I'm really happy that the latest chapter was a success, well, on what I think at least. :)) I'm starting my summer vacation right now and there'll be more upcoming chapters to write. I'm sure you'll love this chapter. It's all about love, anger, resentment, jealousy, fangirls and ICE CREAMS?!
And I made this really long because I really took a long time on resting. I hope this doesn't make things dragging, though.
Disclaimer: I don't own GA. Fic: Mine
IV: Fate's Little Game
He's one of the least people she thought her fiancé would be but to her dismay, he is.
"WHAT THE HELL?! YOU'RE MY FIANCE/E?!" both of them exclaimed. For a moment, they let various emotions freely wander in their thoughts.
'I'm the bastard?!' Yukio exclaimed in his mind when he recognized right away the girl standing with a shocked emotion in front of him. He remembered talking to Yuu in the hospital room about the unidentified fiancé being a bastard not knowing that he was talking about himself. He, too, was astonished for he thought how small the world is because out of all the women in the world, why her? He might not want to admit it, but before he even knew the fact she was going to be his fiancé, he already took a little interest in her.
"Y-you're the pervert a while ago!" Mikan shouted as she rudely raised her right index finger and pointed it directly to him. Her delicate hands trembled tremendously for she can't believe how things in her life started to work twistedly like this.
"Eh?! You two know each other?" Akito asked, surprised emotions creeping on his face. He felt quite relieved and worried at the same time. Relieved, for the load of 'getting the two of them know each other' has lessened and worried, because the atmosphere they have right now is pretty tight.
"Pervert?! It's your fault for being such a pig!" He shouted as he brushed aside his father's flabbergasted inquiry.
"Wait! Something's wrong here. So, it's my fault?!" Well, she obviously knew it was completely her fault but she just wanted to win the argument.
"Of course it is! I was just trying to carry you to the hospital, idiot! Try changing your attitude or no guy will want the likes of y—"
SLAP!
"Stop it, Yukio." Akito's change of attitude frightened Mikan. His slap was harder than the other ones she saw on the movies. Yukio felt totally offended because he was humiliated in front of the public.
"How dare you humiliate our family in front of all people? Didn't I teach you good manners?! I sent you to a good school so that you will be the person I wanted you to be and succeed my company! I consented you to try the things you want to do but yet, you dare humiliate me. You're a disgrace to our family. I'm very disappointed at you, Yukio."
Yukio's face suddenly began to start getting dim which is very unlike him. "I…I always obeyed you because you're my father. I know it's also my obligation to respect you because you're my dad. I always wanted to be someone I wanted to be but when did I have that kind of freedom? When did you give me that kind of freedom? You decide things so quickly and you've always took control of my fucking life. I already accepted that fact a long time ago but taking control over hers as well is beyond the limit! You've already ruined a life yet you still want to ruin another one? How many lives will it take for you to be satisfied, huh? So this makes things all clear, isn't it? You're no better than mom."
Before Akito even reacted, Yukio walked out causing uproar within the restaurant walls. Mikan found herself confused on the flow of events which made her dumbfounded and speechless.
"I…I'm sorry for letting you witness that unnecessary scene. I apologize for making you come all the way here, but would you mind if we move this some other day? I have some things to deal with immediately." Akito said as he slightly pinched the bridge of his nose with his effeminate fingers.
"It's really okay. I don't mind. It's really my fault in the first place anyway. I really hope you settle things with your son, Tanaka-san." Mikan said in a comforting manner. She isn't that cold-hearted to add the depression Akito's been having by telling him that she was definitely not in agreement to the arranged marriage. Moreover, she was also quite thankful for the chance they've given her to think about a more reasonable excuse to cancel the engagement. Unfortunately, to her unawareness, Akito is already resolute in his decision.
"Thank you so much for understanding."
"I-it's nothing big." Mikan replied as she smiled nervously.
Akito exactly knew how she was opposed to this even without her words of resistance but he's already determined and decided not to give in. At the time Mikan was getting ready to go home, Akito stopped her for a second.
