Beginning Note: Wow I am such a failure at trying to update quickly. I started this story last year around this time and it took me so long for me to get to the third chapter.

Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice Belongs to its rightful owner, not me.

Natsume: A mix between a Neanderthal and a Modern Human

Mikan: A Modern Human

*A Story Somewhat Like Romeo And Juliet Except Weirder*

Chapter Three: Misfortune

Different species of plant and animal life surrounded a lake that glistened under the bright moon. The moon's shape reflected on the water which occasionally rippled from the movement of underwater creatures, unbeknownst to the two. Natsume lead Mikan to the riverside and sat her on the grass, sitting down beside her. His hand, however, did not let go of hers.

There was a silence between them that seemed difficult to break because of the skeptical side glances exchanged. They both wanted to voice out their thoughts but could not muster the ability to do so. Perhaps it was because of the fact that they were supposed enemies. Despite having previously interacted, they needed to be cautious because one wrong move could end in death. However, the point of this whole encounter would mean nothing if one did not initiate a conversation.

Not wanting to suffer this silence any logger, Mikan spoke. "W-why did you bring me here?" she asked. Her head tilted to the side as she gazed at his face.

Natsume gazed back at her and responded, "I want to speak with you." His eyes burned through hers as he waited for her reply. The two irises watched her intently, trying to calculate what she might say so that he could answer back in a way that his clan's secrets could not be given away.

It was fascinating how intrigued Mikan was by the color. The eyes looked as if they held the power to hypnotize and penetrate the mind to reveal every individual thought. The color of his eyes caught Mikan's interest but she still felt vulnerable under his watch. She turned away to avoid losing composure. Looking down at their intertwined fingers, she gasped quietly and shyly released the hold.

"Please speak," she said in the simplest way she could. If he wanted to hear a word from her then he would need to proceed first.

"I want to know about you," replied Natsume. "I want to know who you really are." He drew his empty hand closer to his body and curled his fingers.

"Why?" asked Mikan. She wondered why this man was so curious about who she was. The curiosity confused her because this was something unexpected of her enemy, the one who was supposed to have killed her by now. His strange behavior did not persuade her to let her guard down though. She did not want to give out any information that could jeopardize her life.

Slightly annoyed by her questions, Natsume sighed deeply. He was positive that getting the female to say more about herself would prove to be difficult if she continued to question him. He already saw that she didn't trust him much, even after he had helped her twice. He needed some way to get her to speak just so that he could get an idea about his mother. A part of him also wanted to get to know this creature before him out of simple curiosity. Maybe revealing a little bit about himself could make her speak a word or two that was not questioning him.

"My mother is of your kind. I lost her when I was young and I want to know her," he confessed. This was to hope that she would reply in his favor and to his relief, she did.

"I understand," Mikan began. Now she understood why he looked similar to her kind. It was only because his mother was just like her but the only thing that kept her wondering was the whereabouts of the woman. She wondered how this woman who was of her kind could have given birth to this Neanderthal man if the Neanderthals were so detestable. Maybe just this time she would let her guard down and answer him. "Ask me anything and I will answer."

"How is your clan like?" Natsume asked. He was really curious, considering the fact that his own kind had many stories behind the Modern Humans. He wanted to know how much of their stories were true in order to judge them for himself, not from tales spoken from the mouth of a possible exaggerator.

Mikan looked to the sky and thought to herself, wondering how to begin. Her clan was full of strong warriors who took pride in their every achievements. Many were intelligent and could handle many difficult problems, finding a solution without falter. When winter came, the intelligent minds set precise amounts of storage that was necessary to survive the season. Every preparation had to be accurate or else there would be trouble. They set regulations for everyone to follow and made them tradition so that nothing could ruin the clan's image. The regulations sometimes bothered Mikan but she had no choice but to follow each and every one of them or she would be punished severely. Despite them, she knew that they would keep her safe so she tried not to complain as much.

