ...
Good job and keep writing beautiful stories :)
Awesum story! Hope u will write more stories w/ natsumeXmikan! :))
ReplyDeleteIt to0k me two m0nths beFore I finalLy dEcidEd to open this. I was afraid it would have a sad ending but instead, i have coMe to love thIs.
ReplyDeleteso sweet.
ReplyDeleteNot much lovey dovey moments
ReplyDeleteOoh... This was a nice story. I kinda feel bad for Natsuki though... He loved her too.. But he loved her enough to let he go. I feel happy and sad. I wonder what I should feel...
ReplyDeleteI love OC Natsuki! This piece was very beautiful and wonderfully written for me!
ReplyDeleteIt is so sweet...I'm so happy for Natsume...
ReplyDeleteI like this story... It sweet and it makes me want to all soft and jelly... Hehe, okay, that did not sounded right XD cool, keep up the inspiring work ;)
ReplyDeleteI have followed you from your Fanfiction times in Fanfiction. Just like always you don't disappoint me at all with your stories. I love this too
ReplyDelete