"Sakura-san, just so you know, I'm not changing my decision. I already thought about this choice a lot and I am in no doubt that you will be bearing my grandchildren."
'B-bearing?! Can't he choose words better than those?! I'm still a minor!' She thought.
"I know you've been opposed to this quite a lot and I don't want to sound conceited but I'm already sure of my plans and I'm never going to change it. I look forward to meeting you again." He continued to say as he smiled cunningly and hastily went out before her first.
Her first impression of him became completely vague. He had those keen silver-blue eyes which impersonated a leopard's while his intelligence and cleverness is as sharp as those as a snake's which accentuated his calm and cool figure. She ignored that entirely until he said the last thing he told her. At first sight, she thought he was scary but as soon as he smiled at her, she instantly thought he's not that bad. He even looked funny when she saw him dumbfounded. But all of that became obscure as she heard the intensely dismaying sentence. 'Never going to change it.'
'WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!'
(-)
'That was definitely scary! He can actually read my mind. I better be careful.' Mikan thought as she unconsciously bit her lip while trying to think of another plan. Suddenly, her phone started to ring. She hastily opened her milky white tote bag and got her phone.
"Hello?"
"Mikan. Are you okay?! Where are you right now?" the voice over the phone said in a very concerned feel.
"Hotaru?! I'm so glad you called! Yeah, I'm fine! It wasn't serious so don't worry." Mikan said in her usual carefree tone of voice.
"That's good to hear. I got something to tell you, so listen up."
"Okay." Unexpectedly, Mikan's attitude whenever Hotaru calls her isn't the usual as it is right now. Mikan felt the intense emotion over Hotaru's voice and it sounded like she's got something really important to say which gave her uneasiness and anxiety.
"I've been researching that old man you told me, Tanaka Akito, and it just so happens that he is—" Suddenly, she's been cut off by something.
"EH?! I'm out of battery!" She shouted as she looked at the now, dead phone. 'Aww…just when the good part came.' She thought as she sighed then continued to walk home.
'Damn it! She should really try her hardest to turn down the contract. Both her fiancé and his father is someone she shouldn't be acquainted with especially his cousin. She is really a natural magnet of bad luck.' Hotaru thought.
Mikan felt devastated because on where she was really looking forward to hear some information about her future family, there the unfit coincidence interrupted. When she got home, there she saw her grandfather unusually waiting for her outside, moreover, with a worried and a despairing expression.
"Jii-chan? What's wrong?" she inquired as she quickly went to his side.
"Mikan, I need to tell you something really important. Before that, I want you to promise me that you'll listen and to follow everything I'll say." he cautiously said as he placed both of his hands at her shoulders. She could feel the slight trembling of his hands and the draftiness of his tight hold. It felt unusual and weird but then, she nodded in response.
"Akito…."
Just hearing his name was good enough to send shivers to her spine. She gulped hard giving out a sign that she is buckled up for the crucial part of his sentence.
"…he wanted you to start staying at the mansion immediately." he managed to say for those words are also hard for him to let go. He loved her like she's his own daughter because she also reminds him of his deceased daughter. Mikan let out a soft gasp while her horror-stricken eyes started to overflow with tears for she can't bear the situation she's having right now. She wanted to run-away and escape everything but certain images surfaced her mind which stopped her from doing so.
Grandpa. Hotaru. Iinchou. Natsume.
'Wait, wait, wait! Why did his arrogant, conceited face took an appearance on my head? And furthermore, he looks really different and he was…smiling!' Suddenly, she felt a hint of pain at the left corner of her head which made her face twitch a little. Her grandfather noticed this and asked her if she's alright.
"Yeah, maybe it's just from the acci—" she eventually stopped when she realized that he doesn't have any idea about the accident that happened earlier. She doesn't want to add it up to his worries.
"Huh?" he said in a confused tone.
"...accidental meeting with a former classmate earlier. She had a lot to talk about and my head started to hurt because of the heat." Luckily, she found something to cover up the accident and added a fake laugh. 'Wow, that was close.'
"Oh, I see. But let's not change the subject, will we?" the seriousness in his tone didn't change even a bit. Mikan nodded once as she bent her head down. Mikan also began to get serious.
