A/N- Freshly written, updated and posted.^^

I know it has been a long time; a month, I think. I would like to clarify one thing. This story is being told in Mikan's point of view. However, I would like to include Natsume's point of view from time to time. This chapter is quiet long as it comprises details of Natsume's life.

I can call this chapter as the second chapter or an outtake of chapter 1. It is not part in Mikan's narration but it enlightens the readers more, I guess, about Natsume's personality and what will happen later on in the story.

Sorry for the long note and for any grammatical or typing errors.

Special Thanks To:

PinkPocket 23 and allaboutstrawberry, for reviewing the previous chapter.

Chapter 2/Outtake Chapter 1

Natsume's POV

I stared at the room. It looked so different from the one I had back in Singapore. Back there, the atmosphere was gloomy; trees had been snatched of their leaves, making the already gloomy air appear dead. I have just arrived here, in Japan, this morning, along with Aoi. Here, through my window, I could see a tree, covered with pink like-feathers leaves, embellished its surroundings. A soft breeze entered the room, ruffling my hair. It was already spring here. Another difference. I was about to walk out of the room and visit that Sakura tree when I heard Aoi's voice breaking through the silence.

"Natsume Nii-san!"

"Hn." I said, acknowledging her presence.

"Are you ready for college tomorrow?"

"Hn."

"Nii-san, please be more responsive. We are alone here. Not surrounded by people who wishes us hurt."

"I know." But we can never be hundred percent sure, Aoi.

She squealed, "I'm so happy, Youichi and I will attend the same school. Yeeeehhhh."

"Yeah, I'm too." Youichi's sleepy voice, coming from his bedroom, joined in.

I glared at her and at the closed door and she pouted at me.

"Great." I muttered sarcastically. Yeah, Youichi lived with us also.

"Oh, Nii-san, don't be like that. It's not my fault you don't have a girl friend yet." She joked with a straight face on. I growled at her.

Her face puckered and she burst out into a peel of laugher.

"Wait here, you little. . ." I made my way to her running figure. Just when I caught up with her, she turned around and smiled.

I stopped and looked uncertainly at her.

"What?"

"I love when you're like this, Oni-san. Just like before. It has been so long I had not seen you like this. Really long. . ." her voice wavered and broke. Her eyes watered.

I looked away and pulled her into my arms. I said nothing. It was only when she regained her normal state that I muttered. "Cry baby."

She looked up, blinking at me. I broke away from the hug, walked into my new bedroom and closed the door. I lied on the bed and waited.

Her shrill voice came at last, "Nii-san, you jerk."

A late but not an unexpected reaction, that's so like her, I smirked as I covered my eyes with my left arm - Waiting for the sleep to overcome me.

Afternoon

I was sitting on one of the branch of my Sakura tree. Yes, mine.It had already been registered as mine. My eyes were closed. I glanced down from the corner of my eye, when I felt a familiar presence below me.

"I see you've already adopted the Sakura tree." I did not reply.

"You had always a crush on Sakura trees. I had once wondered whether your childhood best friend and you were not gay. I always seemed to find you guys, sitting side by side under the Sakura tree, talking. . ."

"Aoi." My voice cut her out.

"You really want me to strangle you?"

"I'll then be forced to stop you, Natsume Oni-san." Another recognisable voice rejoined the conversation. I thought he had gone to look for a suitable high school for Aoi and him.

"You-Chan, when did you arrive?" She ran and hugged him. He blushed. She broke away from him only when my glare started to burn holes into her back.

Youichi cleared his throat and replied, "Just in time to come to know about the interesting story of Sakura trees."

He smirked at me.

I mentally slapped my forehead. Aoi was right. Youchi really had developed my personality.

I jumped and slapped the back of Youichi's head. I whispered into his ears, "Blushing guy."

He blushed again. This time, he stared at the ground. I guessed, he found the ground pattern very much interesting. I smirked.

Aoi, unaware of the situation, skipped forward, grabbed hold of her boy friend's hand and dragged him with her. And he blushed. Again.

I was not against their relationship. In fact, I was quite glad that Aoi liked Youichi. He was someone I knew and understood very well. I was just, never would I say this to anyone, embarrassed when they displayed their relationship openly.

...

Back in Singapore, I attended the Gakuen Alice Academy. Before that, my family died when our house was captured by the red dancing flames which Aoi's Alice caused. The non-Alice people regarded me and my dad as dangerous as we possessed a very striking power; Fire. Dad did not want Aoi to feel that kind of hate. So her Alice was kept secret. It had gone out of control due to Persona's, one of the Academy's teacher, if we could address him as one, manipulative mind and Alice. She had never been able to summon her Alice since then.

I was at the Sakura tree at that time with my best friend, bidding him farewell as he was leaving the country, along with his parents. I did not ask him where. He was in haste. He said he would come back later. And he left. But I can never say whether he did or not. I had already become a prisoner in the Academy.

