A/n: Written in Natsume's POV from the story "True Love" by sakuraharuno0012.

http : / / fanfiction . net/s/8029032/1/True_Love

Enjoy. -.-

~(-.-)~

Do you believe in destiny? That someone, no matter how faraway they are, is patiently waiting for the day where you and that person can live happily ever after? A bit melodramatic? I know. I was brought up by a mother who loves romanticism. Her specialty: romantic tragedies.

The Travail-ion race was a proud race that consists of powerful warriors who battled with fierce monsters and demons of any form. The rough land terrains of Travail made it the perfect battle ground for strength and mind training. It also became the ground where blood was constantly shed between the Travail-ion and Solace-ion race, two races that had been fighting for as long as I can remember.

My mother had once told me that there were 3 races from 3 different dimensions ruling the universe: Travail, Solace, and Earth. But due to a feud that occurred a millennia ago between the elders of Travail and Solace, the two races created a great barrier rift which separated their people, never to interact which each other ever again. And Earth as a neutral race decided to erase both of the races existence and lived in peace in their own little dimension.

~(-.-)~

The intense roars of cheers and laughter floated through the harsh wind of Travail. Today was a special day to all of its citizens. It was the day all of the proud chosen Travail-ion warriors battle with each other and be crowned the title of most powerful warrior among all of them. Of course, the sons of the royal king and queen of Travail were not an exemption to this holy event of muscles and brawns.

King Igarashi and Queen Kaoru beamed with delight as they watched their middle son, Tsubasa, battled with great tenacity towards his opponent and won. Their oldest son, Akira, shamelessly flirted with the other Travail-ion women on one side of the battle ground. And of course, I, the third son watched indifferently behind my shameless older brother. A flipped the book open and continued my reading when a hand suddenly slumped itself on my shoulders.

"Have you seen it, Natsume?" It was my brother Tsubasa. "I beat him! That was a fantastic victory for me, don't you agree?" I studied his dirty face. There were some cuts on his cheeks and a shallow bruise on his shoulder done by a fierce knife but overall his was in a complete state to brag about his win. I removed his arm around my shoulder and congratulated him. "Aww… Don't be such a sourpuss, brother," he chuckled. He then grabbed the book in my hand and threw it to one side. "And stop reading this kind of nonsense. It's your turn to battle. If you continue to read such things, you'll forever be third in the rankings. You'll never get above Akira and I." He teased as I bent down to grab the book he just thrown.

"Aniki, I don't intend to get above you and Akira-aniki," I answered matter-of-factly and dusted the book. "I am happy with my current status and I don't intend to aim for additional strength nor power. You both can claim the throne for all I care." The sound of a blow horn signaled the start of the next fight. I placed the book on top of a table, grabbed my sword and body armor then marched towards the battlefield. I didn't even see the pained look on my older brother's face as the roaring sounds drowned the emptiness deep within me.

~(-.-)~

"Today was a spectacular event!" King Igarashi boomed as he drank the wine in hand like a drinking monster. All of my father's knights and advisers carefully seated in front of the round table. My mother seated to his left, Akira to his right, followed by Tsubasa and I. A grand dinner celebration always took place after the holy battles were finished. And of course, as expected by everyone, it was my brother Akira who was declared as the champion of the event.

"Although, it was a spectacular sight to see both your two other sons give their best during their own fights, your majesties," an elder bowed and complimented the two other princes. Queen Kaoru smiled gratefully at the old man. A stunning raven-haired woman with piercing red ruby eyes that was both powerful and gentle in handling the men of her family. She was woman that should never be reckoned with. Despite the gentle grace she portrayed outside, she was a very formidable opponent. Even my father was afraid of her.

"Thank you, Elder Kimura," she thanked him. "I'm quite proud of my sons for winning each of their battles. But I am more grateful to the gods of Travail that none of them were put in great harm. As a mother, it pains me to see my children be pushed to death's door. But as their Queen, it's my responsibility to see things through until the end."

