Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice does not belong to me.

Chapter Two

It was nothing short of a miracle that he managed to shake the guards off for a while, but Natsume wasn't stupid. He knew that they would catch up to him sooner or later.

What he needed now was a place to hide. A place where even the smartest of the guards wouldn't be able to think of him being there.

His luck was better than it had ever been since he was born, apparently, for Natsume soon spotted a small, thatched cottage sitting on the edge of the clearing. He headed straight for it, knowing that he didn't have the time to check if it was booby-trapped or anything. He would just have to hope that his scheming uncle hadn't had the brains to try and preempt his escape attempt.

The sound of hooves coming up from behind him prompted him to move faster, and Natsume swung himself off of his horse agilely and made a beeline towards the house, shivering slightly at the cold gusts of wind that assailed him as he threw the broken, battered door open.

Natsume had been skeptical before about just how much protection and cover such a dilapidated cottage could offer him, but at the sight of the three people in the house, he felt himself relax just the little. If they would be willing to cooperate with him, perhaps it was not impossible to best the guards after him.

Natsume's eyes swept keenly over the room once before he realized that he was intruding on a pretty solemn moment. A girl with light, brown hair was staring at him in shock, while the tattooed man beside her looked poised to attack. There was another, sickly looking woman lying on the thin straw bed, an old, patched quilt thrown haphazardly over her frail body.

Well. He had just stepped in into a family's last goodbyes, it seemed.

For all his wit and intelligence, Natsume had never been good with dealing with affairs of the heart. From young, he had had to fend off various hypocritical officials whom attempted to get close to him to fool him. They had wanted to use his power to gain control of the kingdom. His uncle was another enigma that he had always defended himself against. His uncle seemed oddly nice to him, especially considering the fact that he and Natsume's father had always been at odds. In fact, the Chancellor almost seemed to treat Natsume like a son, opting to neglect his own son and lick Natsume's boots instead.

Natsume almost wanted to snort at the thought. This was the extent of his uncle's hunger for power, it seemed.

Having been exposed to trickery and treachery since the tender age of five, Natsume found himself at a loss of words, faced with a situation as such. He folded his arms together, cocking his head as he tried to think of something good to say, but what came out of his mouth was completely wrong, and completely inappropriate - "Well. What a reception," he muttered unthinkingly, mentally cursing himself as the brown-haired girl's mouth dropped open another inch, and the tattooed man grabbed the small cutting knife from its place against the wall.

He cussed softly. How in hell was he going to make them cooperate with him now? They'd probably be more than delighted to offer him to the guards as a common thief.

But time was running out. He had to try, no matter what. Natsume held his hands up as he raised an eyebrow at the knife in the tattooed man's hand. "Put that down," he said as he drew out his words slowly, "I'm not here to hurt any of you."

The man didn't seem to believe him at all, and it was only when the girl gestured to him – having finally regained her composure – did he finally put down the knife with a dark scowl on his face.

"I need you to cooperate with me," Natsume explained as he held the girl's gaze steadily, trying to convince her that he could be trusted, "I'm being pursued right now."

The girl came to the easiest, and worst possible conclusion she could come to. "You're a criminal," she muttered fervently as she came to her feet unsteadily. "You're a thief, a murderer... what are you?"

"Well you've obviously come to your own conclusions, haven't you?" Natsume snarled none too kindly. He wasn't in the mood to be misunderstood, and especially not for a criminal. "Was that even a question?"

"Wow, that's rude," she mumbled under her breath, as if she had never been treated this way in her entire life. Natsume fought the urge to roll his eyes. The tattooed man stepped forward menacingly, and the girl held out a hand. "No, Tsubasa," she murmured, "he's probably not anything harmful, he's dressed awfully nicely, for one..."

"Nice to see that you've noticed that now," Natsume snapped irritably, folding his arms again, "I really don't have time. Since you're convinced now that I'm not a thief or a murderer, will you cooperate with me so that the bastards after me don't find me? Don't ask anything, it's a yes or no question," he added hastily as the sound of hooves started to get clearer.

"Mikan..." Tsubasa started to protest as he reached for the knife again, "we shouldn't get ourselves embroiled into whatever trouble he's gotten himself into with the authorities. We're common people, Mikan, we don't stand a chance against them!"

The girl called Mikan sucked her cheeks in nervously. "You'll explain it all later, won't you? When they're gone?"