The moment I had noticed a house on fire in my area, I rushed to the spot immediately. My eyes bugged out as I observed the flame silently. It was my home which was being consumed by the flames. I snapped out of the trance. For the first time, I noticed people gathered all around the house but not even one helped to extinguish the fire. I broke into a run but was stopped when the house collapsed. My eyes widened and I felt fear for the first time in my nine years old life. My attention was diverted to a woman's talks.

"Poor Hyuugas."

"Yeah, both Mr. Hyuuga and his wife had been inside." Another woman said. I felt something break inside of me. Into pieces.

"Their daughter as well." No, it cannot be.

"Do you think she died as well?" Say No please.

"I think so. Poor her." You're lying.

"Hmm. . .I don't regret the death of Mr. Hyuuga but his wife and the little girl were so nice and innocent. They didn't possess that demoniac power like the two males."

Those words kept haunting my head.

"Yeah, who do you think caused the fire? It can't be Mr. Hyuuga. He was inside when the building collapsed." Dad loved us, he could have never done that. Stop lying!

Dad had been inside as well. This cannot be happening with me. I must be dreaming. Wake up now.

I couldn't.

"It must be his son."

"Yeah, it must have been him." She concluded.

That was all Persona needed to get hold of me. The people thought I caused that and I thought my parents and Aoi were dead.

"There he is. Run." a voice cried out.

I glared at them. They had no right to conclude things they had no idea about. I could feel heat in my hand rising rapidly and fire appeared in my palm.

Suddenly I caught the sight of a masked man, at that time I didn't know it was him; Persona. Maybe it had been him. The one who caused the fire. My fire went out as I ran towards the figure. He moved swiftly into an alley. I caught up with him and struck him in the jaw.

"It was you. Wasn't it? You caused the fire." I spat out.

He smirked.

That did it.

I launched to hit him.

He grabbed hold of my shirt and lifted me up the ground.

"Yes and No."

I glared at him while I tried not to let my confusion display on my face.

"I caused the fire."

I struggled and lashed my foot into his stomach.

"And at the same time I didn't."

"Your sister caused it." I stared into his eyes. He smirked again. My shock was evident.

"I controlled her Alice."

"You didn't?" I growled.

I attempted a punch again. I could not.

"And now, if you don't follow me quietly, I'll kill her."

"She's alive?" I could not suppress my rising hope.

"For now. But I can't say the same thing about your parents."

"You!"

"But If you don't listen to me, I'll KILL her."

"Don't you dare!" I hissed.

...

He brought me into a dark cell. I saw Aoi's unconscious figure.

"What did you do to her?" I muttered, my voice filled with horror.

"I just used up her Alice. And I can kill her right now."

I could not do anything. I was helpless.

For the time being.

...

Days. Months. And Years passed. I became a kind of puppet. I had to listen to his orders, train myself and undergo risky mission. I gradually became used to it. I was already used to it, though my life span was decreasing slowly. But I did not care. I would become so strong that one day I would be able to thwart Persona's entire plan and deliver my sister.

And I did. I became so strong, that I was feared by everyone, even by the girls who thought of me as handsome. Even my attitude changed. I became cold, emotionless; like a robot. I kept working on an escape plan to deliver my sister from here. But something, I did not predict, happened. My plan changed. It had included someone else; Youichi Hijiri, someone whose past seemed like mine. . .

I became closer to him. I understood him and he understood me. However my plan could not be executed any sooner, not under Persona's keen and sharp eyes.

...

I was seventeen, nearly eighteen. Youichi was fifteen. The same age as Aoi. My kidnapped sister. But not for long. The day had finally arrived. The academy was being attacked by its enemies. The AAO. I had to defend the school. I could not afford those innocent students to lose their life due to an absurd enmity. I had already told Youichi of my plan. He was going to rescue Aoi. I believed in him. I knew he could do it. And I was not proved wrong.

...

I stood on the narrow hard surface of the road. Aoi was near me, Youichi holding her up. She was crying. From our position, we could see all the corpses, burnt alive or killed by the enemies. I could not save them all. The only being I did not want alive, survived. Persona.

We were free. Yes, but he was there. Somewhere. Waiting to strike whenever he would have a chance to.

Something good happened to us but little did I know, the same war had caused someone much pain . . .

...

Aoi could not recognise me. I had changed so much. However she did understand that it could not be help. Circumstances caused this change to happen. And I was glad. Not for the circumstances, but for the change. It was better. I could now face anything emotionlessly. But Aoi insisted from time to time, that we act as we had been before. And it helped that she was by my side. If not, it would not have been the slightest bit possible.

If only I knew what was awaiting me in the near future.

...

All the years I did missions had really reduced my life span. Drastically. I did not mind. I managed to deliver my sister and that all mattered to me. My life was not so important. I had no such wish, that is, to live.

Had I know, I would meet her in the future, I would not have had wished that? Probably yes.

...

Both Aoi and Youichi forced me to follow a treatment. To grant me more time to live. It was working. But I was not allowed to use my Alice.

Never again.

...

The doctor, Miya Faijsia, was a nice person. Very straight forward. In a few meetings, she understood me. She talked, I listened.