"Immediately? When?!" she asked as she remembered the thing he said earlier.
Her grandfather's face changed emotion all of a sudden. "Tomorrow." Just that one word, made her face gave the most expressive and horrifying front she gave away in her whole fifteen years.
"HOW CO—"she was about to say when another pang of pain occurred again in the same spot that she had awhile ago. But this time, it's much worse. She can see images in her mind that she doesn't remember doing and doesn't make sense at all while she clutched her head and winced a little because of the pain.
"What are you doing?! Daddy just bought this dress for me!" a young brunette in a white frilly dress said as she ran away from a boy that is chasing her with a garden hose.
"Ha-ha-ha! You're no fun!" the boy said and at the same time, he turned the garden hose on which made their backyard all damp and moist enough to make a muddy ground soil. The boy dropped the hose and bent down a little to reach the now mud-covered ground and scooped some of the muddy substance. To the girl's dismay, her eyes widened when she heard him smirk evilly.
"Oh no, you won't!" She shouted as she tried to run away from him. While running, her doll shoes got stuck in the mud and she found it hard to get it out. As he was getting closer, the girl panicked while her gaze transferred from her shoes to the boy and to and fro. Without any luck, she gave up when he reached where she was standing near. The boy smiled evilly then threw the mud directly at her dress then laughed. She treasured the dress her father gave her and seeing the large stain on it made her feel depressed. His victorious laugh added fuel to her dispirited position which led her to tears.
When the boy saw her crying, he said, "Hey. It's no big deal! The stain will be gone after you wash it, so don't cry." His words still weren't effective as she cried much harder which made him feel guilty.
"Hey." He said as he nudged her hand away from her face. His guilt became much bigger when she pushed his hand away from her. She buried her face deep in her hands which made her face hard to see. With failed attempts, he only has one solution to stop her from wailing. He bit his lip as he looked at her guiltily.
"Oi. Look, there's an airplane!"
"Where?!" Mikan lifted her head to see the plane but then the boy's rash actions made her unable to see the imaginary plane. He hastily cupped her left cheek and bent his head a little to his right then gave her one long still-kiss which made the little girl's welled-up eyes widen in shock. After a few moments, he broke the kiss and looked at her reaction carefully then said, "Sorry."
"WHOA!" she exclaimed in between her huffs.
'A dream?' she thought as she rubbed her temples. She was panting and sweating heavily. She vaguely remembered the thing her grandfather told her yesterday for she realized she just fainted all of a sudden last night. Next thing she knew, it was already late in the morning. She peered over in between the silky yellow curtains to have a better view of the day. As usual, it's still sunny and clouds became less visible than yesterday.
"OHMIGOD! I still need to talk to grandfather!" She exclaimed as soon as she remembered the last thing he said. She raced down the stairs not minding to doll herself up first. The strands of her hair are facing every direction possible and dried-up saliva is still clearly visible at the corners of her mouth.
"Jii-chan!" She called out. When she arrived downstairs, her eyes involuntarily fixed its gaze to someone really familiar. As soon as she realized the person in their house, inside their living room, sitting nonchalantly in their couch, she eventually lost trail of her voice while her eyes widened in aghast. The boy was still oblivious of her presence while he sat calmly with his eyes closed paired with a bored look. His iPod that is set to the maximum volume makes it impossible for him to hear anyone in his surroundings.
"Wha—?" she managed to say.
"Oh. So you're awake? How do you feel?" she heard his grandfather's voice from behind. She transferred her gaze at him giving him a very horrified front. She gave him an obvious 'what-is-he-doing-here-and-why-did-you-let-him-in' look. Her grandfather couldn't quite get it at first and then looked at the young lad sitting casually at the back, and then there he understood the situation. When he opened his mouth to say something, the boy stood and cut him off.
"Finally." he said nonchalantly and sighed in a bored manner while Mikan still had her back facing him. Mikan turned around animatedly and looked at him with feverish eyes that are full of questions. When his crimson eyes met hers, his eyes showed a stunned look while his jaw dropped down a bit.
