Hey! Alright so this is probably the first story that I'm writing ever since "The Broken Pieces Left" is finished. I hope that you'll find some enjoyment in this one-shot that I'm going to give you! This is going to be once in a blue moon but my dear kouhai - Mindlessly Clumsy is having her birthday today and I want to greet her a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :D She asked me for this story and I'm giving it to her as a gift so hopefully my kouhai will like it! :)

I also want to thank all of the readers who supported "The Broken Pieces Left" from the beginning until the end. It had been 2 years since I started that story and I still can't believe that it was that long before I could actually end it. But the fact that you guys gave me such unwavering support and compliments made me motivated and it's still working XD Because I'm ready for another adventure with you guys! :)

Disc: I don't own Gakuen Alice

The sunlight is beating down on the windowsill and the birds are chirping away their sleepiness. It's already eight-o-clock and everyone in the Sakura household should probably awake already. Mikan comes out from the bathroom with her hair wet but she's holding a towel around her shoulders. She puts her hands on the windowsill as she peeks through the blinding light of the sun. A gentle smile falls upon her lips as she watches her brothers Tsubasa and Youichi playing basketball outside.

She wants to capture that soothing scene before her eyes with her magical strokes of her pencil.

Mikan is an artist who had already perfected the fundamental skills she had to do. She loves painting because she always wants to catch the beautiful scenery she sees in her everyday life. She only has one reason and it's because she never want to let such captivating picture to escape from her memory. And despite her sentimentality, a certain memory has always been haunting her even if it was already five years ago―back when she was fourteen.

Mikan closes her eyes and inhales the fresh air coming from outside. She can hear Youichi complaining to Tsubasa on how much a cheater he is when playing basketball. She laughs as she tries to put the image of her short brother on her mind. His personality really resembles him. And before she knows it, her mind is already traveling back to the past. A past that she can't escape.

~O~O~O~

It was already May. Students were piling their shoes in their own shoe lockers and they were chatting happily about the same stuff going on in their life. A brunette zoomed past by many students and she tackled her best friend, Hotaru. Most people shrugged it off for it was always the same routine and they already got used to it. Mikan was beaming at Hotaru who merely remained impassive and even tried to shove her clingy best friend.

"Aren't you getting tired of hugging me every single day, stupid?" Hotaru deadpanned. Mikan knew that this was Hotaru's way of showing her affection so she just continued smiling.

"We're in the same class for three years already! I can't believe it!" Mikan exclaimed, eyes were shining with much excitement. Hotaru only stared at her boringly and sighed in exasperation.

"Do you know Natsume Hyuuga?" Hotaru suddenly asked her. Mikan tilted her head sideways, hinting that she had no idea. Hotaru then started walking as she told her about the new transfer student. "I just heard that he was a trouble maker in a delinquent school so I'm suggesting that you won't fall in a hole and accidentally bump to him. Or even try to do anything that will lead you to your sudden death."

Mikan just laughed nervously. Hotaru got a point though. When she was four, she accidentally slipped and fell on the stairs, then there was this incident when she was in third grade when she fell on her bike and it ended up being in the river. In short, she was just a disaster magnet.

"I don't think I'll cause any trouble," Mikan said, sealing that unknown promise with her tongue. But she had no idea what would happen next.

Yep, she definitely told Hotaru that she was just going to stroll around the play ground for a few minutes but she ended up being with the transfer student! Man, she would be killed by Hotaru later. She was asked by the teacher to put some stuff to the biology room and she was supposed to do this easy job with Natsume Hyuuga who would just make it difficult for her. She turned her head slightly to the side to peek on the quiet boy walking beside her. He had a silky jet black hair and a pair of very unique crimson eyes but it seemed like it was also kinda brownish. As if sensing a stare on him, Natsume looked at her.

"Eek!" She quickly turned her head away causing her brunette hair to bounce away. She recalled the first time that she saw him this morning. He was introduced to the class of course, and his aura was dark that many students backed away for safety. But for Mikan, he looked normal. Though because of the exaggerated rumors that she had been hearing it seemed like Natsume was a bad person. Or more like a devil in some people's eyes. She just didn't know why would they think that.

And walking with him proved that he was not scary but Mikan was just afraid that she would say or do something that would add to the awkward atmosphere around them. It was unbearable and the more she looked at him, the more it was hard to talk to him. Especially he didn't seem like the type to blabber on something ridiculous like her. Hell, they were polar opposites.