She looked kind of as a businesswoman, with a straight face and neat bun. She was only a few years my elder and married. She and Aoi soon became good friends.

...

Present Time

I waited outside the college premises. I had already gotten my admission slip. I was still standing there only because of my empty-headed sister. She told me to wait. And I did not even know for what reason. . .

The bell had rung. Loud, laughing voices could be heard. School had ended. Oh shit. That meant girls.

Bloody Hell. . .

I pulled my hood over my head and kept a low profile. I leaned against the wall and waiting, head down.

Suddenly, I heard voices heading to my direction.

"Your cousin is weird but I like him that way." A high pitch voice said.

"I know you do," another person replied in a sing-song voice. Her voice was nice compared to the other one.

"Let's go shopping!"

Girls. I slowly shook my head. Shopping Freaks.

The nice-voice girl laughed. And then stopped.

That is, WHEN SHE BUMPED INTO ME.

Was she blind or what? I lifted my head and glared at her. But she did not even bother to look at me. She just whispered 'Sorry' and rushed away, dragging her friend with her.

I glared. Where the hell was Aoi?

The instant I saw her coming, I adjusted my feet in a walking stance. And I walked away.

I felt her rushing towards me. She was soon out of breath. I stopped in my track.

"I'm sorry, Nii-san, I . . ."

"Let's go." I muttered.

"But Nii-san, I . . ."

"Don't bother." I cut her off again.

She was awfully quiet the whole time we walked back home and headed directly towards her bedroom as soon as we arrived. Youichi looked confusedly at me, and I just glanced back and went into mine.

Why did I act so cold?

Maybe because that brunette bumped into me?

If it had been really because of that, how will I survive college, then? I sighed.

That evening

I was bored. And guilty. Why should I even? Oh well, I'll just walk around. Maybe I'll be less confused.

I looked at my hands. I wondered how my Alice was doing. What the hell is wrong with me? 'What is my Alice doing?' I must be losing my mind.

I shook my head.

I stopped when I felt a force hit me lightly. I looked straight ahead just in time to see the brown end of a girl's hair gravitating down. I looked down and glared.

I have been glaring a lot today.

It was the same girl. The one who bumped into me, this morning. Does she have a habit of hitting against everybody?

She was sitting on the ground.

Doesn't she have a chair or a sofa at home, for her to sit on the pavement?

She looked up. Long straight brown hair, trimmed at different lengths, with bangs covering her forehead emphasising her orb coloured eyes. She was beautiful. Yeah, but that did not mean she can bump into anyone she wants. I glared harder, frowning.

All her stuffs had spilled onto the ground. I could even see a strawberry-coloured panty.

I called to her, "Oi."

She quickly gathered all her things, making a pile of them and stuffed them into her bag. She was now on her feet.

She murmured an apology. Again. For the second time today. I wonder if she knows this too.

"You better be," I grunted.

She soon talked back. She must not be very happy with the kind of tone I'm using against her. I must really be in a bad mood today.

"I didn't see you," she protested, "And you could have helped me."

That last thought made me realise, I had to apologise to Aoi. I now understood that she was hurt. She never says anything, so how can I understand?

I walked past her, wondering what I should say to Aoi, and retorted quickly, "Whatever, Ichigo-kara panties."

She remained quiet, I already knew it was not her habit in the short time I met her. She cried, out loud that I was a pervert and I heard her footsteps fading away as she rushed into the opposite direction.

I smiled. It was thanks to her that I realised my mistake. Maybe when I'll meet her one day, I'll thank her. In my own way. I smirked, this time.

I'm sure we'll meet again.

Don't ask how, but I do know.

I turned back and made my way home. I had to apologise.

…..

Next Morning

Aoi waved to me as she went, along with Youichi, to their school. We had reconciled. I was still wondering at home how I would apologise when she, herself, hugged me and asked for forgiveness. I was kind of relieved. I accepted her regret and said sorry in turn. Quietly, of course.

The teacher told me to wait outside. What the hell is that rule? I don't know.

I heard his cranky voice saying, "Dear students, I ask you to welcome our new student, Natsume Hyuuga."

And coincidently his name was Mr. Cranky.

"Introduce yourself", he asked me. What? Didn't he just introduce me?

I allowed myself to do so in the most polite way I could afford of, remembering Aoi's words.

However that was not necessary as I heard a known voice, the girl with the nice voice and the strawberry-prints girl.

I stared directly at her and presented myself with a smirk, "Natsume Hyuuga."

"Shit." She whispered and hurriedly directed her eyes to her copybook.

"There a place behind Sakura, you can sit there." Cranky ordered.

For the first time, I just met him, he did something I liked.

"This is the beginning of hell." I heard the Nice-voice girl, Strawberry-prints panties girl and now known as Sakura, say.

I smirked as I walked past her.

"It sure is."

She banged her head with the table.

I finally will be able to thank her. I wonder how I'll do it.

Oh well, I can start with irritating the hell out of her. That is much easier to do.

And she has the same surname as My Sakura tree. Nice.

College will be, very much fun, this year – Smirk.

….