"Hmm…" Mikan woke up; she opened her eyes and turned to look for her uncle. He was sitting behind his desk, reading Natsume's diary. He was in deep concentration.

"Uncle?" Yukihira was so shocked by the sound of her voice that he slammed the book shut.

"Oh, Mikan. You scared me."

"Sorry. Has Natsume written something interesting?"

"Everything Natsume has written is interesting. I still cannot believe everything he went through. But it's all written down in this book."

"Yeah. I only know part of it myself. And if the part I know seems terrifying enough, then what about the other part?" Mikan looked down at Natsume and was shocked to see blood on the palm of his hand. "…Has he been coughing blood again?"

"Does it happen normally?"

"All the time…"

"All the time?"

"Yeah. It's annoying that he doesn't seem to realise how important his life is. It's gotten better over the years but still… I wish he would treasure his life a little more."

"With the life he has had I don't blame him."

"Mm… Cough!" Natsume woke up.

"Natsume. Did we wake you?"

"Huh? No I don't think so…"

"Natsume." Mikan pouted and stared at him.

"What is it?"

"Why didn't you wake me? I could have helped…"

"Because you were sleeping so soundly, and it wasn't serious, I could handle it."

"Wake me every time! Maybe it wasn't serious at first, but it could've turned serious!"

"…Fine…" Natsume accepted her demands after some time, of thinking about refusing her.

Immediately Mikan looked relieved and smiled at Natsume. "Thank you."

Natsume went to the bathroom to wash the blood off his face and hand. Mikan and Yukihira decided to read another page in Natsume's diary, to make the half hour go quicker.

July 12th – Failed mission (12 years old.)

The mission started easily everything was going perfectly. The mission was to infiltrate Z's headquarters and steal information about the organisation. Me and Hayate disguised as bodyguards and melted in with the crowd. We found the room were the information was, but just before we were about to take it Azuma Yuka comes through the door, with 10 soldiers (or something like that). We tried to fight them and get out but we were at disadvantage, so we had to give up. They took us to their 'dungeons' and put a STRONG barrier up around the cell. They had us there for 2 week's, tortured us for information about the academy (Of course we didn't say anything…) And then out of the blue Persona infiltrates Z to get us back, witch he does… I wish I could say finally back at the academy, but just minutes after we arrived Persona starts interrogating us about how much information we gave to Z about the academy. He interrogated us for a couple of days before he had to realise that we hadn't said anything…

On top of that when I finally came back to the dorm, Ruka was out of his mind worried. He had literally camped inside my room, and waited for me to come back. And so I did… Exhausted as I was he wouldn't let me sleep until I had given him the reason why I was missing for over 2 weeks… Of course I lied and said something about traveling (even though it was tearing me up to have to lie to him.) I couldn't tell him the truth, wasn't allowed to… I'm so tired of all this… So tired…

Natsume had come in halfway through. He just sat down and listened to the rest of the story.

"What did they do to you, Natsume?" Yukihira asked.

"You really want to know?"

"…Yes."

"Fine. They… They did everything they could think of. Drowning, cutting, whipping, burning… And so on…"

"Oh God…" Yukihira moaned. "…How old were you here?"

"How old was I? …Twelve I think."

"Twelve…" Yukihira rested his head in his hands.

"I remember when you were gone… I was in the academy at that time. So this was your vacation…" Mikan said sadly.

"Yeah. …This was my vacation."

1 pm.

"Remember what we talked about. Once you're outside, you need to change location. Go to Natsume's old house like you planed, you can't stay in one place for more than 4 days it's too risky. You understand?" Yukihira asked them.

"Yes."

Yukihira handed them some money, "Here take this, you can't use rabbits outside this academy."

"Thank you, uncle. For everything." Mikan said and hugged him.

"Take care Natsume. Look after my niece."

"You know I will."

"Well then, are you ready Sakurano?"

"Yes I am." Sakurano said and took their hands.

"Goodbye Mikan, Natsume."

The next thing they knew they were standing in front of the music room where the warp-hole was. Sakurano put the key inside turned it 3 times and said the keyword, soon the keyhole began to suck.

"Remember to picture Natsume's house when you enter or else you won't be sent there." Sakurano explained.

"Are you ready Mikan?" Natsume asked and looked at her.

"Yeah, come on."

They held each other's hands, pictured the house and got sucked in. The landing knocked them unconscious.

When Mikan woke up, she was on a bed in Aoi's room. Outside the window the sun was rising. She heard noise downstairs and went down to have a look. Mr Hyuuga and Aoi were in the kitchen talking.

"Hello." Mikan went inside. Aoi and Mr Hyuuga immediately turned their heads towards her.

"Good morning Mikan." Aoi said and gave her a big smile.

"Quite a shock you gave us. But a happy one." Mr Hyuuga said. "Why are you out of school before graduation?"

"We ran away, there wasn't any other choice. Where's Natsume?"

"He's still sleeping, in his old room. What do you mean no other choice?"

"That's a long story, I think we should wait until Natsume's here as well. He can probably tell it better than me."

"How has his life been?"