"My clan is full of great minds that work together to help everyone survive," she suddenly said, after snapping out of her reverie. She gathered her legs and folded them against her chest, her chin resting on her knees. "Everyone cares for each other as a large family."

"My father spoke to me about my mother who is of your kind. She was taken by him from your clan and hidden in a cave."

Mikan raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Natsume shrugged his shoulders. "He would not tell me why?"

"I see..." Mikan spoke quietly as she gazed out at the wide lake. There was not much she could say about her clan since most of the information about them was withheld from her. "I am sorry I cannot say any more."

That was fine, Natsume thought. He at least got her to say something useful. He saw that she was at least being honest and her opinion of her clan could help him picture the Modern Humans better. His clan leaders depicted them as greedy beings that populated to take the whole land from rightful owners of the Neanderthals. There were often images of them described as nude, heavily toothed, evil eyed cretins. But this female before him had neither description and held much more apparel than he would have expected. Her appearance was surprisingly to his liking. To him, she looked gentle without the strength to even hurt an insect. Having held her hand earlier, he thought that if he had held onto the hand even tighter her bones would have cracked easily. She simply looked too fragile to be evil or have the ability to tear a Neanderthal apart.

"Thank you," he replied with a small smile.

Mikan was a bit shocked at first since it was her first time seeing the smile of an enemy. Well, it was her first time encountering one and even having a conversation with. The way his lips curved upward made his face appear more handsome than it already was, causing heat to rise up to her cheeks. She quickly stood up and walked toward the lake; Natsume followed after her.

"It is very warm." Mikan placed a foot into the water.

"What are you doing?" Natsume asked when he saw her begin to strip herself of her garments. He was growing conscious of her body which allowed him to guess her maturity. She looked around his age group, a little younger if so. Her hips were shapely, suggesting great fertility, which Natsume found strangely pleasing. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her form as she bent down to touch the water.

"I want to go in." She stood up and turned to face him, her long hair brushing against her chest.

"There might be danger inside." Natsume walked closer to the edge of the lake and squatted. His eyes scanned the water for any sudden movement that could mean potential beasts lurking about. When he saw nothing, he picked up a stone and tossed it into the water. Nothing else had moved from within so he assumed that it was safe. "You can go."

"Let us go... together," Mikan said with uncertainty in her suggestion. It was possible that he would decline and she did not want to be watched as she went about her business. It was better that they entered together than her being the only one in the water. When Natsume hadn't said anything, she decided to walk into the lake. Her body relaxed as it adjusted to the temperature of the water.

Natsume had no other choice but to remove his garments and join her. If any beast happened to attack her from under he would be there to rescue her. It was clear to him that Mikan seemed as if she had no idea how to defend herself well and he would have to take up the position of being her defender at that moment.

He jogged into the water until it reached his waist and swam to Mikan's location. When he had gotten to her side, Mikan was busy gathering her hair out of her line of view.

"Why are you in here?" Natsume asked as he adjusted himself so that he was positioned in front of her.

Mikan released her hair and grinned. "The water... it is nice."

Natsume nodded. He rose his arm and ran his fingers through his slightly tangled hair. When he released it, the hair fell back onto his forehead in a way that made Mikan's check turn crimson. The way the hair aligned his face complimented the bone structure of his cheeks. Mikan suddenly had the urge to lift her hand and touch the hair which looked so silky and smooth as it glistened from the water. She lifted her hand slightly but then paused seeing as her just randomly touching him would be strange.

Natsume watched as Mikan's facial expression changed from wonder to dejection. Her hand which he thought was reaching for him was slowly brought back down into the water. He watched as Mikan turned away from him and began swimming in the opposite direction. She got closer to an edge of the lake and was about to lift her body out but was forcefully brought back down. Her head disappeared in the water, causing Natsume to react quickly and go after her. He went under and saw her body being dragged by an animal with sharp teeth. Her arms were struggling to free her leg from the predator who only continued to drag her further down. Natsume hurriedly swam to her side and began knocking the animal with his fist to the best of his abilities, the water density making it harder for him. He could see blood begin to cloud the water and Mikan had stopped struggling. Seeing her seemingly life less body angered Natsume greatly that he grabbed the snout of the animal with one hand and the jaw with the other. He then forced the mouth open and was able to free Mikan's captured leg. He let go of the animal and clung onto Mikan's limp body swimming away from the water beast which was beginning to charge at them. Natsume got to the surface and walked out to the edge where they had first entered the water from.

