Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice does not belong to me.

Dedicated to Natsume Hyuuga. This is a little late, but happy birthday, you sexy beast. HAHA.

Happy Birthday

They met on his sixteenth birthday,

broke up on his eighteenth birthday,

and met again on the day he turned twenty-one.

Girls might call their sixteenth birthday some bullshit like their 'sweet sixteenth', but to Natsume, all the fanfare that was going on because of his birthday was nothing but torture.

He sighed into his palm as he watched the people who were supposed to be here for his birthday grinding obscenely against each other on the dance floor. Natsume was a teenager, and he understood teenage hormones and the need to satisfy them.

However, what Natsume did not understand was why people liked to announce to the whole world that they were horny and deprived of sex, when they could simply leave the debauchery in the confines of their own home.

Natsume hadn't even wanted a party. After sixteen years of being under the spotlight because of his celebrity parents, all he wanted was a quiet night to himself, maybe with the addition of a few close friends, although he wasn't sure he actually had any close friends anymore, considering how pissed off he was with them for pulling this party off in his own house without giving him any prior notice.

No, Natsume thought to himself, when he was done with them, he wouldn't have friends in this world anymore.

A heavy weight settled onto the loveseat next to him, and Natsume exhaled, resigned with girls' uncanny ability to be able to follow him with their hawk eyes whereever he went. However, that didn't mean that he was less displeased with the fact that his personal bubble was being invaded.

Natsume didn't particularly like glaring at people, he never liked showing emotion, because it meant that people now had something to analyze him with, which he abhorred with a fiery passion. But now he turned, wincing a little at the volume of the distasteful pop music that was blaring out of his speakers – his speakers! - and glared as intensely as he could at the girl next to him, hoping to scare her off. Just as long as she left.

He was greeted with a blinding smile showcasing brilliant white teeth, and for the first time in his life, Natsume found himself momentarily speechless, his jaw even slacking a little.

The girl next to him wasn't specially pretty, or even exotic. In fact, she was far from gorgeous, with her plain brown eyes and straight brown hair curling a little at the ends. She was normal, the type of girl he wouldn't give a second glance in the hallways at school.

No, what held him was not her looks. It was the genuine concern, genuine friendliness in her eyes. Natsume lived in a web of intricate, carefully constructed lies. He had been taught since young to answer the reporters' questions precisely yet vaguely, so that they would never be able to gain any information about his parents' lives that they hoped to pry from him.

He was good at the saxophone, piano, harmonica, hell, even the freaking harpischord – but none of them truely defined him. He never held any interest in those talents. Natsume painted alone, secretly, in the privacy of his room. His parents never suspected him of deviating from the path that they had already constructed for him, because he never gave them the chance to see him. The real him.

" - and I guess you aren't really enjoying this party," The girl chattered on incessantly next to him, her bright eyes fixated on his face, his eyes. She swallowed a little before continuing, "Your eyes are really pretty, you know that?"

Natsume found himself sitting up straight of his own accord. The back of his neck was getting a little hot, and he cussed at himself mentally, for being reduced to an incoherent mess in front of a girl he had never met before, never even looked at before this very moment.

He plastered a smirk onto his face even though he hated how it looked on him. "Infatuated, are we?"

The girl flushed bright red, and Natsume couldn't help but think how the colour looked so good on her pale skin, contrasted with her coffee brown hair.

"It was just a comment!" she protested, waving her hands around in the air like a psycho – a pretty adorable psycho – as she now averted her eyes from his searing glance. "I just thought you were looking quite uncomfortable too, and I thought you would understand why I hate these kind of parties, that's why I decided to come over..." She mumbled under her breath as she fidgeted around with the hem of her knee length dress, the kind of sunny, sweet dress that the sluts in his party would never be caught dead in.

Natsume raised an amused eyebrow at her even as his heart skipped a beat over how normal she was. "Well, this is my party," A corner of his lips quirked upwards, "You think I'd throw it if I didn't like it?"

The girl was now completely red and flustered as she opened and closed her mouth, trying to think of something to say. "Well I – I -"

Natsume laughed.