Mikan was unsure of how to answer this question, she didn't want to hurt Natsume's dad. "It has been… Tough."

After Mikan said this they heard a door open in the back of the house. Footsteps slowly moved towards the kitchen. Seconds later Natsume stood in the door; his eyes searched the room and landed on his dad and Aoi. He just stood there and stared at them, not believing his eyes.

"Natsume?" Mr Hyuuga took a step towards him.

"…Is this a dream?" Natsume asked trying to protect himself from disappointment.

"No Natsume, this is not a dream… You're home." Mr hyuuga stepped forward and held Natsume in his arms. Gradually Natsume relaxed.

"Come on you've held him long enough, now it's my turn." Aoi said and pushed Mr Hyuuga aside. "Nii-chan!" Aoi flung her arms around him, and toppled him so he landed in a sitting position. Aoi cried against his chest and Natsume tried his best to comfort her.

"Come on you to. Natsume, they need an explanation about what happened over these 8 years…" Mikan said to Natsume.

"Yeah…" Natsume sighed.

"Come on lets go into the living room. I'll make some tea." Mr hyuuga said and put some water on the stove.

A quarter later everyone sat in the living room with a mug of tea. The room was quiet, Natsume didn't know were to start or how much to tell.

"Natsume. Start with the 2 years I wasn't in the school. Then I can help you with the rest."

"The start of it all… Ruka and me were brought to the academy. We were introduced to our class and ability class. I was given the rank special star and put into the dangerous ability class. Persona immediately started training me and my Alice for combat. They used to threaten me, with Aoi and Ruka; you can say that I was cowed into obedience. After a while I started doing missions for the school. If I failed punishment, if I succeeded nothing." Natsume stopped talking and took a sip of the tea. "I soon became aware of the effect my Alice had on my body. My missions weren't exactly improving my condition, but I found myself in no position to refuse. Ruka saw me being driven into a corner and tried to help. It's not that I didn't like Ruka's company, it just made everything worse. I gradually locked my feelings into my heart. And just when I think I had hit rock bottom. Mikan came."

Natsume looked up, for the last part of his story he had stared into the mug of tea.

"And how-" Mr Hyuuga cleared his throat, "and how old were you until Mikan came?"

"I was… 8,9 and 10."

"Yeah, when I came you were really mean!"

"Sorry." Natsume and Mikan exchanged glances, both of them were smiling.

"I guess I'll tell the rest of the story now, you never were much of a storyteller Natsume."
"One of my many flaws."

"Well then, were to start. After I came, we were kidnapped. Then there was that incident with Z, were we had to get the antidote for Hotaru. Wait I'm rushing into this."

Mikan began telling everything that had happened after she came to the school. It was a long story so they sat there till it was evening.

"That's about it. Isn't it Natsume?" Mikan finished telling the story, and asked Natsume.

"Yep, that covers it. Although you could have made the story a little shorter look how dark it is outside."

"I can't help it. We've had way to many things happening in our lives."

"Yeah you're right…" Natsume sighed.

"I can guess that what you need now are years of peace and quiet." Natsume's dad said and took all four cups to the kitchen.

"Peace and quiet…" Natsume whispered his voice was filled with doubt.

"Well then I think it's bedtime. Mikan you can sleep upstairs with Aoi in her room, I'll mattress in there. Natsume you sleep in your old room, beside mine. Good night."

"Good night." Everyone answered.

Fire followed him everywhere. Natsume ran as fast as he could, but he couldn't get away. Persona's face was everywhere, whispering things like murderer, killer, did you think you could get away from me? You're mine Natsume, you always will be. Guess what I will do to your loved ones. You're mine.

'Shut up!'

I always knew you were weak Natsume, but not this weak. If the enemy captures you then commit suicide. Black cat.

'Shut up! Shut up!'

Someone grabbed Natsume's shoulder. Natsume, thinking it was an enemy, rolled out of bed and immediately got into fighting position. He already stood with a small fireball, when he realised that it was his father.

"Sorry." Natsume said after he had absorbed the fire. He stood with his back to the wall, trying to calm down. His heart was beating quickly in his chest from the shock.

"You don't have to apologise, it was my own fault. You were having a nightmare?"

"…Yeah." Natsume realised that he was drenched in cold sweat. Natsume yanked his shirt off and went to the closet. The moonlight shone in from the window. In the light Natsume's dad got a sight of his back, it was very muscular which witnessed all the training Natsume had been in, but the most disturbing was all the scars on his back.

Mr Hyuuga gasped. Natsume turned around revealing more scars on his torso.

"What is it?" Natsume asked.

"How did you get all of those scars?" He asked quietly.

"…" Natsume looked at his dad, he looked as though he was scared of finding out. There was also a little pity in his eyes; Natsume didn't like that, "a lot of ways."

"Natsume, how did you get them?" His father said with a lot more determination in his voice.

"It doesn't matter. I'm out of the academy, never going back."

"Natsume-"

"Dad please… Don't." Natsume said, he sounded like a child again.

"…Fine."

Satisfied Natsume turned around, found an old t-shirt and pulled it on. But when he turned around he found his dad on the bed sobbing.

