Hello Readers… this is my first fanfic and it is kind of in the tragic department. This is my firstest first story.

Points I want to tell before the story starts:

Yukihara Mikan- 18

Hyuuga Natsume- 19

Imai Hotaru- 18

Nogi Ruka- 19

Sumire, Anna, Nonoko- 18

Koko, Kitsu, Yuu- 18

Yukihara Tsubasa- 28

Harada Misaki- 26

Yukihara Nobara- 32

Persona/Yukihara Rei- 38

Imai Subaru- 35

I hope you will like it. I am a die-hard fan of Gakuen Alice and I know you guys are too.

Disclaimer: I own nothing and nothing shall be mine. ^.^

So here goes… Enjoy…

I present to you:

DAYS OF A DYING GIRL

DAY 1 : SCOWL

I was happily chatting with my gals at school.

After five periods, class ended and therefore I went home. As I turned the knob of the door of our house, I started feeling heavy.

I went inside our abode and my mask crumbled, instead of a smile I wore a scowl.

My elder brother came front and greeted me home yet I gave him a glare, which made him back off for a bit. After that I stormed to my room.

"How about dinner?" My brother called out.

"I'm not eating." I answered.

"Again?" My brother grumbled. "Why again?"

"That's none of your business." I answered rather coldly.

I slammed the door to his face without showing a hint of care.

Why should I care? He's not the one in my place. Why do I have to eat that stupid dinner anyway? I'm dying. Why would I eat when it would just prolong my suffering.

I lay down on my bed and stared – rather, glared – at the ceiling. I felt myself losing to sleep.

I woke up to the sound of a car engine. I guess my brother just left for work.

I looked up the clock and saw the time to be 7:45 pm, I went to the kitchen counter and found two slices of wheat bread and a note from my brother.

It's fine if you don't eat dinner BUT, just eat these two slices of bread. I won't tell mom or dad that you haven't eaten for three days already.

P.S. I'll know if you don't eat this…trust me.

From: Onii-chan

If I was not in this state or if I was another young sister, I would find this action cute. Yet I am not. I wanted to throw the bread away but, as my brother had said in his "P.S." he would know.

I am fine with my brother getting angry but not my parents, so I had to eat up. After I finished, I went back up to my room and slept.

When is my time, I wonder?

Why don't I just vanish now?

What's the point of living a life you do not like?

DAY 2 : FRUSTRATION

Why can't my daily routine change? Every day I wear a mask just to cover up my real emotions.

All day I have to wear a mask in school and I had swelled up. School was tiresome today. Projects here, assignment there, practices here.

Now, I have clubs. Why do we have to have clubs when we don't even want to join them?

I stayed at the stadium with a sketchbook in hand. I was waiting for some inspiration until it hit me. I needed to look for an inspiration, if not; I'd end up drawing scythes and death. I took my pencil out as I felt inspiration washing over me.

"I didn't know you drew horribly." A voice from behind me spoke.

"Natsume, you startled me." I said stoically.

"With a face like that, it makes it harder for me to believe you are startled."

"Why are you here?" I asked whilst putting my pencil down.

"I came here for you." He answered. I could not guess if he was joking or not.

"Why, really?" I asked rather coldly which made me regret it.

"I was in the field, I saw you coming up here alone and I followed instinctively." He flashed a confused look as he said the last word but immediately brushed it off.

"You didn't have to." I said as he began taking his seat beside me.

"Why are you always lonely? Is being left alone normal for you?" he asked casually.

"No I'm not and- wait! What?" I stopped and faced him. He looked at me with determination, demanding me to speak of the truth and the truth only.

"What makes you say I'm lonely?" I asked, slowly lowering my head down.

He placed his hands and made me look at him.

"I can always see it in everything that you do here in school. Your smile has this loneliness in it. Your eyes say the opposite of your mouth." My eyes began to cloud up and tears started to flow down my cheeks.

"How'd you know that?" I got out from his grasp.

"I have my sources. You finally cried." He said as he faced the field.

