Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

MikanXNatsumefan101: Hihi! I'm making a short one-shot!

He sat under the Sakura tree, observing his surroundings. It was amazing, he mused, playing with a blade of grass, that a girl could change him so much, in such a short period of time.

Especially changing the one part of him that everyone thought he would never be able to show: Emotion. It was hard for him to crack even just one smile, and his face hurt after that. He hadn't been able to feel emotion since he was five, and everyone thought that he was born that way: always frowning, never smiling.

But she knew why he couldn't smile, and understood the reason beyond that, and even respected it. She never gave up on him, and was constantly trying to make him laugh, either through ridiculous jokes or funny faces.

He never really understood why, though, that she was trying so hard, just to make him laugh. And it wasn't that he didn't want to show his emotions. He was trying. He was really trying. He had never felt anything until he met her, and was thankful that she was there, never giving up on him. Even though he didn't show it, he was grateful.

She would sometimes comfort him after his missions, where he would be huddled up in bed, cringing as his wounds opened repeatedly. She would rock him back and forth, and whisper comforting words, and hug him gently, reminding him that she was there for him.

So, here he was now, under the Sakura Tree. He could hear her shouting his name out loud, and scowled slightly at her voice which was disrupting the peace around the area.

She ran towards him, and smiled brightly, asked politely to sit down, and sat right next to him. She babbled on and on for a short period of time, paused, and suddenly announced that she was tired and wanted to sleep. She closed her eyes, and as soon as she dozed off, her head leaned on his shoulder, and he glanced at her.

This time, he gave a small smile, and forced it to stay on for at least five seconds. She was the one who changed him, and he was grateful for that. Just for you, Mikan Sakura, I'll try. Just wait. One day, I'll be able to smile at you, and let you see what you've managed to accomplished; you've changed me. Natsume gazed up in the sky, and soon, his eyes closed, and with a ghost of a smile still on his face, his head fell on hers.