Everyone on the table nodded in understanding. I silently chewed the food in front of me and sighed. Not giving any opinion to what she just said. The whole idea of senseless fighting bore me. But as a son of the king, responsibilities always hindered me in my actions. I saw my mother stare at me, her ruby eyes piercing through my soul. I stared back at her, never dwindling. I saw hurt etched in them. I smiled at her and she smiled back in return.

~(-.-)~

"Natsume," my father called me as I walk towards my room chamber. I looked back and greeted the king. "You did a splendid job with your match today, my son..." I nodded silently and waited for him to continue. I watched as he fidgeted awkwardly with the hem of his cape. "And, uhh, I'm glad nothing bad happened to you and your brothers…"

"Did mother order you to check on us?", I asked amused. His head hanged low as he nodded. I chuckled at the childishness of my parents. Yes, they were powerful and feared all throughout the land. But they loved each other greatly. I was always told of how they were destined for each other because they were attached to each other by strings of fate. "Don't worry, I am fine. Although I am a bit tired and would like to rest for the night now. I still have class tomorrow."

He looked at me weirdly, walked forward and embraced my body with a tight hug. "I am proud for all of you," he whispered as I hugged him back. He pulled slightly away and grinned boyishly. "Bring me something sweet when you go back to earth tomorrow. I like those things that remind me of your mother's scent."

"You mean chocolates," I chuckled.

"Yes those. Lovely things, I'd say." He tapped my shoulders, proud both as a father and as a warrior. "Though your mother worries about you sometimes, Natsume. And I'm beginning to understand why she always seeks. You look haunted, son."

I stayed silent and struggled to keep a calm outward appearance. I walked towards the door of my room and opened it slightly. "I am tired now. If there is nothing else you need of me, I would like to rest," I said then slowly closed the door behind him. My father's sigh the last thing I heard from him.

The room was dark. Only the light radiance from the Travail moon dimmed the place. I walked to my room's balcony and sat at its edge. My eyes wondered to the vast land of Travail then looked at the radiant moon. I closed my eyes and basked at the feel of its glow.

'Mother, do you believe in destiny?' I asked as my mother smiled gently at me. I looked up at her and snuggled closer to her warmth. She gently placed her hand on my head and started stroking it my hair.

'Of course, my child. Destiny led me to your father. How could I not believe in it?', she answered. I stifled a yawn and rubbed my tired eyes.

'Do you think I can find my own destiny as well?', I whispered. My eyes slowly succumbing to sleep's calling.

'You will. And the person destined for you will change your life forever.'

~(-.-)~

The chimes of the school's bells woke me up from my sleep. I stood up groggily and scanned my surroundings. The school ground of Carvel High reminded me of Travail. It was the reason I enrolled in this educational facility the first time I arrived here on Earth.

I opened the portal that would lead me to Earth's dimension for the first time. The adrenaline I felt while the portal kept growing stirred something deep inside me. Was it excitement? Or was it fear? Maybe both? But as a Travail-ion, I could never let fear rule over me. This must be excitement I am currently feeling.

I grabbed the knapsack already filled with some of my things that I could use during my travels. My heart pounded heavily as I launched myself forward and jumped inside. Strong wind ruffled my hair and a blinding light engulfed me. I closed my eyes and waited for the light impact with the dimension.

The sight that greeted me was absolutely stunning. It slowly filled the dark emptiness within me. Clear blue sky, fresh air, bright sun, and luscious green trees. Birds and tiny insects chirped together in complete harmony. Everything left me speechless.

A huge grin slowly worked its way to my lips. I inhaled the sweet scent of the earth's air and broke into a fast run. I ran through bushes and felt my heart swell with happiness. A clearing was seen not too far away and I rushed towards it. What I saw left me breathless.

~(-.-)~

"Natsume!" I heard someone call my name. "Oi! Natsume, wait up!" I turned back to see Mochu running towards me, waving a magazine in his hand. He stopped in front of me while gasping for air. "Have you see this?", he asked, grinning excitedly. I quirked a brow at him and looked at the magazine.

"No, what is it?", I inquired in confusion. I took the magazine from his hand and read through the article. I furrowed my brows together as I glanced back at Mochu. "He's coming back?"