It wasn't the polite, forced laughter that he faked to make people of importance think that he liked their jokes. It wasn't the sarcastic laughter that he gave his friends when they did something stupid. It was simply him, genuinely amused at the girl before him, truly enjoying her company.

When he finally stopped clutching his sides and sat up straight once more, she wasn't looking at him funny, nor looking offended. She was simply smiling fondly at him, the flush having subsided from her cheeks. "I'm glad I amuse you," she said wryly.

Natsume allowed his hard features to relax as he contemplated the mystery sitting before him. He shrugged, "You're interesting..."

"Mikan," she offered, standing up and doing a mock curtsy at him, smiling cheekily. "My lord."

A soft smile stretched his mouth before he realized what was happening, and when Mikan saw, she smiled too, brighter and wider than all her smiles earlier.

She took her seat next to him, and for a moment, Natsume couldn't hear the noisy music that was attacking his poor ears. He couldn't see the people on the dance floor and their derogatory actions. There was nothing, just Mikan and her voice, which assailed his senses and took charge of them.

"Happy birthday, Natsume."

Natsume was happy. No, more than happy, actually. He was fulfilled, content, on cloud nine, whatever you can come up with. Even now, having been forced to attend a gala on the night of his eighteenth birthday, he felt no resentment nor anger.

"Hey, birthday boy," A voice resounded in his ear as a small hand slipped through the crook of his arm, and Natsume smiled a little as he turned to face the reason for his good mood tonight.

Mikan smiled up at him, looking ethereal in her long, flowing green gown. He appraised her with his eyes for a moment, wincing a little when she blushed and slapped his arm good-naturedly.

"...Thank you," he murmured, remembering how she hated to wear things like this.

She smiled, and it was enough to make his heart stop. "For you."

Natsume led Mikan through the throes of people filling up the mansion tonight, guiding her to the center of the dance floor, where a slow, woeful song was playing. Mikan looked a little disconcerted as she glanced around at her surroundings, where everyone was dancing fluidly with their partners, all extremely at ease with the atmosphere. Natsume watched her as she swallowed nervously, before bending down slightly, offering his hand to her. Mikan stared blankly at it for a moment, and Natsume snorted a laugh. "May I have the honour of this dance, my lady?" he asked, putting all of his charm into his voice.

He got the result he wanted. Mikan blushed and grabbed his hand hastily, allowing herself to be pulled into his arms. "Don't do that," she chided as she hid her face in his chest, "People will stare."

"They can stare all they want, because you're mine."

Mikan's dance steps faltered for a moment before she managed to grasp the rhythm again. She puffed out her cheeks, looking depracatingly at him. "You don't have to be like that."

"Like what?"

"Like, like something you're not." Mikan looked firmly into Natsume's eyes, and he found that he was unable to tear his eyes away from the milky brown depths. He laughed a little, once again marvelling at the effect that Mikan Sakura had on him.

It had been two years since he had met her, two years since they had fallen irrevocably in love, and it seemed as if nothing had changed.

"You can be rude Natsume with me," she continued as she stopped dancing and simply grasped his hands in hers, "with your nasty eating habits, painting obsession, and geeky love for manga."

Natsume tightened his hold on her hands, smirking a little. "Because you love me," he teased.

"Because I love you," Mikan answered, completely serious. "Because I love you for you. Because I want you to live for yourself, not whoever it is that you are living for now." Her gaze was pure and transparent. He could read her like a book, Natsume thought gratefully as he gave her a once-over.

He stared at her for a while, stunned and not quite believing his luck. How had Mikan Sakura managed to find her way into his life? Was it God's final gift, an apology for failing to give him the life that he deserved? Because Mikan was definitely his salvation, for despite lying to the whole world, despite failing miserably at living as Natsume Hyuuga everywhere else, he was Natsume Hyuuga with her, not the Hyuuga family's prodigal son.

And that was enough for him.

"Would the girl who loves me like a drink?" he asked, noticing her chapped lips. Mikan smiled bashfully at him as she nodded and pulled her hands from their clasped position with his, ignoring the stares that they were getting for standing like pieces of wood in the middle of the dance floor.

