Two of Clubs

by typh

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

Setting is approximately 4 years from real story line's setting.

There's to be no POV separation in this story, as the entire story will be narrated in third-person-point of view.

Chapter One: The Joker

"Would you just shut up, Polka?"

Hearing Natsume's voice was hard to ignore, rare as it was.

"I said shut up, Polka, or else."

Although, it was becoming more and more common, all thanks to a certain loud-mouthed brunette by the name of Sakura Mikan.

Just thinking the name sent Sumire's eye into a convulsion of twitches. It was true, they've certainly gotten along better after the whole cooking fiasco, but –

"Heeeellll, Polka, are you wanting a bald head?"

- if she would stop being able to get Natsume-san's attention!

Sumire watched as Mikan effortlessly sent Natsume's cool composure to hell and back, winning his attention, and although arguable, his affections.

So what, if over the past five years, she's blossomed into a delicate beauty? If she's won top student last year, and just been promoted to triple star recently? So what, if the innocent naïve girl has one of the most powerful Alices in the Academy, her finding out about her stealing alice and all just last year, therefore being reclassified as a Dangerous and Special Ability class member?

It hurt. It hurt to see Mikan outdo Sumire in everything, and having qualities that out the rest of mankind to shame – perseverance, ambition, her happy-go-lucky attitude, her caring nature...heck, she even had the perfect figure to boot.

Shaking her head, Sumire exhaled deeply and went back to watching the classroom's chaotic – and natural – manner.

Koko, with that ever so sly smile on his face – probably some more gossip.

Nonoko and Anna, discussing their latest concoctions.

Hotaru, muttering to herself, probably on how to make more money.

Mochu, showing off to the rest of the class his lovely talents.

Ruka, jealously looking at Mikan who was still talking animatedly to Natsume-san.

Yuu, trying to get the class in order –

Wait, What?

Ruka, jealous looking on at Mikan still talking to Natsume-san.

No way.

Ruka, jealous looking on at Mikan still talking to Natsume-san.

Sumire could only gape.

Oooooh, heck no, was hottie number two going after that stupid Sakura Mikan too.

Because of Ruka-kun went after Mikan, then – then...

Then...

That means Hyuuga Natsume, uncontested number one heartthrob of Alice Academy's middle school branch, would be totally available...and eye candy for all women once more.

Sumire gasped.

Because with Mikan taken, then Natsume-san would notice that Sumire, lonely and very available, is also very pretty and sweet and loving and everything that Mikan is. Hmph. He would then treat her to ice cream and Howalon and everything Mikan gets, without even have to nag for four-and-a-half-hours. Sumire shuddered at the memories of Mikan nagging in class.

Dang, that girl could nag.

Yes, Sumire was suffering from an extreme case of jealousy.

But anyway, then Natsume-san, being a powerful alice bearer, would finally fall in love with me and buy me a castle and we'd live in it happily ever after.

But only if Mikan is taken by somebody else, of course.

Which brings us back to Ruka-san.

The look on Ruka-san's face was pure jealousy. Of course, he's trying to hide this by nonchalantly stroking his rabbit, but to a fan girl like Sumire, President of the Natsume-san and Ruka-san Fan club, nobody can read jealousy better.

And if getting Ruka-san and Mikan together meant getting Sumire and Natsume-san together, then hell, she'd do it.

The plan's perfect – just a little charm and matchmaking. Nothing bad could happen, right?

All it would take is some teamwork.

Sumire's got a spanking brand-new deck of cards in her hands. With the jokers taken out.

A mere shuffle of the cards, and she's on her way.

Sumire smiled her cat-like smile.

Lets play some Go Fish, shall we?

Soon after class ended, Ruka found himself in a bad mood. He was in a bad mood because...well, there were multiple reasons. One in particular. And thinking of that particular reason made his bad mood all the worse.

And making the mood worse was making Ruka even more frustrated, because that particular reason wasn't supposed to indulge him in a bad mood to begin with.

Although he'd try to deny it from himself, that particular reason was because...he was undeniably and hopelessly in love with Sakura Mikan.

And so was his best friend, Natsume Hyuuga. Not that he'd admitted to it, of course.

But all the same, the look of utter peace

So Ruka was angry. This was the one chance Natsume, his best friend, could have that shot of happiness he'd never had. And he, as his best friend, could ruin it...for his own desires.

And yet, Mikan and Natsume were getting so close... it hurt. But, perhaps, this was for the best. Natsume deserved it anyway. God knows what he's been through. Maybe it was fate, meant to be. Ruka rubbed his eyes in frustration. He was losing sleep over this. What could possibly be done?

Natsume and Mikan both meant so much to him. He couldn't do anything without hurting one or the other.

Ruka sighed.

"I believe we need to talk."

Ruka immediately straightened, his eyes taking on an unemotional glaze. He looked to the intruder, surprised to find the permed green-haired fangirl in front of him. Usually, this girl bothered Natsume, not him. What was up?

"Excuse me?" Ruka asked.

Sumire only smiled, an unusually patient and calculating look in her eye.

"I'm not here for fangirl duties, Ruka-san. There's business to be discussed." Sumire tossed her hair.

"Take a seat, Ruka-san. This might take awhile."

Class had ended, and Mikan had finally got Natsume to agree to take her to Central Town, after hours of nagging.

Although her friends had a good idea what Natsume and Mikan were to each other, Mikan could only smile at what Natsume was to her now. More than friends, but less than girlfriend and boyfriend, as both of them are too stubborn to mention the subject at all.