Mochu nodded his head eagerly. "Yeah, Ruka's coming back to Japan tomorrow! I wonder if he bought that cool Megaman action figure I asked him to buy in America! Oh man, I can't wait to see him tomorrow!" I could comically imagine stars forming in his eyes. I chuckled at his childishness.

"I'm sure he bought it. That man never forgets anything," I gave him back the magazine. "Which means I need to prepare myself for the nonstop pestering I'll have when he returns tomorrow." I sighed at the horrible thought. Ruka, my so-called best friend, was the first person to ever know I was a Travail-ion. He knew from the very start that I was not human or to be more specific not an Earthling. Although he can be a good friend, Ruka just meddles too much to my personal affairs, I find him quite annoying.

The sound of squealing caught both our attention. I looked to see it was coming from the basketball gymnasium. I heaved another sigh as I remembered I had basketball practice.

~(-.-)~

"You'll be running 100 times around the school ground for being late for practice, Hyuuga-kun," Sakurano smiled his gentlemanly smile. Shuichi Sakurano was the captain of the Carvel boys' basketball team. Not only was he good in sports but he was also the president of the student council. Together with him was Subaru Imai, his second in command both in the basketball team and in the student council. I groaned mentally. These two were known as the fiercest duo throughout the campus. But I dubbed them as the most annoying and troublesome couple.

"100 laps all throughout the school ground? Just for being late? Are you even serious about it, captain?", I asked dubiously, though my outer appearance said otherwise.

"I'm not a good comedian, Hyuuga. Neither do I find you someone who likes to joke around," he replied seriously. I watched him as he wiped his sweat covered face with a clean towel. "The championship's just around the corner. We could not afford to be lax during these most crucial times. We expect more from you and from the entire team."

I succumbed to his explanation and nodded my head. This was a very crucial stage to our team. Just one mistake and it could take away all our chances of earning the championship title. Everyone was working their best to achieve what they wanted. I'm here because I wanted more from what I could gain from being a normal prince in Travail.

The practice game went off without a hitch. And now I'm paying the 100 lap run Sakurano ordered me to finish before the day finally ends. The sun was just about to set from the horizon. I panted as sweat dropped down from my face. I wiped it off with clammy hands and bent forward to catch my breath.

"You look like you could use a bottle of cold water." A voice said behind me. I turned around to see a petite girl with short strawberry-blonde hair holding out a bottle of water to me. I stood up properly and took the bottle from her hand.

"Thank you." She smiled broadly at me. I opened the bottle's cap and gulped down its content eagerly. I breathed out a sigh of relief at the coolness of the water.

"I think Sakurano-sempai over did it a bit when he ordered you to run these many laps, Natsume-sama," she commented then looked at me worriedly. "Are you feeling alright?" I gave her a small smile and nodded. The girl clapped her hands together in contentment.

"Running 100 laps around the school's ground is nothing, Luna-san," I said while wiping sweat using the front of my shirt. 'This is nothing compared to the harsh training I've undergone in Travail.' I added mentally. Luna twirled her fingers together and slight fidgeted in place. I quirked a brow in silent inquiry and waited for her to speak. When she didn't say anything after a few moments of silence, I asked her if she wanted anything else.

"U-uhm…," she started. "W-would you mind if I walk home with you?" She looked at me expectantly. The question startled me but carefully masked it with a trained polite smile and conceded. She reminded me of the kind of women my oldest brother mingled with. I guess, they were everywhere, both here and in Travail.

~(-.-)~

I rubbed my sore shoulder as I walked my way towards school. Running 100 laps around school was an easy task compared to battle training. But it was still bothersome whenever my body feels sore in the morning. 'Maybe I'd stay at the library today, read something and get some shut eye,' I mused as I passed by the bar walls of the school in front of ours, Marvel. I studied the school from outside.

Carvel and Marvel were rival schools. Their rivalry went back to the time of the first headmasters of both schools. Though no one really knew what started the said rivalry, none of the students actually cared about it anyway. What mattered to them was that the other was the enemy. The foolish rivalry reminded me of the feud between Travail and its neighbor dimension Solace. The only difference: there was no bloodshed involved.

