Chapter 3: Finally

A/N: Thank you for everyone who reviewed, favorited, etc. Please read the Author's Note at the end of the chapter, as I have an important question to ask. Enjoy the chapter(:

Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice.

Side note- I'm personally not a huge supporter of KokoxSumire, but typically they're paired of together (or so I've noticed among the fanfic I've read), so I threw it in just for the hell of it :D

Flashback of Previous Chapter~

"You know what Hotaru? You're right. I should face my problems instead of running away. I'll go talk to him right now!" Mikan walked toward the door to the main hallway.

"That's the Mikan I know,"Hotaru smiled to herself.

Just as Mikan opened the door, however, Natsume was already there, ready to apologize.

"I guess I'll take my leave," Hotaru said, mentally wishing the best for her best friend. Hotaru left the two alone.

End of Flashback

Third Person P.O.V

"Natsume!" Mikan instinctively called out. She stared at him, and her cheeks flushed bright red. Natsume knew that she liked him—so why was he waiting outside her dorm room?

"Listen Mikan, I wanted to apologize for reading through your diary. I didn't mean to-" He was interrupted suddenly by the students who were strolling up and down the hallway. His friend Koko was one of these students, and when he noticed Mikan and Natsume engaging in a serious conversation, he felt the need to join in and ask, "What's up?"

Natsume gave Koko the death glare, but Koko, who was already used to it, smiled and turned to Mikan for a verbal response.

Mikan nervously giggled, and said, "Oh...I'm just asking Natsume for some help with my English project." Her eyes dazed off to meet Natsume's, and she turned, unsure of what he was thinking.

"Cool," Koko replied, gluing his feet to the floor as if expecting his friends to invite him to hang out or grab some dinner.

Natsume rolled his eyes at his clueless friend, pointed directly behind him, and yelled, "Look, Sumire's trying on her new swimsuit!"

"Huh," was Koko's response, as he instantly turned his head, expecting to see his longtime crush and her amazing body. Instead, he saw Ruka in a dress, yet again, being chased by Hotaru and her camera.

"Hey that's not Sumire! Are you sure-" Koko looked back to see that the two had already ran, leaving him with poor Ruka and rabbit-hungry Hotaru.

Mikan breathed heavily as she and Natsume ran to their favorite meeting spot, the sakura tree. Safe from Koko and any other friends, they sat down to catch their breaths.

The sun had already set, and it was way past dinner time, though neither of the two had eaten. Despite the darkness, the sakura tree still stood wonderfully and almost as if it was glowing. It had blossomed majestically over the years, and was starting to bloom.

Natsume finally turned to Mikan and saw that she wasn't smiling. She was lost in thought, and he knew she was still angry with him for reading through her thoughts.

"Listen, I'm really sorry for...everything," he said truthfully. His usual smirk was replaced with concern and regret.

Mikan didn't say anything, so he felt that it wasn't enough.

"I'll do anything you want...just tell me. Anything to make it up to you," he looked at her and awaited a response.

To his surprise, Mikan's face was filled with tears. Her eyes appeared to be glowing red, but she didn't sob out loud. They were silent, yet emotional tears.

"Natsume, I love you. I really really love you, okay? And I have for a long time, but I didn't want to tell you because I thought it would change our relationship...and that you would hate me, like you hate all the other girls who confess to you. Now I'm no different. I'm just like all the other girls who fawn over you. But I didn't want you to find out this way...through my diary. I wanted to tell you in person, but I guess that didn't work out so well," she trailed off in her thoughts, afraid of what he would say.

"You're right; I do hate you," was his reply. He smirked, very amused. There was also a slight blush on his cheek, after hearing the confession from a girl who he loved for years.

"WHAT?" Mikan roared, tears forming again.

"I hate you for not telling me earlier," he smiled, then pulled her in closer for a hug. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for this?"

Mikan took a step back with an utterly confused look on her face.

"So...you don't hate me?"

"No, why would I hate you?"

"You just told me you did."

Luckily for Mikan, Natsume was extremely happy, so he didn't burn her hair.

"It's called sarcasm, baka Polka."

"Hey!" she complained. "Does this-does this mean you love me too?" Her voice shook, anxiously waiting for his reply.

"No I love myself," he joked, stroking her hair. He pulled her towards him again and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Oh," she said softly, pulling away.

He pulled her back and strengthened his grip. "But since you've become such a huge part of my life, I guess there's some room for you, too." He teased her.

"Mou..." she complained, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Hn."

"Remember when you said you'd do anything to make up for taking my diary?" she asked, remembering what he had promised a mere half hour ago.

Natsume groaned, remembering as well. "What about it?"

"K-kiss me," she blurted, turning a new shade of red. "I-I mean only if you want to! You don't have to...wait I take it back; I'll think of something else!" She look flustered and tried to avoid eye contact.

Natsume leaned over and replied, "Happy to oblige." He took her by the hand, and kissed her softly.

They walked back to their dorm room, hand in hand as Mikan idiotically smiled and Natsume sighing while trying to keep up with his new girlfriend. When back at Mikan and Hotaru's dorm, they both raised their eyebrows at the sight in front of them. Ruka, who was last seen with a dress on, was now wearing a wig and makeup. Hotaru was busy snapping pictures of him, pulling out different variations of baka guns when he refused to cooperate. Koko, who finally found Sumire, was holding three swimsuits out for her to try on. She continuously yelled, "YOU PERVERT!" while he chased her around the dorm hallway. Yuu, Anna, and Nonoko had arrived not long ago to see what the commotion was all about. The hallway was chaotic when Mikan and Natsume returned, but it was suddenly quiet when everyone turned to see the two hand in hand.

Then, unanimously, they smiled and cheered, "Finally!"

A/N: Thanks for reading! And I have an important question to ask everyone. This chapter^ was pretty much the ending to the fanfic, but I'd be willing to continue adding one-shots of when Mikan and Natsume are actually dating. Does that sound like a good idea, or should I leave the fanfic completed as is? Please let me know in a review or pm! Thanks for reading!