Walking to their favorite Sakura tree, Mikan smiled up at Natsume, and sighed contentedly. She'd linked her arm through Natsume's, earning glares from surrounding girls and Natsume himself.

There was no class tomorrow, as it was Saturday, and Nonoko had invited her, Anna, and Hotaru to go camping in the Northern Woods for the weekend. As for Natsume, he told Mikan he would be busy the next couple of days...which Mikan suspected to be a mission. Missions had gotten especially bad the last couple of weeks, as the Anti-Alice Organization was closing in on them, getting more brutal. Natsume was sheer proof of it - the two long scars on his left arm, the bandaged wound on his cheek from a bullet he'd barely dodged.

But most of all, it was emotional damage that had got to Natsume the most. Through his eyes, hatred and untrustworthiness empowered. And if one would look a little further, weariness and fear, as if the world before him could disappear and engulf him in an instant.

It was for this reason that Mikan had wanted to stay by his side more and more often. She knew it he needed peace and privacy, so she gave him peace and privacy - even if it meant forcing herself to shut up. She knew he'd been bossed around all his life, so she'd let him make the choices. She knew he needed someone to care, and there she was. And she knew that she needed him to be okay, for her to sleep peacefully at night.

She cared for him enough to know that he needed her by his side, whether he would admit it or not, and she needed him to keep her in line. He took care of her problems, he made her happy.

It wasn't love, it was something less, something more, and should someone break the bond, neither would survive.

Settling down under the tree, Natsume laid down and rested his head on Mikan's lap without saying a word. They didn't need words to communicate, it simply broke the serenity around them.

Absentmindedly, Mikan ran her fingers through Natsume's hair, admiring its softness. Natsume closed his eyes, relaxing, enjoying the touch.

Reminiscing the times they've first met, Mikan's lips curved into a smile. Natsume has learned to accept her, whether he'd liked it or not, and it doesn't seem he regrets it now. Far from it. A chuckle broke loose when she remembered how she found out about her second alice, the Stealing Alice.

Flashback

"Natsume-kun!", Mikan sang, "Come on! You know how much I love daisies, come pick some with me!"

Natsume could only look on, annoyed, at her girlish antics.

"You know we have to get back soon. Its going to start raining, stupid."

She only grinned. "Just a little while, please?"

He could only grunt in response, sitting down and picking at a flower's petals absentmindedly, watching her.

And that was when he noticed the dark figure behind her.

Natsume's eyes widened. "Mikan! Look out, lets go back, come here, I-"

It was too late.

Persona stepped out into the sun, his unnaturally pale skin giving off a dangerous aura even in the sunlight. He grasped her arm.

Mikan turned around, a confused and frightened look on her face, an arm up in Persona's hold, the other, clenching a handful of daisies.

"I'll show you what happens when you don't heed my warnings, Black Cat."

"No!", Natsume shouted.

Too late, yet again.

Persona had activated his deadly Alice, and already you could see the skin blackening under his touch.

Mikan screeched.

"No, stop it! I'll do anything, don't hurt her!" Natsume hissed desperately.

"Too late", Persona sneered. "I can see that she is too much of a distraction. We shall need to get rid of her, won't w-"

Mikan let out a loud shriek, a blinding white light surrounding her arm. Suddenly, that light turned dark, as if it were a black hole, and Persona fell, unconscious.

Natsume ran toward Mikan, who at this point, was kneeling on the floor in shock.

"Are you okay? Polka! Answer me!"

Mikan could only stare at him.

"If you don't answer, i'll never buy you Howalons agai-"

"No! I want my Howalon!"

"So then what happened?"

"I don't know! Just suddenly my body felt all weird and then there was that light and I got scared so I screamed and then there was this black stone in my hand and I dropped it because I was shocked and my knees got weak and Sensei fell unconscious-"

"What black stone?"

Mikan pointed at the obsidian colored stone on the grass.

Natsume picked it up and stuck it in his pocket, for safekeeping.

"Lets go."

Mikan nodded, and took the outstreched hand, once again linking her arm with Natsume's.

"Did you know that this guy called Freud invented the word 'unconsciousness'? Kind of cool right? I was reading in the library and there was this pretty book and-"

"Shut up."

The brunette pouted, and they walked back to the dorms, almost forgetting the incident behind them.

Mikan chuckled softly. Narumi had been so excited to find that Persona's alice was taken from him, and 'accidentally' broke the stone, rendering Persona alice-less. He had to leave the Academy, and had not been heard of since. The Dangerous Ability class had a new director, but nobody had ever seen him or her - he only gave out orders through the mail.

Her chuckling must have awoken Natsume, because he opened an eye, and nudged her stomach with his head, questioning her laughter.

She smiled down at him, resuming her stroking. "It's nothing."

He stared at her, and then nodded, returning back to his napping.

No, Mikan thought, if someone were to break our bond, there'd be no way either one of us could survive.

But who would want to break something so pure?

A/N: Please Review. It would mean the world to me, no kidding. I know I haven't updated much lately, but its summer, and I'd like to relax when I can. And even more important than reviewing, please tell me if you thought this story had an original plot or not. I'm striving for originality here, and i'm sure as many of you are, I hate seeing repeating plots and themes in a story. Please, guys, its not that hard to come up with a new topic to write on, is there?

Leave a PM for me if you got any questions, or just want to chat up some :)

Thanks and much love,

Typh