I continued to walk forward and stopped as I saw a group of Carvel students flocking in front of Marvel's gates. I saw Mochu one of the students having a heated battle to one of the other school's students. 'That idiot. What the hell is he doing there?' I grumbled and marched purposely towards him. "Mochu!", I called.

He turned around and beamed an idiotic smile at me. My eyes twitched in annoyance. "Natsume! Thank goodness you're here!"

"What's going on here?"

"These women won't let get go inside to fetch our flying disc which landed on their ground while we were playing Frisbee earlier," Mochu explained then glared at the woman. I studied the girl who was wearing spectacles and their school uniform: black pleated skirt, white shirt and red bow tie. Her hand was on her hips while the other held the disc Mochu mentioned. "Just give us back the disc and we won't make any more scenes!"

The whole escapade lasted for so long that a school teacher had to meddle with the uprising fight. 'Great. And I was just simply passing by. How the hell did I get dragged in all of this?' I thought, annoyed. 'It can't get anything worse than this.'

I was proved wrong. I saw her running towards me. Her short brown hair bounced, her face flushed as she ran faster. There was something odd about the girl and instinct told me to get away from there before everything was too late. But for some reason, I was stuck there motionless. She stopped in front of me and looked up. There was a big smile on her face that was soon replaced with a look of pure horror.

"Solace-ion...", I hissed angrily and glared at the girl.

"You're a... Travail-ion...?", she asked, horrified.

My feet were rooted on the ground. I was unable to move from the spot and glared angrily at the unknown Solace-ion girl. There were so many questions that ran through my mind all at the same time.Why was a Solace-ion here on Earth? Why was she studying at our rival school? Why didn't I notice that a Solace-ion was this close to me? Before any of the questions stuck in my head was answered, I walked away from the stunned girl. Away from the person who was a part of the destined rival of my people. I guess fate really is cruel.

~(-.-)~

The unexpected meeting yesterday still lingered in my head. Meeting a Solace-ion this close and what more enrolled at the school right next to mine without noticing was unheard of. Never mind, it was embarrassing. I was trained to be wary of my surroundings and know if someone, as different as I, was nearby.

"Damn it. Why didn't I notice a Solace-ion near me? Not to mention, a woman Solace-ion!", I gritted my teeth. I walked at the city park to try and get some fresh air and relaxation. Thinking too much about it won't solve any problem. It would be better if I just keep my distance away from that girl.

I saw a vacant bench nearby and decided to sit under the comfortable shade of a tree. I took out a book I was previously reading, flipped the pages open and started reading silently. 'This would take things off my mind,' I mulled over.

I read my book quietly for a few minutes when I felt that strange presence again. The presence of a Solace-ion. I didn't have to look up from reading to know that the girl I saw yesterday was in front of me.

"What do you want, Solace-ion?" I asked, irritated. 'Great. There goes my peace and quiet.'

"I'm... sorry," she finally uttered. I looked up to face her and saw her flinch as she stared at the Travail-ion mark imprinted on my right collarbone. I studied her features carefully. Short auburn hair, chocolate brown eyes, and a pair of luscious pink lips. I stared at her eyes. It glistened under the rays of the sun. Humans might think it as just a trick of the light but the eyes of Solace-ion were special. Under different circumstances, their eye color would change to a shade of blue whenever they use their special ability known as the "Solace Sight". Travail-ions called it as the "Fate's Eyes". These were eyes that could see through the different mazes of the future.

"It doesn't seem like you are sorry for what happened before," I retorted back. 'Go away and live me alone.'

"It's not my fault, it's...", she trailed off. I narrowed my eyes at her, my patient slowly running thin.

"What?" I snapped my book shut.

"It's that... you're my..."

"Your? I'm your what?" My patience was at its edge. 'If this girl does not tell me immediately what she wanted to say or so help me-'

"My... true... love..."

I stiffened. Her eyes glistened as tears threatened to fall. "Solace Sight," I whispered under my breath. Damn it. This was not something that I had never thought of happening. Something as a Solace-ion proclaiming her love to a Travail-ion was unheard of. Not to mention, such kind of a relationship was impossible to begin with. "Forget about it now, it won't do you any good," I said standing up and tried to dismiss the crazy girl.