"Uhm, so why did you move here?" she asked, trying to strike a conversation with him which seemed useless because of his response to her.

"None of your business, little girl," he said. It would have made her mad for ignoring her question but she was only disappointed because she was hoping that they would become instant friends. Which was undoubtedly impossible.

"So-Sorry," she said. In Natsume's ears, it seemed like she was cowering in fear and it actually made him concern. He knew that the students were actually frightened of him but this poor girl actually tried to make a conversation with him. He was not heartless like everyone thought, or a delinquent. It was just the people's problem of misunderstanding his bluntness and aloofness.

"I got kicked out for punching a student." Or maybe he was a little delinquent-like.

Mikan looked surprised but it was not for the fact that he actually punched someone but because he just talked to her! Her smile was regained and Natsume's eyebrow twitched at the sudden cheerfulness of the girl.

"Why would you do that?! It's bad to hurt someone, Natsume-kun," Mikan reasoned out, almost pouting a bit childishly that the lad couldn't help but feel defeated because he just made the matter worse.

Natsume-kun...? Since when did we get close? Natsume thought as he sweat dropped. He coughed a little and he then tried to contemplate whether to trust this overly animated girl or he would just leave her guessing on God knows what she was thinking in her little head.

"Why would you wanna know anyway?" he asked, trying to sound a bit irritated because it seemed like she was poking his privacy a little bit too much. Mikan was oblivious to this and continued to prod.

"The common cause would be because you defended someone against your teacher or maybe he was being unfair," she continued to jabber on and on and Natsume learned how to shut up or not even try to interrupt her because of one simple reason. She would get tired sooner or later.

After five minutes of Mikan the only one talking, her bubble of happiness deflated when she realized Natsume wasn't even listening to her guidance around the school. He just had a straight face and she puffed her cheeks in annoyance. He had the same personality as Hotaru! It made her quiet and thus the trip back to their classroom was not really loud as earlier.

Mikan was about to swivel around from Natsume when her eyes caught a purple mark on his knee. It was almost inconspicuous but the black brace protector wasn't properly fixed. Her eyes flew from the bruise to Natsume's face. He was about to turn away from her when she got a hold of his arm and she blurted the question in her mind, "Why do you have a bruise?"

Natsume knew what she was talking about and he immediately pulled the brace up. He clicked his tongue in annoyance for he never thought that anyone would actually see it. Well, there was certainly no point of lying to this bubbly girl. So he answered honestly, "Got hurt when I was playing basketball." Yet this statement seemed to be totally insincere to Mikan's ears.

"Well does this have something to do on why you were kicked out?" she asked, tilting her head in question as a habit. She patiently waited for his answer as he glared at her for being such a dumbass (according to him).

"I wasn't kicked out. I dropped out," he told her. He began walking away from her as Mikan tried to process the information that she got from him. She then gasped as she tried to put all the pieces together.

"Wait... Natsume Hyuuga. I heard that name before... He was in a basketball team in a famous middle school," Mikan mumbled to herself, horrified that she just found out the answer a bit too late. She bit her bottom lip as she realized that even Natsume's shadow wasn't there anymore.

It had been 2 weeks since Natsume transferred and so far, no one seemed to bother with him except from a certain brunette. She tried to talk to him but good thing that he had some remarkable excuses to evade the girl. Her constant chatter was definitely annoying and not to mention, every time she talked to him her best friend seemed to be sending holes through his back which would probably make him get the chills on his spine. But it was just a matter of endurance since what really bothered him the most was the fact that both Mikan Sakura and Hotaru Imai found out about his identity being a former basketball player.

"Natsume-kun!"

He shuddered at the sudden familiar voice calling his name. No matter how many times this happened everyday, he would never get used to it. It was somewhat nice though, because no matter how many times he gave her the cold shoulder she seemed to be getting more and more persistent. No one had ever been like that to him before. She was really working hard to be his friend which he found odd since no one would even dare to come close to him.

"What, little girl?" he responded with in a teasing manner. It was his nickname for her for she was shorter than him and she was unbelievably childish.

"Have you eaten your lunch yet?" she asked as she sat next to him under the Sakura tree. He straightened himself and put the manga that he was reading on the side. He crossed his arms behind his head and leaned on the tree trunk. Mikan was unpacking something and he opened one eye to peek on what it was.