"You're the girl?" he asked almost in a whisper.
"What girl?!" she said as she looked at him in extreme enmity.
'What he hell?! She's the fiancé?' he thought.
"Don't answer me with a question, idiot." he said as he rolled his eyes pretending to be bored.
'Idiot?!' she thought. "Why you—!" she attempted to approach him to give him another smack but has been stopped from doing so when her grandfather started to say something.
"Wait. So you two know each other? Mikan, you already knew Natsume-san?" his grandfather interrupted. The tone of his voice unusually sounded like he's hoping for something even though the situation right now is not something to be hoped for and his expression too, is strange.
"I know him yet I don't know...him?" she answered and getting confused with her own answer as she scratched her head.
"Are you dumb? What kind of answer is that?" Natsume said. 'This is bad. Having this idiot in the class makes it really annoying but living with her is worse. I don't know why but I just can't take my eyes off her and it makes it hard for me to keep my cool. Damn."
"Just…" he stopped to sigh as he raked his fingers through his raven-black hair.
'What is this pervert sighing about?!' Mikan thought.
"…stop this nonsense. You are wasting my time." Natsume continued to say giving off a tired look.
"What are you doing here anyways?!" she exclaimed in hostility.
"Picking you up, duh." he said while she looked at him in confusion. 'What is he talking about?' she thought. Mikan's grandpa become conscious of the situation and just realized that he hadn't talked to Mikan properly about the 'moving to the mansion' thing yet since she passed out yesterday.
"Mikan, remember what I told you yesterday?" he asked. Mikan nodded in response.
"I'm sure I've mentioned to you that Akito wanted you to move to his mansion right away and that is today. Natsume-kun here…" he said as he raised his hand and directed it to the crimson-eyed lad then continued, "…came to pick you up. So as to say, he is Akito-san's nephew and your fiancé's cousin. Since he lives there, you'll be living with him too."
She was again, shocked. How many times a day should she get shocked until she gets a heart attack? This time, she completely refuses to go at the mansion. Living with people she finds as weird and scary is already a reason to not to go. But, living with the person she hates the most is the biggest reason she couldn't survive a single day in that house for she considers it as hell.
"NOOOOOO!" she exclaimed. "I'm not, no, NEVER going to leave this house. I still wanna live!"
"Tch! Who said I want to live with an idiot like you?! I was forced to come here, stupid. That irresponsible fiancé of yours was supposed to be the one to get you here but since he's out to God-knows-where, that old geezer forced me to get you here." he said while looking annoyed. 'Or rather, threatened, would fit best. Damn that old man.' he thought as he cursed at him in his thoughts.
(-)
In the end, with no other choice, she lost the war. By the time she realized it, she found herself sulking inside the Tanaka's family limousine with Natsume sitting across her, looking irritated. Both of them tried not to look at each other, assuming not to talk to one another either. They looked so pissed off that curiosities and wonderments were immediately disregarded. They felt a little bit of pain wringing in their ears because of the deafening silence especially when they're inside a place that prohibits noise from the outside.
"Don't worry, Mikan. I'll be visiting you there frequently and you can go visit me anytime you want." She remembered her grandpa told her before leaving. She can't believe the reaction her grandpa gave her for he hadn't, even once, looked sad when she left. Instead, he smiled it off which is painful for her to accept. She even thought something pathetic like, "Is he happy because there's no one to bother him anymore or the amount of burden he's been carrying has decreased? Am I a burden to him?" But then, she came to realize that he surely have a reason because he isn't that kind of person. She knows how he loves her so much and she completely understood that behind that smile, painful and sad emotions are overwhelming in his heart…just like hers.
"—pid. Are you even listening?"
She snapped back to reality when she heard the last sentence. "Huh? Did you say something?" she asked.
"You're such an idiot. Where did your empty brain fly off to? I was talking to you like a couple of minutes ago." Natsume retorted.
"Well, sorry for being an idiot since my empty brain can't pass your level that it makes it hard for my brain to swallow your words. That means, there's no need for us to talk. Just talk to my hand since it's much smarter than my brain and maybe both of you would get along." She said sarcastically as she held up her hand and stuck it in front of his face.
