Demonkitty: Hey, here's another one-shot death-fic.

Enjoy!

I don't own Gakuen Alice.

Normal POV

Mikan was tired.

Both literally and mentally.

Ever since the Alice War three years ago, she had never been able to sleep. On the rare occasion when she did, memories would flash behind her closed eyelids. She would scream and writhe in tangled sheets.

Every day, she would live it again. She would gasp and cry. Not the quiet tears, but the huge, chest-heaving sobs that racked her body. She would curl into a ball and remember.

Natsume.

No one ever knew. She hid it well. She would go out with her friends, and they would spend the day happily.

Somehow, Mikan slipped the mask on. She would put on nice clothing, and apply makeup to hide the bags under her eyes. Through glassy eyes, she would smile, and laugh.

Somehow, it worked.

They never noticed.

But at night, in the private confines of her bedroom, she would rip off the mask and throw it across the room, and watch it shatter.

She would jerk and twitch. She would screech and shriek.

When the bright light of morning came, she would pick up the remains of her mask and carefully mend it together.

She wanted to see him.

Natsume.

Every time she pasted the mask back together, it would keep falling apart. Even though she tried her best, she could see the cracks. The shards that were missing would show, and slowly, the mask would wear down.

She didn't want it.

She didn't want to pretend anymore. She didn't want to be alone.

She wanted to end. To sleep, to rest, finally.

One day, she asked.

"Hotaru, what's the best way to die?" She asked with a faux smile. Hotaru's violet eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Why would you want to know that?" She replied carefully.

"Huh? Oh… just curious." She said back with her lips stretched into a fake grin.

"Mikan… you aren't the same anymore. Not since…" Hotaru stops short.

Natsume. Natsume.

She saw the flicker of unease in Mikan's eyes.

The mask cracked down the middle. Mikan stood up suddenly.

"I… have to go." Mikan spun and walked away, heels clicking on the marble floor of the cheery little café.

How ironic.

"Mikan…" Hotaru called. Mikan didn't look back. She walked out and hailed a taxi.

"Sycuan apartments." She nodded to the driver who spoke through the smoking cigarette as they arrived at her building.

"Sixteen bucks." He swung the cigarette to the other side of his mouth. She handed him the money and climbed out of the vehicle.

Walking into her little suite, she slammed the door shut and tore her mask off, flinging it as far as she could, knowing that in the morning, she wouldn't be there to pick it up again. She stepped silently to her dresser, and opened a drawer.

She took out an orange plastic bottle filled with tiny white circles. For a second, she just stared, knowing how important it was.

She opened it, and glared at the pills.

She poured the contents into the palm of her hand. She looked even harder at the little tablets.

Only for you, Natsume.

She dumped the contents into her awaiting mouth, along with a gulp of water. She felt sleep coming fast. Collapsing on the little bed, she felt darkness slam down on her form.

Black. She saw only shadows. For one second, she regretted her decision.

Until she heard it.

"Baka." A horribly familiar voice.

The shadows receded.

"Natsume!" She smiled the first real smile in years as she threw herself at him.

He chuckled.

"I missed you." She whispered.

He smiled a gentle smile, one only for her.

"I was never gone." He whispered back.

For the first time in forever, she was happy.

The end!