Home-made bento and onigiri.

"I made these for you!" She smiled at him and Natsume's lips almost tipped upwards. Almost. But the one that pushed him to smile at her was the fact that she also had her notebooks with her. It was an agreement between them. According to her, her best friend wouldn't teach her for the upcoming tests and so he was the one whom she ran up to. She told him that she would make him lunch twice a week if he teaches her some stuff and a 'no' was definitely not an answer regarding about her persistent personality.

"I really don't know how you can cook without turning your kitchen upside down," Natsume commented teasingly. He grabbed a rice ball and munched on it as they started to study together under that Sakura tree.

Six months later, Natsume and Mikan were the best couple of the campus. They seemed to bicker every freaking single day and yet they always managed to find their way back to each other. They thought that Hotaru would definitely not agree with their relationship but she surprisingly and bluntly said, "It's finally time you two stopped being dense."

Since Natsume moved to that school, him and Mikan seemed inseparable. It started with an agreement then being partners in any class activities, and being partners in field trips too. It was like fate had bonded them together from the start that Mikan was having a hard time distinguishing her feelings between romance and friendship. But Natsume's birthday came and there he confessed to her. It seemed so fast yet it was painfully slow for the students who have noticed their feelings before they did. Mikan was not gonna lie though, it had really been a good year for her so far.

Right now, they were in the gym. Natsume joined the basketball club after the constant nagging from Mikan and he finally agreed. He was hesitant of course, he never told her why he moved here but she wasn't forceful either. She merely was curious but she would never force Natsume to do or say stuff that he wasn't comfortable telling her. Then under the Sakura tree, he promised to tell her that he would tell her about his past in his former middle school after this practice game.

And here was Mikan, clasping her hands together and praying that Natsume would win. She had never seen him play a real match before but she saw him playing during practice. The game was full of anticipation and excitement because Natsume's fans increased ever since he joined the basketball club. It was really getting to Mikan at first, but she thought about Natsume loved her and how she loved him just as much. The other reason of the buzzing audience was because their opponents were from a famous basketball club. The Seiko High vs. Gakuen Alice.

The players scattered around the floor and the referee had the ball on his hand. Mikan's eyes caught the anxious and anger...? in Natsume's eyes. He seemed distraught or maybe it was just her because when the game finally started he was doing exceptionally well. The ball was passed to him and he was marked by a giant player. It would have scared the hell out of Mikan if she was there but Natsume was unfaltering and was even determined to get past this person. He backed away as he jumped with the ball on his hands, ready to shoot. The giant jumped with his abnormal height but Natsume used his right arm and passed the ball to one of his teammates. Mikan sighed in relief and she started cheering.

"Go! Go! Natsume!"

The game went on and the match's tension was extraordinarily high. The cheers were trying to provoke some players and mostly wanted to start the fourth quarter already. Both schools weren't giving in and they still seemed to be in high spirits even. With their monstrous strength, Natsume's team was leading with six points.

It was then when the fourth quarter that Mikan noticed something strange about the game. It was just a matter of your location to where were you watching the game but when she saw Natsume dunked, there was this opposing player who had elbowed him on the ribs that Natsume winced. Mikan was horrified and that was when she carefully observed each one of the player and she discovered just how much the majority of this game was actually cheating from the other school's players. And they were professionals in doing this for the referee didn't seem to notice anything out of ordinary.

"I can't believe this," Mikan muttered, too worried to say something else. Natsume and his teammates were still fighting though and they didn't look like they were ready to give up despite of the current play of the team. But Natsume looked royally pissed. The other team was catching up and they had no time to waste. They only had three minutes left.

Mikan's eyes followed Natsume's moves and he really did look like a pro-basketball player. She gazed at him as he made another dunk then something weird happened. Someone from the other team tried to block him but when they landed on the floor, Natsume started screaming.

"Natsume!" Mikan stood up from the bleachers, her sight not leaving her boyfriend's agonizing expression as she made way to him. He was on the floor and his teammates were ready to lift him up. He was tear-streaked and Mikan ran her hands on her temple and clutched her hair as she watched them carried Natsume off the court.

It was quiet in the corridors with only the small greetings of the nurses that passed by Mikan. She was walking towards Natsume's room to where he was confined. It had been two days since he stayed there and they said that he needed surgery because his knee was in a very bad condition. It turned out that the other player used such disgusting tactic to bring him down, being the ace of Gakuen Alice. And when Natsume left the game, it seemed like the team was in such a slump that they didn't know what to do. All it had to take for them to keep going was Natsume's shout. "Don't you dare lose!" he said. That fueled up their spirit and they won by one point.

