Our Promise

Our Promise/6/Trembling Petals

"Excuse me." She muttered shyly as she entered the Princes' living quarters. It appeared that he wasn't there at all. The bed empty with the sheets pulled up nicely so it was easy for Mikan to fix but the Prince was nowhere to be seen. Nowhere.

"Natsume-sama???" She glanced around and expected him to pop out at any moment. Nothing came. "Natsume-sama?"

All you could hear was the breeze coming in from the window.

"Prince?" A voice hummed outside the door. Mikan panicked and then quickly went to cleaning the table.

"The Prince is not present in his room." She cleared her throat and soon enough, the owner of the voice entered the room. Her face heated up at the sight of a prince. "Excuse me." She quickly bowed and ran out but the prince-like person held her arm firmly.

"Please wait a moment." He blushed a bit. "Are you Miss. M-Mikan?"

She couldn't help but giggle at his cute stutter. She nodded, "I am she. Whom may you be." She felt the need to be formal without even knowing who the Prince-like person was.

"No need to be so formal, I am the Princes' guard and trusted friend. Please come with me." He takes the rags from her hands and leaves them on the table then leads her down the hallways and into the garden. "He asked for you. I wasn't sure who to ask but you seemed like the person."

"Um..." She wanted to calm herself, she felt really shy around the guard and since he was friends with the Prince she had to watch her words carefully as not to offend him, "W-where is the Prince?"

"He loves to run around and climb trees so it will be a little hard to find him. But perhaps he is by the Sakura Tree."

Mikan can't help but admire the guards features. Small face and soft skin. Kind blue eyes and bright blond hair. The Prince of any girls dreams... yet he was a guard, a lower level than the Prince. One would take one look and immediately assume he is a Prince. "You look like a Prince." She slapped her mouth.

I can't believe I just said that!!

"Hahaha... I get that a lot." He chuckles and even his chuckle is gorgeous. She can't help but feel flustered.

Finally after a while of walking into a maze of a garden, they encounter a big beautiful tree with cherry petals floating around. It is the time of spring and the best time for these kinds of trees.

"It's beautiful." Mikan admits and the guard nods his head.

"This is the Princes' favorite place. He loves to escape here but there are so many trees that he likes to climb. So it takes me a lot of trouble to find him... hehehe..." he rubs the back of his neck.

They search tree by tree until they end up straight in the middle of the woods.

"This place..." Mikan recalls the place.

The place from back then...

"Where are we?" She asks the guard.

"These woods belongs to the Hyuugas, why? I think its called the Sakura Woods."

"The Sakura Woods." She repeats and she remembers briefly the beautiful woods as a child. She hasn't been here in a long time, she gave up coming here after her parents died. It was too much of a memorable moment that she had to give it up.

Then she finds the trunk that she once sat on.

She places her hands on it and the tears come pouring out then she stares back at the guard and she starts to wonder if he was the one from back then.

"What is your name?" She suddenly whispers, her cheeks heating up. "I feel like I've seen you before..."

"I don't remember meeting you before..." Then he remembers that time when she tripped in the hall, "Oh... yeah... that time." Then he chuckles, "Sorry for not introducing myself, my name is Ruka."

"Nice to meet you." She shakes his hand.

From a distance, the spoiled Prince watches them. He wants desperately to show Mikan the view from up a tree but as he watches the two... he can't help but think that they look perfect for each other. It bothers him but he lets them have a moment.

Ruka... he likes Imai doesn't he? That's what he said right?

But the way that Mikan looks at him disturbs the Prince.

Why is she looking at him like that?

After debating with himself he runs towards the two and breaks the handshake. Ruka is about to say something when Natsume lifts Mikan like a princess and runs off deeper into the Sakura woods, beyond the trunk in which they made their promise.

"Prince??" She holds onto him because he's running so fast with a very sad expression. She's never seen him like that. "What's wrong?" She doesn't know what to do, she can't hit him or yell at him to let her down because he's the Prince. She has no authority over him. All she can do is let him do this.

"I didn't like it." He says and Mikan raises her brows.

Didn't like what?

As she holds onto him, she can feel a heavy pulse and she can't tell if its her own pulse.

His heart is beating really fast... because he's running?

They haven't even run that far yet...

He finally stops and looks down at Mikan, they look over a mountain and see the whole kingdom. The Hyuuga Estate is on a mountain that overlooks the Kingdom. This is what they see and its almost as beautiful as the Sakura petals.

At this moment her breath is caught in her throat. "It's really beautiful." it's hard to describe something beautiful because there's nothing else but beautiful. "Really pretty~!!" She squeals. Natsume finally lets her down and she leans forward while holding onto a tree branch. "Oh... wow!!"

She finally turns to look at the Prince who's been looking at her the whole time. She can tell that he wants to say something to her but doesn't know what. "Is something wrong?" She holds onto the end of his shirt. "Is there something wrong?"

"..." His expression is so sad and full of yearning that she doesn't know what to do except ask him what's wrong. He leans forward and they touch foreheads. "Just let me stay like this for a while." He finally says.

So they do and Mikan's heart slowly deflates but her cheeks turn as red as fire. She tries to look up and when she does... they meet eyes briefly. In that moment, his crimson eyes look at her with such an expression that it brings chills down her spine.

What happens next causes her to freeze. He leans down and their noses touch for just a second. She closes her eyes shut.

He's so close...

His breath hits her own and they are merely touching their whole face together. "Mikan..." He rubs her nose again with his own and closes in.

"Natsume-sama..." Mikan trembles and it causes Natsume to soften.

"Can I do something to you...?" he mumbles impatiently.

She looks up at him but its too late.

"Sorry..." he sighs.

He closes the distance and their lips meet.

It's warm, soft, and sweet.