Our Promise

Our Promise/12/Them

Before he could even think about tea, Natsume places his palm on her temple. Her salmon cheeks heat up by the second. His gaze on her was soft and a scowl planted on his lips.

"Your fever is high."

She nodded, biting her lip. "I made some tea to make myself feel better."

"Get back in your bed and I'll bring it to you." He decided, nodding at Ruka who has started pouring the tea into a cup.

Mikan pouted, running her hands through her bangs in frustration. "I can bring it myself," She glanced up at him, her hazel eyes bright and confident, "Natsume."

He widened his own crimson hues at the drop of the honorifics and raised a brow in amusement because he loved the sound of his name coming from her. She made it sound beautiful.

His hand itched to touch her cheek but he refrained from the contact because his friend was there.

If only he had sneaked out sooner before Ruka had noticed him crawl out of his window.

A curse passes at the back of his mind, "I know princess, let's get you to bed."

"Princess?!" She huffed, clearly annoyed by his teasing. Natsume chuckled.

"Okay, okay. You must be delirious with the fever now." Ruka laughed along with his best friend as he placed the tea on her nightstand which had rows of prescription bottles.

"Natsume...?"

"You're expression is cute." Mikan had a scowl on her face as her cheeks flared in annoyance. He tucked the loose strands of her hair behind her ears. Her hazel eyes soften.

"Natsume-sama." Ruka sighed as he shoved him away from Mikan who had finally given in to her bed. Immediately she drifted off to sleep in a matter of seconds.

"What? I told you not to call me-" His eyes darkened in fear, "what are these for?"

He picked up a few of the bottles, rotating and finally scanning them intently. "Painkillers," He concluded, placing them down, "But what for? I thought she had a cold..."

"Maybe a headache?" Even his best friend sounded unsure with the words that tumbled out of his cracked lips.

Natsume shook his head as he glanced at Mikan. A faint smile was planted on her lips as a soft snore escaped every now and then.

"Onee-sama?" A soft voice came from behind the door, it made Ruka flinch, "Is someone here...?"

A scrawny little kid appeared before him. Almost a miniature Mikan but had a faded brown mop of hair and fierce eyes that threatened the two men by her bed.

"What are you doing to my sister?!" He charged at Natsume who was the closest to Mikan and his fists fell short of his shoulder because that was as high as he could get.

Natsume's eyes shifted to Ruka who was struggling to keep his laughter/tears in. A glare was sent his way.

The kid was still pounding at his chest as hard as he could but it was nothing for Natsume who worked his chest out frequently. It was practically iron. He smirked in amusement at the kid who was trying to protect his sister.

"We just wanted to check up on her."

Youichi glanced back at Mikan who was turning her head slightly to be more comfortable. "How is she?" His voice was so soft and fragile, cracking at the end. "Do her legs still hurt?"

Legs?

"What's wrong with her legs?"

"..." He approached his onee-chan who had her brows pressed together as she was sleeping. "She said her legs were in pain this morning."

Natsume's eyes darkened as he took her in. She looked much better now that she was sleeping soundly. Her cheeks were still stained with pinks and reds and her braid was loose around her pillow. 

He wanted to wake her up and ask her all about the pills and her legs. He couldn't wake her up because there were things that he hadn't told her.

"She's doing better." he whispered to Youichi. "Don't worry, your onee-chan is strong."

His eyes gleamed in pride, "I know."

"Hey... want to play a game?" Ruka blurted from the side. His eyes were a dim color, far from blue.

Youichi brightened up from that and ran out of the room in excitement while Ruka followed suit. He paused at the door.

"There's something about her that's scary isn't it?" Ruka mumbled. Natsume sat cross-legged on the floor near Mikan, he watched her as she stirred in her sleep.

He let out a shaky breath, "Most definitely but I think I'm in love her." He shook his head with a sad smile.

"I love this girl, Ruka. What do I do?"

Ruka smiled at him. He shook his head, "Nothing. All you can do is stay by her side."

Natsume groaned as his head fell down on her bed, "She's driving me crazy and it's only been weeks."

"..." he felt bad for his friend because he knew exactly how he felt only this was different. He could tell by the gleam in Mikan's eyes that she felt the same way as Natsume.

He ruffled his hair and left the two of them alone with a smile plastered on his face although there was a thought in the back of his mind.

There was something unsettling about Mikan but he couldn't figure it out. He knew that she was pure gold but there was almost something sad about her.

A sigh was the only thing he could come up with.

He could only pray that good things would come their way.