Pull the Trigger, a Gakuen Alice Fanfiction

Chapter I - .Target Locked.

The deserted streets were dark and foreboding. No light illuminated from the lampposts nearby. Everything was silent, except for the quiet rustling of paper.
A man, my target, stood nearby the lamppost, fingering the money he had stolen. With my keen eyesight, I saw his appearance. He was hawk-nosed, tall and lanky. His greasy brown, graying hair was damp, bathed in sweat, as if he had been running in the heat for hours. Didn’t look like he could run fast. Perfect.
I crept closer swiftly, hidden in the shadows. He, to be expected, didn’t notice me, and continued checking the money. Too bad his life ended here. I pressed my gleaming silver gun to the side of his head. He froze, cold sweat sliding down his wrinkled face. I retained my stoic expression. Nothing could be heard besides the quiet chirping of the crickets and the trees’ swaying branches in the cool night air.
“Please, no! I-I’ll give you the money!” He said, eyes wide, the money dropped to the ground. He didn’t pick it up. Tch. I didn’t care about the money. This was my job.
“Shut up. Say your last prayers before I shoot, and hopefully you’ll go to Heaven. But I seriously doubt that.” I muttered darkly. His eyes grew wider in realization.
“Y-You’re the Black Cat, aren’t you?” Well, of course. But it’s not like I’ll tell him that. I’m not one of those other dumb assassins who shout out their identity for the world to hear. I placed my finger on the trigger. He felt my movement, and begged.
“Please, no! I’ve got a family at home!” He said, trying in vain to be pitied. I didn’t show pity to my victims. And besides, he was faking it anyway.
“Takahashi Akito. 38. June 24, 1970. Robber, works under Mureoka Kenji. Single. Family murdered.” He was speechless. I knew all this, of course. Persona informed me of everything.
“P-Pleas – “ So he regained his tongue, did he? Well, say goodbye. I pulled on the trigger. He fell on the cold pavement, lifeless, blood splattered all around his body. His eyes remained wide open, in shock. I didn’t care. I wasn’t supposed to care.
I disposed of the body, leaving no evidence. Like I always did. I always killed, took the lives of others. Innocent or not, it made no difference. I wasn’t allowed to actually live a life. Nor to show emotion. That was just the way it was. That was the life of an assassin.