I placed my head on his shoulders and cried. He lifted his hand and patted my head.

"I'll be here with you."

For what seemed like five minutes, I gradually decreased to sobs.

"Have you calmed down?" Natsume asked.

I nodded. "I guess."

"Shall we go grab a drink before I drop you home?"

"You don't need to drop me home. I can go by myself."

"No!" he answered with firmness in his voice, making it hard for me to object.

"I'm gonna be fine, I tell you."

"No, I'm driving you. No more objections."

I sighed and nodded. I guess I can't win an argument with this guy.

We went to the cafeteria and ordered drinks. He drove me home after that and he really took me to our front door where my brother was standing.

"Welco- oh, hello? Welcome?" My brother raised an eyebrow, demanding an explanation.

"Yo." Natsume said offering his hand for a handshake.

"Are your intentions for my sister clean?" He asked as he shook Natsume's hand.

"Oh, I am not a suitor."

"Oh pity." My brother sighed.

"Why are you acting as if you both do not know each other?" I sternly interrupted their "man-to-man" conversation.

"Mikan." My brother intercepted.

"I shall be leaving then." Natsume flashed me a smile and went back to his car. My brother and I watched as his car exited our gate.

We started walking towards the kitchen in silence.

"He's good. I did not meet him that time but I can tell he's good. I approve of him." He said breaking the awkward silence.

"Onii-chan!"

"What? I like him for you. You are 18 yet you don't have a boyfriend."

"You know why I can't. You know that I have four weeks left. And I am already unavailable."

"Unavoidableto others but not to him, he is your -"

I shut him up with a glare.

"Fine, but just because you have how many more days left that does not mean you have to die before that day comes."

I did not let go of my piercing stare until he felt uncomfortable.

"What? You don't want to eat again right?" I stared at him as if saying 'You know already'. He gave an exasperated grunt. "Just eat a little bread."

I smiled at him and grabbed two loaves from the plate. I went to hug my brother and ran to my room.

"I'm spoiling you too much. Rei-nii is gonna kill me." I heard my brother say as I ran.

I arrived to my room and went immediately to wash up. I changed to my pajamas after I washed and opened my laptop.

As I scrolled through our social network site, I saw a post by a guy named Kitsu from our batch, it said:

"I saw Natsume talking with her, he even drove her home."

There were a lot of likes and I read the first few comments.

"Really? Imma happy for him." By Yuu

"He should pursue her, dude." By Mochu

"Swell show, dude. Saw them too by the way." By Koko

"Is this girl he's talking about pretty?" By Yuu

"She is, though I doubt she knows it." By Koko

"Guys, I just talked with her and besides, it's no biggie." By Natsume

"No biggie? You absolutely went and drove her home." By Kitsu

"The great Natsume Hyuuga, driving a girl home." By Koko

"That's a big deal." By Yuu

I did not read the others anymore since he could have drove another girl after he drove me home.

I shut my laptop off and slept.

People are so naive, they can't seem to sense that there is someone dying by their side.

They laugh around whilst knowing that there is someone who is stuck in a corner.

I want to disappear now.

DAY 3 : PAIN

"Hey! Have you heard" Natsume Hyuuga was seen driving a girl home yesterday afternoon."

"Did you see her face?"

"No, she was looking down and the window of Natsume's car is tinted."

"What? I can't believe it."

"But there were a lot of witnesses."

Ugh. Can't these people talk about something more interesting than common gossip? They're not making any sense to me.

"Have you heard the word, Mikan?" I heard my childhood best friend say.

"Yes, of course. Hotaru, imagine it being the whole talk today." I answered. "It's all over school."

"Lucky bitch. Hey Mikan, Hotaru, let's go to the stadium. Let's watch Natsume and his gang play soccer." Another of my friends said.(A/N: I think you know who this is.)

The said girl skipped as we were going to the stadium. The other two followed while giggling.

I rolled my eyes at the three of them.