"Hey, Natsume," Mikan opened the door and closed it behind her as she walked to his bed. He was reading his mangas again and Mikan felt relief for he was acting like his normal self like always. She was expecting him to be downright depressed in some way but he seemed okay. Not until he spoke.

"I'm thinking of dropping out from the basketball team," he said, breaking the news to her.

Mikan found it unbelievable because she really thought that he loved basketball that he practiced every day and every night whenever he had the chance to. And now here he was telling her that he would let go one of the vital organs of his life. It was like breathing with no air without basketball for him. So why...

"Before I came here, my friend from my old school was also badly injured by those bastards. We were the famous Black Lion in our middle school and it came crashing down when we faced them. One got injured and I was kicked out because I punched the bastard who injured my friend, and also their coach," Natsume told her. So the teacher that he was talking about was actually a basketball coach. Mikan didn't know that.

"And now, I'm the one who can't play because of some dirtyass tricks of that shitty team. I fucking messed it all up," Natsume muttered out of anger and disappointment. Mikan went to his side and hugged him. She caressed his hair as she felt drops of tears on her shoulder.

"It's going to be fine. After you rehabilitation you can start playing again," she tried to reassured him. But no words could possibly provide any comfort to Natsume at this point and she knew that. So the only thing that she could do was stay by his side.

That hope grew in Mikan's heart, warming her inside. But that hope died right after it bloomed because of Natsume's painful words.

"Let's break up."

The stillness in the room gave Mikan's chest the coldness that she'd never experienced before. They were just fourteen for Pete's sake and yet Mikan already knew what was tearing inside her. It was her heart. Crying in pain and such sadness that it was already brimming with porcelain tears.

"...No matter what you think, I never thought of you as a hopeless guy." Mikan started as she tried to control her emotions that were already pouring inside her. "When I look at you, I see a guy who has a lot of dreams. Who has a lot of feelings in his even if he doesn't know how to show it. You're a guy who cares for the others than yourself and I really loved you for that," Mikan said. Her voice was filled with such sincerity that Natsume couldn't help but hug her tighter. Mikan clutched to him like she was afraid that if she lost him, she would never find him again.

"I'm going to move to another country," Natsume told her with a wistful look. His voice, too, was also shaking due to the uncontrollable attempt of him to stop his own tears. "When I get better and I prove to myself that I'm worthy," he paused and pulled back so he was looking at her with those tearful gaze, "I promise I'll find you and I'll never let you go."

Mikan closed her eyes and the tears rolled down her cheeks, she felt the feathery sensation of Natsume's lips on hers for a few seconds. The feeling of his lips were still lingering on hers and she didn't want the moment to end. Not yet...

But when she felt his hand that was holding her awhile ago, was already slipping away. She knew that it was time to let go of him. The short time when they were together played at the back of her eyelids and that sinking feeling in her chest grew deeper. Her lips uttered the words that she'd only told him once before.

"I love you, Natsume. I'll wait for you."

~O~O~O~

Mikan opens her eyes and when she sees Youichi in front of her, she wonders just for how long had she been day dreaming? Youichi has a curious look in his gray eyes and Mikan bends down to kiss his little brother's cute nose.

"I thought you were playing with Tsubasa-nii?" Mikan asks his youngest brother. The little one merely come closer to her and holds her hands with her tiny ones.

"I don't want onee-chan to be sad anymore," Youichi says as he stares at her with those thoughtful look on him. It gives a squeeze on Mikan's heart and before she knows it, she's already hugging the little Youichi. After a few seconds, Youichi hesitantly pulls away from her and she gives him a confused expression.

"What is it?" she asks him. He then pulls something from a box outside her room that he probably put there before he came into her room a while ago. He then walks to her and Mikan kneels down on the floor and faces him to his eye-level.

"He really wanna see you again, nee-chan," Youichi says with the brightest smile that Mikan had ever seen on him. He hands her a red rose with a note attached on it. For the first time in a very long time, Mikan gives away the most honest and loving smile she can muster.

I hope I'm not too late yet to dunk into your heart. The Sakura tree sure is blooming.
I also hope you haven't forgotten my onigiri.

-Natsume