"Well, if you're really that interested in my life story considering that you just met me two minutes ago when I burst into your house, then fine."

Mikan's cheeks coloured considerably before she took a quick glance out the door. "Close the door, will you?" she asked, "My mother will get cold, and we need time to hide you."

Natsume would be lying if he said that he wasn't surprised at her willing compliance to his demands, because to be honest, she really didn't need to. He reached for the door and pulled it close, all the same. "Then?"

Her eyes flickered around the room as she tried to think of something, but Tsubasa cut in quickly. "There're the boxes of wood in the backroom, Mikan," he said as he cast a grudging look at Natsume, "he can stay there while we fend off the chasers."

"Yes," Mikan nodded her head relievedly, "Yes, that's right. I forgot all about the boxes. Please come with me."

She pushed open the door to the left, and Natsume followed her as he was told to do so, but he couldn't resist saying sardonically, "You're really trusting, aren't you? Agreeing to help a stranger escape from authorities."

"You should be glad that I am, shouldn't you? Taking a jibe at me isn't really going to make me any more willing to help you. I just thought..." Mikan turned to look at him thoughtfully, "I just thought you didn't seem like a bad guy." She led him into the backroom, where dozens of boxes were piled on top of each other. "I guess I can leave you to hide yourself properly, now." She headed towards the door again. "Please refrain from... damaging any of my property," she added warningly as she backed out of the door and closed it so that it didn't make any sound at all.

Natsume exhaled incredulously. All that there was in the room were some boxes of firewood. Why would he want to damage them, and what would he do with them? The girl was evidently even more of an idiot than he thought she was.

He settled for squatting between two large boxes, piling some on top of each other so that they would cover him from view if anyone entered the room.

Then he prayed fervently that the idiot who was supposed to help him wouldn't mess this up too terribly.

Mikan simply wanted to do a good deed, really, but as she watched the troop of guards coming to a halt in front of her home, looking more menacing than that dog she had been so afraid of since young, she almost regretted her decision.

How easy it would be, she thought, to simply give up that man's position and let the guards take him away, instead of letting them find out on their own and exposing Tsubasa and her poor mother to any possible torture?

Mikan turned to glance at Tsubasa, who was pacing the edge of the clearing impatiently, his eyes occasionally darting up to look at the imposing group of people who were approaching the clearing. "You don't have to stay, Tsubasa," she said softly, "I made the choice to help him. There's no reason to drag you into this."

"I can't get why you would so readily agree to help a stranger," Tsubasa said gruffly, "but there's no way I'm leaving you to fend for yourself. I'm the big brother," he added, "I'm supposed to take care of you."

Mikan smiled up at him gratefully just as the guards stopped in front of her and got off their horses. "Girl," the leader of the group inquired roughly, "have you seen a boy with black hair and red eyes go past here?"

She tried to look as innocent as she could, blinking slightly as she wrung her hands and replied, "No, sir, no one has passed this clearing since this morning, when the village woodcutter came to deposit some wood in my house."

The guard didn't seem to buy any of that, and looked towards Tsubasa for confirmation. "It's true, sir," Tsubasa declared, "I haven't seen anyone and I've been here since before the sun set."

The guard scoffed before drawing the sword he had secured to his belt, pointing it at Mikan. Tsubasa started, but Mikan forced herself to be composed, smiling regally at the guard as she reiterated her point, "I'm not lying, sir."

"You'd do better not to try and hide him, lass," the guard snarled, "he's the Royal Prince, completely out of your league. We'll never harm him if you give him up to us. Now come on, lass, tell us where he's hiding."

Mikan froze. The Royal Prince? The man who had burst into her house asking for help in hiding from his assailants was Prince Natsume Hyuuga? She licked her suddenly dry lips, cursing herself for falling into his trap so easily. He didn't need to hide from the guards at all. They were his servants! She was going through these threats for nothing!

"What the hell!" Tsubasa cursed as he stepped forward, "I'll tell you -"

"That he's not here," Mikan finished for him hastily. Tsubasa stared at her in shock. "He's not here," she repeated firmly, "Please think about it. Why would the Prince be hiding in a place like this? He would be better off hiding somewhere else, where he will be able to gain adequate protection and better treatment."

The guard paused as he regarded her, then eventually sheathed his sword again as he made his way back to his team and gave the others to move on. Before he left, however, he turned to cast a last look at Mikan, narrowing his eyes at her. "You better not be lying, lass," he warned, "If I find out that you are, you'll be sure that I'll be back, and by that time, you'll be worrying for your life, both of you."

