NOW I REALIZE

Summary: Reo was back and bound to have revenge…every student was under his hypnotic voice…and all the protagonists could do was to use Mikan's alice…just read the thing..MXN

It was supposed to be a peaceful day; however, darkness overpowered the bright sky.

Reo, who once kidnapped Natsume, was again back in action by creating chaos inside the Alice Academy. He had used or more accurately, hypnotized Ruka in putting his plan. And now, Reo was in broadcast room, badmouthing the academy.

Eventually, hypnotized students inside classrooms struggled and broke down the windows. They were trying to destroy the academy! While Mikan and her friends ere facing the hypnotized Ruka with some wild carnival animals.

Mikan Sakura, the happy-go-lucky student, was trying to revoke him. But she only found trouble when the beasts slowly yet scarily advanced toward her and her other friends.

Natsume jumped into the scene and punched Ruka's ckeek, making him woke up to reality. Ruka was now back in their side. Problem 1 solved.

"Ruka is now not hypnotized, thanks to Natsume. Where'd you come from anyway?" Mikan rejoiced.

"Oi idiot, stop blabbering. We've got some more serious problem here," Natsume snapped, pointing about the 'hypnotized students'.

She only made face, but Narumi-sensei seconded. "We have to stop the students from further destroying the academy. But first, let's stop Reo from hypnotizing them."

Everyone nodded. "Hotaru and Mikan will go with me to Reo," Narumi ordered. Some protested but he didn't give a damn at that moment. "While you guys try to stop the vandalism of the students." He turned his attention to the two boys. "Ruka, give a first aid to Natsume."

"No!" Natsume abruptly protested. "I'm going with you."

Narumi-sensei shook his head while frowning. "You just came from a mission. You're not yet in good condition. It's dangerous to risk your health."

"How would you know?" Natsume heatedly said. "It's not your body. I know my own limitation. So, you can't just take me away from action."

"Baka!" Mikan shouted. "Narumi-sensei is right! You should be resting. We'll try our best to stop this mess. Just trust us."

Somehow, he felt touched with her statement, but he didn't show it anyway. Instead, he just glared at her. "I have risked too much for this damn academy, and it won't just fall down before me." And with that, he passed them by and ran to the broadcast room.

Hotaru and Mikan trailed behind him while Narumi-sensei gave final instructions to others before catching up with them.

In front of the locked and blocked door, they panted. "It's surrounded by a force shield," Natsume said.

"Mikan use your nullifying alice," Narumi-sensei suggested. She nodded.

"Wait," Hotaru hissed, then held out three headphones. Seeing their puzzled look, she explained. "Invention 214, sound proof head phones."

The three nodded simultaneously. "Hotaru, you're so smart!" Mikan beamed and tried to hug her best friend, unfortunately she only tasted three shots of super baka-gun. Baka-baka-baka

"Oi idiot, just remove this shield," an impatient Natsume said. But he was only ignored, and he just remembered, she was wearing the sound proof headphone! He burned a strand of her hair and instantly, he got her attention with a questioning and glaring eyes.

He only rolled his crimson eyes and pointed the door. Something clicked in her mind and she immediately realized what to do next. She nodded in getting what he meant.

She focused her hands on the door, and light emitted because of her alice. The barrier was canceled out.

Narumi-sensei knocked down the door and Natsume turned the device into ashes, getting Reo's attention. "Damn brats!" He cursed, then ordered his assistants to finish them.

His assistants swiftly attacked Natsume who in return dodged and gave forceful strikes. Whenever Natsume used his alice and throw it to one of the bad guy, the guy just used his alice of shield to protect himself.

Mikan, doing nothing but only watching Natsume and Narumi-sensei fight, tried to help. Whenever Reo's assistant used his alice, she negated it. Meaning, making Natsume's attacks hit the the target. The guy was beaten badly.

Hotaru pulled out from her pocket a packing tape. "Invention 545, Mummy Pack." As she threw the tape to the half conscious men, they suddenly looked like mummies because they were wrapped with Hotaru's invention.

Mikan happily cheered while Natsume just looked with contentment at her beaming face. "She really has a low pleasure," he thought.

Meanwhile, Narumi-sensei was busy fighting his old best friend, Reo. With difficulty, he finally trounced Reo. Using Hotaru's invention, his hypnotic voice was shut up.

They all removed the headphones. Mikan exulted and cheered, "Yehey! It's over! It's over!" however, the students didn't stop destroying the academy. "It's unfair! We already beat them, how come the students don't stop?!" she whined.

Natsume stripped off the tape covering Reo's mouth. "Why aren't they stopping?" Natsume interrogated.

Reo only smirked, and it pissed him more. "Why boy, don't underestimate my alice. The effect will probably last for 24 hours!" e broke into an evil laugh. "Enough time to turn this academy into pieces."

Everyone sweat dropped. Mikan now in tears, protested. "You're cruel! How could you do this to the academy you once loved?!"

"You don't know anything, you brat!" Reo spat at her. Natsume cast a fire ball close to Reo's face as a threat. "You can't do anything to stop it. Even killing me won't" Mikan burst more into tears. "You just have to face it, I won!"

"Baka! Baka!" Mikan shouted.

"No... there's one thing else we can do," Narumi-sensei said thoughtfully.