"I don't want to play your stupid games. I'm asking on what happened to you and that guy." he asked seriously.
She doesn't want to make a fool out of herself on being such a bitch while he was being serious with the matter. Mikan made a year worth of sighs before she said something to him. "What do you mean?" she asked confusingly as she crossed both of her arms in her chest.
"Why did Yukio run off during that day? What happened?" he asked nonchalantly with a hint of seriousness in his eyes.
"Why do you care anyways?" she wanted to say, but instead told him, "I really don't know. It happened so fast. I can't seem to remember everything."
Natsume thought it's hopeless to push her more for the answers but did it anyways. "Just tell me the parts that you remember." He said. Her anger in him seemed to slowly fade away, or let's just say she forgot it because of his uncharacteristic self.
"Why?" she asked out of curiosity. It's kind of unusual for him to be this patient especially when it comes to something he wants. He just feels comfortable when talking to her even though there are a bit of arguments and silly commentaries in between; he found it amusing and just listening to her voice makes him feel relaxed and at the same time, confused because he wanted for her to not stop talking. It's as if he wanted to recall something that doesn't even exist.
"It doesn't matter why. Just tell me what you remember." he said as he rolled his eyes in impertinence. Mikan was wondering why he wanted to know it that much; it's as if it's related to him. Mikan told him all what happened starting from the accident until the end of the dinner while Natsume listened to her carefully. Of course, he hid it with a bored look and yawned once in a while, while she was stating what happened which caused her to be irritated for a bit.
"Okay." He said in an irksome manner as he leaned his head on the car seat then closed his eyes. 'Unbelievable. What the heck is with him?! He asks me with such impatience and I got an OKAY for an answer? Can't he even say THANK YOU?! He doesn't even have anything to do with it at all! I should've known. I'm just wasting my saliva on him.' She thought as she stared at him in disbelief.
"Natsume-sama, Mikan-sama, we've arrived." the driver said. She looked outside the window at her left and saw a normal-looking house. She was even wondering where they park the limousine for there were no any other spaces for it to settle. Suddenly, someone softly grabbed the sides of her head and turned it facing the other side of the window.
"You're looking the wrong way, idiot." Natsume said as he smirked in amusement. Her glimmery eyes widened when she saw the biggest house she ever imagined, no, more than she imagined. There are different styles of limousines and cars that are parked in their elegant garage. Expensive-looking beautiful flowers in the front yard show the family's wealth and spruceness. And to top it all off, a complicated-looking shiny black gate stood in front of all those mentioned, show power and security you can never underestimate.
When she got out, she saw Natsume talking to a...gate? Her naivety is still as big as ever. 'What the…is he crazy?' She peered over him as he looked at her back with his right eyebrow raised up. "What?" he asked nonchalantly.
"Why…" she said as she pointed at the gate. "Huh?" Natsume said as he gave her a complicated look.
"That, Madame, is a communication device used to intercommunicate with the people inside the mansion. Its main purpose is for security reasons." someone familiar stated behind them. Both of their heads yanked and faced the opposite side because of the unexpected response. Then, there they saw Akito, possessing a big happy grin on his face.
"Oh, so both of you are already starting to get along." he stated as he chuckled. 'Natsume, you foolish boy. Even though memories in your thoughts have long past gone, memories in your heart will never fade away.'
"That will never happen!" she proclaimed. Suddenly, Natsume felt something painful that lurked around his chest while he clutched it. Akito noticed this and smiled wittingly.
"Hn. I don't care about that idiot. I have my own priorities and that girl doesn't even qualify to be called a priority and never will." He riposted.
