A dedication to my friend who's been bugging me non-stop to write a natsumeXmikan story… I can't win against her powers of annoyance… Please review or else I can't continue… I think… this will be a short chaptered story… maybe 2 or 3 chaps max… YAY! Oh! This is in Mikan's POV…

Disclaimer: It's not mine and I don't want it to be mine. This goes for everything else.

愛のメロディー
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- Love's Melody -
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It's been awhile since I talked to Natsume… with him actually giving a response. I would be pleased with him giving me a simple 'hn' or even calling me names, it would be so nice to hear him speak. Even just hearing his voice… it's been so long I can't remember his voice. Only a small bit of our everyday life I can remember. I don't know what it would be like if he came back to class again. I think I'm the only one who still remembers him. It's been a year after all… the doctors say that if he doesn't wake up within a week or two, he might not have a chance to survive, even now they say that his chances of waking up are slim.

It's a Saturday today, and this is the day I usually go to Central Town. But ever since the day I couldn't bug him to go with me. It's been so boring. Shops are just shops, performances are just performances and even howalons don't taste as good as they used to. I guess he just added a bit of spark and excitement to my life.

Now, I don't go there as often; now, I visit the hospital every 1 or 2 weeks, sometimes just after classes ended, I wonder how he would act if I told him I've been learning the violin now (A/N: I know that it sounds weird her playing the violin, but so many people choose to make her a pianist and frankly, I'm getting bored, so I'm making a change, if you don't like it, I can change it. Just review or e-mail me. Yeah?) I'm not bad I would say. I bet even he would be surprised, at least I hope so. He's the reason I started, so that I could impress him when he wakes up.

I guess the chances of him hearing me are thin though.

I've been working so hard that if he doesn't wake up, I'll go to hell, heaven or wherever he is and drag him back to earth just so he can hear me play, then he can go back if he wants. It must be weird having to go to all that trouble just to make sure he hears me. But it would be satisfying enough if he just sat on a chair and heard me play. If he joined in, that would be even better, but I'm not sure if he knows how to play an instrument. Then, I can finally beat him at something!

I hear a knock at my door. I walk over and open it. I see Ruka in front of me wearing his pyjamas. Bunnies, cute I think, personally anyway. Hotaru would kill me if she knew I thought that. After all, I know she has a crush on him. Only I know though. But why's he here? He didn't even bother to change! How rude! And he even bothered knocking and yet, he didn't have enough time to change!?

He was puffing, red faced and sweating.
"What's wrong Ruka-pyon?" I ask.
"I-it's Natsume, he's…" pause, more puffing and deep breaths. "He's woken up."
I look at him wide-eyed. "That's… that's good!"
"There's more." He looks up. "He's missing."
"A-are you… sure?! Maybe you looked in the wrong room…" I paused, thinking of an excuse… just to make sure Ruka could counter it "or… or maybe… they were just p-playing… or… joking…something of that type…"

"ARE YOU KIDDING?"
He shouts, it's been a while since anyone shouted at me. "I… I'm sorry… I lost control of myself… I meant to say… 'Why would they lie?'… And… they checked every room… I even looked myself. I found out just a moment ago. I tried asking them if he had woken up before, they said no. I came to the conclusion that he might have been kidnapped, but… he left a note" he hands me a piece of crumpled paper.

I'm going out on a walk, don't you dare find me.
Or else I'll stay 'missing' forever. Deal?

Natsume

P.S. Don't worry Ruka, I'll come to say
'Bye' if I do choose to leave.

I scrunched the paper in my hand furiously. "THAT JERK! I WILL FIND HIM MYSELF AND BEAT HIM TO A PULP!"

And so, that's how our search began…

We searched from one classroom to the next, from one bench to another, from tree to tree, and from room to room. Until I remembered something.
"Hey Ruka! Have you checked his special sakura (cherry blossom) tree?" I asked.
"Of course I have, that's his favourite spot! That's the first place I looked!" he answered with disbelief. I'm guessing he's thinking to himself something like… 'Who wouldn't? It's the first place ANYONE would look!' or something along that line…
I looked at him. How's that possible, I'm so sure that he's there… unless… "Which one? Which sakura tree?"
"Isn't there only one in the school?"
Confused I looked to him for answers.
He threw down his hands in frustration. "THE ONE THAT HE ALWAYS SITS UNDER! YOU SIT UNDER IT TOO!" silence "I'm sorry… I'm just… very… frustrated… right now. I didn't mean to shout at you" He bowed apologetically.
"Oh!" I realized what he had meant "That's why we couldn't find him! There's another one!"
He looked at me surprised and put his hand to my forehead. "You don't have a fever… or… are you hallucinating?"
I grabbed his hand and took a step back. "NO! I mean… we, meaning Natsume and I, we planted a sakura tree a while back. A-and… close to it, there's this… small stream and fruit tree… it'd be a perfect place to go camp. He might be there."
"R-really?? Well… then… where is it?"
I took a step back ready to run if he wasn't satisfied with my answer. "That's the problem" pause "You see, it's in the Northern Forest… and… it's in this little clearing… that… only Natsume knows the way to."
Another step back. Then another. I turn to run. Just then, he stopped me.
"Oh! You mean, the place where there's the tangerine tree?"
"YEAH! You know the place?"
"Of course. I planted that tree." With...a special someone. Though I doubt she remembers it.
"Well, let's go!"

And with that, we ran all the way there,
With Ruka leading…
But what we were going to find…
Isn't the most obvious…

I have decided this will be a 2 chaptered story. I wonder if you'll like it. hmmm...