Then they were gone, and Mikan felt herself let out the breath that she hadn't even realized that she had been holding. She couldn't get over the fact that her life had just been threatened. Hers and her mother's. All because of that obnoxious prince who thought it would be fun to run away from home! She huffed indignantly as she made her way back into the house, Tsubasa trailing after her.

"You should have let them take him. Why did you lie, Mikan?" Tsubasa asked as he closed the door behind him.

"I thought it better to honour my promise," Mikan pursed her lips as she headed towards the backroom. "But nothing is going to stop me from butchering him myself now. He's not going to let those pigs harm you or Mother!" She flung the door open with uneccesary force, but there was no need to have to drag Natsume out by his collar. He was already there, at the door.

"They're gone," he stated simply. It wasn't a question, but a statement.

"Of course they are," Tsubasa hissed, "we risked our lives to get them away from here, Your Highness."

"Why did you lie?" Mikan demanded, her hands on her hips.

Natsume was unfazed as he walked around the both of them into the main room, where Yuka stared bewilderedly at all the happenings. "I didn't," he said matter-of-factly, "You never asked me who I was."

Mikan bit her tongue as she realized that it was true. She hadn't thought to ask him for his identity before, for she had honestly thought that it was an emergency, and what was important was keeping him away from his assailants. "Well," she huffed indignantly, "if I had known I would never have helped you with this charade! You're going back to them right now, of your own accord," she continued, "and you're going to make them promise not to harm my mother or Tsubasa."

Her eyes were glinting, Natsume noticed, and he sighed before answering, "Why would I need you to hide me if I'm going to just go back in the first place? And they won't harm your family," he nodded at Tsubasa and Yuka, "The village of Glane is a demilitarized zone set by the fairies thousands of years ago. It has always been cut off from wordly affairs, a perfect abode for people who don't wish to get too involved in anything. They wouldn't dare to use force here even if they had balls of iron." He scoffed, "Which they apparently don't have."

Mikan flinched a little at his crude use of language. "They pulled a sword on me," she insisted.

"And you were stupid enough to believe that they would harm you," Natsume muttered under his breath.

"Why you – Natsume Hyuuga!"

"You don't seem to have much respect for the prince, do you?" Natsume cocked an eyebrow at her as he repeated once again, "They're not going to hurt you or your family. Seriously."

Mikan visibly deflated. "Well, then, why did you run away?"

"Wait – you're just going to let it go like that?" Tsubasa asked, his expression incredulous. "Hey, we almost died -"

Natsume looked at him dryly. "You're pretty thick-headed too, aren't you?"

Tsubasa hissed, rolling up his sleeves as he geared up for a fight, but Mikan merely repeated her question, "Why did you run away?"

Natsume's expression turned dark as a muscle in his jaw twitched, "I hardly think that's any of your business."

Mikan bristled a little, but she knew he was right, she was stepping into territories that she had no right to be stepping into. "Why, are you concerned about him now?" Tsubasa asked agitatedly, "We don't have the time or heart to care about him, Mikan. What we need now is the Flower of Yulia, not some pompous prince who thinks he's all that!"

Natsume stiffened when he heard the name. The Flower of Yulia. How long had it been since he had heard someone mention that godforsaken name? His weird actions didn't go past Tsubasa's notice, nor Mikan's. "You know it?" she asked hopefully as she came closer.

Natsume's expression only grew darker, as Tsubasa joined in, echoing Mikan's question, "Wait, you know about the Flower of Yulia? You know where to find it?"

When he remained silent, Mikan pressed on pleadingly, tears starting to gather in her eyes again, "If you know something, please tell us," she pleaded as she grabbed onto his arm, "We really need it. My mother will die without it."

"If you will, Your Highness, please let us know."

The voice was unexpected. Natsume turned in the direction of the voice and saw Yuka, her lips upturned into a weak smile as she looked his way. He swallowed the heavy lump in his throat and looked away. "Don't look for it. That's all that I can say," he let out with much difficulty. "You won't find it."

Mikan's face fell so drastically that even Tsubasa felt a painful tug at his heart. This was it. Their only hope was gone. "You mean... it really doesn't exist?" Tsubasa prodded hesitantly.