"Oh, really? Think back on what you said Natsume. You might regret it." Akito smiled as he faced Mikan. "Natsume, be a gentleman and lead her the way." he whispered to his nephew. Natsume completely knew what he meant by being a 'gentleman'. He refused but Akito glared at him along with the expression which he familiarized that sent shivers to his spine. Suddenly, Natsume looked at Mikan in defeat and reluctantly lent his hand to her waiting for her to accept it. She looked surprised by his change of attitude and hesitated for a moment whether or not to accept it for she found him acting really weird. But then, moments passed and he still held his hand out for her. She made a quick glance to Akito to make sure it's not one of their tricks. Akito gave her a nod of approval then Mikan turned her attention back to Natsume. Still quite suspicious, she took his hand and he took a grip on it. Suddenly, both of them felt something warm lingering in their body that started on their linked fingers. It's just that, they sensed something familiar with the warmth of their touch.
While walking, Mikan felt curious. "By the way, Tanaka-san, where is Yukio-kun?" she asked unaware of the murmurs of the servants following them. They thought that she's being too familiar with Yukio-san which infuriated Akito. Being the one closest to his servants, he said, "Isn't this none of your business? I think it's not wrong for her to address Yukio that way since they're already affianced to each other, aren't they?" On the way he said it, if you just let it pass by your ears, you'll assume it's a friendly way of correcting someone making the mistake. But if you really try to comprehend his sentence, he's actually being sarcastic and the tone of his voice tells you to mind your own business or you'll be seriously dead. The servants exactly knew what he meant by that which terrified them a lot. Luckily, Mikan and Natsume were lost in their own little world which made them to not hear a thing.
"That boy. Remember that time at dinner, Mikan-chan? He ran off and didn't come back. You know, he was supposed to be the one to be taking you here." Akito diverted his attention to Mikan by responding her recent question.
"Is that so? I wonder where he went. I'm pretty worried for him." She said. She felt guilty for she knew it was entirely her fault. 'So she cares for him, huh?' Natsume thought as he tightened his grip on Mikan's hand, oblivious with his own actions. Mikan felt the pain and hastily took her hand out from his grip. Akito, being the one at the back following the two, was shocked to see her sudden reaction.
"That hurts!" she cried to Natsume, confusing Akito and the servants.
"Natsume, what did you do to her?" Akito demanded with a serious expression. Mikan found today's flow of events familiar to the ones last night's. She feared that he might do to Natsume what he did to Yukio at that time.
"Ah, it's really nothing, Tanaka-san. I just felt something and overreacted. Hahaha." she said. Natsume then realized what he just did and regretted it. He felt abased for he, a guy, was saved by a girl.
"That's a relief. By the way, you're too formal! Just call me by my name since we're going to be in-laws soon." He jumped in excitement. When they arrived in the mansion, Akito showed her her own room, which was located at the second floor and is unfortunately located between her fiancé's and his cousin's room. But all of those appalling thoughts had disappeared when she became enticed by her own room. For a moment, she felt like a princess. She has a bed which has satin cloths flowing above it, her own 46-inch LCD TV, a bathroom which is larger than her previous bedroom, and a bathtub (more like a Jacuzzi) which can accommodate an entire family at once. But the best of all, she has her own personal maid. Akito saw her expression and stared at her amusingly. 'You can never get tired of looking at this girl.' He thought.
Mikan seemed absorbed and lost in fantasizing, Akito decided to leave her alone first.
(-)
She was having a lot of fun in her own room. Mikan and Maria, her personal maid, got along in an instant. It seemed that they are very similar in interests but very different in looks. Maria has long lilac-colored hair and her eyes are blue like the ocean. She is kind-natured and very feminine in attitude which makes not only the guys fall head over heels for her, but her oozing pheromones also attract girls.
Mikan decided to visit Hotaru for she forgot to call her back yesterday. Her curiosity began to come back to her that's why she just doesn't want to settle things by phone or something coincidental might happen again. She asked Akito if it is okay for her to go out. After that, he willingly sent a lot of guards and a limousine for her to use. She doesn't think it's quite necessary and asked him if she could go alone. To her surprise, he granted her the permission without any unnecessary arguments. 'I guess it still takes time for her to adapt. Better not to take it hard on her.' He thought as he smiled.
She immediately went out of the house and used the shortcut she knew that would lead her directly to the Imai's—the park. When she got there, dozens of kids are playing around happily which made her smile. When's the last time she smiled?