Natsume turned to leave for the punch table, but Mikan grabbed the lapels of his jacket, pulling his face down towards hers. She quickly left a sloppy, ill-practiced kiss on the side of his face and pulled away as red as a fire engine.

Natsume grinned at her, chuckling when she turned even redder, standing stock-still in the middle of the crowd. Her tendency to blush like that was becoming a bit of a trouble, he thought to himself as he once again turned towards the punch table.

But it was also endearing, and defining of the girl he loved.

His footsteps light and heart fluttering uncharacteristically, Natsume grabbed two full cups and started to make his way back to Mikan, only to stop cold when someone cut in front of him unceremoniously.

"Luna," he greeted, gritting his teeth in aversion, his shoulders tensing into a tight line.

The sultry blonde smiled deviously at him, reaching out to grab his arm. "Natsume," she cooed, pressing herself against him as he winced and suppressed the urge to empty his stomach on the floor. "Your parents invited me tonight," she added, as if warning him not to try anything rash with her.

Natsume nodded stiffly, knowing that there was nothing he could do about Luna if she was one of his parents' distinguished guests for the night. "If you'll excuse me," he started to leave, but Luna tightened her hold on his arm, looking past his shoulder at something that he couldn't see.

Natsume furrowed his brows and tried to shake her off but to no avail. "Luna," he hissed under his breath, "Respect yourself and let go."

Luna's baby blue gaze flickered back to him furtively before her lips stretched into a devious grin. "Aw, Natsume, baby," she simpered as she plastered herself to him even more tightly, "Why are you being so distant? When we're even going to be married soon..."

Natsume felt his eyes widening at the audacity of Luna's statement. Luna had always liked to cling to him and proclaim him as hers, but never had she gone so far with her lies, especially in front of so many people. He had an urge to denounce her lies right now, but he knew that his upbringing would not allow him to do so. He was the Hyuugas' son, and that meant that he was not allowed to embarrass any of his parents' contacts, even if they were extremely insufferable.

Natsume opened his mouth to warn Luna, but staggered backwards when the girl suddenly grabbed his shoulders and pressed her mouth to his aggressively.

Disgust and disbelief churned in his stomach, but he forced himself to simply stay irresponsive and cold instead of publicly embarrassing Luna by shoving her off of him and giving the little bitch a tight slap to her face.

Luna apparently noticed his abhorrence of her, for she quickly detached herself from him, ignoring the frosty look on Natsume's face as she smiled sweetly at him. "Well, see you later, Romeo." She disappeared into the crowd, her hips moving seductively, attracting the attention of the many men whom were ogling her.

Natsume only thought it was a good riddance as he turned, some of the punch having already spilled out of the cup when Luna had jumped him. He sighed, running a hand through his hair and pouring the rest of the little bit of liquid left in his cup into Mikan's, knowing that she was the one who needed the hydration more.

He looked up, and promptly felt his blood go cold as he froze.

Mikan was there, standing right before him. In any other circumstance, he would be overjoyed to see her, but not now. Not when her eyes were filled with indignant tears, tears of betrayal, tears that made him feel as if his heart was being ripped out and stomped on right in front of his eyes.

Natsume opened his mouth to call her as she turned and ran, almost tripping over her long dress. No sound came out of his mouth, and he could only watch helplessly as she disappeared through the doors leading to the garden.

He found her easily enough, for the garden wasn't really that big. Mikan seemed to have registered that she couldn't run from him anymore, for she turned to face him, her mouth in a cold, hard line for the first time since she had met him.

Natsume stepped forward apprehensively, swallowing when he felt himself shaking a little. Damn it, he wasn't a wuss. Natsume Hyuuga didn't cower. It was just that he didn't really know what he was and wasn't anymore, when he was facing her, the girl who held his heart in her hands.

"You know why that happened," He choked out as he held her shoulders lightly, hoping to hold onto any bit of her that he had left. "You know Luna. You know why I didn't push her off immediately even though I wanted to -"

"I know," Mikan murmured, and Natsume felt himself relax the slightest bit, finally able to take his next breath without feeling like his lungs were going to explode.