"You think I can do that even if I wanted to?", she cried helplessly. I narrowed my eyes at her but was pained as I saw the look in her eyes.

"How could you even think that such kind of feelings from a Solace and a Travail can be 'true love' when we can't even touch each other?", I asked. She tried to reach out for me but stopped midway as a white ripple from the barrier formed. "See? Don't even try, it won't work."

I turned my back and stepped forward only to be stopped by her feeble whisper. I sighed in annoyance. 'Why can't this woman just understand that it's impossible?'

"What do you want from me? To say I love you and that we would get through this together? I was brought up to hate Solace and all who were associated with them, and don't deny you weren't brought up the same way about my people. I saw the look on your face when you found out I was a Travail-ion. It was written all over your face that you despised the realization of what I really was."

It hurt. Why did it hurt me so? The moment she realized who I was. The look of horror and fear on her face. Why did it hurt that she was horrified of what I am? Why?

"But…", she said yet again. My patience snapped and banged my fist on the barrier that surrounded us. Keeping us apart. Small white cracks formed but it wasn't enough to remove the white shield. 'It hurts. Please don't look at me like that…'

"There is no point for you to even try getting any closer to me! It won't ever work out! Just give up while it only just begun."

"But..."

"For the love of God, but what?" I yelled. This woman just won't stop with her constant buts. Why couldn't she just leave me alone and find another Solace-ion to become her so-called 'true-love'. The thought pierced my heart for some unknown reason. 'It hurts.' I glared at her.

"I love you...," she whispered achingly. A single teardrop flowed down her soft cheek. I stood in my place dumbstruck. A weird feeling started to swell deep within my chest. A feeling that I would never confront nor admit because such a feeling was forbidden and unheard of. I could never love this Solace-ion.

"But I don't…," I uttered before walking away.

~(-.-)~

I looked up at the clear blue sky. Clouds floated lazily at the same time my thoughts kept wondering to the confrontation I had yesterday with the Solace-ion girl. I heaved a sigh and closed my eyes, trying to erase the memory of her pained face.

A banana peel landed itself carefully on my face. It wouldn't matter much to me only if I didn't know where the banana peel came from. My peaceful days had finally come to its horrible end. I removed the peel off my face and glared at the man grinning man above me.

"You're back," I deadpanned.

"And you are still the boring antisocial man that I know," Ruka laughed then sat beside me. I raised myself slowly and rest my back against the cold wall looking at the scenery in front of me. "I heard a girl rushed towards you the other day. Did she declare her never wavering love for you?" Ruka teased and looked at me. Carefully assessing my reaction to his statement. I remained still and not answering his inquiry.

"You're not gonna answer me, are you?", he asked. "Fine. Be that way. I'm not your best friend anymore and you can't tell me your thoughts about this mysterious girl." He sulked dramatically at a corner. I laughed at his childishness. Although I find Ruka annoying, he was a good friend. I smirked at him then sighed.

"She said that I was her "true love"," I answered, looking away. Ruka titled his head to the side in confusion. He knew about my secret and he didn't care about who or what I was. I was grateful of him for that because I didn't have to think about my lineage nor about my race. "She's a Solace-ion."

His reaction was of comic horror. I watched him change his face reaction from horror, to disbelief, to hilarity. He could become one of the best actors in this generation with the change on his face. "S-She's a Solace-ion," Ruka repeated. "I can't believe this twist of fate! The one who was fated for you is from your rival kingdom! What tragedy!" He laughed out loud then slapped my back. I glared harder at him.

"This isn't funny, Ruka," I threatened. He almost choked in his own laughter before stopping and tried to look at me seriously.

"Alright. Alright. Sheesh, you don't have to look at me as if you want to kill me. Although I know, you'd love to do something to this beautiful face of mine," he grinned, jokingly. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "But on the serious note. I can see why you're up here sulking."

"I am not sulking."

"Yeah, right. And I'm not famous all over the world. Stop being a spoiled brat."

"I am not such a thing," I countered.

"So what did you say to the poor girl?"

"I told her to forget about it. Such a thing is ridiculous and unheard of. It's better to cut everything before things go complicated. Everything will be too troublesome if I left it open."

"You heartless monster!", Ruka exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at me.

"Did I ever possess a heart to begin with?", I chuckled forlornly. He looked at me sadly. I raised my hand towards the sky and stared at my finger. "'Sides, I didn't see it. The string that was supposed to be tied to hers."

"You still need to apologize for her. I can sense that you feel guilty for what you did and how your treated her," Ruka commented.

"I guess you're right."

~(-.-)~

I waited patiently under the shade of the big tree. I talked to one of the girls in Marvel to fetch the girl I had described to her. At first, she didn't know who I was referring to but slowly recognition dawned on her and ran towards their school building.

After a few more minutes, I saw her running towards me. There it was again, the strange feeling at the pit of my stomach that slowly warms my body. 'What is wrong with me?', I thought. She stopped in her tracks. I moved from my placed and slowly walked away from the prying eyes of the other Marvel students. I noticed she wasn't moving from her spot so I motioned for her to follow me.

We were a good distance away from her school. I organized my train of thoughts and slipped my hand inside my pocket. "I'm sorry for the way I acted yesterday. Even though I hate Solace, my parents brought me up better than that. You just caught me off guard," I started.

"Oh, uh! It's ok! Really!", she replied but I silenced her with a raised hand. I knew she would say that but that's not was I needed.

"If I could shake your hand, even against my better judgment, I would. I am Natsume Hyuuga, third prince to the Travail Dimension Kingdom," I introduced myself, my hands still inside my pockets while my eyes stared at hers. 'She has beautiful eyes.'

"Mikan, only child to the late King of the Solace Dimension Kingdom and stripped from the right to throne," she introduced with a small smile.

"Don't you have a last name?", I quirked a brow curiously.

"When my parents died and my uncle took me in, I lost the right to have a last name."

Her explanation confused me even more. "I don't understand."

She explained Solace tradition about losing one's last name and heritage if one is not married yet, but takes in the name of their partners once they do. I nodded in understanding. Something like that was the same to the Travail-ions. A Travail-ions honor and strength is found in their names. Travail-ion women would often battle each other to gain the honored name of a Travail-ion man if they wanted it badly. But Travails were also guided by another tradition in choosing their mate. I looked at her hand. There was nothing.

"Good luck with that," I commented after a while. I smirked as I noticed the downward expression on her face. "You must be thinking why I'm trying to make amends, correct?"

"The thought occurred to me," she smiled. What an interesting woman. There was that fluttery feeling again but shrugged it off aside.

"You might seem annoying, but I don't exactly hate you, just what you are-"

"Thanks a lot for that."

"-but I am willing to help you get through this 'true love' thing you seem to think applies to the both of us. I'll take responsibility, even though I have no idea how, and try to make you stop feeling that way about me."

"O...k...?", she replied uncertainly. The bell at the Carvel school rang which noted the end of lunch break. I hurriedly walked back towards the school and waved goodbye.

~(-.-)~

The next days that followed where both annoying and amusing. Mikan followed me around every chance she could. Asking me questions about Travail, its people and how it meant to live there.

"So you're the third prince. Does that mean you have other siblings who are older than you?", she asked curiously. I peered over my book. She was propped with her legs crossed together.

"I have 2 older brothers," I answered.

"Do you have any sisters?" I shook my head.

"I have a younger cousin. He's the crowned prince of Solace," she smiled to herself. I studied her carefully. Her short chestnut hair played with the wind, a small red tint colored her cheeks.

"Why do you have short hair?", I asked out of the blue. She stared at me confusedly and consciously touched her hair.

"Why do you ask?"

"I like longer hair," I answered with an easy shrug and continued reading. I didn't get to see the broad smile that formed on her lips. After a few moments of silence, I stared at her once again. Though, I did it a bit discreetly since I didn't want to be found out that I was shamelessly staring at her.

"So how do we break this 'true love' bond thing?", I asked while she shrugged in return. "You're useless."

"It's never been heard of, what do you expect me to do then?", she countered, glaring at me. I sighed for it was true. "How about we see how far the barrier would go to keep us apart, first of all..."

