A/N: A rather short chapter but I hope you will enjoy in :D.
Note: If you spot any errors in spelling, references to the original story, etc, please do point it out and I will make changes as soon as possible. This helps improve it for everybody's enjoyment and the story quality overall. If you are enjoying my story, do support in by following and reviewing it! And now onto the story!
Chapter 2
•A week after Mikan left•
Ruka, Yuu, Sumire, Anna, Nonoko and Koko all crowded around Natsume's hospital bed. It was their daily visit to Natsume.
Each one prayed really hard for there dark-haired friend to wake up. Hope was being lost slowly everyday and Sumire was on the edge of losing control.
"Geez! How long is this gonna take! I'm getting tired of waiting!" Sumire screamed. Her friends all tried to calm her down, knowing that behind her wall of anger, is a girl that might break down any moment.
"First Mikan, then Natsume, and now Hotaru..." Screams had turned into sobs. Koko placed a hand onto her shoulder and gave her a supportive smile. His invisible tears were on the edge of falling.
Everybody was so concentrated on Sumire, that nobody noticed the patient stirring.
"Mikan..." A half-awake Natsume muttered, barely audible.
"Mikan!" He shouted and sat up almost immediately. All of the friends turned their heads back to the patient, and relief flooded their faces. Even the nurse ran to inform their homeroom teacher.
"Natsume!" Ruka and friends all chorused in surprise.
"Are you okay?"
"Thank goodness!"
Natsume didn't look at anybody. He felt an overwhelming mixture of worry, disappointment, and fear. He panted hard and sweated like in a hot summer day though the air con was turned up high.
Excited chatter broke out amongst the visitors, and only Ruka watched over his best friend, his face showing sadness. It was almost too obvious what was going to happen.
"Where's Mikan?"
Silence roared like thunder in the room.
Everybody wanted to say something, but nobody could find the right way to phrase it.
"She lost her Alice, while trying to save you," answered Ruka quietly, making people cower, scared of what might happened next.
However, Natsume kept silent. It was as if he was prompting Ruka to continue.
And so he did.
"She was forced to leave the Academy, but not before her memories were erased."
Now that hit Natsume hard.
He rested his one elbow on the pillow on his lap, his face resting on his hand and covered his left eye.
He looked down to avoid everybody's gazes, yet they all knew that tears had already begun falling down.
"Mikan...how...why?" He muttered, absolutely devastated.
Natsume didn't feel angry. He felt guilty. He felt like a part of him had just been ripped off.
"Being dead is the same as having Mikan gone from my life," he recalled saying a long time ago, and how true it was.
"We're really sorry Natsume," Yuu sadly said.
By then, Narumi-sensei had arrived at the room. He guessed by the dull atmosphere that Natsume already heard of the news.
The teacher gave Natsume a warm smile. "Even though she lost her memory, I'm guessing she still has the feeling that she's loved somebody very, very much."