"But that's what makes it the greatest betrayal."

Natsume's fingers twitched on Mikan's shoulders as his mouth fell open. Mikan looked at him, her eyes sad and hurt, something that he never imagined he would see in her eyes. He hated himself for making her look like that. "I -"

"All I asked for is for you to be true to yourself, to live for yourself. You chose your parents, again and again. I can't do this, Natsume," she cried as she sank onto her knees, "I can't be with someone who can't even stop lying to himself. It's always going to happen, again and again. You're always going to be passive. How can you love me, when you'll always be under the control of your parents?"

Natsume's throat was dry, parched even, as he kneeled down next to her, suddenly feeling lost. The feeling of dread settled in his chest and made it heavy, too heavy to bear. He was afraid to ask, but he knew he had to. "What do you mean?"

Mikan stared right into his eyes, her own heartbreak reflected in his own eyes. "We'll have to break up, Natsume," she whispered, as if she herself hated the notion of having to utter those words.

"No."

"When you can live for yourself," Mikan continued persistently as Natsume stared at her, horrified, "come for me again. At that time, if I'm still here, waiting, I'll have you, Natsume. If you'll have me."

Not a sound left his lips as Natsume licked them, trying to convince himself that he was dreaming. Was this it? No, even God wouldn't be so cruel to take away the one gift He had given him, right?

Mikan's bottom lip wobbled slightly as she stood up. Natsume didn't move from his position, almost afraid to look up at her, to see the decision in her eyes. She rummaged in her pocket, pulling out a small square box wrapped in a tin foil.

Leaning down to place it in his shaking hands, she placed a light, lingering kiss on his cheek, so alike, yet so different from the kiss of promise she had given him earlier, that Natsume found himself wondering how things could possibly go so wrong within one night.

Pulling away, she turned to leave.

"Happy birthday, Natsume."

Natsume was twenty-one today, officially of age, but it didn't really feel right.

Mikan wasn't here with him. She hadn't been with him since a full three years ago, since their breakup. After that, she had used all that she had within her to avoid him. He had pleaded, begged, even cried, but she hadn't budged. He reached into his shirt to touch the small pendant that she had given him three years ago, the last present before she left him.

He had never blamed her, for Natsume knew that it was his own fault. He had been too weak for their relationship, too weak to protect her, to go through with the promises he made her. For a person who was pathetically made up of nothing but lies, he couldn't match up to his angel, who was so pure and so true to everything she said, everyone she met.

It was another birthday, another dinner party, another batch of strangers congratulating him, but Natsume found his eyes only fixated on one figure. Her brown hair flowed elegantly down her back as she stood silently in a corner, sipping from her glass of red wine with the grace that only she could muster.

His Mikan, grown up and still so painfully beautiful, was here.

Her eyes met his from all the way across the dance floor, and Natsume found his heart coming alive again. She was back. Was it for him?

Natsume stepped forward without even thinking twice, heading straight for the girl he had been thinking about nonstop for the past three years. It seemed as if the distance between them would never end, even as he quickened his steps.

He would hug her, kiss her, Natsume decided, and then he wouldn't ever let her leave his side again.

It was only by seeing her again that Natsume realized what an idiot he had been to have ever agreed to break up with her. He couldn't even imagine how he had managed to survive without her for the past years, for seeing her was like having a fresh breath of air rushing down into his lungs. It was almost painful to feel so alive after living like a walking zombie for so long.

Natsume stopped in front of Mikan, his eyes still fixed intensely on her. Mikan straightened from her leaning position on the wall, and Natsume noticed how she had grown and inch or two taller. "Hello," she smiled regally at him, and his heart took a blow at how distant the action was.

Perhaps it was the first hint that things were no longer the way they had been.

"Hi," Natsume croaked, his hands fumbling as he tried to find a suitable place to put them. He finally decided to just shove them in his pockets to curb the urge to draw her into his arms.