MIKAN'S POV
A lot of things happened lately. I miss Grandpa so much. I wonder what's he doing right now. Is he eating right? Did he miss me too? I've completely forgotten about that engagement affair and let my guard down! I was supposed to make a plan on how to cancel all of these and to pretend that nothing had happened! I even went and lived at their house which was beyond my expectations. It's just that, Akito-san is so kind and friendly that I've forgotten all about it! I decided to stay at the park for a moment and to catch some breeze. I sense something familiar about this place. Lately, I've been having these weird images in my mind that I don't even seem to remember doing. And when I remember it, my head seems to hu—
Ow! My…head….hurts…again.
"Stop!"A little girl shouted. Where is this place? Wait. I'm still at the park. I thought I fainted again a while ago but a lot in the surroundings has changed. How can something change in a second? Weren't there an ice cream parlor at the far end near the monkey bar and a bench behind me with an old lady sitting with her dog? And I don't seem to remember seeing…
ME?
Wait. That's me! If I'm here, who's that?! I'm sure I look like that as a child. She exactly looked like me which left me feeling terrified. All I can see is that child's face and the faces of the other kids are unusually blurry. Who is that girl talking to?
"Don't be such a scaredy-cat. It's just a worm." the boy said to the girl as he approached her. She tried to back off away from him but he approached her faster than she could get away from him. He placed the squirming worm at her bare shoulders then she shrieked.
I have this feeling that I knew what'll happen next. Will she faint?
I waited for her reaction to see if it's really true. After moments, she looked like she was about to fall. Suddenly, she fell down then…fainted. The boy went down to his knees and shouted her name. "Mikan! Mikan!" When I heard that, I felt my heart just jumped out from my chest.
"Oi. Mikan. Mikan? Wake up. Hey." I felt someone shaking me with my shoulders. I opened my eyes and saw Yukio. Where am I? I looked at the surroundings. Ice cream, bench, lady, dog…where's the girl?! Where is she?! I need to help her! I panicked and tried to stand up but Yukio stopped me from doing so.
"Hey! What happened to you? What are you trying to do?!" He demanded. His face came closer to mine which allows me to see his features more clearly. He had a pimple-free face and I doubt he had any pimples before. His eyes, silver and gray in color, looked really concerned. A lock of his brown hair hung carelessly on his forehead that reached the top of his eyelid. He was sweating and panting which made him look like he just ran a mile. "Where's the girl?! She just fainted! I need to help her!" I shouted having my attention diverted to…her.
"What girl? No kid fainted in here and if someone fainted, that was you." He said. Me? So all of that was a dream? He helped me stand up and I sat down to calm down. I've been fainting a lot too.
I rubbed my temples and I did a lot of thinking. I don't know what's happening to me. I should ask Grandpa or Hotaru for some advice, maybe they could help.
NORMAL POV
Mikan seemed to be really deep in thought that she even forgot Yukio's presence. He was looking at her worriedly and began to get curious on what's lurking on her mind. He really wanted to know. The hot wind picked up Mikan's long auburn hair in its sweaty fingers. Yanking her hair, the wind circled to get a tighter grip. She grabbed her hair back, making a ponytail in her wrist and holding it. Yukio was staring at and was getting amused by her movements. She looked like she was thinking deeply in thought that her body unconsciously moved on its own.
Mikan noticed his light chuckle then she stared at him in confusion. "What?" she asked.
"Nothing." He said with a taunting smile.
"You're making fun of me, aren't you?" she said as she pouted her lips. There's something about her which makes someone draw themselves to her more. That time, he found her really pretty as the wind blew her hair upward.
"Maybe." He responded then he laughed. 'It's not funny!' she thought. She looked angry. He felt guilty for making fun of her and to compensate for it, he decided on something.
"I'm sorry, okay? I'll treat you some ice cream." He said. 'Ice cream?! You think I'm a kid?! But still…' she thought. There are two things in the world that just by hearing its name, Mikan will start drooling and the want of having it right away will spark and ice cream is just one of the two.
"Okay." She said as she started fantasizing about its heavenly taste, its rich color, the alluring sweet smell and…
"Here." he suddenly cut her off. She looked at him and smiled at him genuinely which made him blush a little.
