(A/N: And after so long, I finally managed to squeeze in a new chapter.)

.

.

.

Chapter 6: Measured Steps

The mansion itself was daunting, but he supposed every well-to-do family loved flaunting off their wealth to the general public.

Taking slow, deliberate steps towards the front door, the young man cocked his head, wondering if he should walk in.

That would be the normal thing to do, but where was the fun in that?

He smiled lightly.

Strolling towards an old, tall tree, he effortlessly climbed up until he reached the third floor balcony whose windows were shut and curtains drawn.

Using his left hand, he knocked on the glass politely.

"Master," He called out, "Master, I'm here to report to you."

A few seconds later, the one he called "Master" appeared and opened the windows with a small frown etched on his deceptively youthful face.

He leaned back on the railing, his smile never fading. He waited for the other man to comment on his unorthodox method of entering the mansion. A few beats of silence stretched between them.

His Master finally spoke. "Welcome back, Go" He told him.

Go mentally pouted. Why was it so difficult to rile this man before him? Running a hand through his hair, he straightened his posture and looked the man straight in the eyes.

"We've accomplished what you've asked of us, Master," He reported dutifully.

His Master smirked slightly. "That's wonderful to hear," He replied, eyes sliding to the floor, seemingly lost in thought, "Everything will proceed as planned."

Master had always been rather difficult to read, the young man thought to himself. He honestly had no idea what the other man's motivations were but he paid very well so that was that.

"I'll call for you again," Master told him, "Until then, lay low, Go."

Go nodded lightly, saluting at his employer lazily before disappearing from the balcony.

Now that he's finished the first half of his job, he had time to kill.

Whistling, he walked out of the manor grounds.

.

The car ride back to the Hyuuga Estate was a quiet one.

Natsume gazed outside of the car window, a hand propped up on his chin, lost in thought.

While he had felt infinitely relieved at the fact that they had found Mikan (and that she was doing well and that she was just as adorable as he remembered her to be), he could not help but feel a certain loneliness wrapping around him.

His dearest person was so near to him and yet, and yet-

She was ever so far.

The phantom warmth of her touch still lingered on his palm. The short time that he was able to embrace her made his heart swell with joy and sadness.

She was safe.

She was okay.

But-

She could not remember him.

The ring on his left hand, bearing the initials of the woman he loved the most, felt cold and heavy.

With saddened eyes and a burning heart, Natsume brought the ring to his lips, kissing it gently.

Be patient, he told himself, be patient and wait for her. You got her to fall for you all those years ago and you can do it again.

And he was prepared to do just that.

.

Nadeshiko (Mikan, your name is Mikan, she corrected herself) gazed at the ring on her finger more often than not.

While a part of her curiosity was appeased at the unravelling of her past (a part of her past, a part of who she was), another part of her dreaded everything else that would inevitably follow.

The tranquil existence she had here in the Ritsu estate had been shaken by the arrival of the Hyuuga heir (your fiancé, someone who loved you, someone you love, her mind supplied) and his unwavering gaze and devotion.

He wouldn't force her to marry him, that much was certain. She was glad he was considerate enough not to drag her back to the Hyuuga Estate and demand that they get married at the earliest possible time.

(She would have slapped him and kicked him and scratched him if he dared to try. She wondered if she was always such a violent person).

But Hyuuga-sama was considerate and gentle with her, even after she had slapped his face (without holding back). She felt guilty at harming him but really, who wouldn't be on guard after someone suddenly embraced them?

(She didn't want to admit that it felt warm and safe in the split second that he had her in his arms because how could she when she didn't even know who he was and that wouldn't have made any sense).

She sighed, head hurting, and brought her hand to her face. His touch had felt undeniably nostalgic that her hand felt empty after he had pulled away from her and that scared her.

(Was she that used to holding his hand?)

It was terrible, not knowing anything and everything. So far, the only things that she gathered were that Ayame-sama was her saviour and that Hyuuga-sama was her fiancé (a term she was still unused to).

What about the other things?

Parents. Siblings. Family. Friends. Did she have those? She probably did. She probably gave them the same sinking feeling of sadness that the Hyuuga heir showed her earlier.

She wanted to apologize to them, but she didn't even know who they were. Unless the Hyuuga heir informed them of her current status, she doubted they even knew she was alive and well in the Ritsu estate.

Herself. What kind of person was she before the accident? Was she kind? She thought she was probably a bit violent, coming from the snippets that Hyuuga-sama shared a little while ago. Was she thoughtful?

How much of her current self reflected her former self?

Did it matter?

It did, of course it did. If this her (Nadeshiko) was a far cry from the previous her (Mikan), would everyone around her be accepting of that fact?

Even if she was alive right now, would they even want her back if she was different from her old self?

(Wasn't it the same as being dead if she didn't resemble the her before the accident at all?)

I hate this. I hate not knowing anything.

I'm terrified.

Her headache got worse with every passing minute so she decided to lay out her futon and lie down.

That night, she dreamt of another memory.

.

She was sitting by the swings when another person approached her. She thought Natsume was finally back after buying drinks so she prepared a very energetic "Welcome Back" hug until she realized that it was a different person who approached her.

Thank God she stopped halfway. She nearly collided with the tall stranger.

"You must be Mikan-chan," A dark haired man said, looking at her. She couldn't really see his face under the brightness of the sun but he had pale features, as if he rarely went out of his house.

Even though his voice was soft and his posture was relaxed, she couldn't help but feel wary of him.

(How did he know her name?)

While a part of her was telling her to stay away from the man in front of her, she had always been a cheerful and polite child, so she nodded and smiled slightly.

"Yep, that's me, Mister!" She replied.

She couldn't see what expression he made but he reached out and caressed her face.

"You look like her, so much…" He trailed off. His fingers were cold and Mikan resisted the urge to flinch and flee from him.

His fingers slid from her face to her neck and stayed there for a few unsettling minutes.

"Um, Mister?" She asked uncertainly.

He chuckled. "Pardon me," He told her, removing his fingers, "You remind me of someone very dear to me."

Mikan didn't know what to make his admission, so she nodded slowly.

"I-I have to get going now, Mister. Mom will be looking for me," She said, backing away from the man before her.

He gazed at her thoughtfully and grabbed her arm before she could completely distance herself from him. He placed a light kiss on her cheek before letting her go.

Even his lips were like ice against the skin of her face.

Run, her senses told her, RUN.

So she did just that.

"Mikan-chan," He called out. Against her better judgement, she turned to face him.

"Tell your mother I said hi," He told her, laughing lightly.

She ran faster away from him.

.

End of Chapter 6.

Please review.