"I received an invitation," she explained as she regarded him carefully through her heavily lashed brown eyes. "Was it you?"

Natsume wanted to kiss her so, so badly. He nodded curtly. "Three years," he breathed, "and it's the first time you've come."

Mikan looked a little nostalgic as she drank in his features. "I figured it was time to put things behind us."

His hands clenched into fists in his pockets. "I lo -"

Natsume swallowed his words back into his mouth and down his throat as he watched a tall, dark haired man come to stand beside Mikan, placing a hand on her waist intimately.

"Hey, this is?" he asked, smiling at Mikan, who grinned back widely.

Natsume felt his heart plummet to his feet. It was the smile, the smile she used to give him. The smile that used to be his and his only.

"An old friend." Mikan turned to look at him, but Natsume found that he couldn't manage to meet her eyes anymore. If he did, he couldn't guarantee what he would do. "Natsume, this is Yuki... my boyfriend."

He heard the dreaded words come out of her mouth clearly enough, but his mind seemed to be unable to process it, and he stared blankly at her and her partner. Mikan laughed a little awkwardly and managed to avert her partner by asking him to grab some drinks for her.

Even when the man was far gone, the tight, dead feeling in Natsume's chest wouldn't go away. "Why are you here?" he finally managed to ask.

The sad, wistful look he had seen in Mikan's eyes three years ago were back again as she looked straight into his eyes. "I figured, that we both needed closure."

Closure? What the fuck was that, Natsume thought to himself, he didn't want closure, he wanted her.

"Natsume," Mikan said pleadingly, "I've been waiting for you to come for three years. I've been waiting for you to gather up enough courage to break away from -" she gestured at their surroundings, "- from this life you've been living, a life that's not you. You've never come. I couldn't go on waiting forever, and Yuki – Yuki is a great guy. He's been chasing me for two years even though I wouldn't give him a second glance at first. He helped me through my heartbreak and -"

"I'm not interested in what he's done for you," Natsume grinded out from between his teeth, pulling his hand out of his pocket and running it through his hair roughly.

"He loves me," Mikan continued, and Natsume felt his heart breaking all over again. "He's prepared to give up anything for me, and that's what you won't ever be able to do."

"Do you love him?" Natsume asked, and felt a sick sense of triumph when Mikan wouldn't answer. "You don't," he said, hating himself for the smug way the words left his mouth.

"I'll give up anything for him too," Mikan said softly.

All the fight left Natsume. He didn't understand why he was being such a bastard about it, for he knew, if Mikan had someone to love her, if she had someone who deserved her, he would be happier than anyone in the universe.

Because she was this important. Because he loved her more than his own life, more than anything that he owned.

"Are you happy?" His voice was quiet, almost inaudible, but Mikan heard it all the same, and the smile that she gave him was both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. "I am, I really am, Natsume, and I hope that you can be too."

I will be, he thought to himself, if you're happy, I'll be happier than any one else in the world.

"I am," Natsume replied, a little surprised at how it wasn't a lie, the heavy feeling had lifted from his chest, and when he looked at Mikan, the love was still there, the affection still so strong that it left him breathless – but it was no longer painful. Perhaps it was a sign that he had truly become an adult, although he would rather that he never reached this point when he had to grow up, had to face his choices and the results of them.

Mikan held up her glass to him, and Natsume held his own to her, the clinking sound that their glasses made when they knocked together sounding like the most beautiful music to his ears.

Mikan smiled at him, and this time, Natsume found himself smiling back. She stepped forward and wound her arms around him, squeezing his waist lightly as she hugged him.

When Mikan stepped back, both their eyes were watery, but they both knew that they had finally reached the end. It was not the perfect ending that they could have, but a beautiful one all the same.

Mikan grinned at him, and Natsume saw the girl that he once loved, still loved, and would always continue to love.

"Happy birthday, Natsume."

And it was the most beautiful ending, for the most beautiful love.

A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NATSUME! I'm actually pretty upset because I'm late by what? Forty minutes? Damn it! Hahaha. Happy belated birthday then, and I hope everyone enjoys this story! :)