"Endure them, Mikan." I looked over at Hotaru who made the comment. She had a disgusted face.

"I think you should be too, Hotaru."

We were the only girls in our five-person group that did not fangirl about Natsume and his gang. Well, Hotaru is already taken afterall.

As for me, Natsume was just a guy who was my classmate for all my high school and middle school life. A guy who is good at everything and is the son of my family's greatest rival in the economic world. But that's it and there were still a lot more I did not want to admit.

When we reached the stadium, we climbed the bleachers and watched the athletes as my friends squealed at every – as they say "cool" – action every boy does.

I saw Natsume and he looked up our direction and stared at me with a gentle expression for two short seconds.

Hotaru, who was right beside me, noticed this action of course.

"Mikan Yukihara, did you just have a short eye contact with Hyuuga?"

"What? No!" Why did he have to do that?

"Oh, really?" She raised an eyebrow at me.

"Yes! Really and -…" I stopped mid-sentence because of a sudden pain in my chest.

"Mikan? Are you okay?" Hotaru asked, worry all-over her face.

"I'm fine." I straightened myself to cover my pain. I looked over at the field and saw that Natsume was looking at my direction. He saw it.

Why was he looking? And was that worry I saw in his eyes?"

"I'm gonna get myself a drink." I told Hotaru.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, thank you."

I tried my best to walk upright so as not to have Hotaru suspicious. I felt pain in every step I took.

As I reached a distance where no one could see me, I started to crouch at the pain. I reached the lounge where the vending machine was located, I bought a canned juice so that I wouldn't be lying to Hotaru.

Before going back up, I crouched at the couch in the lounge. I sat for what seemed like two minutes? I did not note the time since I was dealing with my chest pain.

"What are you masking up now?"

I almost jumped at the voice and was shocked to see Natsume behind the couch I was sitting at. I answered him in a manner as normal as possible in my case.

"Nothing." Clearly I am.

"Don't lie to me, Mikan."

"I am not." I greatly am and I'm so sorry.

I stood up from my sitting position to make him see that I was fine which I was not.

"You are." He said with a look that is a mixture of worry, sadness and loneliness?

I saw Hotaru running from behind Natsume, followed by my three other friends. They worried looks on their faces.

How long was I gone?

"NO! I -…" I was not able to finish my sentence as pain shot from chest turning my body numb.

I clutched on my chest as the pain increased. I screamed in pain as I stumbled to a kneeling position beside the couch. Natsume ran towards me.

"Mikan! Mikan! What's wrong?!" He asked, but I was too pained to answer him.

He hugged my crouching figure as I heard Hotaru's familiar footsteps approaching.

"What-! Mikan!" Hotaru ran towards us.

"I'm calling the nurse!" Said one of my friends as she grabbed the hand of another girl.

"Sumire, call an ambulance. Send for my brother." Hotaru ordered.

"On it." The girl said as she dialed on her phone.

Hotaru put her hand on my shoulder since Natsume had his hand wrapped around me from the side.

I screamed again and now Natsume was holding my hand.

"You'll be fine, Mikan." Natsume chanted over and over.

"Thank you for being with her, Hyuuga." Hotaru said.

"Hn."

I heard the sound of what seemed like wheels on a bed from the infirmary. My vision started to blur and I tried to say something. Natsume's grip on my hand tightened.

"Natsume…" Was the last I said as unconsciousness overpowered me.

Has my time come?

DAY 4 : TRUTH (1)

I woke up to the sound of beeping. An oxygen tube connected to me.

I looked around and saw three people sitting on a couch and one leaning on the wall with his arms on his chest. He looked over at me, sensing as I stirred.

"She's awake." He declared and by the sound of it, it was Natsume. Why is he here?

"Mikan, my baby. You're fine. Thank goodness." It was mom.

"Mikan baka." It was Hotaru.

"Ya scared me imouto-chan. Sleeping for so long." It was my bro.

"Stop exaggerating, Andou. Mikan was asleep for only yesterday's afternoon to half past noon the next day." Mom commented.