Mikan's body lay still on the soft ground he set her on. The water creature had stopped pursuing them and had swum back to where it came from. Natsume looked back at Mikan whose chest was not rising. Knowing what to do in a situation like this, he put the palm of his hand on her chest and pressed down repeatedly until Mikan began coughing violently. Water sputtered out of her mouth and her eyelids opened. She sat up abruptly with her hand on her chest and her breaths picking up.

"Are you okay?" Natsume asked with concern. He placed his hand on her shoulder and turned her so that she was facing him.

Mikan evened out her breaths and looked up. She threw her arms around the neck of the unsuspecting Natsume and embraced him tightly. She herself was unsure of what she was doing but the fact that Natsume saved her again made her throw away all suspicions she had of him. Maybe he was different from the others. Maybe the leaders of her clan were wrong about all Neanderthals being evil beasts. This man in front if her had rescued her twice in the same night and his actions seemed to hold sincerity.

All Natsume could think about was the feeling of this delicate woman's body pressed up against his. Her chest touching the skin of his chest and her torso aligning with his. His heart beat quickened as he felt her hold on him tighten and her body press even further into his. This needed to stop or his heart would jump out of his chest. This woman was making him feel strange.

He raised his hands up to the arms that encircled his neck, detangling them gently.

"I am sorry." Mikan's cheeks heated up as she realized that she had held onto him longer than she should have. Scanning her surroundings, she stood up and walked over to her garments and hastily put them on. Natsume walked over to his garment and out them on as well. When he was done he glanced over to where Mikan was standing and couldn't help but notice her staring at him. This caused Mikan to turn away in embarrassment for staring at him so boldly.

"Let us leave." Natsume walked up to her and grabbed her hand. He lead her out of the forest and into the plain not shrouded by trees.

"I can go to my clan on my own. Leave now or they might find you," Mikan warned Natsume. She could tell from the way that he held her hand that he had plans of taking her all the way back to her clan site. If he acted so brashly the only thing he would meet if he came across a warrior was death. Mikan didn't want to see him die so quickly when they had just begun to interact.

The pleading tone in her voice did not faze Natsume at all. His hold on her tightened as he proceeded further. "You cannot go alone or you will meet danger again. I will be there to protect you if a beast hunts you down."

"I will be fine. Please leave or you will die," Mikan pressed on. "You do not know where my clan sleeps so how will you get there."

Natsume rolled his eyes. "Tell me."

"Tell you what?" asked Mikan.

This woman was beginning her frustrating questioning once again, Natsume thought. He grunted in annoyance and stopped walking. "Tell me where your clan is so I can take you there," he said this as calmly as he could. Letting his anger loose could frighten her away and he did not want that. Natsume was hoping that they could meet more than this one night.

"I do not want you to go and the warriors kill you. I will find my way so leave." Mikan was not going to give up and just allow him to take her into dangerous territory. He was an enemy and all enemies were killed on site. If he got hurt in any way there would be no one else to blame but herself.

"Why do you speak like this?" Natsume questioned. It was his turn to bombard her with questions.

Mikan raised her head and gazed into his eyes. "I do not what you to die. We have not spoken enough and I want to see you again."

So that was it. She wanted to be able to see him again so she was afraid that he would be killed, Natsume thought. He was known as the strongest of his clan and he would not allow himself to be struck so easily by meager weapons.

He leaned toward her and cupped the back of her neck. "I am strong so I will not die. Please tell me where your clan is so I can take you there." He could only hope that his words would convince her to tell him where she had come from.

Mikan finally caved in to his words and lead the way, their hands still locked. Hopefully she would be able to remember where her home was.

