Chapter 4, finally out! xD I apologize for delaying this chapter for AGES. I've been busy with the holidays but I think I'd be able to make the next chapter faster than this one. xD To show my apologies, I made this chapter longer than any of the others. xP

Enjoy! xDxDxD

Hospital Life

Mikan stared at the boy in front of her, who was obviously depressed. Her feet collapsed, causing her to fall to the floor. Natsume looked at her. Thinking she was just annoyed that they were trapped in the lift, he ignored her.

"Ne," Mikan voiced out softly, "Why are you so angry?"

"It's none of your business," he muttered, annoyed.

"Ne, you said… 'Her'. Who is that?" the brunette asked softly.

"Shut up!" he yelled. His loud voice made the girl squeals softly, jumping. "You're… A girl?" Mikan lowered her head.

"I… I'm clearly not a boy!" Mikan shouted in a different voice. She made her voice pitch higher, sounding more girlish. It strained her body to shout, considering she was still ill. She gasped through her mouth for air.

"Whatever." Natsume turned, showing only his back at her.

"About 'her'…" Mikan began. "Is she an important person to you?" Natsume faced her, but didn't reply. The weak brunette was aware that he had to intention of answering so she kept quiet.

Natsume then examined her appearance, and realized something. "You're a student from the elementary school?" Mikan kept quiet. "Oi, answer me," he said, making a flame appear 15 centimeters away from her face. She coughed, but didn't attempt to move away from the flames.

"Stop it," Mikan whimpered.

"Then answer," Natsume threatened. Mikan coughed again, but this time, blood splattered on her gown. "What the—?" Natsume looked at her, confused and slightly worried. He made the flames disappear and crouched beside her.

"Ah, gomen…" Mikan apologized softly, her vision blurring.

"Oi, what the hell is wrong with you?" he asked coldly. Mikan, reaching her limit, dropped, lying on the cold, hard floor. Her hat fell off, revealing her brunette hair, and her identity. Natsume was shocked to see the person he was looking for, lie on the floor, covered with blood.

"Mikan!?" he yelled, anxious. He shook her to get her up but without prevailing. "Damn it!" Natsume carried the motionless body on his back and looked around the elevator. Spotting an exit above, he opened it, and jumped through it. Natsume searched for the closest floor, still carrying Mikan on his back.

Finally finding the closest floor, Natsume hopped on it, and forced open the door. People standing at the door of the elevator were shocked to see the boy carrying a girl who was covered in blood and offered to help to them but Natsume ignored them, dashing towards Mikan's hospital room.

When Natsume opened the door, Hotaru and Ruka looked at the raven-haired boy, shocked to see the brunette lying unconsciously on his back. "Sakura-san?!" Ruka called as he stretched his hands towards the girl, offering to take her of his best friend's back. Natsume declined, as he gently put her on her bed.

"She's covered in blood!" Hotaru complained. "What happened?" she asked, facing Natsume. The boy ignored her, as he pressed on the nurse button quickly. A pair of hands grabbed him from behind, turning him to face the person.

"Natsume… Stop it." Mikan looked at him in the eyes, and released him. "Stop making a big commotion… Over a one star like me." Natsume stared at the girl, shocked at the fact she could still move in her condition. Ruka rushed to her side, making her lie down properly.

"Sakura-san, the ranking doesn't matter," Ruka insisted. "We're worried about you… So, for now, just rest." Mikan held the blonde boy's hand and gently rubbed it softly. Even though it wasn't the time for romance, Ruka flushed a bright red. Natsume grunted in disgust.

"And?" Natsume faced the girl. "What were you doing? Out of the hospital?" Mikan frowned slightly and shook her head.

"I just… wanted to go outside," she muttered softly, squeezing Ruka's hand. The blonde boy realized her hand tightening on his, but it didn't hurt him due the lack of power Mikan needed.

"Sakura-san…" Ruka mumbled softly.

"The nurse said that you went out to eat," Hotaru said. "Where did you go?" she demanded. Mikan turned her body to face Ruka, and put her other hand on his. She brought Ruka's hand closer to her face with both her hands and shut her eyes.

"The garden…" Mikan whispered loud enough for them to hear.

"Ne," Youiichi suddenly spoke. "I didn't see her in the garden, onii-chan," he said as he tugged Natsume's shirt.

"Now that he mentions it… I didn't either," Ruka said.

