Awfully Unsatisfactory

Disclaimer: The author fully understands that Gakuen Alice does not belong to her.
Written by: A Loverly Smile.

No matter how much he drank to forget, to simply forget his annoying life with the annoying people he couldn't seem to avoid, he remained sober. Three days, nonstop drinking, leaves him sober and nothing else. Disappointed, he took off his shoes and shirt and sat down with his alcohol in his hand.

He could hear screaming voices behind his door. "Security? Get those girls away from my room. I don't care what you do just get them away. Have them arrested, drag them out, something!" He hung up the phone.

Staring at the alcohol, his face was blank. He thought about what had gone wrong. He could remember his days back in the Academy, Alice Academy. As he thought more and more about those days, he wished for his tormented days at the academy to return.

He laughed at himself. How he wanted to leave the horrid academy so much when he was ten, having people control him and his Alice, destroying him through the process. He wanted it all back, which was incredibly ironic. But at least then, he had power. An Alice. Just like everyone else in the academy.

Twelve years have passed and the government had created ways to get rid of Alices for good, like the pinky toe—which wasn't really important and vanished throughout generations.

After the Alice war, nine years ago, Alices were… well they were dissected out of every human body after being witnessed by regular humans and becoming 'mutants', the nickname that humans gave Alices. Not to mention the war between all Alices all over the world that lasted two full years.

Hyuuga Natsume—unlike most of the other Alices—could still remember every detail as Nogi Ruka, himself, and their other friends fought side-by-side, fled side-by-side, and survived side-by-side.

Now, Natsume was getting bored with his life. He was the richest man (not to mention extremely handsome) across the country. He created technology with his smarts along side with Imai Inc. He lived off fast food and alcohol while he could practically afford the whole city.

He put his booze down on the counter and let himself pass-out onto his bed, having a dream for the first time in twelve years.

He sat in a coffee shop reading the latest Sunday newspaper while satisfied with a cup of black, hot coffee. It was the first time he's been to that coffee shop and he was suffocating from the smell of cocoa and strong Cuban coffee.

"Excuse me," the waitress called out to him, "Can I borrow the paper real fast? Please?"

"No." He read an article and took a sip of coffee.

The waitress didn't let down, "Oh, please sir! It's really important. You see my friend said that her new inventions were published and I just really want to see it for myself! I don't have a copy since I can't afford it so I'd just love it if you'd just let me see her—"

Natsume looked up at the waitress, "Is this what you call hospitable?" He spat at her face, "Because to me, it's actually really rude how you're treating your customer. Bothering him with your annoying high-pitched voice while he's simply trying to mind his own business. So why don't you, drag your ugly little feet back into the kitchen, capiche?"

He turned his head back to the paper, obviously irritated by the waitress.

The waitress held her mouth wide open, shocked by Natsume's rudeness. Without thought, she grabbed his coffee from his hand (more like yanked) and poured the seeping hot liquid on his pants.

"The hell!" He yelled out standing up from his seat.

She held the cup in her hand and poked him on his chest with her finger, "Look here you, you ugly piece of cheese. You are the rudest man I've EVER met. There is something totally wrong with you and you sir, are sick. Sick!"

She grunted and walked back to the kitchen leaving a bewildered Natsume, "Who the hell, does she think I am, talking to me like that." He grunted irately in a mumbled voice. Truth was, he liked her aggressiveness. No girl has ever treated him with such anger and annoyance. Most of them simply threw themselves all over him all wanting something: money, sex, etc.

He walked out of the coffee shop and saw a street he's never been to before, "1st street?" He knew of only 2nd street, 5th street, and 7th street in Tokyo. The other streets weren't named that way. He had no idea where he was, or how he had gotten there in the first place, but he saw his car.

He fished for his keys in his pockets and drove away, desperately wanting dry pants. Driving through the unknown street, all he could think about was the waitress, her assertive attitude totally leaving a mark. "I'm going to have fun with her." He told himself, smirking. He did want excitement.

Natsume woke up, disappointed that his new entertainment was just a dream.

He took a shower and got dressed, put on his shoes and drove toward his company where his best friend, Nogi Ruka, sat in his chair in his office, waiting for Natsume.