"She more or less slept for twelve to fifteen hours." Hotaru pointed out.

The door opened revealing my dad and a doctor. News Flash! My doctor is Hotaru's brother, Subaru Imai.

"My only girl, you scared me to death." He said as Subaru closed the door behind them.

"Mom? Dad? You're here?" I asked.

"Well, after we heard what happened from Hotaru, we came as fast as we can." Mom replied.

"Nii-chan?"

"My bosses are here. Why wouldn't I be?"

Natsume was quiet the whole time until he spoke with a glint of hurt in his eyes.

"I want the truth."

I exchanged glances with my parents and Hotaru. They nodded immediately.

"You should tell them, Mikan. Everything." Dad said.

"What do you mean everything? Is there something that I do not know?" Hotaru asked.

"I think it's best if Mikan say it." Dad said and he ushered Mom and Brother out of the room.

The three of us entered a moment of awkwardness until I decided to break it.

"I'm sorry Hotaru, Natsume. I'm sorry for lying."

"Why don't you just spill it?!" Natsume said with irritation in his voice.

"I have been feeling this since I was young. They turned worse when I turned to high school."

"How long have you got?" Natsume asked. I knew what he meant. I opened my mouth to talk when Hotaru spoke.

"Don't say anything like that Hyuuga. I'm sure-."

"Twenty-seven days."

"What?" Hotaru asked.

"If you say that I have been unconscious for-."

"The afternoon of the previous day to noon at the next." Natsume said.

"Well, yeah. I have twenty-seven days."

"Twenty-seven?! Mikan, don't kid with me. You never said your days were already numbered. Mikan we were friends for who-know-how-long and you never said a word about this!" Hotaru said whilst raising her voice. I think this is the first I've heard Hotaru raise her voice.

"How can you keep such a secret?" Natsume said softly.

"Excuse me?" I asked. I just took full notice of this guy two days ago except for that and now he is saying this nonsense.

"What do you mean by that, Hyuuga?" Hotaru asked.

"I have been interested in Mikan for long now. Ever since we were in middle school. I was so happy once I heard about that."

"Pffft."

I stared at him for a moment until Hotaru made a full laugh.

"Why are you laughing, Imai/Hotaru?" Natsume and I asked in unison.

I haven't seen Hotaru laugh like this.

"So you mean to say that you've had a crush on my best friend for six years?" Hotaru laughed. "The campus king tied up to the campus lonely queen. I can't get enough of this."

"Hotaru? Can you leave us in private for a moment?" I asked.

"Sure. Wouldn't wanna disrupt the doggy king's confession." Hotaru scoffed.

"Just get out, Imai." Natsume said annoyed.

When Hotaru left, Natsume started.

"Mikan, what do you think about me?"

I took in his question.

I looked down as I thought of what to reply to his question. I was confused. I didn't know what to answer him.

I glanced at him and looked away almost immediately. I sighed as I gathered my thoughts. It took a lot of courage to look into his eyes.

"I can't answer your question yet." Came my blunt answer.

He fell silent. He stood and smiled at me before he left.

I looked out the window and Hotaru went in. tears started falling from my eyes.

That look he gave me. His smile said everything. He was hurt.

I had pushed away the only guy who cared. The only one who noticed my emotion.

Hotaru drew nearer and I looked her way.

"That was fast. What did y- Oi, baka, why are you crying? What happened?" she asked.

"Hotaru, what have I done?"

What have I done?

Why did I push him away?

Do I really not have an answer?

DAY 5 : TRUTH (2)

It was eleven am and I was discharged from the hospital. I sat on the bed waiting for my brother to come. I put my ear pods on and listened to music. It was so annoying how the song mirrored my feelings. It made me feel more guilt inside me.

I actually had my answer all along. All I could do was evade him.

"We're done. Let's go." My brother came in the room.

I stood ad as I was about to leave I took one last glance at the room, the room where I rejected the only guy who cared. I did notice it when tears started to build up in my eyes.