To her luck, they had made it to her territory without getting lost. "You must go now," Mikan said to Natsume as they neared her clan site. She let go of his hand and smiled. "Goodbye."

Before she could take another step forward, Natsume latched onto her forearm and pulled her toward him. "Come again when the sun sets." He let go of her and disappeared into the tall grass.

When he was completely out of site, Mikan went back to her tent and saw that Youichi had fallen asleep. She stalked over to her mat and laid down. The adventure she had today was beginning to take a toll on her as her eyes drooped. Her mind replayed the events that had occurred and it brought a smile to her face. She would meet this mysterious man named Natsume once again and for some reason she was rather excited.

A streak of the afternoon sun peaked through a slit in the tent, causing Mikan to wake up. She rolled onto her back and sat up to stretch her limbs out. She opened her eyes and saw that her family had already woken up before so she quickly stood up and headed out the tent.

Her meetings with Natsume had gone on every night and with each passing night, Mikan's excitement grew. She began to anticipate their meetings more often than before because of all the new things she was learning about the Neanderthals. Her opinion of them was gradually changing and she was less frightened of Natsume. She even began to see him as someone she could befriend and Mikan hoped that these relations they had would last for a very long time. The only thing that saddened her though was the fact that their meetings were forbidden and it was only a matter of time before Youichi revealed her secret to their father.

Mikan groaned. How long could she keep this betrayal going for? It was wrong to meet the Neanderthal and yet it felt so right. Her thoughts began to run deeper that she almost didn't notice the tree in front of her. She quickly snapped out of her thoughts and focused on her surroundings.

The clan was going about their usual activities as Mikan roamed the area, searching for her family. It was quite difficult considering the amount of feet running around and almost tripping her over.

She stopped walking, frustrated by her clan mates disregarding her presence and almost making her topple over. She took a deep breath and waited for those passing by before making her way to the tent of chiefs. Maybe she would find Shiki there.

Shiki was there as expected, speaking to a young man. Mikan approached with caution to get a clearer view of this man who was unfamiliar. She stepped behind Shiki and lightly tapped his shoulder to gain his attention.

The unfamiliar man looked up and smiled at the confused Mikan who had decided to sit beside the head chief. "Hello," he greeted her.

"H-Hello," Mikan said with uncertainty. She wondered who this man was and what might have caused him to enter her clan's territory. He had the appearance of her kind but she had never seen him before.

Shiki turned to his daughter and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You have awaken." Mikan only nodded. "I want you to meet this man. His name is Ruka." Again Mikan nodded. She was not sure what her father was trying to point out and it only made her unwary. The tone of his voice was unusual. It almost sounded desperate and Mikan did not like the sound of it. What was he planning?

Not wanting to seem impolite, she turned her body to fully face this man named Ruka and bowed her head then lifted it back up. "It is kind of you to come and meet us. From what territory are you from?"

Before Ruka could answer for himself, Shiki cut in, "He comes from beyond to make amends with our clan. We have come to an agreement for peace."

"Oh I see," Mikan spoke softly.

"Do you want to know about the agreement?" Ruka said.

Mikan raised a brow. "Y-Yes?" She said but she was not so sure herself if she really wanted to know. Something was telling her that the words that would come out of this man's mouth would greatly disturb her and she was not prepared for it.

"To create peace between our clans, your leader has given you as my mate," those words came out so quickly that Mikan had to ask him to repeat himself. She noticed how nervous he was and fidgety his fingers were as he cleared his throat. "You will be my mate."

What?

A mate?

His?

No. She didn't want this to happen to her. The man she had taken as a father was giving her away to an unfamiliar face who claimed her to be his mate? How could this be happening and so unexpectedly. From what she knew her clan did not have any problems with its rivals so why did her father, the chief, decide that he would try to create peace? There wasn't any animosity to begin with.

As if noticing her tenseness, Shiki carefully brought his hand to Mikan's cheek which she brushed away. Mikan stood up hastily and glared at the offending men. "I will not mate with this man!" She pointed at Ruka who flinched at the sound of her declaration. She then stormed out the tent, almost colliding into Youichi.

