Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice (even though I wished I did….)

Always Has Been You

Mikan Sakura was constantly bullied by Natsume Hyuuga. Of course, she didn't deserve it…most of the time. After all, she did love the boy with the fire wielding Alice. Even when he was cold, she loved him. But, she knew she'd never admit it.

Hotaru Imai, Mikan's best friend, sat next to the young Mikan while eating lunch.

"Hotaru~," Mikan sang, "might I have some of your lunch?"

Hotaru turned her icy stare from her food to the girl, "Idiot, no."

"But why not?" Mikan whined, clearly envious of the other girl's lunch.

"Because 1) you have your own lunch and 2) I do not share, especially with idiots," Hotaru explained.

Sighing, Mikan turned her attention to her own lunch.

"Oi, Polka, what are you pouting about? It just makes you look uglier," the very crimson eyed boy Mikan secretly adored asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Natsume," Mikan said, her temper rising, "you are such a pervert!"

Ruka stared at the dark haired boy. They were total opposites, while both being pale. Ruka was slightly shorter with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was soft looking and his Animal Pheromone Alice made him even softer.

Natsume was dark. Not in skin shade but in hair color, attitude, and personality. He was tall, had piercing crimson eyes that matched his Fire Alice, and dark raven hair that covered his eyes.

"Um, Natsume, why do you call Mikan 'Polka'?" Ruka asked.

"Hehe," Natsume chuckled darkly, "when we first met, I saw her underwear. It was polka-dotted, hence her name."

Ruka blushed at the thought of Mikan in her underwear. Natsume noticed and cleared his throat.

"NATSUME, HOW DARE YOU TELL OTHER PEOPLE THAT? WHY DO YOU TORTURE ME?" Mikan all but cried.

"Because you make it so very easy for me to do," he answered.

"Natsume, maybe you shouldn't make Mikan so mad," Ruka warned.

"Tch, she can't do anything. Let's go Ruka," Natsume said, walking away.

"Coming!" he called, but turned to Mikan before leaving, "Sorry about him."

Mikan only smiled, even Hotaru couldn't see how well she hid the pain behind it.

"It's fine. Um, actually guys, I'm supposed to meet Tsubasa now, so excuse me," Mikan said, lying.

"Fine, fine. Stay out of trouble, Mikan. Ever since we got into eighth grade those high school guys have been after you," Hotaru said.

Mikan nodded and left.

Maybe I shouldn't have come alone, Mikan thought. But, then again, she didn't want them to see her cry for that jerk.

Mikan walked towards the high school building's boys' dormitories. She got frightened a bit walking alone down the hallway.

"Ooh, lookie here. If it isn't the infamous Mikan Sakura," one boy said.

He was scary to Mikan. He loomed over menacingly. He and his friend both were average looking with short brown hair and brown eyes.

"Ahh, but isn't she Hyuuga's partner?" the second asked.

"Derik, chill. He isn't her boyfriend, right Mikan?" the first asked.

"But, Gerould, he still put out a claim on her, remember?" Derik asked Gerould, the first boy.

"So? We can play with her, too," insisted Gerould.

Gerould loomed over Mikan yet again.

"No, you can't! Go away! Kyahh! Perverts!" Mikan shouted.

"Oi, shut up! You'll have fun, I promise," Gerould said huskily.

"N-no! Get away from me!" Mikan shouted as he grabbed her and threw her against the wall.

Mikan watched in horror as he closed his eyes and leaned down towards her to crush his lips against hers. She would not let him take away her first kiss.

She lifted her hands to block his mouth and screamed the first name she thought of loud enough to carry all the way across campus.

"NATSUME!"

She feared her scream fell on deaf ears as Gerould looked angrily down at her.

"That little brat won't hear you. This is what you wanted, right? Don't pretend to be naïve, Mikan. You knew this would happen if you came over here alone," he purred, brushing my cheek with his knuckles.

Suddenly the hall felt way too hot. And there's only one person who could raise the temperature to such a degree.

"Oi, you over-grown pervert, didn't your parents teach you not to steal from others? Or that rape is bad? Do you have a *Lolita complex?" Natsume's voice growled from behind Gerould. Derik had already high-tailed it out of there.

"You brat! Didn't your parents teach you to interrupt grown-ups isn't polite?" Gerould said, trying to sound tough, but Mikan could see him shaking.

"Tch, who in the hell ever said I was polite?" Natsume growled.

Fire danced around in Natsume's palm for a bit.

"Polka, move away from the pervy idiot," Natsume ordered.

"Say my name first," Mikan bargained.

"Just do it!" he shouted.

"Not unless you say my name!" she shouted back.

"Fine, get raped. See if I care…Mikan," he said.

Mikan smiled inwardly. He said it in his own way. She moved away, but Gerould grabbed her hair and threw her in front of him.

"I'm not getting toasted. If you burn me, you'll burn her, too," Gerould spat.

"Tch, you act like I can't fight without flames," Natsume said smugly.

Mikan tried in vain to get out of the guy's grip. Mikan kicked backwards and got him where no guy would want to be kicked.

She ran and stood behind Natsume.

Natsume burnt the guy's arm, "If you ever try to touch her with your dirty hands again, I'll kill you."

Mikan began to cry uncontrollably. She hugged Natsume and stained his shirt with her tears. He lifted her into his arms and carried her to the Sakura tree. He sat at the roots, her in his lap, crying.

"So, Mikan, why were you at the high school wing?" Natsume asked curiously.

"B-because I w-wanted to s-see Tsubasa," she got out.

Natsume instantly felt jealous, "Why did you want to see him?"

"B-because N-natsume is s-such a j-jerk," she said.

"Eh? How so?" he demanded.

"Y-you always c-call m-me ugly and m-make fun of m-my underwear!" she stated angrily.

Didn't she know I was joking, thought Natsume.

"Mikan, I was only joking. And I only picked on you because I-," but he stopped remembering she liked Tsubasa, "never mind."

"No, finish what you were saying," she insisted.

"Natsume…," Mikan trailed off.

"Mikan…," Natsume trailed off.

"IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN YOU!" they shouted at the same time.

They stared in shock at each other, but Natsume recovered from it rather quickly.

"What about Tsubasa?" he asked.

"He's like my brother!" she said.

"Hn, well you're now mine," Natsume said.

"Eh?" was her genius reply.

"You are my girlfriend," he said slowly.

"Awh, that means I have to break up with my other boyfriend unless you're okay with that," Mikan said seriously.

Fire danced angrily in his eyes, "You better not even so much as look at another guy! Even if you come to hate me I will not let you go."

"I was kidding, I was kidding," she reassured.

"Good," he said, leaning towards her.

This time she didn't block her lips. No, she rather greedily attacked his, too.

When they pulled apart, Mikan said, "Let's go tell Hotaru and Ruka!"

Natsume gave her a knowing look, "That ice woman already knows."

"Eh? How?" Mikan asked.

Looking up, he pointed to a tiny camera.

"Damn," said Hotaru from her lab, "how'd he see it?"

"Um, Hotaru isn't it about time we gave them some privacy?" Ruka asked.

"Ruka, you just want me to turn my attentions to you," Hotaru said with a sly smile meant only for him.

"Well, yeah… I mean I am your boyfriend. Speaking of which, don't you think we should tell Natsume and Mikan?" Ruka pondered, blushing.

"I've got a feeling they already know that for me, it has always been you," Hotaru said.

"Yeah me, too. It's always been you," Ruka said, smiling.

~The End~

A/N: Did you like it? No flames, save that for Natsume!