"Is something the matter?" My brother asked.

"No, there isn't." I answered as I wiped a stray tear from my cheek.

We left the room after and my brother drove me to school. When I arrived, the girls were waiting for me there. They ran up to me when I stepped out of the car. After our quick hellos and apologies, Hotaru was the first to speak.

"Where's Hyuuga?"

"Why? Is he supposed to be here?" Sumire, the girl with a permed seaweed-green hair asked.

Hotaru elbowed her and she rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, Natsume said he had something to do and left." Sumire said.

"Oh." I replied, I did not notice that I gave off a sad look until one of my friends pointed it out.

"You look down. Are you okay, Mikan-chan?" Anna, my pink-haired girl friend asked.

"She's definitely not fine, Anna." Sumire said.

"Sumire is right. Mikan has finally realized her feelings." Nonoko, my navy-haired friend said.

"What do you mean 'finally', Nonoko?" I asked.

"We have been watching you all this time, Mikan. Ne~ Hotaru?" Nonoko said.

"And in those years that we watched you, we noticed a lot. Even your feeling for Natsume." Hotaru added.

"We wanted to ask you about it but you always keep the expression like you want to keep it to yourself. Your problems, I mean." Anna said.

"We also noticed you loneliness and we did everything just to make you feel less lonely." Nonoko said.

"We always proposed to visit the stadium not because of the reason that we want to see Natsume." Sumire confessed.

"Then why? And how can you say that I have liked Natsume for a long time already?" I asked.

"Whenever we are at the stadium, your eyes would always drift to his direction." Nonoko said.

"In our classes, you two would occasionally become partners and sometimes even on class duties." Anna added.

"We always leave you be, you know why? Because you would give a faint yet true smile." Sumire said.

"We wanted to see you smile that smile more."Hotaru finished.

"So all those fangirlings were acts? And you were doing all those for me?"

"Yes." They answered in chorus.

All along they knew I thought they did not care at all. They were doing their best for me. Tears began falling down my cheeks.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I should have relied on you guys more and should not have kept all my pain in me."

"It's fine, Mikan. We understand. You did not want to be a burden to us. Hotaru told us everything.

"Can we cut all this crying and have a group hug?" Sumire interrupted.

I giggled at Sumire's comment and so did the others. We endulged into a group hug.

"We should stop now if we don't want to be late." Sumire cut the moment. The others nodded in agreement as they started walking towards the entrance. Hotaru and I were left with each other. I was about to follow the others when Hotaru pulled my hand. She had a serious face when I turned to face her.

"Will you meet him?" She asked.

"I can't yet." I answered.

"Fine." She said then walked towards the entrance. I followed her in. When I opened the door I saw him there with his pals. He seemed to be fine. He glanced my way but looked away almost immediately.

Class started, the whole afternoon, I was quiet until my brother came to pick me up. I was quiet the whole drive but my brother decided to keep quiet the whole time.

When we arrived home, my parents were there. I did not want to eat dinner but my mom cooked and I did not want make her feel down.

I ate in silence and excused myself to my room after that. I washed up and went to bed. For minutes, I couldn't sleep. I thought about the recent happenings and realized a lot of things. After so much thought, my eyes decided to betray me and they closed.

What should I do? Is there no other good path for me to choose?

I had failed to realize a lot of things beforehand.

Whatever should I do to bring back everything?

I decided to make it five days per chapter. I hope you guys would leave me an update. I feel like the last part was kind of rushed, well, I was preoccupied while typing this. Anyhoo, please leave me a review guys and to remind you again, this is my first story. ^.^

Please don't burn me for making Mikan OOC in the beginning. And for those who are asking; "Where's Ruka?" you'll see him soon. If you're wondering, I am still in the process of thinking if I should put Luna and if she should be good or bad? And lastly, there won't be any Narumi here.

Thank you guys for reading this and if you want some ideas through, you can put it in your review or you can PM me maybe.

Signing Out ^.^ FrozenCrimsonCroissant