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“Good work, Black Cat,” He said. I grunted, turning away from that beast. Persona smirked, flipping through papers, “Wait.” I halted for a second. Probably another mission.
“One more thing for you to do.” I was right. He shoved the papers he was leafing through into my hands. I quickly scanned them. Great. Another kidnapping. Apparently, I was supposed to kidnap this Sakura Mikan. She was from this rich family and Persona needed her for ransom. Typical. A picture of a slim brunette was paper-clipped onto the sheet of paper. Sheesh, her name sounded so... girly. Well, the fact that she was a girl made it inevitable.
“Black Cat,” I looked up to see Persona’s masked face staring at me with his deathly blank eyes, “This mission is extremely important. Do whatever it takes to complete the mission necessary.” Important? Nothing ever seemed important to Persona. Other than killing, of course. The sadist. Wait, who am I to say that? I’m a sadist too, in a way. Not that I’d admit it to anybody who wanted to live.
“Yeah, whatever.” I said, turning around, grimacing. I walked away, feeling his gaze burn holes into my back. That was ironic, since I had the fire Alice. It was to be kept secret, of course, unless I wanted to be taken away. That was the whole reason I was forcefully recruited into Persona’s damned organization. I’m in or I’m turned in. No other way.
“And another thing,” What was it about now? Feeling pissed, I turned around, “Black Cat, this must be completed within three months,” Three months? Persona never gave a time limit. And 3 months as well! That was way too long to complete a mission. But he knows me; I could finish a mission in less than a week. Sometimes in 2 days at the least. Maybe this mission would be harder than usual. But that didn’t matter, at least for now. I had a lot of time in my hands, and I felt glad.
Feeling thirsty, I went out for a drink, dressed in black, with a dark cap covering my face. For precautions. I wore a mask when I went on missions, so nobody could identify me, but I’d still have to take some more security measures.
The night air was cool and many people stalked the busy streets. I ignored the points and squeals of annoying fan-girls. They only liked me of my outer appearance. Everybody did, except my best friend. I brought out my iPod out of my denim jacket’s pocket, popping the earphones into my ears. Loud music blared from the miniscule speakers and I unconsciously bobbed my head to it, with small, slight movements nobody could identify.
The tall, dark buildings of present day Tokyo loomed from all around me, but I kept my attention on the music and not falling on my feet. The dirty sidewalk pavement was smooth and I strode off, ignoring the curious and admiring gazes my way.
I did go to school too, under my real name. In the organization though, I was known only as “Black Cat,” and nothing else. A mask shielded me from the penetrating eyes of fellow members, forced to do Persona’s bidding. I wasn’t allowed to befriend anybody, nor get close with anyone, even if they were from the same organization. But that was the only rule I broke. “Trust no one.” I remembered Persona’s words when I first set foot into the organization’s vicinity. I had learned to live with that fact, until one day, I met Ruka.
“Natsume!” I turned to see my best friend, Ruka Nogi, running towards me, his pet rabbit on his shoulder. Speak of the devil. He didn’t know I was an assassin, and I wasn’t planning anytime soon to tell him about it. I wouldn’t endanger him letting him know about that. I was always the loner in my school; I stayed away from nearly everybody. Except Ruka. What was going in his darned mind when he approached me? Only Heaven knows. Whenever I tried to pry him away, he stuck right on, refusing to let go. Before I knew it, I grew accustomed to his presence. Well, what could I do? All I could do was try to keep it a secret from Persona, which was currently working, for now. But I knew Persona’s ways, he’d find out. Sooner or later.
“Hn,” I muttered. How did he recognize me in this get-up? I slowed down a bit for him to catch up to me. He did, breathing in and out in exhaustion. He wasn’t exactly very athletic, more of the animal-lover type. After catching his breath, he turned to me, grinning.
“What’s up?” He asked. I shrugged, hands in my jean pockets and strode off toward our usual hangout – The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. I was 17; I could drink coffee. Heck, even if I wasn’t of age, I still would. Where would I get a decent stress reliever if I didn’t? And I don’t take drugs. Drugs are a serious waste of life. But I did smoke occasionally. But not to the point that my life would be in danger. I wasn’t stupid. I knew what smoking could do to a person, so I smoked only rarely.
We entered the busy building and settled at the remotest table. It was noisy, and I didn’t like it. But it was the nearest place I could get a decent cup of coffee. It was bright, fluorescent light bulbs showered the room in light, comfortable looking chairs and sofas were scattered across the room accompanied by polished, shiny wooden tables, crowded by rowdy teenagers and some adults looking disheveled and stressed. Probably using coffee as a good stress-reliever, like I do.
“May I take your order?” A sickeningly high, flirtatious voice spoke. I looked up to see a girl of about my age, batting her eyelashes in a seductive manner. She was a tall blonde, her hair sleeked into a tight ponytail at the side of her head. Her face was coated with heavy makeup, and she made the restaurant uniform she wore look so... ugh. I mentally shivered in disgust.
I turned to see Ruka looking green, like he couldn’t wait to get to the restroom and hurl. Not that I didn’t want to throw up too; I would have gladly done so, if it was to escape from this... thing. I didn’t reveal any of what was going in my mind though, and kept my face stoic.
“Espresso. Decaf.” I muttered lazily, leaning back into the seat, trying not to look at her. I could hear her giggle though, and that nearly made me hurl right then and there. Why did I have to born with these looks? I had jet-black, raven hair, and crimson red eyes. My skin wasn’t white, nor was it dark, it was... decent. And, after all those missions for the organization, I grew muscular, but not overly muscular. Sure, I was proud of my looks, but sometimes, I’d just like to be invisible. Too bad that was something I could only do when I went on missions, and was accompanied with a high expectation of death if I didn’t.
Ruka nodded, and asked for something less strong. I didn’t know what, I was too busy trying not to hurl. Thankfully, the waitress left and we were able to actually take a deep breath.
“I thought she would never leave,” I looked at Ruka, who was grinning sheepishly, looking relieved beyond comprehension. I resisted the urge to grin back.
“Hn,” I settled for that. It wasn’t a bother to Ruka, he was used to my unresponsiveness.
We waited patiently for our orders, hoping that woman wouldn’t be the one to serve us again. We remained silent, Ruka gently petting his rabbit. As always. Nothing different. Our orders were served, and thankfully, it was a man who had delivered it. I heard Ruka release a sigh of relief. I released one too, in my mind.
“Your orders, sirs.” The man said, setting down the mugs of coffee on the table. I nodded in response and the man left. I took the mug and gulped down some of the coffee. The mug wasn’t very big, and the amount of the espresso was half empty. I growled in frustration. Ruka seemed to sense my anxiety.
“You want another?” He said, motioning to call another waiter. I shook my head. Espresso could do wonders on a stressed mind, but drinking too much was trouble.
I sighed, sipping a bit of my espresso, taking off my jacket. It wasn’t so cold anymore, and the coffee helped a lot.
“N-Natsume?!” I turned to look at Ruka. His sudden outburst was surprising, not that I’d admit it to anyone. He was pale, pointing at my arm. Uh oh. I looked at my arm, suddenly remembering the large bullet wound etched deep into my arm due to a tough mission a few days back. I had tried to cover up by wearing long-sleeved shirts and jackets, but now, it looks like I was busted.
“It’s nothing, Ruka.” I muttered, staring out into the misty window. Hey, if I was ratted out, I’d just try to “wing it” and ignore the matter.
“Don’t ‘nothing’ me! Something’s going on, Natsume. And I’m worried!” I frowned, turning to face Ruka. His forehead was creased in lines, his eyebrows furrowing, and his eyes were clearly expressing his concern. Great, just great.
“I told you, Ruka. We’ve been through this before. It doesn’t concern you,” I said, massaging my own forehead. At first, the coffee was helping, and now another stress-inducer in the form of my best friend? Great, now that’s helping a lot.
“Well, as you’re best friend, I think it just so happens to concern me.” He had a point there, but I wouldn’t just give in that easily. He didn’t have to know about it. That burden wasn’t meant for him to carry. It was mine.
“Look, Ruka. Not now. It isn’t the time.” I said, staring at him, trying to make him understand the serious predicament I was in. I was serious about this. He’d be in a whole heap of danger if he knew. And I wasn’t on planning that to happen. He seemed to understand, at least part of it, and released a defeated sigh.
“All right, fine. I won’t push the matter any further, but you should know, Natsume. I will find out,” Ruka said.
That sounded strange coming from Ruka’s mouth; I had to admit. I mean, please. “I won’t push the matter any further, but you should know, Natsume. I will find out,”? That sounded like a line from some corny movie I wouldn’t dare watch. But Ruka did seem serious. And he was certainly smart enough to find out what I was up to. I’d have to be extra careful from now on.
“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered, relieved that he wouldn’t press the matter any further. I couldn’t keep making excuses to cover my sorry butt for long. I asked for the bill from a passing waiter. This was more than enough espresso I could handle for one night. I’d probably not be able to sleep very well – that is, if I could sleep at all. Yeah, it was most likely. Ruka looked disheveled and tired, so we made our way out after we split the bill.
The busy streets weren’t so busy anymore. It was nearly deserted, only a few people roamed the streets. It was pretty late already. I checked my watch. 12:58. Nearly one in the morning. Ruka and I went our separate ways, and I headed back to the school’s dorm. Ruka went back to his house, preferring to stay there instead of the school’s dorm system. I didn’t have a home to stay in, and living in the organization’s headquarters would be hell, so I had no other choice but to stay in the dorms, whether I wanted to or not.
Seishun Academy was a strict, prestigious school where all the elites in Japan were gathered. I just so happened to be one of those elites. I know what you must be thinking, “Wow, good-looking and a genius? Must be some perfect kid!” Perfect, yeah right. My life was screwed up, and bad. My family was murdered and I worked in an organization where all I did for a living was kill. Some perfect kid I turned out to be. Actually, studying in Seishun was a good cover up. Who would suspect a perfect, top-student studying in the infamous Seishun Academy to be a lethal assassin? That’s right. No one.
The school’s hallways were deserted and bathed in darkness. Seemingly quiet, nothing disturbed the hallowed halls. I was probably the only student awake at this hour, unless someone had also taken too much espresso.
I headed towards my own dorm room, which was only occupied by me. Being top student certainly had its advantages.
My room was by far the largest and grandest of all the others in the academy. I was the “genius” yet also an “outcast.” I didn’t socialize with anyone besides Ruka. I knew what everybody thought about me. Ruthless. Cold. Unfeeling. Different. It was true; I was like that. There was no point denying it.
The exquisite dorm was huge and spacious. Expensive and vividly colored paintings sheltered by beautifully detailed antique frames adorned the walls. My favorite of all was a small painting that hung above my bed. It wasn’t as big or grand as the others, but I liked it the best. The painting featured a sea. And seashore. It all looked so real. The movements of the waves and the clear blue sky, with fluffy white clouds which so resembled cotton balls drifting in the warm summer air. On the seashore stood two small beings, crouched on the sand, making something. A sandcastle. It didn’t take long for me to find out. They were children, the two small beings, a boy and a girl. I couldn’t see their faces; their backs were turned to me. The boy was dark-haired, and the girl was a brunette, was all I knew. But either way, I liked it.
The frame that shielded the painting wasn’t very grand either. It was a plain, woodenly carved frame. But that didn’t bother me. It was expertly carved, was all I cared about. It was carved in such a unique way – the frame’s pattern was ...the branches of a tree. It was strange. The tree entwined with the frame, but it was bare. No leaves in sight. But the strangest thing was, though it produced no leaves, it bore fruit. But a fruit I didn’t recognize.
Besides the paintings, my dorm had a long crimson carpet that ran along the hallway patterned with a growing vine entangled with different orchids and flowers of all kinds. It was soft – velvet. I didn’t know who put it there, but if I knew, I would thank that person – mentally, of course. I’d never thank someone out loud. Only Ruka would receive my thanks, and that ‘thanks’ would just be a nod of the head and a silent mutter of “hn.” But no matter, he knew when my thanks was enough.
My room was richly furnished; a scent of ravishing lavender filled the air – not that common for boys my age. But lavender’s sweet scent inhaled into my nose, and I felt unbelievably relaxed, calm. It was clear – I was pampered to my life’s desire. But I didn’t like it. Other than the lavender, the carpet, and the one painting, everything was meaningless to me. I didn’t care about money. The spacious room only made me feel the same – lonely. Not necessarily ‘alone.’ I was with Ruka at most times, but I couldn’t help but feel lonely. Other than Ruka, the rest of the world avoided me like the plague. And I wouldn’t blame them; I didn’t exactly make it any easier for them to withstand.
I made my way to the huge mahogany wardrobe and pulled out some casual clothes for sleeping. I undressed and changed into those clothes, lying back onto my large, king-sized bed. It was unusually soft, but I was used to it. I was always used to getting the best. Whether I wanted it or not. And in this case, I didn’t want it. The bed was huge and soft; the feathers came from some exotic bird I didn’t bother to look up about. But again, I didn’t care. I remembered to take care of my hygiene and struggled up to wearily reach the bathroom.
The bathroom was like the rest of my room – too much for one person. Its gleaming shiny turquoise floor titles were cold and easy to slip on. But I wasn’t a trained assassin for nothing. The crystal mirror hung in front of the sink, a huge white basin with a metal pipe leading down to the dark depths of who-knows-what. Even the toilet was beautiful. And I couldn’t start on the humongous bathtub. There was both a bathtub and shower.
I had already taken a shower before I had gone to have coffee, so I just settled with brushing my teeth. I grabbed my black toothbrush, and lazily squirted out some minty toothpaste onto the brush’s soft bristles. Screwing the metal gleaming tap of the sink, water came pouring out, and I placed my brush in position. After that was done, I started brushing my teeth in a circular motion. It was a habit; I couldn’t help my brushing routine.
I considered taming my unruly raven-black hair, but thought better of it and decided to leave it as it was. I mean, what was the point? It would only be messed up again in the morning.
Settling myself into the depths of comfortable luxury (my bed), I fell asleep.