"Mikan!" Youichi called after his elder sibling who huffed.

"Tell papa that I will never mate with that man. If he forces me, I will leave and never return," and with that she left without another word.

Youichi stood his ground as he watched Mikan angrily march the clan site and then disappear inside their tent. She came back out just as fast as she had entered except this time in her hand was a spear.

Shiki came out of the tent and sighed, drawing Youichi's attention to him. "Papa, why is Mikan upset?" asked the young boy. "She speaks of a mate but who is this mate of hers?" The boy was too young to understand what a mate was and the situation with Mikan would be too difficult to explain. Shiki lowered himself to Youichi's level and patted his head.

"Do not worry about her or the mate. Go join the hunting group." That was all he could say to the boy to divert his attention from his troublesome elder sister.

Youichi nodded then headed into the direction he had seen Mikan. Knowing her, she would be secretly joining the hunt.

Ruka came out of the tent and muttered, "I am sorry."

Shiki shook his head. "Do not apologize for my daughter. She will learn to accept her fate and become your mate."

"..." Ruka could not form a response.

"You must be tired. Come and rest in my family tent since you will be a part of us soon," Shiki suggested. "Follow me."

He lead Ruka to the largest tent on the territory and ushered him inside. There, Yuka was weaving a large cloth which resembled a cape. She looked up when she had taken notice of the two men and smiled widely.

"Hello!" she exclaimed. She hopped to her feet and rushed to Ruka's side. "Are you the mate for my Mikan?" she asked.

"I am," Ruka responded. Yuka's grin widened even more as she took his hand and lead him to where she was weaving the cloth.

She picked up the large cloth and held it to his face. "I have made this for you." She set the cloth over his shoulders and adjusted it so that it would not fall. Satisfied, she took Ruka's hand in between the palm of her hands and gazed at his face. "I thank you for becoming my daughter's mate."

"I am only fulfilling my duties," Ruka grinned.

"He will rest in our tent until Mikan becomes his mate," said Shiki. It was custom for the potential mate to stay with the family of his female partner until it was time for the mating ritual to commence. "But she refuses so we must find a way to make her agree."

"She refuses?" Yuka questioned. How could her own daughter refuse such a handsome man especially if he would bring peace to their clan? This man was supposed to help clear the hatred between the rivals and help them destroy the evil ones who threatened to take over their land. To refuse this man would be the same as refusing their safety. Yuka frowned. She would not allow her daughter to cause the end of their clan. "She will not refuse me. I am her mama."

The two men were uncertain by her confidence but they decided not to question her. One woman was already angry about the proposal, making her mother upset would only complicate the situation further.

Later that evening Youichi had returned to the tent with a crestfallen look on his face. He stood before his mother and father along with the guest Ruka and spoke, "I cannot find Mikan."

Yuka gasped. "What do you mean that you cannot find her? Where did she go when the sun shone its brightest?"

Youichi gazed down. "I do not know. She had headed in the direction of the hunt but then disappeared." He was almost positive that she was trailing the hunting group but when Youichi had caught up with them, she was nowhere to be found. He instead decided to continue on with the hunt and hope to find her for the duration he would be there. Time ran out and the hunting group was heading back but he still could not find Mikan. The only other explanation is that she was with that Neanderthal.

Shiki shook with anger. He had been specific in his orders to Mikan that she could no longer join any hunts nor leave the territory and yet she disobeyed his orders. He was the clan leader and nobody was allowed to forget their place under him, not even the female he took to be his daughter. "I commanded her to not leave the clan site!" he shouted. "We must find her soon or the beasts will devour her!"

"I will seek her whereabouts," Ruka interjected. "She will become my mate and I must protect her so I should find her."

Thinking it over, Shiki calmed down and spoke, "Then you must take a weapon with you to kill any beast." He walked over to the side of the tent which contained weapons and selected a sharp spear. "This is my own. You will use it to protect my daughter and bring her back to the tent where she may never leave again."

