This story alternates between past and present. The parts in normal font are in the present, and the parts in italics are in the past.
Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice is not mine.
The Day After Tomorrow
She sat at the foot of the old tree. It was a beautiful day – sunny, without a cloud in the sky. She sat still, her brown eyes fixed onto the vast blueness. Anyone who knew her would have been surprised to find her here alone; after all, this was Sakura Mikan. Sakura Mikan – incurably cheerful, bubbly, even hyperactive at times. Definitely, the most 'people person' there was at Gakuen Alice.
Her gaze fell on the branches of the tree above her, and she gave a small smile at the memories it brought back. She lifted one hand and touched the old bark, almost caressing it. Our first real kiss... sitting on your branches. It was theirs... this tree, the sprawling roots... it was their special place.
Her heart gave a small leap, thinking of him. Natsume's coming back today! This was to be his last mission, he'd promised her. He wouldn't have gone on this one either, but the Black Cat was needed, one last time. She wasn't worried that he wouldn't be able to find her in this isolated area. They knew each other far too well – the first place Natsume would make a beeline for would be here. She closed her eyes, sighing in contentment.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over her. Her smile grew wide and she opened her eyes. "Natsu-" Her smile slid off her face as she saw the black-haired senior standing before her. "Tsubasa-senpai...?" she said slowly, her eyes taking in the sight before her. His face was grim, a stark contrast to his usual jovial countenance. His face and hands were a lattice of scratches, bruises and cuts, some still bleeding. The right knee of his trousers was ripped and his shirt was torn in several places.
"Tsubasa-senpai, you're hurt!" She scrambled to her feet. "W-what happened? Did it happen on – on a mission?" Her mind made the connection. "N-Natsume..." she breathed, her mind whirling. "Tsubasa-senpai, is Natsume hurt?" she asked, frantic. Please say no. Please say he's fine.
He walked up to her, and put his hands on her shoulders, looking into her despairing eyes. At this close range, she could make out the bags under his eyes, the lines on his face that told of his weariness, and finally... his eyes. His eyes were dark, echoing of pain.
"Please... just tell me..." she whispered. "Is he in the hospital again? Is he..." The word caught in her throat. No! Natsume would never allow that to happen. He wouldn't leave me...
It was as if even nature had decided to play with her feelings. The previously cloudless sky darkened, and there was absolute silence; no sounds were to be heard from any birds or animals.
His arms came around her in a hug, and he whispered "Mikan... he's gone."
0o0o0
She was with Hotaru, Sumire, Koko, Anna, Nonoko... almost all of their year and then some. Suddenly, a hush fell over the entire cafeteria. She raised her eyes... and saw him, with a smiling Ruka by his side. His usual smirk played across his handsome face as he looked at her. He closed the distance between them in a few long strides. By then, Mikan was already out of her seat with a big, welcoming smile on her face. "Natsume, you're back!" she shouted happily. He slipped his arm around her slim waist, and smiled down at her. "Miss me, Polka?" The infamous smirk was back. "Or should I say... strawberry-print?" This last part was whispered into her hair.
"ARRGH, you PERVERT!" She pushed him away scowling, and crossed her arms. "No, I didn't."
Natsume was now behind her. His mouth was right next to her ear. "Are you sure, Polka?" His breath sent light shivers down her back. She nodded stubbornly. Someone wolf-whistled and shouted "Get a room!" It was sign of how much Natsume had changed, and how other people's view of him had changed that anyone dared to tease him to his face now. And it was all thanks to the brunette standing before him.
His mouth moved even lower. "C'mon, admit it. Mikan..." "Alright! You win!" She sighed. "But you're such a meanie, Natsume!" She dragged him over to their table. The conversations started up again, but Natsume remained mostly silent. The adrenaline rush that he'd felt on seeing her was slowly ebbing away now. He could feel the weariness creeping up on him.
His body shook slightly, as he covered his mouth to muffle the sound of a cough. He could feel a sticky fluid in his hand. He wiped it on a handkerchief, and then looked surreptitiously at it. His crimson eyes grew wide. I took the medications... this shouldn't have happened.
The handkerchief was stained red.
He got up and left abruptly.
0o0o0
His body spasmed with the intensity of the coughs. He could feel himself getting weaker slowly.
He recognized the signs.
He held out a hand and willed flames to appear on it. A wisp of fire glowed for a few seconds and then blew out. So that's it. His body, in a last futile attempt to preserve itself, was shunning his Alice, weakening his control over it. The end already, huh?