Mikan lightened up a bit. "What, Narumi-sensei? Wahat?!"

Narumi looked intently at the clueless Mikan. And quickly, Natsume's eyes widened in realization. "No! It's dangerous!"

Mikan was now more curous. Why would Natsume react like that?" she thought.

"We just have to nullify the effect, using Mikan's alice," Narumi-sensei said.

Everyone fell silent. Reo butt in. "Narumi, Narumi. You really are-" But he was cut off when the fire wielder put back the tape on his mouth.

Mikan was thinking about it. "If I'll use my alice to every hypnotized student, that means I have to use it a hundred times! But if it's the only way-"

"Polkadots, for once I ask your idiotic mind not to think about it and moreover, do it," Natsume interrupted her thoughts.

Mikan frowned. "There is no other way," she stubbornly said. "You've risked too much for this academy, and you can't just take it being destroyed little by little in front of you."

"Stop! My sufferings for this stupid academy are not enough reason!" he yelled. "How idiot and selfless could you be!? You're not thinking what might happen to you?!" he mentally shouted.

"It only proves you love this academy…just like how much I love it," she softly said between sobs. "Just like you, I couldn't risk to see it falling on my own face. That's why I'll do whatever it takes to save this academy!"

"This is the Mikan I know, so determined and stubborn. She cares about others' welfare before hers," he thought and mentally smiled. He couldn't get enough of her, but if Mikan used her alice too much, he might lose her, forever.

"Are you sure about this, Mikan?" he asked her in monotone. His eyes were covered by his bangs.

"You called me by my first name!" she said in surprise.

"Just answer me!" he shouted.

"Of course, I am!" she yelled back. "What's up with him?" she thought.

Natsume slowly advanced towards her. He halted in front of her who was totally ignorant on what he's going to do next. He enveloped her with his warm body. "Baka, you don't know what you're getting into." Meanwhile, Hotaru was just taping the whole scene.

"Of course, I don't," she confessed with a shaky laugh. Her heart was beating erratically.

Natsume only hugged her more tightly. He ruefully shook his head. "You really are an idiot. Just don't overuse your alice. Just tell me, or shout, that you can't do it anymore." She only nodded.

He reluctantly released her, and hid his blushing face with the help of his bangs.

Narumi-sensei coughed to get their attention. "I guess that's ok now," he said, and with a serious tone, he said, "Mikan, do you know what to do?"

She only stared at his teacher's eyes, then blurted, "Actually, I don't exactly know what to do."

Narumi-sensei, Natsume and even Hotaru dropped their jaw. "She's really idiot," they all thought.

Narumi-sensei laid out the plan to all of them. What would she do, where she'd position, how'd she do it, etc. And of course, what the three of them would do.

"Get it?" Hotaru asked.

"Hai," she assured.

The plan was in her mind. She ran until she was in the center of the academy. Around her were friends protecting her from many possible attacks. "Now!" Narumi-sensei signaled.

Mikan took a heavy air, and let out an exasperated sigh. She raised her both hands to get more force and focused it on the ground. She started her alice with a scream to help her get out the power she needed.

Her alice, which seemed to be a force shield, was getting bigger. She was giving her best to save the academy. The academy that she, Natsume and their friends loved. "This is for the academy!" she chanted inside her mind, while tears were gently streaming in her cheeks. She felt a big pang in her heart but she had to endure and instead, summoned more her power to cover the whole academy. She was in pain now, and she didn't know if she still had enough alice to give.

"Mikan! Mikan!" a masculine voive from afar was screaming her name.

"Natsume!" she thought. In the corner of her eye, she saw Natsume trying to get to her. He's trying to stop her! While Hotaru and the others were stopping him. "I'm sorry Natsume… I guess this will be the end of me," she sadly thought. And with that, she gave her fully best while on the background, Natsume was already crying as he screamed her name.

A light-nullifying alice covered the academy, and the hypnotized students lost consciousness. When her mission was done, Mikan gracefully collapsed on the ground, while her crystal tears were carried by the wind.

Hotaru and the others immediately released Natsume who ran as fast as he could to pick Mikan. "God, she's pale!" he horribly thought. Hotaru kneeled beside him.

"Mikan," he called. "Mikan!" he tried again. Yet, no response. "Baka, I told you to stop when you couldn't do it anymore."

He snuggled her, and cuddled her. "Why did I let this happen? I let the girl I love to die just to save this academy," he sadly thought. Tears fell down, and accidentally entered Mikan's mouth.

She opened her swollen eyes and saw Natsume hugging her. And heard his, sobs? "Natsume is crying because of me?! Why? Does he care at all" she thought. Tears again marched down her cheeks and she grinned.

"Natsume," she softly murmured. He abruptly raised his head.

His expression was priceless but he smiled anyway. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," she lied, 'cause right now, her world was spinning! "But, since when there's two Natsume?"

Natsume quickly scooped her in his arms and walked towards the school building. Mikan, as Mikan, was still complaining at what she's seeing.

Natsume, as being Natsume, shut her up with one way he hadn't done before. A KISS. Mikan didn't utter any other word.

"It works. Now I know how to shut you up, Mikan," he teased.

Meanwhile, Mikan was still in trance to respond at his joshing. She was too dumbstruck at what he did.

…and her world spun wilder.

- the END -

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