"I understand." Ruka accepted the spear and headed out the tent in search of his would be mate.

Mikan wrapped her arms around Natsume as they jumped over an edge and met with the water. Natsume had instructed her to secure herself around him so that she would not be swept away by the water current. He swam up to the surface of the water and moved them to a boulder that rested on the bank. Behind the boulder was a tunnel already lit with torches.

"Why are we going into the tunnel to speak?" Mikan asked. She released her hold on Natsume and stood up on the boulder, preparing to jump.

"Wait," Natsume said as he jumped before her onto the sandy ground. He held out his arms and raised his head. "Now jump."

Mikan wasted no time in jumping into his arms, their bodies twirling a bit as she landed. His skin was warm, she noted. The warmth coming from him almost made her not want to let him go but she had to. She felt his hold on her waist loosen so she stepped back. Natsume gestured toward the tunnel and Mikan followed suit.

The tunnel as aforementioned, was lit by torches which Natsume had earlier placed. He wanted a secluded area where nothing could disturb them as they had their meetings because their previous spot had been hijacked by a hoard of large creatures. He lead them to an opening of the tunnel that lead to a widespread cave and guided her in. Unlike the tunnel, the cave was lit by the moon which peeked through an opening at the top of the cave. Mikan walked ahead and sat atop a flat surfaced boulder.

"This is large," she commented as her eyes scanned the whole area. "How did you find it?"

"During a hunt I found the cave," Natsume replied. He sat down beside her and observed her face as she gazed around the place in wonder. He watched as her expression changed to gloom. He scooted closer to her form and peered at her face. "What is wrong?" he asked.

Mikan lowered her head. She hesitated, unsure of how to explain her sadness. She didn't want to bother Natsume with her situation that had nothing to do with him. She worried that revealing the cause of her displeasure would only make him uncomfortable. Not wanting to make him feel that way, she said nothing. Natsume on the other hand would not allow her to stay mute so he took her chin between his fingers and turned her face to him.

"Tell me," he demanded.

Mikan stuttered, "I-I am to mate with a man my papa has chosen."

Almost immediately, Natsume grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer to him. For some reason he felt angry by her confession. She was going to mate with another and it did not sit well with him. If she mated, their meetings would come to an end and he would never learn more about his mother. Most importantly, he would never see this woman again.

Not sure of how to react to the sudden force of her body being pulled against him, Mikan stayed silent and gazed into his eyes as she waited for his next response. What would he say? Would he even bother with her possibly leaving? A part of her wanted him to embrace her and allow her mind to drift away from the events from earlier. Another part of her was warning her about the consequences of this feeling within her heart and Mikan was not sure of which side to answer to. She was torn between befriending this Neanderthal by betraying her kin and accepting her fate as the mate of an unfamiliar man.

She needed to decide and now was the time. If she were to release herself from Natsume's hold and go back to her family, her father would force her to accept her mate and forbid her from venturing to the outside world. If she stayed with Natsume, her clan would label her a betrayer but that punishment did not frighten her as much. Her new label did not bother her, although the thought of leaving her mother and brother behind worried her.

She gulped and raised her free hand to Natsume's cheek. Her face drew closer to his until their foreheads touched. She could feel his breath on her lips and it made her want to get closer. She closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly to press her lips on his other cheek. Mikan then moved back but her eyes never left his.

"What is this?!" came the angry voice of a certain soon to be mate who gripped his spear tightly.

The two turned to face the angry voice and Mikan couldn't help but whisper, "No."

End Note: Thanks for the reviews, and again I am really sorry for taking so long. I really need to organize a schedule. I say this now but who knows if I'm going to keep that in mind. But I really hope that next year I will be on point in uploading new chapters to BOTH my stories. The other one I have yet to update and it's been almost two years. Wow.

I will go back and correct any errors later but I wanted to upload the chapter since I've kept you waiting for far too long.

Please continue reading and review!

Rated M for Violence and Adult Themes

Author: Napperon