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The next day’s weather was exactly what I despised – sunny, bright, the sky a forget-me-not blue. This was considered a bad omen in my case. Say what you want, I didn’t care that I was always on the negative side, the unwavering pessimist of the 21st century.
School, unfortunately, was as bad as ever, people not making eye contact with me, and teachers feared me. I was their star pupil; straight A’s wherever I went, though like the rest of them, they stayed their distance. It was to be expected.
Though I always arrived at class late, (they were lucky I went to class at all) my grades never dropped. Maybe they were too afraid of me. But even if I wasn’t cold and ruthless like I was now, I was still a ‘genius.’ Tests and exams weren’t a big deal.
I entered class with Ruka, and we sat down at the far back of the room. A manga on my face, I dozed off, while Ruka remained as he was, petting his rabbit. Class B of the high school division was screwed up. All the delinquents and some unfortunate souls were gathered into this one classroom, making a ruckus out of everything. My stupid gay teacher – Narumi – entered the room, his gay self as gay as never before. He pranced into the room, and I didn’t bother to listen to his announcements. Much.
All I heard was... “New,” “Welcome,” and “Sakura.” What the heck? I pushed away the manga from my face and sat up. Everything seemed the usual at first, until I looked to the front. Yeah, Naru was there and all, but there was someone else beside him. A stranger. But not exactly a stranger, it was her.

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Mikan. Sakura Mikan. My victim turned out to be the new transfer student. But what I couldn’t get was how she got into the academy when she was so apparently stupid.
“Class, this is Sakura Mikan!” Naru exclaimed, motioning toward the girl. She was pretty, no doubt, with her long chestnut brown hair that curled slightly at the tips, and her big brown eyes that glittered. Her skin was pale; it looked so porcelain – she was so similar to a doll. She was innocent. But stupid-looking.
Her eyes roamed around the place, in interest. Like she had never seen anything like this before. Obviously, she was a spoilt brat. Well, okay, maybe I was too, but I wasn’t all pompous and stuck-up. Sure, I was arrogant and all, but I wouldn’t go that far to actually bother to tell people who wouldn’t care in hearing it at all.
“Mikan-chan?” Narumi said, looking at the girl in question, “Do you think you can introduce yourself?” Idiot (I’ll call her that from now on) looked up, her eyes misty.
“Huh?” was her oh-so-intelligent answer. Her eyes continued searching, observing. And then they came to a rest at me. I don’t know how long we stared into each other’s eyes like that, but I didn’t want it to stop. Her espresso-colored eyes (weird, her eyes were like my stress-reliever) were beautiful. They seemed to see the real me – what I was hiding, and all I thought about. But that wasn’t good. If she found out who I was, it would be much harder to kidnap her. Wait... I just remembered the mission. I didn’t want to kidnap her, but I had no choice.
“Mikan-chan?” She looked up to see Naru’s smiling face. Stupid Naru. Had to interrupt our moment. She seemed to regain a hold of herself and smiled tentatively at the class.
“Sakura Mikan. Age 16. Nice to meet you...” Her voice was soft, high-pitched, and somehow... silvery. She continued observing, refusing to meet my gaze on her. It was like she was avoiding me, when we hadn’t even been introduced formally. Well, she did introduce herself, but I didn’t.
“Now for your partner...” Naru fingered his chin, as if deep in thought. Right, he’s never thought deeply in his life. How did he get a position in the school anyway? And as a teacher no less?
Some hands were raised, I didn’t bother to see who’s. Naru started smiling so... evilly that I knew something was up. Damn.
“How about Natsume-kun?” He said, the gay...thing, and all eyes were turned to me.
I immediately glared at him, and enjoyed watching him cower in fear. But this was a good opportunity to ‘bond’ with the girl. Find out her weaknesses, fears, hates, address, number... Great. Now I’m sounding like a stalker!
“Fine,” I grumbled, my glare didn’t falter. Sure, I was going to accept her as my partner, but that didn’t mean at all that I was going to do it pleasantly.
I knew everyone was shocked. Since when did the Hyuuga Natsume accept anyone as his partner willingly? Just to make it clear, I’m doing this only for the mission. Nothing more and nothing less.
Even Narumi was speechless. I smirked. What I did was always considered ‘unexpected.’ And this was most probably the least expected act I’d ever done – for now.
“W-well, Mikan-chan,” Naru stuttered, smiling nervously at the said girl. Seems like he found his tongue, “Y-you can go ahead and sit with N-Natsume-kun at the b-back...” The girl’s eyes widened for a second, then she nodded meekly at him, making her way to where I sat.
And not once did she make eye contact.