"Baka. Mikan was wearing a coat and a hat so we didn't recognize her," Hotaru explained. "Her face isn't as lively and she isn't that noisy… It's not easy to recognize her like that, is it?" Hotaru walked up to the brunette and questioned her. "Why?" Ruka and Natsume's eyes widened as they faced the inventor. Her hand was covering her eyes, hiding her face. "Why did you do this to yourself?! Don't you know that we're worried?! Mikan, you—"

"Gomen." Mikan had grabbed Hotaru's hand and pulled her in for a hug. "Gomennasai, Hotaru." She patted her friend's black hair softly.

"Baka," Hotaru muttered as she hugged her friend. "You've finally woken up." After a while, Mikan let go of Hotaru, whose stone face had returned. Hotaru backed away. "I'll go call the nurse." Hotaru walked out of the room, leaving Natsume, Ruka and Youiichi with Mikan.

"Oi, polka-dots," Natsume called. Mikan faced Natsume, still lying down, and one of her hands with Ruka.

"You saw it again?" Mikan asked calmly while letting out a soft chuckle. "Natsume… You pervert…" she whispered as she turned to Ruka, closing her eyes, still lying down. "Anyways, what is it?"

"Why were you disguising from us?" Natsume asked, annoyed. Both the grey-headed and blonde-headed boy faced the girl, waiting for a reply. Mikan didn't speak nor react. She remained in her position, unchanging. "Oi, reply already!" Natsume demanded. The brunette still didn't move. There was silence, until Ruka shouted.

"Sakura-san?!" Ruka yelled as he stood up from his chair. "Ch-Chotto, Sakura-san?! Are you okay?!" he asked as he shook her.

Natsume immediately rushed to Mikan's side, checking on her. Her eyes were shut, but she was still breathing. "She fell asleep," Natsume assured Ruka. The blonde boy sighed in relief knowing that she wasn't in any danger.

"Sakura-sama?!" a high-pitched voice called from the door. The same nurse from before was standing at the door, her face pale. "Are you okay?" she asked as she ran to the brunette's aid. The nurse examined her patient and nodded at the three visitors. "Thank you for bringing her back here. I'm sorry but I'll have to ask all of you to leave now." Natsume took Youiichi's hand, ready to leave.

"Could I know when we can visit her again?" Ruka asked politely. Youiichi turned his head to face the nurse, showing his cute face. The nurse smiled at the cute—yet devilish—boy.

"If you want, the earliest I can give you is tonight," she replied. The three of them nodded and exited the room. Hotaru was waiting for them at the corner of the door.

"Are you going?" Hotaru asked Natsume and Ruka. The raven-headed boy just walked ahead, taking Youiichi with him while Ruka nodded. "It'll be late so it may not be the best decision," Hotaru advised.

"I'll just visit her for a while," Ruka assured. "The visiting hours at night won't take too long." Hotaru nodded and walked beside him towards the dorms.

At the dorm…

"EEHH?!?"

"Mikan got up!?" Nonoko and Anna yelled.

"Can we go visit her now?!"

"Mm! Let's go!"

"Shut up!!" Sumire yelled, annoyed. "All you guys talk about is Sakura this and Sakura that! Why don't you just—"

BAKA! BAKA! BAKA!

"Ouch…" Sumire muttered. Sumire was lying on the floor because she was shot by Hotaru with her baka gun. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Sumire shouted. She made a devilish grimace, gritting her teeth tightly. "Grr…"

"You can't visit Mikan now," Hotaru explained. "That baka got herself injured again, but she should be well enough at night." The inventor's eyes drifted to Natsume, which made her question him. "Natsume," she called. Natsume looked at her to show that he was listening. "How did Mikan end up in that situation?" Natsume turned around and headed to his room. "Natsume!" Hotaru called again, but by the time she yelled his name, he was already gone.

"Heh…So that's what it is…" Koko suddenly said. Everyone looked at him confusedly.

"Koko… You read his mind?" Anna asked. Koko nodded and everyone crowded around him to listen.

"Erm… Sakura was in the elevator but Natsume couldn't recognize her because she was disguising herself… But then Natsume abused her a bit by putting a fire beside her and she coughed out blood… She fainted and her hat fell off. That's when Natsume realized it was Sakura…" Koko paused because he was running out of breath from speaking too much. "Then Natsume took her to the room where Ruka and Imai were."