"What took you so long? You're ten minutes late."

Natsume shrugged, "Overslept."

Ruka stood up and gave Natsume back his chair, "So, Natsume," Ruka smiled as he leaned toward him, "How about a party, at the Imai Manor. Maybe meet some women Mr. Bachelor."

He read through some files, "Refused."

"What's with your one-word answers and why not? Your twenty-two for crying out loud! You know that's when guys are suppose to be getting married?"

Natsume looked up from his work, "If I say yes, will you not bother me anymore? About work, about how I live my life, about women?"

Ruka nodded, his eyes gleaming, "Yes! C'mon Natsume! You want to be a forty-year-old loner?" Ruka joked, "Anyways, it's a formal masquerade party for the Imai protégée, Imai Hotaru. She's turning twenty-one."

"Ah, legal age. The age where you can almost do anything." Natsume reminisced when he turned twenty-one. Bachelors party without the whole 'you need to be getting married to have one' part: alcohol, strippers, sex, etc.

"Yup. But the point is, Imai Hotaru will be managing Imai Inc. and we need to keep her and all of her acquaintances enthralled or risk a possible hatred from the Imai girl. I heard she's a cold one." He explained as Natsume fiddled through his desk for a certain book.

"Okay. I said I'll go," Natsume picked up the book and started reading, "Now leave me and my manga alone. Don't let the door hit you on your way out."

Ruka chuckled at his childhood friend's undying habits, "Manga? Still Natsume? You'll never change."

When Ruka was out the door, Natsume stared at his hand where a flame could be summoned before. And Ruka was wrong, "I have changed." No power, no hope, and Natsume was extremely… unsatisfied.

* * *

Natsume stared at his closet and found nothing he could use for the masquerade: plain white shirts, some polo's, his usual work attire which was a plain black suit with a black tie, and the dress his friends had given him a while back as a joke. He settled for his office attire, turning his head back on the dress and reminding himself of his friends' stupidity a few years back.

"Ready Hot Shot?" Ruka stopped in front of Natsume's apartment in his black Lexus convertible.

Natsume nodded and opened the door, letting himself in. Natsume waited for Ruka to start the car again but he didn't. "What?"

"Hm. Your missing something," Ruka pretended to rub a mustache. "Ah!" Ruka searched the back of his seat in a paper bag, pulling out a white mask and giving it to Natsume who put it on, "Much better."

"Hn." Natsume didn't really care. He just wanted to get this over with so he could go back to his alcohol.

The Imai Manor was bigger than Natsume expected. It looked more like a modern castle rather than a manor: the double doors in the front, the man-made river that held a bridge on top, crocodiles loitering in the water. "Wow. Big shots." Ruka commented driving through with all the other expensive cars. He gave the keys to the valet and they walked in on the amaranth carpet.

Women in masks were whispering to each other and giggling, pointing at Natsume and Ruka. They ignored them completely.

Inside, the president of Imai Inc. and his wife greeted them. They spoke about expanding their company to parts of Paris, France, since that's where their daughter, Imai Hotaru, was residing at the moment.

Natsume didn't feel like talking about business so he left, leaving his assistant, Ruka, with the president. Natsume walked over to a cabaret that was serving wine and he lifted his hand to get one only to compete with a girl in a red dress and whose hair was in pigtails.

"Let go. This one's mine." She explained.

Natsume looked down at her, not letting go of the wine, "Aren't you too young to be drinking?"

"I'm twenty-one, I can drink all I want." She pulled on the wine.

They pulled on the wine: hers, then his, then hers, then his, until her grip slipped and the wine fell all over Natsume's pants.

He grunted and put the wine glass back on the platter. The girl put her hands on her hips, "That's what you get." She spoke but didn't really mean it, she wanted to say sorry but she was having a bad time at the masquerade.

Natsume was furious. He pulled off his mask and began shouting at the girl, "You little ugly piece of—"

She gasped, "It's you."

Natsume was lost, "What?"

"You're that guy," she pulled off her mask, "Your that guy from my dream! The one with the rude attitude!" She looked like she wanted to say more but held her tongue as she looked around the room.