0o0o0
Her body had suddenly gone limp. Her legs felt like they couldn't support her weight. Tsubasa felt her slowly sliding down until her knees landed with a thud on the ground. "Mikan!" He held her face in his hands. The brown eyes that he knew so well were just... blank. Dead. She looked at him, but it was as if he wasn't even there.
As he continued looking at her though, he saw a glimmer of emotion return to her eyes. A tear ran down the side of her face. It was soon joined by more, leaving salty trails down her cheeks. "Why?" she whispered weakly after a while. "Why... him?" Tsubasa could feel tears prickling at the edges of his own eyes. He put his arms around her again. He could hear her sobs grow louder and felt her tears seep into the remains of his shirt. "Mikan... shh... Mikan, no one could have done anything. Natsume chose this himself. You do know the type of Alice he had, right?" he asked. "The type where the more you use the Alice, the more your lifespan gets shortened. Natsume knew that. He knew the limitations of his body."
"He used his Alice for the last time to give us an escape route. He saved the whole team from getting captured." He felt his voice choking. I owe this to him... and Mikan.
"I was right next to him all the while, Mikan. I was the one who caught him when his flames died away. We all tried to revive him, believe me. But he was... already gone."
0o0o0
"I'm going on another mission the day after tomorrow." Mikan pouted. "But you just came back from one today!"
He felt his heartbeat quicken as he looked at her. That adorable pout...those eyes... they were all so her. "This will be my last mission, Polka." He felt a pang as he saw her overjoyed face.
"Really?"
"Really." The truth of those words hit him hard. I wish... He turned away to muffle a cough. He felt the metallic taste of his blood in his mouth.
"Natsume, are you alright?" Mikan was standing before him. He stared at her almost hungrily, taking in her every feature. Without warning, he crushed his lips against hers in a brutal kiss. He felt himself drowning in her taste, her softness... in her.
He broke it off abruptly and turned away. Either she sees me sicken and die in the hospital over the next few days... or I finish it tomorrow. I won't let her see anything that's going to hurt her.
Mikan watched as he walked away from her. Why did he seem so desperate? Her hand went to her lips in an unconscious gesture. She looked down at it, her eyes widening.
There were red streaks on her fingers. Blood.
0o0o0
"Pleeease, Natsume. Come with us to Central Town! Even Hotaru's going."
His crimson eyes looked down into her pleading brown ones. He felt his will weakening. "Mikan..." Her eyes widened. Why was he calling her Mikan, instead of Polka? "Just... go. Have fun in Central Town. And do this for me..." His voice grew more serious. "Try not to think of me."
0o0o0
Her laughter rang through the air. It was unadulterated merriment, so infectious that it brought a smile to even the grouchiest passer-by. Watching her from afar, he felt his own lips quirk into small smile.
Just stay this way, Mikan.
0o0o0
He knew. He knew all along. And he still went anyway. Mikan held on to her one coherent thought. Her head was a mess of half-formed thoughts, piercing grief and a vast emptiness inside her.
Tsubasa was still saying something. "Mikan, we found this in his pockets." He handed her a folded sheet of paper.
Polka, it began. She felt a pang inside her. Another tear leaked out of her eyes. I asked you to stay a day without me... without even thinking of me. And you did it, I saw you... and you were happy. Now I ask you to do it for the rest of your life. The words blurred in front of her eyes. You're such a selfish meanie, right till the end. Tears fell on the sheet, smudging some parts of it.
Just stay the way you are, Mikan. You don't know how much you changed me, improved me. I wanted to say this to you, but, well, I couldn't.
I love you. And I always will.
Natsume Hyuuga
You know what, Natsume? You're wrong. It's not Polka today. She let out another sob. It's a flower-print.
0o0o0
She walked up alone to the room where all the others were. She waited for a moment, leaning on the shut door, steeling herself. The soft tones of her best friend's voice came from the room. "I guess that's why he did it. When a person dies because his Alice shortens his lifespan, the last few days are the hardest for his loved ones. It's hard to watch a once healthy person die slowly and painfully."
"And he really cared for her."
"I guess it's a fitting end for the Black Cat."
You didn't want me to watch the end. You didn't want me to hurt... Thank you, Natsume. It will be hard, but I'll try... I loved you too.
0o0o0
So what did you think? My first GA fic guys, so be gentle. REVIEW!