"So that's what happened…" Hotaru mumbled. Ruka stroked his rabbit and walked off to his room.

"Poor Mikan-chan!" Nonoko gasped. "Is she okay?"

"Well, it is that baka so she should be fine soon," Hotaru spoke. The black-haired girl walked away from the crowd and left to her room. Ruka then took Youiichi's hand and took him to his room.

In the hospital…

Mikan groaned as she felt a sharp pain on her head. With both her hands, she clutched her head. "Ouch…" she mumbled. The door opened and a nurse entered, carrying a trolley of food.

"Sakura-san?" the nurse called. "We've given you your medicine. Are you okay now?" she asked, concerned. Mikan nodded as she groggily sat up on her bed slowly. She looked at the food, and groaned louder. The nurse noticed that her patient wasn't pleased with the food there, and obviously didn't want to eat. "You're going to have to eat, Sakura-san. Your body is not in a good condition." Mikan's gaze turned to face the window. She stared at the beautiful sunset that was a mix of colours.

Yellow, orange, pink, purple and… Red."Ah." Mikan looked at the nurse and grimaced. "It's hard to swallow solids, nurse," Mikan mumbled, trying to make an excuse.

"I have a name," she said, slightly irritated. "Tsukiyo Hikari."

"Then, may I call you Hikari-chan?" Mikan asked. "Or is Hikari-chan too familiar?"

"Ah, its okay, I don't mind," Hikari replied, blushing slightly. It was rare for someone to want to sound so familiar to her when they had just met—especially not a patient.

"You can call me Mikan," the brunette offered as she raised the two corners of her mouth slightly. Hikari nodded.

"Ah." Hikari finally realized that she had to give food to her patient. She cursed herself softly for ignoring her post as a nurse and talking to the patient. "Mikan-san, your food is getting cold so I suggest you eat it now." Just as Mikan was about to protest, she countered it quickly. "Your foods aren't solid. In fact, its only porridge and soup, so it won't be hard to swallow."

"Hai…" Mikan mumbled unenthusiastically. She slowly took a spoon of her porridge and stuffed it into her mouth. The taste wasn't a problem to her. It was just the fact she had no appetite to eat. Hikari left the room, satisfied that her patient finally obeyed her orders.

After Mikan finished her food, she continued to stare outside her window, looking at the night sky. The sun had already set and the scenes were all dark. She hopped out of bed, walked up to the light switch, and switched it off. Mikan grabbed her coat and swung it around her back. She opened the window and exited it, hopping onto the roof. She sat on the high roof, staring at the night sky.

8:30pm…

"Mikan-chaaan!" Nonoko called as she swung the door open. "Eh? It's dark in here…"

"Then put on the lights," Koko said as he walked in with Ruka and Anna. Nonoko did as she was told and switched on the lights. All of them gasped when they realized that Mikan wasn't in bed and the window was opened.

"Ne, you don't think that Mikan actually escaped?" Anna asked in an anxious voice. Ruka ran up to the window and looked outside.

"I can't see her," Ruka said. "Let's look for her," he suggested. Everyone nodded in agreement and left the room.

Natsume then entered the room and searched it. He looked outside the window and saw the view. He looked down, and when he was about to look above, he heard a voice. "Nat…Sume?" He followed the voice and faced upwards which led his eyes to see a girl sitting on the roof.

"What are you doing up there, polka-dots?" Natsume asked anxiously as he hopped onto the roof. He sat down beside her and looked at her. Mikan looked away from him quickly. "Oi, polka-dots!"

"Stop looking," Mikan complained, still not facing him. "And my name isn't my panties pattern!" Mikan got up and walked away from him feeling irritated.

"Where are you going?" Natsume asked as he got up. "You're still ill, baka!" Mikan ignored him and continued to walk away slowly. "Oi!"

"Stop it!" Mikan snapped and turned around to face Natsume. "Stop calling me stupid names! I have a name, and its—" The brunette's foot slipped on a loose piece roof tile. "Ah!" Mikan's body turned and her weak body dropped facing the ground. Mikan screamed loudly.

"Mikan!"

Mikan shut her eyes and felt a sharp pain on her wrist. When Mikan opened her eyes, she realized she was floating in mid-air. She could see there was a long distance from the ground and her and when she looked up, she saw Natsume holding her by her wrist.

