Issues with Edward Cullen
by: Lihsa-chan©Winter Moonlight Sonata

When Natsume hears Mikan brooding over this Cullen guy, he swells with fury and jealousy and ends up looking ridiculous after kissing her and asking her if he's better than Edward. Really, Natsume and his issues.

First one-shot.

He just happened to have passed by the Special Abilities classroom when he heard the unmistakable squeal of what he knew to be a silly brunette with high pigtails and polka-dotted panties. He was planning on just passing it and walking towards his favorite Sakura tree when he heard it.

"—Misaki-senpai, Edward really is cool, isn't he?" he heard her say. His brain reeled in. Who the heck is the Edward guy? The light, flirtatious giggles he knew so much came as a reply.

"Yeah, Edward Cullen really is hot, Mikan-chan," Misaki seconded. He could feel the rage and envy bubbling up inside him and struggled to keep him and his temper intact.

"Yeah!" he heard the brunette squeal again. "His bronze hair . . . his marble-hard skin . . . Even his cold, cold lips might feel good!"

For the past seven years, he really never changes his feelings about her, albeit the academy's persistent orders to not involve her in his serious missions. He never really got the hang of fighting his feelings for her.

And so he hid behind his mask of indifference, which he reinforced tenfold to keep her from coming inside his perilous world, but even with his horrific treatment of her, she just wouldn't budge. She still came to him

And now, he was hearing her go crazy over this Edward Cullen and his fury — this one fury, in particular — was one that was hard to control, and he didn't know why.

He wouldn't accept that this was pure and unsafe jealousy of some guy he barely knew. Andou, he could take, because he knew that the Shadow Manipulator was in love with the pink-haired doppelganger, but this guy? Who did he think he was?

"Ne, Misaki-nee, don't you feel like it's getting hot?" Mikan's voice said. He smiled in spite of himself; he could see her fanning her heat-reddened cheeks. Somehow it was only his alice that could get through her Nullification defenses, although only on rare occasion, such as this one, and as much as it confounded him, it made him smile. And those rare occasions included this . . . now, right now—

—When he was burning with jealousy.

Thinking it would be best if he just went away before he burned anything, he headed for his favorite place, his safe harbor, putting Cullen out of his mind.

He had been fast asleep by the upper branches of the Sakura tree overlooking her window when he heard it again. His manga had been in his face and his hands behind his head, but they suddenly turned rigid when he heard the name again, threatening to drop him off the tree.

"Edward Cullen. Ne, Hotaru, don't you think he's so cool? I mean, he's just the perfect guy! His hair . . . even the feel of his lips and the cool breath . . ."

Imai just grunted, and he felt his jaw tightening. He was really growing irritated with this guy. All day he's been hearing girls go Edward this and Edward that, but it never really bothered him. Not unless it was her who spoke about it.

"Hotaru?" she inquired. He watched her cock her head to the side from under the tree. Idiot.

"Yeah," Imai replied. "He's a great guy. But I don't need him, baka. I already have Ruka."

That was true. They had been together for quite some time now, and he couldn't help but feel relieved when Ruka confessed about his feelings for her three years ago. Up until then he had been his greatest rival for Mikan's love, and he could've won it hands down if he just fought for her. But he didn't, because he found someone else.

"Hm," Mikan said, nodding her brown head. "That's true. But still . . . I love Edward Cullen."

That did it.

I love Edward Cullen.

I love Edward Cullen.

He just didn't get it. It was supposed to be 'I love Natsume', not Edward Cullen.

Okay, now he was just being plain ridiculous. But still, her last statement made his brain go blank and his anger level rise to an alarming height.

He jumped off the sakura tree just as Imai left Mikan all alone underneath it and pinned her roughly to the trunk. His hot breath was coming in furious wisps, resulting from the clash of sizzling oxygen from his system colliding with the wintry December air around them. Mikan was surprised, her brown eyes drawn wide open.

"W-What's this about? Natsume?" she said, her arms pressing against his chest.

"Sakura Mikan," he said hoarsely, his voice barely above a whisper. "Why do you love this Edward Cullen?"

His voice had the faintest trace of hysteria. After all these years I hadn't made my move on her, and now . . . she's found someone else.

"Oh!" She looked pleased with his question, disregarding the positively murderous look on his face. "That's easy. Because he's perfect, and he's tall and smart and he's got great hair . . . and he kisses so well!"

His red eyes widened and glared at her; she still ignored this.

Having half a mind to rethink his next move, his animal instincts took over him and before he could help himself, he pushed his head closer to hers and kissed her.

It was blissful oblivion; he had no way to describe the sudden explosion of emotions when he felt his lips come in contact with hers, and he had no idea that this would be what it feels like . . . years of dreaming about claiming these sultry lips have finally come, and yet no length of time can ever prepare him for the feeling of death in heaven—

—and then she kissed him back, as forceful as he kissed her first. Their tongues were rolling around each other, and he whispered her name furiously during the few seconds that they broke off to breathe. He was definitely in heaven . . . but he thought it through: would he be in heaven if she was in love with someone else? No. No, he won't be. He would be where he deserved to be, and that was in hell.

And yet, even though she loved this Cullen guy, she was kissing him back, for some unknown reason he could never, ever find out. But it didn't matter now. All that's important is that he's showing her that he could love her so much better than the other guy . . . because he's loved her since forever, and she was just too stupid to know that.

When they finally broke off, he was not the only one breathing heavily, and he saw that he had burned her ribbons, leaving her knee-long hair cascading all over her body, framing her face elegantly.

"So," he said, his voice huskier and much more hoarse than before, "tell me . . . who's better?"

She just smiled at him; a teasing, playful one.

"Hyuuga Natsume," she said, and her voice was just as faded as his. "Were you seriously jealous of Edward Cullen?"

He scoffed. "Why should I be?"

"Because he's still better than you," she said simply. He snapped his deadly glare at her and she giggled.

"Really?" he said skeptically, trying to call her bluff. She didn't change; she was still unabashed.

"Next time," she said, wrapping her thin arms around his neck, "when you go to the bookstore, look for the book entitled 'Twilight'."

She smiled again, the mischief traced in her eyes. "Because by then you'll find out how stupid your antics are."

"Oh, yeah?" he said, smirking while snaking his arms around her slender waist. "Why?"

The monkey business was fully pronounced in her features now. "Because you've been jealous of a fictional vampire in a lady's novel."

His eyes widened in realization and embarrassment, but his mouth smiled in relief.

In his defense, he pinched her sides. "Well, not everyone's perfect you know."

She glared but recovered all the same. "Yeah, but at least look somewhere other than the manga section. Not everyone does that, so you must be pretty stupid.

"Yeah," he agreed, giving her an Eskimo kiss (nose-to-nose). "I must be pretty stupid, kissing you and all that."

"Hey!"

"But I'd rather be. And I'll still keep in my mind my issue with Edward Cullen. You're mine now," he said, ignoring her playful attempts at escaping his vice-like grip.

"Really, Natsume," she said, smiling his smile. "You and your antics. You seriously have issues."

And who would've known that Edward Cullen would be the reason why these two finally got together after seven long years? Even if he did hate this fictional vampire, he still had enough humility for thanking his existence for bringing them together.

Forever . . .

©WMS.