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The rest of the day passed without much interference. She didn’t talk to me, nor gave any eye contact, and so did I. Well, I did glance at her... often, but I never spoke to her. There went all my ‘plans’ of getting to know more about her (for the sake of the mission of course), all down the drain.
She was unresponsive, always staring out the window, not bothering to pay attention to Naru’s babbling on about unimportant nothings. Her eyes held a sort of... misty expression whenever I looked in them, the depth surprised me. I always didn’t expect anything she did. I observed how she bit her lip when thinking hard, how she always seemed to sweep her hair out of her face, how she crossed her arms over her chest when she was bored. I saw everything. I wasn’t this observant over someone I barely knew. Heck, I wasn’t this observant even with Ruka!
The class bell rang shrilly, and I swept out of the room without a second glance at her. She didn’t look like she cared, other than the surprised look she gave me as I exited the class with a flourish. She should be used to it from now on; I always did this. It was my regular routine.
I would find a way to catch up to her eventually, find a way to make her open up to me. Then I could strike. That was it – build up her trust in me, then I’d betray her. That thought left me shuddering. It was strange, odd that I would actually have a conscience and care about the pale-faced, brunette girl? First thing’s first, I did not care about her. She was my victim, my prey, my captive. I shouldn’t be able to harbor feelings towards her. I had been through this before, I had to kidnap, murder, steal. And yet, none like this had ever occurred. What was going on with me? Was I sick? Unwell? Crazy?
And yet, an unfamiliar feeling swept me over. I couldn’t identify it yet. It was a mixture of hatred, curiosity, and something else I couldn’t detect. Was I losing my mind? If I was, I didn’t like it. It made me feel weak, vulnerable. I wasn’t accustomed to feeling like this, and I wasn’t planning to.
I headed toward my only safe sanctuary, the Sakura tree located at the back of the school. It was the only place I could be myself, relaxed and calm once more. Not the usual uptight, restricted, wary, cautious me. But that didn’t mean I was unaware of everything else.
This season was perfect for my tree, its blossoms were ripe and at the summit of it’s most beautiful. Its branches swayed in the slight breeze there was, some of the blossoms fell gently, slowly towards the ground. And then, I couldn’t help but think about her. She haunted my mind, and I didn’t like it. But I didn’t mind. Much. The Sakura blossoms. That was the key word. It was, I realized only now, her surname. Sakura Mikan. Her surname was the usual, many had the same. But Mikan? It was odd. Who would name their daughter after tangerines? Possibly, her parents had had affection for the fruit. What was it to me, exactly? That was what frightened me the most.
I shoved her away from my thoughts, and concentrated on something else, anything else. I remembered what I brought, and slipped out a manga from my bag. I left the bag in a hole carved deeply in the tree. It was where I usually put my stuff. I grabbed a hold of a long, slender tree branch, and swung myself onto the tree.
I didn’t feel like doing anything at the moment – I usually never did. I didn’t want to think about... there I go again. Seriously, this was getting irritating. Trying to forget about her, I leaned back into the tree, and closed my eyes, leaving the manga open on my face. Maybe a nap would do me good, maybe I’d forget about her, at least for now. But I doubted that.
Everything was silent, to my liking. Nothing disturbed me, and I felt glad. At least this remained unchanged. Everything else was rapidly changing, and I felt like I was left out of it. Left behind. I didn’t want that to happen again.
I reluctantly opened my eyes as I heard a rustling sound beneath me. I looked below, and I could have cursed, if I hadn’t wanted to remain unseen. It was her, obviously.
But she looked different. Her eyes didn’t look the same as in the classroom. They were a liquid brown, and somehow... sparkling. But they still had that same effect on me, like she could see through me, inside and out. Excitement was clearly shown, and her pink lips were turned upward into a hundred-watt smile. I certainly had not seen this side of her. Her face was an open book, unlike before, where I couldn’t tell if she was angry or not. And I usually could with other normal people. What was with her? Why did she have such a mood change like this? Was it PMS or something?
I directed my mind away from the subject of PMS and the female race’s... ahem... monthly needs.
I continued staring at her again. What was she doing? Currently, she was looking around her, as if checking to see if anyone was watching. I was secretly glad I hadn’t sworn when I saw her. Then, she acted way differently than I thought she would act.
She grinned, her smile reaching the corners of her lips, and laughed – a tinkling sort of silvery laugh, very much like her voice. Then, she ran around, jumping and doing absolutely... funny antics. She waved her hands in the air, yelped and danced and twirled, I found it incredibly hard to restrain myself from laughing.
And then, my one and only manga betrayed me. With a quiet thump, it fell to the grassy ground below. I held my breath. She stopped her actions, unfortunately, and turned to look at the comic on the ground, her eyes wide. Who knew for someone so dumb she had great hearing? And slowly, her eyes drifted toward the tree, upward and upward...
Again, I didn’t know how long we stared into each other’s eyes like that. A bolt of electricity shot up my spine, as we finally made eye contact again. Her mouth was wide open, agape, as she stared at me. I nearly faltered. How I so wanted to just jump down from this tree and stalk towards her... I shook my head, and turned away. She gasped, and pointed a shaking finger towards me.
“Y-you! Don’t t-tell a-anyone...!” she stuttered, her eyes nearly brimming with tears. But not with fear. With determination and anxiety. I shrugged, smirking. I’d play with her for a bit, until it was time for me to kidnap her. I wouldn’t get too attached, though, because I knew time was sparse. But until then, I’d take my time.
“Ne t'inquiète pas. Je pas.” I said smirking. Well? If I was going to play, then I’d have a hell lot of fun doing it.