He stared at her. She was right, she was that waitress in his dream that had poured coffee on him. Except this time, it was wine. He smirked, "So I am," he held out his hand, "Hyuuga Natsume." He turned on his flirting smile, and she noticed.

The girl's smile disappeared and you could see worry in her eyes, "I'm not interested." He pulled his hand back. Another cabaret passed by and she swiftly grabbed a glass of wine and twirled as she finished it in one gulp. "Actually, you know what," she grabbed his hand, "Let's dance!"

She put her mask back on and gestured for him to put his back on. They danced to the fast paced classical music until the music stopped and the spotlight was focused on the stairs. "C'mon!" She tried to pull him away toward another pair of staircases.

"No. I have to make acquaintance with the Imai girl." Natsume stayed in place.

"Suit yourself." She let his hand go and walked off to the stairs. Just like that? Natsume asked himself. Just like that.

She turned around on the first step and looked over at Natsume, she smiled a friendly smile but also somewhat seductive. But she didn't know that.

Natsume grunted and walked toward her. They walked up the stairs as the microphone beamed through their ears, announcing Ms. Imai Hotaru's arrival, "Where exactly are we going?"

"Just follow me."

They exited through a balcony and she grabbed onto the railing and looked up with her eyes closed. Natsume crossed his arms, "What are we doing here?"

She smiled and lifted one of her legs onto the railing. Natsume ran toward her and pulled her back, "The hell is wrong with you? Are you trying to kill yourself?" He yelled at her.

Her smile grew, "Not at all." She hugged him. "I missed you, Natsume."

Natsume was caught in surprise and baffled, for sure. "Uh." Was all her managed to say.

The girl pulled back, "You don't remember?"

"I'm sorry, no?" His eyebrow lifted.

The girl turned around and put her hands on her face. Natsume thought she was crying and was about to pull her back around until she did it herself.

She had a big goofy grin on her face as she reenacted a scene, "Sakura Mikan, age ten. I hope we can all be friends!"

When Natsume still looked confused, the girl named Mikan's eyes became watery, "You don't remember!" She whined as she fell to the floor and rubbed her eyes.

"Oh-oi." He held his hands out and tried to stop her, which made her crying worse.

"You don't remember! You don't remember! You don't remember! Natsume no baka!" She yelled simultaneously.

The doors that led toward the balcony busted open as a girl with raven hair, amethyst eyes, and a purple dress came through with an unreadable expression. She had a big bazooka-like gun in her hand that shot a ball right at Natsume.

Natsume flung onto the railing and held his stomach where the ball had hit him, "The fuck is wrong with you?" He yelled through gritted teeth.

The girl in the purple dress ran over to Mikan and held her on the ground protectively. "I told you he wouldn't remember us."

Mikan sniffed, "I know Hotaru! But I was just hoping that if he ever saw me, you, us again that he'd remember something."

Natsume stood up, limping a little. "Can someone please explain to me what the hell is going on?"

Ruka ran through the doors, panting. Natsume looked at him expectantly as he stood behind Mikan and the Hotaru.

"Ruka? Can you explain what's going on?" Natsume interrogated through gritted teeth.

Ruka turned his head away.

When Natsume was going to ask for amends once again Hotaru stood up and held the bazooka-gun at him, "Baka Gun, by the way," she explained as if she were reading his mind. "If you just shut up and let me explain, I won't shoot you again."

Natsume let his guard and voice down, "All right. But start talking."

Hotaru put the gun down and walked toward the railing on her side, "When the Alices were taken from the Alice Wielder's body, a part of their memory was taken away as well. Most Alices, like Ruka, lost most of their memories from the Alice war since that's what the government scientists agreed weren't needed and could be deleted from the Alice Wielder's mind."

She faced Natsume, "But for you, a dangerous limitless Alice type. Your body fought too hard and the scientists couldn't remove the Alice war from your memories as equal value for the removal of the Alice itself so they looked deeper inside your mind and deleted the strongest and only emotion that was of equal value with your Alice. The memory with the strongest emotion that would've been strong enough to eliminate the your Alice. Mikan." She paused at the last word as Mikan looked at Natsume with pleading eyes, honestly hoping he'd remember. "And since in every memory of Mikan were the only places I was part of, I was forgotten too."