"Sure," I agreed immediately. It was good than nothing. The earlier I can break this 'true love' bond she speaks of, the earlier we could move on with our lives. I stood from my seat and placed my hand on the barrier as she placed hers in front of mine. The barrier felt cold under the palm of my hands. "Alright, so we just push against it?"

I pushed against the barrier and watched as white ripples glowed in between our hands. I pushed even more. After a few moments, the light started to change its color and a weird bolt of electricity flowed all throughout my body as my fingers touched hers. The shock immediately retracted my hands and I fell to the ground. I widened my eyes and looked at her. She blushed furiously as we both thought of the same thing.

'We actually... touched...'

I scrambled awkwardly upward. "I-I've got to go," I uttered quickly. Running away from the girl. My heart was beating wildly. This was probably the weirdest thing that had happened to my life.

~(-.-)~

For the next few days, I tried my best to avoid Mikan. I had grown accustomed to her presence that I knew the moment she stepped inside Carvel's grounds, she would come looking for me. The thing that happened to us several days ago still lingered in my mind. It was annoying and distracting. I didn't like it none the least.

"Natsume-sama?", a soft voice called me out of my musing. I looked to see Luna staring at me worriedly. She was together with the other basketball players. "Are you okay?"

"Hn? Ah, yeah. I am," I smiled back, masking my troubled emotions.

"Are you sure?", she asked again.

"Hey Natsume, we were just about to grab some lunch together. Why don't you come with us?", one of the players grinned at me. I conceded and followed after them.

We all sat under the shade of a tree. Lunch boxes were opened everywhere and each member of the basketball team had a girl beside him feeding him with food. Luna was sitting on my lap as she fed me the lunch box she made herself.

"Say ahh~", Luna said in a seductive manner. I smirked at the girl but opened my mouth. She immediately placed the food inside my mouth. I chewed the food and tasted it. "So how was it?", she whispered in my ear teasingly.

"It was delicious," I answered with a grin. Then I noticed it, the presence that I was desperately trying to avoid these past few days. I snapped my head towards its direction and saw her. Her face was filled with disbelief, confusion and hurt? I saw her try her best to stop the tears from falling. I quirked a brow at her and saw her run off.

I gritted my teeth in annoyance. "Fuck it," I whispered angrily.

"Natsume-sama? Is something wrong?", Luna asked suddenly then looked at the direction I was looking earlier. "And why are those Marvel girls inside our school?" She humph-ed and glared at the girls. One of them shouted profanities towards our lot.

"I just lost my appetite," I said standing up and walking away. Luna called for my name but I ignored it. I closed my eyes and saw the image of Mikan's pained face. My heart felt as if thousands of tiny needles pierced through it all at the same time. "Damn it."

I opened my eyes and stared at the vast sky up above. But instead of seeing the clear blue sky, another memory's image formed itself. On Mikan's finger, although a bit translucent, was the string that connects with mine.

~(-.-)~

I silently watch behind my mother's body as my brother, Tsubasa, introduced the girl who was destined to him by the Fates. A young woman with short pinkish hair, with her hands intertwined with Tsubasa's, smiled broadly at the King and Queen of Travail. I looked at their intertwined hands and saw it. The string that connected them together. The same kind of string that was connected to my parents hands.

"Mother… Father…," Tsubasa smiled to our parents. "I would like you to meet Misaki. She's my destined one and I would like to marry her." He then looked at the woman named Misaki with all the love shown in his eyes. Mother beamed at the both of them and hugged my father.

"Welcome to our family, Misaki," I heard my parents say to her. Misaki smiled even more broadly and released the breath she was holding. Both Tsubasa-aniki and she walked forward towards the king and queen. Tight embraces were exchanged.

Travail-ions believed that each one is destined to another through the strings of the Fates. But not all Travail-ion possessed the ability to see the strings and find the one destined for them. Only those under the lineage of the royal family possessed such trait. It was important for the royal family to find the perfect person destined for them to carry the throne. Father would often say to me, "A king would never be complete until he finds his queen."

I looked at my own fingers with confusion. The string that was supposed to be present was not. And through the years, I didn't anymore believe in the nonsense of finding your destined one. I was just not destined to anyone.

TBC