"Natsu…me…" Mikan whispered softly. The raven-haired boy pulled her up by her wrist which caused her to scream in pain. "It hurts!" she complained.

"What are you doing here?" Natsume asked. Mikan sat down on the roof glumly and held her wrist softly.

"Looking at the… Sky…" Mikan mumbled. "Arigatou…" Natsume faced her confusedly. "For calling me by my name… And… Gomen…"

"Eh?" Natsume looked at the girl curiously, trying to figure out what was on her mind. She seemed to be acting really weird and that bugged him.

"…I shouldn't get so angry just because you don't call me by my name," she continued. "It's normal… For Natsume, I mean… So, gomen…" Natsume grunted.

"Get down," Natsume ordered. Mikan faced him, confused. "Go back to your room, baka."

"Let's make a deal," Mikan decided. Natsume looked up at the sky and nodded. "I… I want to know if my nullification alice is on…So…" She looked away and bit her lip. "…Burn me." Natsume got up to his sitting position and glared at her. "Umm… a small fire nearby is okay… So, please." Natsume eyed her suspiciously and forced a flame to appear in front of them. Mikan slowly breathed in and out and tried to put out the flames.

"Oi, polka-dots, can you do it?" Natsume asked as he looked at her in the face. She was breaking out cold sweat and squeezing her eyes. The flames went out and the brunette gasped.

"Reo…-sama…" she muttered and collapsed onto the roof. Natsume's eyes widened as he heard her mutter Reo's name. He remembered her calling Reo 'sama' when she was hypnotized by his voice pheromone and wondered if she was still under it. But it made him wonder if that was the case because she just used her alice so she should be unaffected now.

"Mikan?!" he yelled her name and caught her before she fell onto the roof tiles. She was probably exhausted for bringing out her alice even though she was in that state.

"Natsume? Sakura-san?" a voice called from below. Natsume looked down, only to see Ruka staring at him carrying Mikan in his arms. "Na…Natsume… You… And Sakura-san… Don't tell me…" Ruka started to stutter uncontrollably.

"Oi, get this baka down, will you? She's collapsed," Natsume informed the surprised blonde. Natsume carried her and passed her to the blonde who willingly caught the girl in his arms. Ruka blushed when he saw the innocent girl in his very own arms. He set the girl on her bed gently and looked at Natsume.

"Did you bring her up there?" Ruka asked cautiously as Natsume swung in from the window. Natsume wiped the dust of his shirt and answered.

"Nope, she was already up there when I came to visit," he replied simply. "Oi, nurse," he called Hikari. Hikari looked at him confusedly, waiting for him to speak.

"Mikan's wrist probably broke." Natsume stuffed his hands into his pockets and left the room. Ruka and the group watched him leave, and looked at Mikan. Hikari had them leave, and bandaged Mikan's hand. Mikan slept peacefully without disturbance that night.

Next morning…

Mikan woke up early that Saturday morning. She wasn't under Reo's spell any longer and she was back to her energetic self. She agreed to eat her food in the morning and wasn't as odd and weak as before.

"Mikan!?" a few voices yelled as the door flung open. Mikan looked at the crowd and saw Tsubasa, Misaki, Hotaru, Ruka, Natsume, Koko, Youiichi, Anna, Nonoko, Yuu and Sumire.

"Everyone! Why are you all here?" Mikan gasped at the crowd. The brunette was sitting up on her bed staring at the group.

"Eh…? She's alright after all..." Sumire muttered.

"Mikan, how is your wrist?" Hotaru asked as she walked towards the bed with the rest of the group.

"Okay… I guess…" Mikan mumbled as she held her wrist. "Ah! You-chan! You came to visit onee-chan?" Youiichi nodded.

"Because you're not as ugly as you were before," Youiichi complimented. This was true. Even though it hadn't been long, Mikan's hair had grown longer which made her look prettier.

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult…" Mikan sweat-dropped. "But… Arigatou… For coming to visit me." Youiichi's head nodded slowly.

"Mikan, it's good you're okay!" Misaki chirped happily. "Oh yeah, this year's school festival is in two weeks!" Tsubasa and the rest of the group nodded in agreement. Mikan's mouth rose, forming a smile.

"School Festival."

Okay… This chapter is now over! I'm making the next chapter now…

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review! I need motivation!

Please and thankyou! xD