Natsume stared at them in disbelief, "Did you know about this Ruka?"

Ruka nodded, "I remember them. I remember everything other than the war." He faced Natsume, "But when I tried to talk to you about them after the war, you just seemed so overwhelmed and you had no idea who they were when I spoke their name to you. After, I got a call from Hotaru and she explained what had happened and said it would've been better if me, Koko, Sumire, Nonoko, Anna, or any of our other friends to not mention them to you."

Natsume sat down on the cement floor in skepticism as Ruka continued, "Hotaru and Mikan moved away to Paris after they couldn't get Mikan to stay away," Mikan twitched, "and stayed there up until today when they thought it was time for you to learn the truth because of the merging companies."

Ruka walked closer to Natsume, "I'm sorry."

Natsume stood up quietly and walked passed his friend. He looked at Mikan one more time and at Hotaru. He held his aching stomach and just walked away from them all. From the manor, from his forgotten memories, from the truth of his past.

When he got home, he punched the wall. He didn't know why he was so corrupted by learning all this when he still hadn't understood why Mikan was the strongest of his memories. But he just wanted to hurt something, take the unknown pain away from his body and his angst anger. He wanted to cry but he didn't, he just wasn't the person that'd cry over something like this.

* * *

The next day, Natsume decided to pretend it was all a bad dream. He drove to work like usual and worked along side Ruka like usual. The day went by fast, the two of them barely talking. You could almost feel the 'awkward' in the room.

The girls that usually swooned in the halls felt it too and stayed quiet on the sofa rather than banging on the office door of the famous Hyuuga Natsume.

After work, Natsume decided to take the front entrance for the first time since the fangirls were nowhere to be seen rather than walking toward the parking lot. Rain was pounding over the pavement and Natsume remained under a patio-like wall above his head that kept him from getting wet. His whole body was hurting and the bandages around his knuckles didn't help.

He looked up from the pavement toward a small shop across the street. The lighting was dim and a few people sat on small café tables drinking coffee and using laptops. A girl he recognized walked around taking orders to the customers with a smile on her face. He walked down the stairs mesmerized with the scene.

The waitress in his dream was right in front of him. "Mikan." He said out loud. The rain had gotten him soaking wet as he crossed the street.

Mikan's head turned toward the window at Natsume and her smile grew bigger.

Natsume crossed the street, getting closer to the coffee shop. Everything seemed to stop. The rain, time, the people in the shop; as Natsume's body was thrown toward the street. A truck had collided with him.

* * *

At the hospital, Natsume could hear muffled voices as he awoke.

"He'll be all right Mr. Nogi. It's a miracle. He had some internal bleeding and lost a lot of blood through his hands. He may have also received a concussion on the head because of the impact of the truck. But because of the blood donor, we were able to treat him better. He should be waking up soon."

Ruka thanked the doctor and walked back into the room. He smiled a small smile at Natsume and went back out to purchase Natsume's prescribed medicine.

Natsume's eyes fluttered open slowly feeling extremely heavier than usual. He opened his eyes to white walls, white clothes, and white blankets. He turned his head to his left where there were flowers and some food. He turned his head to his right and noticed Mikan with a needle in her arm where blood flowed into a bag that went toward Natsume's arm. "The blood donor." He mumbled quietly, barely able to speak.

His head began to throb as he remembered the coffee shop and the truck and how he saw Mikan at the other side smiling at him.

The throbbing hurt more as blurry images slowly became clear.

He yelled in agony but no one seemed to be able to hear him. Or maybe they didn't care. He heard voices around him, as he lay chained to a bed with things attached to his head. "We can't, the Alice war isn't enough." He heard someone say.

"Take this," he heard another voice.

There was a pause in the room as the throbbing ceased for a bit. "We can't. What if that memory is important?"

"We have no choice," he heard a bang on the table, "It's all we've got to remove his Alice. The other memories are too weak and his Alice is too dangerous to remain in his body."

Buttons began to be pushed and the throbbing returned only with much more pain. Natsume yelled louder as he felt his memories being sucked out of his head. The difference this time, was that they were being pushed back in.