"Yukio-kun, by the way, when are you coming home?" Mikan asked out of the blue. "How'd you know I wasn't at my house?" he said as he focused his attention to Mikan and only to her.
She gulped hard because telling your fiancé, who doesn't have any idea yet, that you've started living on his house, is pretty embarrassing. Yukio, who was beginning to get impatient for her answers, raised his eyebrows. "So?" he nudged her again for the answers.
"Your dad told me to…stay at your house."
"You went to my house?" he asked with a demanding and angry tone. Mikan was quite offended by the tone of his voice because it's as if he never allowed her to go there.
"Yes, and I'M going to live there." She said in a grim manner to anger him more.
"WHAT?!" he exclaimed.
"Yes, that's right."
"I thought you were opposed to this! Do you know what happens when you let that damn old man have a single bit of an opportunity to control you?! Do you have any idea?!" he yelled at her as he painfully grabbed Mikan shoulders and shook it. Mikan felt terrified; her face full of fright and panic.
"I am opposed to this! It's just that, I sometimes lose control over myself and before I know it, I'm already going with the flow!" she said.
"Are you dumb?! Nobody controls yourself but you! And I regret thinking that you're smarter than I thought because you're too stupid to be easily captured by that bastard's ha—"
SPLAT.
Mikan cut him off as she threw the ice cream straight to his face. Her eyes are starting to well up on her eyes because of his hurtful words.
"Do you know what? Yes, I admit that I'm stupid. You, Natsume and everyone says I'm dumb! But I'm not that dumb to be already immune to all of your hurtful words! I also have my own feelings and every time everyone calls me those words, I still feel pain. It's as if everyone is telling me I'm really useless…" she said as tears started to flow down her cheeks. Yukio realized he's being too selfish to not to think about how she feels. He carefully loosened his grip on her then he let go. He hid his face with his long brown fringes, trying to hide the regret he's been having. He just stood there and listened to her cry.
"….Akito-san is really kind to me, you know. That's why I'm somewhat jealous of you for having a father like that. Even though you hated him so much, you should still be grateful because you have a father. I…I lost my parents when I was still very young. I even forgot what I did with them, what they look like or how they talk like. It's very nostalgic when I think of them…I always wished they were still here." She continued to say. Yukio remembered the times he and his father shared. They really have a lot of memories together. He realized that his father is just being a...father and Yukio himself is the one being selfish. He was ashamed of himself.
Mikan stood up and gave him a handkerchief. "Sorry about the ice cream, Tanaka-kun. I don't know how much you dislike me but I'll try my best to cancel this engagement. I promise not to bug you again." She said as she walked away. Yukio felt his heart shatter to a million pieces. Before he even realized he was in love with her, his heart was already broken.
Mikan ran faster than she could. She decided to tell Akito to cancel the engagement and to go back to their normal selves. She doesn't want to interfere and to ruin their lives anymore. When she got to the mansion, the gate opened for her, it's as if they're waiting for her to come home.
When she went inside, Akito was waiting for her with Natsume standing reluctantly beside him. They looked really suspicious because servants lined up behind them.
"Ah. Mikan, you've arrived! I have some news to announce." He said as he raised his hand.
"Huh?" she said.
Akito smiled and gestured something for the musicians to play. "I've decided to have Natsume-kun here, to be also your fiancé. So, Natsume and Yukio are the candidates for your hand of marriage."
"WHAT?!" she cried. She looked at Natsume if he looked like he's also opposed to this like she does but his face carry no emotions at all. Mikan's eyes widened in despair. Her plans won't do anymore since she has two fiancé's. Her problem has doubled up and it will be much harder for her to deal with.
X END X
What'll happen next?
Hope you guys liked it! Well, I planned to make this much more longer than this but my mom just gave me heaps of household chores and I need to upload this chapter today. I'll be away for three whole days in NY and I don't want you guys to wait longer. So, I hope you had fun and please review!
Hanaler87
Oh, and I really thank the people who reviewed and favorited my story. You guys are my inspiration! ^_^