"…Hey." Natsume said shocked and sat beside his dad. "What's wrong?"

"I'm a bad father… I'm a bad father…" He sobbed.

"Shh… Calm down. You're not a bad father." Natsume said and put an arm around him.

"Yes I am… It's my entire fault. I didn't keep my promise to Kaoru."

"Shh… You kept your promise remember. You made us move so many times in attempt to save us. You did so much, they were just to cruel to avoid."

"I should have done more. I should have moved to a new place after that meeting with Persona." His sobbing didn't stop.

"Even if you had moved again they would have found us. There was nothing you could do."

"…Are you sure?" His dad asked with the voice of a child who needed to be forgiven.

"…Absolutely sure." Natsume reassured him.

For some time they both just sat there, in their own thoughts. Mr hyuuga glanced over at Natsume's face, shocked to find it pale.

"Natsume? Are you okay?"

"…Yeah." Natsume insisted, but his dad could hear his voice shake and Natsume's raspy breath sounded heavily in the room.

"Natsume, what's wrong?" His father asked worriedly.

The first cough rung through the room. Followed by another and another.

"Natsume!"

Natsume's coughing grew more violent. Mr hyuuga was stunned, worried and most of all he didn't know what to do, he just sat there shocked. Soon footsteps were heard running down the stairs. Mikan burst into the room; she went over to Natsume and put her arms around him as he finished coughing.

Natsume was left panting heavily and leaning on Mikan. Slowly the room grew quiet, too quiet. Natsume slumped unconscious against Mikan.

"…Natsume." Mikan whispered, "answer me…"

"Natsume!" Mr Hyuuga shook Natsume shoulder, only to find him not responding.

Mikan gently laid Natsume back on the bed. Teary eyed she checked for a pulse, she was beginning to panic when she felt a faint pulse under the tip of her fingers.

"…He's alive." Mikan said and burst into tears.

Confused as he was to the cause, he tried to comfort Mikan, but found it impossible to say something. He asked instead. "…Is he sick?"

Mikan looked up at him. "It's his Alice…"

"But-" He was lost for words. "But Kaoru wasn't as bad as this…"

"Then Natsume's probably used more of his Alice than she had." Mikan said tiredly and laid down beside Natsume. She quickly fell asleep, snuggling up against his side.

"…Good night, and thank you. For being there for him when I wasn't." He said and went to bed, after fetching a wet cloth that he put on Natsume's burning forehead.

"Good morning Mikan. Has Natsume woken up yet?" Mr Hyuuga stood in his bathrobe with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Good morning. No, he hasn't woken up yet. I think we should take turns watching over him, just in case."

"Yeah… You seem tired, you should get some rest, and it's only 5 am. I'll watch him for now…"

"Yeah." Mikan yawned, "thank you."

"No need to thank me, he's my son."

"Yeah, I guess I'm just used to handling these kinds of things on my own." Mikan said and turned around to go back to Aoi's room.

"Has this happened many times before?"

Mikan looked back at him sadly, "Yes, this had happened a lot of times."

"…I see. Good night."

"Good night."

He walked into Natsume's room and sat down on the bed. Natsume's face was red and sweaty from the fever. He changed the cloth on Natsume's forehead. Then he started reading a book.

After a while Natsume's eyes fluttered open.

"Natsume?"

Natsume face twisted in pain, he rolled over on his side and clutched his chest.

"Natsume? Does it hurt?" He was panicking, and retched out to grab hold of Natsume's hand. Natsume grabbed his hand tightly, as if it could relieve his pain.

"Mikan!" Mr Hyuuga yelled, hoping that she knew what to do. "Mikan!"

Some time after Mikan burst into the room, still in her nightgown. She eyed the situation and went to Natsume's bag; she poured everything out from it. She searched for Natsume's pills and the healing stone. When she found the stone, she put it in Natsume's hand and waited for it to begin working. Soon Aoi came down to, she wanted to immediately start asking questions, but didn't say anything because she saw the seriousness of the situation. Everyone gathered on Natsume's bed, soon Natsume's gasping slowed down and he started breathing normally again. Natsume looked at them in turn, but stopped at Mikan.

"…Pills." Natsume muttered with a weak voice.

"Yeah." Mikan hurried over to Natsume's bag that was gathered in a small pile on the floor. She found the pill cases and took 1 of each. "Here." She put the pills in Natsume's hand.

Natsume pushed himself up and swallowed the pills. After that, exhausted as he was, he fell asleep. Natsume's grip of Mr hyuuga's hand loosened and he could pull his hand free, there were marks on his hand from being gripped so tightly.

Natsume's face glistened of cold sweat.

"What's wrong with Nii-chan?" Aoi asked.

"His Alice is the forth type, the one that decreases his lifespan every time he uses it. From Mikan's story I can guess that he has been using his Alice a lot."

"Too much for his own good. …I don't know how long he has left."

"How about we take this discussion into the kitchen and let him sleep. I have eggs and bacon." Mr Hyuuga offered, none of them felt hungry, but they went anyway.