Mikan. Sakura Mikan. Her smile. Her beautiful face. Her hair that always seemed to smell so good. Her stupidity. Her stubbornness. Her stupid Alice that always seemed to be able to stop his. Her hugs. Her care. Her lips.

The memories were returning as Natsume woke up again with hands shaking him. It was Ruka, "Natsume! Natsume! What's wrong?" He yelled.

Natsume's eyes opened to the white walls and on his best friend. He pushed Ruka's hands away, "Are you trying to kill me with that harsh shaking?" Natsume groaned.

Ruka sighed in relief, "Sorry. But no, you were yelling! So friggin' loud and I had to wake you before you woke up all the other patients in the hospital."

Natsume looked on his right where Mikan was, "Where's Mikan?"

"She left. She left you flowers." Ruka explained.

Ruka began to feel the awkward again but Natsume seemed immune as he balled up his fists and stared at the blankets.

"Look, Natsume. I'm really sorry I kept them a secret—"

"Ruka." Natsume whispered, looking down.

"Yeah?" Ruka asked, hoping Natsume had forgiven him.

"I don't mean to be a bother you and your possibly long apology but where is she?" Natsume asked sarcastically but meant every word.

Ruka was taken back, "Who?"

He smiled despite himself, still looking down, "She's been running through my dreams and driving me crazy." He looked up at Ruka, "I'm going to ask her to marry me."

* * *

The rain continued as Natsume drove Ruka's black Lexus convertible toward Imai Manor. But first, he drove to central town which wasn't too far and went into a store where he and Mikan had once been to together, shopping for Christmas.

The store still looked the same despite all the years that had passed. Six hundred dollars at hand, he purchased the jewelry in the display case, the same one that had remained there for twelve years. The same one Mikan had ogled at when they were ten.

He left the store and drove toward Imai Manor. He drove on the bridge as fast as possible despite the dangers caused by the rain.

He parked the car right in front of the manor and ran toward the front doors. He banged on the elegant black mahogany nineteenth century double doors but no one answered.

The doors finally opened and one of the maids came out, "Where is Mikan?" Natsume panted in the rain, his voice harsh.

The aged maid shook her head and clicked her tongue, "I'm sorry, you just missed her. Her and the miss have left and flew back to Paris. Sorry for the inconvenience." She shut the doors.

* * *

He drove back to the Academy, broken. The Academy was used as a regular high school now.

He was freezing from the rain but he didn't care. He walked slowly into the Northern woods where his newly found memories took him. He was grateful for the rain. It hid his tears as he walked lifeless toward the middle to the Sakura tree where he planned to let out his pain and anger, whether it killed him or not.

His tears were coming down fast and silently. The pain wasn't worth it. He didn't want to live without her.

He reached the tree and punched it once, "Mikan." He said with such softness and care. As if, if he said it too harshly, he would break.

He began to sob.

Only to be stopped abruptly by a high-pitched voice from the tree, "Yeah?" A head popped out, upside-down hanging from one of the branches.

Natsume stared in disbelief and disregarding his bleeding knuckle, "M- Mi- Mikan." He stuttered.

Mikan smiled sadly as she hung from the tree, supported only by her legs that held her on a branch, "You never did say my name. So what are you doing here Nat—I mean, Mr. Hyuuga?"

He didn't bother to explain as he rushed at her, crushing his lips on hers. His kiss was urgent and he felt her warmth going through him. Their lips moved with a certain melody and electricity collided inside his body. Mikan wrapped him arms around his neck, pulling him closer if it was possible.

As they broke away from the kiss Mikan was still upside-down, flushed. As she got a hold of reality and faced Natsume with intense eyes, "Do-Do you remember?"

He placed one hand on her cheek, smiled, and pulled out a ring.

Author's note: Bonjour! Merci for the read! Please click the green buttons to review, send feedback, and critique this story. It's a oneshot because oneshots are easier to write. And to readers of A Somewhat Fairytale, I'm sorry for not uploading yet. I planned to write a chapter every week and I'll try to tomorrow! If not, then next weekend. Real, sorry. ): You see, I'm getting ready for high school and trying to get my last quarter grades up to complete my good grades. But you guys are much more important! So, I'll really do my best to get the chapter up soon! Sorry for the inconvenience. :C

Such A Loverly Smile. c: