A/n: This isn't AU, but still different from the original storyline. The group has Alices, but they don't have the ESP chasing them around for Mikan's Alice. Things are mellower, and most of the tension revolves around Natsume-Mikan-Tsubasa's love triangle. It's just a story about high school, first love, heart break, growing up, and everything else there is to it. Please review, even if you hate it. It would mean the world to me, honestly.

Disclaimer: I am too uncool to own Gakuen Alice. Kudos to Tachibana Higuchi for Gakuen Alice and all its awesomeness. I am just a poor fan fiction writer. T^T

"As many have discovered, it is entirely possible (although not particularly desirable) to love two people with all your heart. It is entirely possible to long for two lives, to feel that one life can't come close to containing it all." ―Gabrielle Zevin, Elsewhere

1. A Messy Affair

Hotaru's POV

High school.

They say no one makes it out of high school unscathed. Of course, this isn't applicable if you are an Imai. But I had so subtly, so cunningly put this idea in the head of a certain baka, that it had found its home in there.

In simple terms, Mikan baka Sakura… was not ready for high school.

"You're kidding me?" Shouda gasped. I turned around to give her one look of nonchalance, before returning to packing up my things for school. I needed my Mac, my iPhone, my books, a notebook-

"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?" Shouda screamed like a banshee behind me. "She's gonna DIE in there!" She exclaimed.

All this drama in the morning… right before school. Oh hell no. I did not sign up for this.

My eyes must have looked really sour and uninviting, because Shouda now seemed to take two steps away from me in fear.

I sighed before throwing a key in her hands. "No one dies locked in their room for a few hours. But here. That'll be 1,000 rabbits please." Shouda gave me a look of utter disbelief before tossing the money which I aptly caught and put away.

With the key in hand, Shouda unlocked the door to baka's room. I peaked out of curiosity to find the baka sitting in front of the mirror combing her long, chocolate brown hair. She also seemed to have various magazines open in front of her.

I walked over and stood in the door way, just out of curiosity and sheer boredom. Mikan looked at me seriously. Her jaw tensed and her eye twitched, before, in slow motion, she raised a finger at me and spat- "YOU TRAITOR."

Shouda's nose was in the air, arms crossed before she turned to face Mikan. "Seriously Sakura, you were just planning on ignoring me forever? I thought we were friends."

There we go.

She plays the "I thought we were friends" card on Mikan baka Sakura. And there goes her heart.

Sometimes it's disgusting how easy it is to melt Mikan's heart, and get her to do what you want. I have never found it to be an endearing quality. But Mikan argues that making other people happy makes her happy.

Well… money makes me happy.

"There's nothing wrong with dying locked up in my room, okay?" Mikan got up, only to collapse on the bed and sulk. Shouda shot her a death glare. "Excuse me?" She shrieked. No peace in the dorm guaranteed with Shouda in it. "Are you trying to make us all miserable?"

"I don't wanna go!" She hissed, throwing a pillow at Shouda which hit her squarely between her eyes. I smirked, easily dodging the one she then directed towards me.

"It's gonna be fine," Shouda sat down next to her on the bed, sulking. Everyone was now officially sulking. Yay.

"Look… you have amazing friends, a good course and an amazing boy—fr"

"DON'T." Mikan raised her index finger and thrust it in Shouda's face. "I don't have a boyfriend." Shouda's eyes widened. "I can NOT believe you just said that about Natsume-sama." She fumed. But Mikan, her eyes looked sad.

"He didn't call me… all summer," she said in the lowest of voices.

To be honest… I hated when Hyuuga did this. They had been dating since elementary school. They had kissed under that stupid Christmas tree and exchanged those stupid Alice stones.

And even after all of that… Hyuuga… well he was a dick. He did this to her in the summer of elementary school when he totally disappeared. And now he did it again in middle school.

"I am not even sure if we're dating," Mikan said sourly as she sat up. "Besides… I can't keep my hair in pigtails anymore. They're looking weird."

"That explains the magazines," I chuckled. Mikan pouted at me, eyebrows pulled together in annoyance.

"Of course they look weird you fashionably challenged freak!" Shouda shouted. I could see steam rising from her head. "Why can't you let it loose? Your hair looks beautiful when it's – loo"

"DON'T." Mikan and I said in unison.

"Oh yeah… Natsume-sama thinks that too."

I face palmed myself when baka looked close to tears. That idiot Shouda…

"Mikan," I said seriously, knowing that I'd get her attention. "It's just high school. We've been through worse. Elementary and middle school wasn't any easier, and high school is just gonna be worse." I stated as a matter of fact.

"But," I raised my finger before she could protest, "we survived."

I saw Shouda smirk, and I couldn't help but grin too. "We've changed and we've learned how to counter everything that they throw at us," Sumire added. "Come on Mikan. Natsume-sama will be Natsume-sama. We'll figure how to deal with him later. Just get dressed, for me?"She pleaded with puppy dog eyes.

Mikan's sighed in defeat as she slumped to her wardrobe to pull out her uniform. Shouda and I were already dressed, so we waited in the living room until Mikan finished.

When she stepped out, I could barely recognize that this was the clumsy girl who I befriended in childhood.

Mikan's hair had grown long, very long, almost reaching her hips. She tied them in a high pony tail, letting her bangs loosely cover her face, a few long strands loosely tucked behind her ear. Her hair draped over her shoulder, reaching neatly to her waist. She wore the studs Hyuuga got her for managing to pass all her exams in middle school, (which was seriously an achievement for Mikan) –two elegant diamond studs.

I had to say, he had great taste.

She wore black stockings reaching her thighs under the red plaid skirt, with black ballet flats. Her shirt was fitted with one button open, and she wore a star necklace that Andou gifted her, and I quote, "to always make you think of me."

I think I am gonna puke.

Oh yeah.

Andou, who was Mikan's first senpai, will be on the same campus with us at Alice University. I can't wait when things on campus get… interesting.

I admired the baka, who had not only grown in her looks, but also in grace. Her movements were more graceful, and she was less hyper than she had been in elementary.

"How do I look?" She asked cutely as she twirled.

Honestly, I answered, "beautiful."

"HOTARUUUUUUUUUUUUUU~"

BAKA BAKA BAKA!

"Hotaruuuu…." Mikan cried waterfall tears.

No, I'll erase that last part. Seems like she hadn't matured. Not at all.

"Let's go. We're already late," I grunted. This was not the impression I wanted to make on my first day, especially when they'll be comparing my records to that lousy brother of mine who excelled at everything.

"Gomen," Mikan rubbed her head slowly where the baka gun had hit her.

We walked to our new campus. The air was breezy and I liked how it tickled my skin. I looked over my shoulder to see Mikan looking around in awe. Spring always made her happy. The colors and the full blossom of the Sakura tree made her happy.

In short, it was nice to have Mikan as my best friend…

Because it didn't take a lot of money to make her happy. It was just the little things that mattered to her.

The grounds were full of freshmen years. Sakura petals flew with the breeze, and one landed on my nose. I sneezed.

It was annoying.

"Hi," I heard the familiar, soft voice behind me. Bunny boy was standing looking perfect as usual. He smiled warmly at me, as if seeing me had somehow made everything better.

I hated it. I hated how good Ruka made me feel. "Nogi," I greeted him curtly. He smiled as he stalked over to me, and kissed me on the forehead, softly, shyly. I squeezed his hand for a few seconds, just wanting to let him know that I appreciated the gesture.

"Mikan-chan!" Ruka greeted the baka who was fascinated by stupid pollen flying everywhere.

"Ruka-pyon!" Mikan smiled at Nogi, who waved at her cheerfully. "Good summer huh?"

I saw Mikan drop her head and burst into waterfall tears.

It all happened very fast then.

My eyebrow twitched. Ruka blinked. And BAKA BAKA BAKA!

Ruka was on the ground.

"Oww Hotaru what was that for?" He rubbed his temple slowly. "Don't mention summers. Or Hyuuga. At all. Do we have an understanding?"

For a minute Ruka looked up at me as if he wanted to tell me something, but then smiled and said, "understood." I gotta ask him what he wanted to say later.

More familiar faces came into view. Ogasawara and Umenomiya greeted us enthusiastically. Tobita waved timidly. Kitsumene and Yome were jerks as usual. Yome casually put his arm around Shouda, embarrassing her to no end. Thank god bunny boy is too smart to pull these tactics on me. Otonashi greeted us too, in her weird way. I rolled my eyes when she tried to scare Mikan into believing one of her prophecies.

God. I hate superstition.

We headed to the orientation. Our group was almost intimidating, with myself, Ruka, baka, Shouda, Yome, Kitsumene, Tobita, Ogasawara, Umenomiya and Otonashi sticking together like one big family.

There was only one person missing. And I was going to blast his head off when I saw him. Hyuuga.

The orientation was boring, and sitting through it needed every ounce of patience I had, especially since bunny boy had decided to keep stroking the back of hand.

I have to admit though, his hand felt kind of warm and nice.

Ugh. He's destroying me with these cutesy feelings. It's sickening.

So fast forward, crappy orientation with crappy food. Sushi and donuts? Who does that? When we were out into the entrance hall to get our schedules, I could already see trouble.

Make it double.

Mikan had done a double take and literally FLOWN to Andou when she saw him from a mile. She ran into his arms and he lifted her up, twirling her before he settled her down on the ground. Her bias for this particular idiot is… beyond me.

Tsubasa and Mikan share a unique relationship. I don't question it. Tsubasa pulled out a little box, and smirked as Mikan eyes widened. She stood on her toes and pecked him on his cheek. "Uh-oh" Ruka remarked next to me.

"She's not cheating on Hyuuga. With Andou… it's different," I snapped in his direction. But his eyes were glued to Mikan's left.

Hyuuga was standing a few feet away, his eyes out to kill Andou. Before I could step in to say a word, Andou's cap was on fire, and burned to crisp. Mikan's Nullification Alice stopped him before anything else on Andou could be burned.

It seems that Mikan was aware of his presence long before Ruka… but she was… ignoring him?

Ha, I wonder how long that was going to last. "I am out," I said simply. The others followed without a word.

When it came to the Tsubasa-Mikan-Natsume triangle… we had seen too many years of it to know that it's just a messy affair.

A/n: Loved it? Hated it? Wanna throw tomatoes at me? xD Just review please! Seriously it'll mean a lot. And you guys are awesome for giving it a shot nevertheless :-)