Natsume shook his head. "No, it does. She does. But she won't help you. There's too much hatred in her heart for her to put it down and actually aid humans. She hates all of us. You don't stand a chance."

"She...?" Mikan's eyes widened as her grip on Natsume's arm tightened, "The Flower of Yulia is a human? Isn't it a herb?"

Natsume smirked, albeit humourlessly. "Human? No," he sighed, "She's a fairy. They say she's incredibly beautiful, the most beautiful fairy in the fairy kingdom of Yulia. Just like a flower. That's why she's called the Flower of Yulia. She's the only fairy who's well versed enough in the arts to be able to impart some of her life force to people. That's why she's said to be able to heal all illnesses." He looked pointedly at Mikan.

"The Flower of Yulia doesn't provide a cure," he added, "She provides life."

"The kingdom of Yulia..." Mikan muttered under her breath, "So you do know where it is."

Natsume blinked. "I only have a very rough idea. Legend says that she used to be with the royal family. But she loved, and was betrayed. After that incident no one ever saw her again. It'll be better if you don't try to find her. So what if you do? She'll never agree to help you. The consequences are too great." Natsume shot a sharp look at Mikan before repeating, "Don't try to find her."

"Mikan..." Tsubasa murmured sympathetically, "perhaps it is time that you should give up."

Mikan was silent for a long while. "No," she finally said, "if there's even a slight chance that Mother will live, I'll take it. You know where she is," she turned imploringly towards Natsume, "Please, please take me there. I won't ask for more help than that. Please just take me there. I'll talk to her myself."

"I already said that no one's seen her for centuries," Natsume said grimly. "I'm not going to go on a journey with you that far to find something that probably doesn't exist."

"You're lying," Mikan said confidently, "I saw the look in your eyes when we mentioned her. You don't just know about her. You know her. You know she exists and you've seen her."

Natsume took a few steps back, taken aback by Mikan's surprising perceptiveness. He should have been more on guard with her. He shouldn't have underestimated the girl and thought her a klutz. "Please," she asked again.

"You owe her that much, don't you think?" Tsubasa said, his hands balled into fists by his side, "If she wants to go, you should take her."

"The both of you are crazy," Natsume almost spluttered, if not for the fact that he could hold himself very well. "Haven't I already said that she won't help you?"

"Will you have me watch my mother die?" Mikan sobbed as she sank to her knees. "She's the only family I have left, don't you know that feeling? To lose something so important..."

"I know it all too well," Natsume said darkly, "which is why I'm telling you to give up now. When it's easier to. When the disappointment isn't so great."

"It'll always be hard to let go. No matter when, I'll never be ready. It'll always be hard. I'd rather I let go of her knowing that I have tried to keep her by my side. I'll never forgive myself otherwise," Mikan said fervently, tears spilling over her cheeks.

Natsume shifted uncomfortably. He glanced at her, then at Tsubasa. They were both wearing the same look on their faces, he noticed. The look of fierce hope for the future. The look of determination, the will to do anything, just to protect the ones that they loved.

He remembered that he once had that look on his face too. Fifteen years ago, when he still had something to protect.

"I'm heading towards Touranne," he grated out exasperatedly. "Yulia is supposedly a bit further off east to Touranne, I'll go with you only until Touranne. You'll be on your own after that." He hated himself almost immediately for agreeing to take her. Taking a girl along with him would certainly not improve his chances of reaching Touranne undetected by the royal troops.

Mikan, however, looked as if he had just given her all the Christmas presents she could possibly receive in her entire life. "Thank you," she said genuinely, "That would be enough."

"I'm going too -" Tsubasa started, but Mikan stopped him. "No, Tsubasa. Mother needs someone to care for her. You know you can't go, I don't wish to put you through any danger as well. You'll have to stay here to look after Mother."

"But -" He looked as if he wanted to say more, but after some contemplation kept his mouth shut. Mikan patted his arm reassuringly before turning back to Natsume. "When do we leave?"

He looked at her for a long while. Then, he ran a hand tiredly through his tousled black hair, leaving it even more disheveled than before. It mirrored the chaos inside his mind right now, he thought.

"When dawn breaks, we leave for Touranne."

A/N: Chapter 2 up! I managed to finish it in a shorter amount of time than I thought, and as promised, it's quite a bit longer, isn't it? I hope you guys enjoy it! Everything will be kickstarted in the next chapter, so things should be getting interesting pretty soon!