Chapter I - Target Locked

The deserted streets were dark and foreboding. No light illuminated from the lampposts nearby. Everything was silent, except for the quiet rustling of paper.
A man, my target, stood nearby the lamppost, fingering the money he had stolen. With my keen eyesight, I saw his appearance. He was hawk-nosed, tall and lanky. His greasy brown, graying hair was damp, bathed in sweat, as if he had been running in the heat for hours. Didn’t look like he could run fast. Perfect.
I crept closer swiftly, hidden in the shadows. He, to be expected, didn’t notice me, and continued checking the money. Too bad his life ended here. I pressed my gleaming silver gun to the side of his head. He froze, cold sweat sliding down his wrinkled face. I retained my stoic expression. Nothing could be heard besides the quiet chirping of the crickets and the trees’ swaying branches in the cool night air.
“Please, no! I-I’ll give you the money!” He said, eyes wide, the money dropped to the ground. He didn’t pick it up. Tch. I didn’t care about the money. This was my job.
“Shut up. Say your last prayers before I shoot, and hopefully you’ll go to Heaven. But I seriously doubt that.” I muttered darkly. His eyes grew wider in realization.
“Y-You’re the Black Cat, aren’t you?” Well, of course. But it’s not like I’ll tell him that. I’m not one of those other dumb assassins who shout out their identity for the world to hear. I placed my finger on the trigger. He felt my movement, and begged.
“Please, no! I’ve got a family at home!” He said, trying in vain to be pitied. I didn’t show pity to my victims. And besides, he was faking it anyway.
“Takahashi Akito. 38. June 24, 1970. Robber, works under Mureoka Kenji. Single. Family murdered.” He was speechless. I knew all this, of course. Persona informed me of everything.
“P-Pleas – “ So he regained his tongue, did he? Well, say goodbye. I pulled on the trigger. He fell on the cold pavement, lifeless, blood splattered all around his body. His eyes remained wide open, in shock. I didn’t care. I wasn’t supposed to care.
I disposed of the body, leaving no evidence. Like I always did. I always killed, took the lives of others. Innocent or not, it made no difference. I wasn’t allowed to actually live a life. Nor to show emotion. That was just the way it was. That was the life of an assassin.

* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *

“Good work, Black Cat,” He said. I grunted, turning away from that beast. Persona smirked, flipping through papers, “Wait.” I halted for a second. Probably another mission.
“One more thing for you to do.” I was right. He shoved the papers he was leafing through into my hands. I quickly scanned them. Great. Another kidnapping. Apparently, I was supposed to kidnap this Sakura Mikan. She was from this rich family and Persona needed her for ransom. Typical. A picture of a slim brunette was paper-clipped onto the sheet of paper. Sheesh, her name sounded so... girly. Well, the fact that she was a girl made it inevitable.
“Black Cat,” I looked up to see Persona’s masked face staring at me with his deathly blank eyes, “This mission is extremely important. Do whatever it takes to complete the mission necessary.” Important? Nothing ever seemed important to Persona. Other than killing, of course. The sadist. Wait, who am I to say that? I’m a sadist too, in a way. Not that I’d admit it to anybody who wanted to live.
“Yeah, whatever.” I said, turning around, grimacing. I walked away, feeling his gaze burn holes into my back. That was ironic, since I had the fire Alice. It was to be kept secret, of course, unless I wanted to be taken away. That was the whole reason I was forcefully recruited into Persona’s damned organization. I’m in or I’m turned in. No other way.
“And another thing,” What was it about now? Feeling pissed, I turned around, “Black Cat, this must be completed within three months,” Three months? Persona never gave a time limit. And 3 months as well! That was way too long to complete a mission. But he knows me; I could finish a mission in less than a week. Sometimes in 2 days at the least. Maybe this mission would be harder than usual. But that didn’t matter, at least for now. I had a lot of time in my hands, and I felt glad.
Feeling thirsty, I went out for a drink, dressed in black, with a dark cap covering my face. For precautions. I wore a mask when I went on missions, so nobody could identify me, but I’d still have to take some more security measures.
The night air was cool and many people stalked the busy streets. I ignored the points and squeals of annoying fan-girls. They only liked me of my outer appearance. Everybody did, except my best friend. I brought out my iPod out of my denim jacket’s pocket, popping the earphones into my ears. Loud music blared from the miniscule speakers and I unconsciously bobbed my head to it, with small, slight movements nobody could identify.
The tall, dark buildings of present day Tokyo loomed from all around me, but I kept my attention on the music and not falling on my feet. The dirty sidewalk pavement was smooth and I strode off, ignoring the curious and admiring gazes my way.
I did go to school too, under my real name. In the organization though, I was known only as “Black Cat,” and nothing else. A mask shielded me from the penetrating eyes of fellow members, forced to do Persona’s bidding. I wasn’t allowed to befriend anybody, nor get close with anyone, even if they were from the same organization. But that was the only rule I broke. “Trust no one.” I remembered Persona’s words when I first set foot into the organization’s vicinity. I had learned to live with that fact, until one day, I met Ruka.
“Natsume!” I turned to see my best friend, Ruka Nogi, running towards me, his pet rabbit on his shoulder. Speak of the devil. He didn’t know I was an assassin, and I wasn’t planning anytime soon to tell him about it. I wouldn’t endanger him letting him know about that. I was always the loner in my school; I stayed away from nearly everybody. Except Ruka. What was going in his darned mind when he approached me? Only Heaven knows. Whenever I tried to pry him away, he stuck right on, refusing to let go. Before I knew it, I grew accustomed to his presence. Well, what could I do? All I could do was try to keep it a secret from Persona, which was currently working, for now. But I knew Persona’s ways, he’d find out. Sooner or later.
“Hn,” I muttered. How did he recognize me in this get-up? I slowed down a bit for him to catch up to me. He did, breathing in and out in exhaustion. He wasn’t exactly very athletic, more of the animal-lover type. After catching his breath, he turned to me, grinning.
“What’s up?” He asked. I shrugged, hands in my jean pockets and strode off toward our usual hangout – The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. I was 17; I could drink coffee. Heck, even if I wasn’t of age, I still would. Where would I get a decent stress reliever if I didn’t? And I don’t take drugs. Drugs are a serious waste of life. But I did smoke occasionally. But not to the point that my life would be in danger. I wasn’t stupid. I knew what smoking could do to a person, so I smoked only rarely.
We entered the busy building and settled at the remotest table. It was noisy, and I didn’t like it. But it was the nearest place I could get a decent cup of coffee. It was bright, fluorescent light bulbs showered the room in light, comfortable looking chairs and sofas were scattered across the room accompanied by polished, shiny wooden tables, crowded by rowdy teenagers and some adults looking disheveled and stressed. Probably using coffee as a good stress-reliever, like I do.
“May I take your order?” A sickeningly high, flirtatious voice spoke. I looked up to see a girl of about my age, batting her eyelashes in a seductive manner. She was a tall blonde, her hair sleeked into a tight ponytail at the side of her head. Her face was coated with heavy makeup, and she made the restaurant uniform she wore look so... ugh. I mentally shivered in disgust.
I turned to see Ruka looking green, like he couldn’t wait to get to the restroom and hurl. Not that I didn’t want to throw up too; I would have gladly done so, if it was to escape from this... thing. I didn’t reveal any of what was going in my mind though, and kept my face stoic.
“Espresso. Decaf.” I muttered lazily, leaning back into the seat, trying not to look at her. I could hear her giggle though, and that nearly made me hurl right then and there. Why did I have to born with these looks? I had jet-black, raven hair, and crimson red eyes. My skin wasn’t white, nor was it dark, it was... decent. And, after all those missions for the organization, I grew muscular, but not overly muscular. Sure, I was proud of my looks, but sometimes, I’d just like to be invisible. Too bad that was something I could only do when I went on missions, and was accompanied with a high expectation of death if I didn’t.
Ruka nodded, and asked for something less strong. I didn’t know what, I was too busy trying not to hurl. Thankfully, the waitress left and we were able to actually take a deep breath.
“I thought she would never leave,” I looked at Ruka, who was grinning sheepishly, looking relieved beyond comprehension. I resisted the urge to grin back.
“Hn,” I settled for that. It wasn’t a bother to Ruka, he was used to my unresponsiveness.
We waited patiently for our orders, hoping that woman wouldn’t be the one to serve us again. We remained silent, Ruka gently petting his rabbit. As always. Nothing different. Our orders were served, and thankfully, it was a man who had delivered it. I heard Ruka release a sigh of relief. I released one too, in my mind.
“Your orders, sirs.” The man said, setting down the mugs of coffee on the table. I nodded in response and the man left. I took the mug and gulped down some of the coffee. The mug wasn’t very big, and the amount of the espresso was half empty. I growled in frustration. Ruka seemed to sense my anxiety.
“You want another?” He said, motioning to call another waiter. I shook my head. Espresso could do wonders on a stressed mind, but drinking too much was trouble.
I sighed, sipping a bit of my espresso, taking off my jacket. It wasn’t so cold anymore, and the coffee helped a lot.
“N-Natsume?!” I turned to look at Ruka. His sudden outburst was surprising, not that I’d admit it to anyone. He was pale, pointing at my arm. Uh oh. I looked at my arm, suddenly remembering the large bullet wound etched deep into my arm due to a tough mission a few days back. I had tried to cover up by wearing long-sleeved shirts and jackets, but now, it looks like I was busted.
“It’s nothing, Ruka.” I muttered, staring out into the misty window. Hey, if I was ratted out, I’d just try to “wing it” and ignore the matter.
“Don’t ‘nothing’ me! Something’s going on, Natsume. And I’m worried!” I frowned, turning to face Ruka. His forehead was creased in lines, his eyebrows furrowing, and his eyes were clearly expressing his concern. Great, just great.
“I told you, Ruka. We’ve been through this before. It doesn’t concern you,” I said, massaging my own forehead. At first, the coffee was helping, and now another stress-inducer in the form of my best friend? Great, now that’s helping a lot.
“Well, as you’re best friend, I think it just so happens to concern me.” He had a point there, but I wouldn’t just give in that easily. He didn’t have to know about it. That burden wasn’t meant for him to carry. It was mine.
“Look, Ruka. Not now. It isn’t the time.” I said, staring at him, trying to make him understand the serious predicament I was in. I was serious about this. He’d be in a whole heap of danger if he knew. And I wasn’t on planning that to happen. He seemed to understand, at least part of it, and released a defeated sigh.
“All right, fine. I won’t push the matter any further, but you should know, Natsume. I will find out,” Ruka said.
That sounded strange coming from Ruka’s mouth; I had to admit. I mean, please. “I won’t push the matter any further, but you should know, Natsume. I will find out,”? That sounded like a line from some corny movie I wouldn’t dare watch. But Ruka did seem serious. And he was certainly smart enough to find out what I was up to. I’d have to be extra careful from now on.
“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered, relieved that he wouldn’t press the matter any further. I couldn’t keep making excuses to cover my sorry butt for long. I asked for the bill from a passing waiter. This was more than enough espresso I could handle for one night. I’d probably not be able to sleep very well – that is, if I could sleep at all. Yeah, it was most likely. Ruka looked disheveled and tired, so we made our way out after we split the bill.
The busy streets weren’t so busy anymore. It was nearly deserted, only a few people roamed the streets. It was pretty late already. I checked my watch. 12:58. Nearly one in the morning. Ruka and I went our separate ways, and I headed back to the school’s dorm. Ruka went back to his house, preferring to stay there instead of the school’s dorm system. I didn’t have a home to stay in, and living in the organization’s headquarters would be hell, so I had no other choice but to stay in the dorms, whether I wanted to or not.
Seishun Academy was a strict, prestigious school where all the elites in Japan were gathered. I just so happened to be one of those elites. I know what you must be thinking, “Wow, good-looking and a genius? Must be some perfect kid!” Perfect, yeah right. My life was screwed up, and bad. My family was murdered and I worked in an organization where all I did for a living was kill. Some perfect kid I turned out to be. Actually, studying in Seishun was a good cover up. Who would suspect a perfect, top-student studying in the infamous Seishun Academy to be a lethal assassin? That’s right. No one.
The school’s hallways were deserted and bathed in darkness. Seemingly quiet, nothing disturbed the hallowed halls. I was probably the only student awake at this hour, unless someone had also taken too much espresso.
I headed towards my own dorm room, which was only occupied by me. Being top student certainly had its advantages.
My room was by far the largest and grandest of all the others in the academy. I was the “genius” yet also an “outcast.” I didn’t socialize with anyone besides Ruka. I knew what everybody thought about me. Ruthless. Cold. Unfeeling. Different. It was true; I was like that. There was no point denying it.
The exquisite dorm was huge and spacious. Expensive and vividly colored paintings sheltered by beautifully detailed antique frames adorned the walls. My favorite of all was a small painting that hung above my bed. It wasn’t as big or grand as the others, but I liked it the best. The painting featured a sea. And seashore. It all looked so real. The movements of the waves and the clear blue sky, with fluffy white clouds which so resembled cotton balls drifting in the warm summer air. On the seashore stood two small beings, crouched on the sand, making something. A sandcastle. It didn’t take long for me to find out. They were children, the two small beings, a boy and a girl. I couldn’t see their faces; their backs were turned to me. The boy was dark-haired, and the girl was a brunette, was all I knew. But either way, I liked it.
The frame that shielded the painting wasn’t very grand either. It was a plain, woodenly carved frame. But that didn’t bother me. It was expertly carved, was all I cared about. It was carved in such a unique way – the frame’s pattern was ...the branches of a tree. It was strange. The tree entwined with the frame, but it was bare. No leaves in sight. But the strangest thing was, though it produced no leaves, it bore fruit. But a fruit I didn’t recognize.
Besides the paintings, my dorm had a long crimson carpet that ran along the hallway patterned with a growing vine entangled with different orchids and flowers of all kinds. It was soft – velvet. I didn’t know who put it there, but if I knew, I would thank that person – mentally, of course. I’d never thank someone out loud. Only Ruka would receive my thanks, and that ‘thanks’ would just be a nod of the head and a silent mutter of “hn.” But no matter, he knew when my thanks was enough.
My room was richly furnished; a scent of ravishing lavender filled the air – not that common for boys my age. But lavender’s sweet scent inhaled into my nose, and I felt unbelievably relaxed, calm. It was clear – I was pampered to my life’s desire. But I didn’t like it. Other than the lavender, the carpet, and the one painting, everything was meaningless to me. I didn’t care about money. The spacious room only made me feel the same – lonely. Not necessarily ‘alone.’ I was with Ruka at most times, but I couldn’t help but feel lonely. Other than Ruka, the rest of the world avoided me like the plague. And I wouldn’t blame them; I didn’t exactly make it any easier for them to withstand.
I made my way to the huge mahogany wardrobe and pulled out some casual clothes for sleeping. I undressed and changed into those clothes, lying back onto my large, king-sized bed. It was unusually soft, but I was used to it. I was always used to getting the best. Whether I wanted it or not. And in this case, I didn’t want it. The bed was huge and soft; the feathers came from some exotic bird I didn’t bother to look up about. But again, I didn’t care. I remembered to take care of my hygiene and struggled up to wearily reach the bathroom.
The bathroom was like the rest of my room – too much for one person. Its gleaming shiny turquoise floor titles were cold and easy to slip on. But I wasn’t a trained assassin for nothing. The crystal mirror hung in front of the sink, a huge white basin with a metal pipe leading down to the dark depths of who-knows-what. Even the toilet was beautiful. And I couldn’t start on the humongous bathtub. There was both a bathtub and shower.
I had already taken a shower before I had gone to have coffee, so I just settled with brushing my teeth. I grabbed my black toothbrush, and lazily squirted out some minty toothpaste onto the brush’s soft bristles. Screwing the metal gleaming tap of the sink, water came pouring out, and I placed my brush in position. After that was done, I started brushing my teeth in a circular motion. It was a habit; I couldn’t help my brushing routine.
I considered taming my unruly raven-black hair, but thought better of it and decided to leave it as it was. I mean, what was the point? It would only be messed up again in the morning.
Settling myself into the depths of comfortable luxury (my bed), I fell asleep.

* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *

The next day’s weather was exactly what I despised – sunny, bright, the sky a forget-me-not blue. This was considered a bad omen in my case. Say what you want, I didn’t care that I was always on the negative side, the unwavering pessimist of the 21st century.
School, unfortunately, was as bad as ever, people not making eye contact with me, and teachers feared me. I was their star pupil; straight A’s wherever I went, though like the rest of them, they stayed their distance. It was to be expected.
Though I always arrived at class late, (they were lucky I went to class at all) my grades never dropped. Maybe they were too afraid of me. But even if I wasn’t cold and ruthless like I was now, I was still a ‘genius.’ Tests and exams weren’t a big deal.
I entered class with Ruka, and we sat down at the far back of the room. A manga on my face, I dozed off, while Ruka remained as he was, petting his rabbit. Class B of the high school division was screwed up. All the delinquents and some unfortunate souls were gathered into this one classroom, making a ruckus out of everything. My stupid gay teacher – Narumi – entered the room, his gay self as gay as never before. He pranced into the room, and I didn’t bother to listen to his announcements. Much.
All I heard was... “New,” “Welcome,” and “Sakura.” What the heck? I pushed away the manga from my face and sat up. Everything seemed the usual at first, until I looked to the front. Yeah, Naru was there and all, but there was someone else beside him. A stranger. But not exactly a stranger, it was her.

* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *

Mikan. Sakura Mikan. My victim turned out to be the new transfer student. But what I couldn’t get was how she got into the academy when she was so apparently stupid.
“Class, this is Sakura Mikan!” Naru exclaimed, motioning toward the girl. She was pretty, no doubt, with her long chestnut brown hair that curled slightly at the tips, and her big brown eyes that glittered. Her skin was pale; it looked so porcelain – she was so similar to a doll. She was innocent. But stupid-looking.
Her eyes roamed around the place, in interest. Like she had never seen anything like this before. Obviously, she was a spoilt brat. Well, okay, maybe I was too, but I wasn’t all pompous and stuck-up. Sure, I was arrogant and all, but I wouldn’t go that far to actually bother to tell people who wouldn’t care in hearing it at all.
“Mikan-chan?” Narumi said, looking at the girl in question, “Do you think you can introduce yourself?” Idiot (I’ll call her that from now on) looked up, her eyes misty.
“Huh?” was her oh-so-intelligent answer. Her eyes continued searching, observing. And then they came to a rest at me. I don’t know how long we stared into each other’s eyes like that, but I didn’t want it to stop. Her espresso-colored eyes (weird, her eyes were like my stress-reliever) were beautiful. They seemed to see the real me – what I was hiding, and all I thought about. But that wasn’t good. If she found out who I was, it would be much harder to kidnap her. Wait... I just remembered the mission. I didn’t want to kidnap her, but I had no choice.
“Mikan-chan?” She looked up to see Naru’s smiling face. Stupid Naru. Had to interrupt our moment. She seemed to regain a hold of herself and smiled tentatively at the class.
“Sakura Mikan. Age 16. Nice to meet you...” Her voice was soft, high-pitched, and somehow... silvery. She continued observing, refusing to meet my gaze on her. It was like she was avoiding me, when we hadn’t even been introduced formally. Well, she did introduce herself, but I didn’t.
“Now for your partner...” Naru fingered his chin, as if deep in thought. Right, he’s never thought deeply in his life. How did he get a position in the school anyway? And as a teacher no less?
Some hands were raised, I didn’t bother to see who’s. Naru started smiling so... evilly that I knew something was up. Damn.
“How about Natsume-kun?” He said, the gay...thing, and all eyes were turned to me.
I immediately glared at him, and enjoyed watching him cower in fear. But this was a good opportunity to ‘bond’ with the girl. Find out her weaknesses, fears, hates, address, number... Great. Now I’m sounding like a stalker!
“Fine,” I grumbled, my glare didn’t falter. Sure, I was going to accept her as my partner, but that didn’t mean at all that I was going to do it pleasantly.
I knew everyone was shocked. Since when did the Hyuuga Natsume accept anyone as his partner willingly? Just to make it clear, I’m doing this only for the mission. Nothing more and nothing less.
Even Narumi was speechless. I smirked. What I did was always considered ‘unexpected.’ And this was most probably the least expected act I’d ever done – for now.
“W-well, Mikan-chan,” Naru stuttered, smiling nervously at the said girl. Seems like he found his tongue, “Y-you can go ahead and sit with N-Natsume-kun at the b-back...” The girl’s eyes widened for a second, then she nodded meekly at him, making her way to where I sat.
And not once did she make eye contact.

* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *

The rest of the day passed without much interference. She didn’t talk to me, nor gave any eye contact, and so did I. Well, I did glance at her... often, but I never spoke to her. There went all my ‘plans’ of getting to know more about her (for the sake of the mission of course), all down the drain.
She was unresponsive, always staring out the window, not bothering to pay attention to Naru’s babbling on about unimportant nothings. Her eyes held a sort of... misty expression whenever I looked in them, the depth surprised me. I always didn’t expect anything she did. I observed how she bit her lip when thinking hard, how she always seemed to sweep her hair out of her face, how she crossed her arms over her chest when she was bored. I saw everything. I wasn’t this observant over someone I barely knew. Heck, I wasn’t this observant even with Ruka!
The class bell rang shrilly, and I swept out of the room without a second glance at her. She didn’t look like she cared, other than the surprised look she gave me as I exited the class with a flourish. She should be used to it from now on; I always did this. It was my regular routine.
I would find a way to catch up to her eventually, find a way to make her open up to me. Then I could strike. That was it – build up her trust in me, then I’d betray her. That thought left me shuddering. It was strange, odd that I would actually have a conscience and care about the pale-faced, brunette girl? First thing’s first, I did not care about her. She was my victim, my prey, my captive. I shouldn’t be able to harbor feelings towards her. I had been through this before, I had to kidnap, murder, steal. And yet, none like this had ever occurred. What was going on with me? Was I sick? Unwell? Crazy?
And yet, an unfamiliar feeling swept me over. I couldn’t identify it yet. It was a mixture of hatred, curiosity, and something else I couldn’t detect. Was I losing my mind? If I was, I didn’t like it. It made me feel weak, vulnerable. I wasn’t accustomed to feeling like this, and I wasn’t planning to.
I headed toward my only safe sanctuary, the Sakura tree located at the back of the school. It was the only place I could be myself, relaxed and calm once more. Not the usual uptight, restricted, wary, cautious me. But that didn’t mean I was unaware of everything else.
This season was perfect for my tree, its blossoms were ripe and at the summit of it’s most beautiful. Its branches swayed in the slight breeze there was, some of the blossoms fell gently, slowly towards the ground. And then, I couldn’t help but think about her. She haunted my mind, and I didn’t like it. But I didn’t mind. Much. The Sakura blossoms. That was the key word. It was, I realized only now, her surname. Sakura Mikan. Her surname was the usual, many had the same. But Mikan? It was odd. Who would name their daughter after tangerines? Possibly, her parents had had affection for the fruit. What was it to me, exactly? That was what frightened me the most.
I shoved her away from my thoughts, and concentrated on something else, anything else. I remembered what I brought, and slipped out a manga from my bag. I left the bag in a hole carved deeply in the tree. It was where I usually put my stuff. I grabbed a hold of a long, slender tree branch, and swung myself onto the tree.
I didn’t feel like doing anything at the moment – I usually never did. I didn’t want to think about... there I go again. Seriously, this was getting irritating. Trying to forget about her, I leaned back into the tree, and closed my eyes, leaving the manga open on my face. Maybe a nap would do me good, maybe I’d forget about her, at least for now. But I doubted that.
Everything was silent, to my liking. Nothing disturbed me, and I felt glad. At least this remained unchanged. Everything else was rapidly changing, and I felt like I was left out of it. Left behind. I didn’t want that to happen again.
I reluctantly opened my eyes as I heard a rustling sound beneath me. I looked below, and I could have cursed, if I hadn’t wanted to remain unseen. It was her, obviously.
But she looked different. Her eyes didn’t look the same as in the classroom. They were a liquid brown, and somehow... sparkling. But they still had that same effect on me, like she could see through me, inside and out. Excitement was clearly shown, and her pink lips were turned upward into a hundred-watt smile. I certainly had not seen this side of her. Her face was an open book, unlike before, where I couldn’t tell if she was angry or not. And I usually could with other normal people. What was with her? Why did she have such a mood change like this? Was it PMS or something?
I directed my mind away from the subject of PMS and the female race’s... ahem... monthly needs.
I continued staring at her again. What was she doing? Currently, she was looking around her, as if checking to see if anyone was watching. I was secretly glad I hadn’t sworn when I saw her. Then, she acted way differently than I thought she would act.
She grinned, her smile reaching the corners of her lips, and laughed – a tinkling sort of silvery laugh, very much like her voice. Then, she ran around, jumping and doing absolutely... funny antics. She waved her hands in the air, yelped and danced and twirled, I found it incredibly hard to restrain myself from laughing.
And then, my one and only manga betrayed me. With a quiet thump, it fell to the grassy ground below. I held my breath. She stopped her actions, unfortunately, and turned to look at the comic on the ground, her eyes wide. Who knew for someone so dumb she had great hearing? And slowly, her eyes drifted toward the tree, upward and upward...
Again, I didn’t know how long we stared into each other’s eyes like that. A bolt of electricity shot up my spine, as we finally made eye contact again. Her mouth was wide open, agape, as she stared at me. I nearly faltered. How I so wanted to just jump down from this tree and stalk towards her... I shook my head, and turned away. She gasped, and pointed a shaking finger towards me.
“Y-you! Don’t t-tell a-anyone...!” she stuttered, her eyes nearly brimming with tears. But not with fear. With determination and anxiety. I shrugged, smirking. I’d play with her for a bit, until it was time for me to kidnap her. I wouldn’t get too attached, though, because I knew time was sparse. But until then, I’d take my time.
“Ne t'inquiète pas. Je pas.” I said smirking. Well? If I was going to play, then I’d have a hell lot of fun doing it.