Disclaimer~ Don't own Gakuen Alice, or its characters, all that good stuff

XD Thanks for all your comments!! I didn't think it be such a great story that some people would scream when Natsume came back…lol. Maybe you'll find out what happened with Natsume in this chapter. :)

Memories~ Chapter 4

I thought it was just my mind playing some kind of terrible, terrible trick. I wished it was. I hoped it was. But, I knew it wasn't.

This moment I'd waited four years for…and Natsume didn't even know who I was?

It can't be true, it can't be true!

I was barely aware of Hotaru calling my name and Aya standing in front of me, shaking my arm.

It all seemed just like a dream…

I blinked, hoping to wake up, somewhere, anywhere than here, but it didn't work.

A sudden movement snapped me out of my trance. I blinked, and saw that Natsume was running away.

~(Natsume's POV)~

What is this? Why do I have memories of this girl?

It doesn't make sense...I had to get out of there, so I ran. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my head. I fell to the ground, gripping my head. Images raced around my brain. Youichi, Central Town, Ruka, the Alice Festival, Hotaru, the sakura tree, Mikan…

H-how could…

The last memories of my time at the Academy rushed into my thoughts. N-no… this couldn't have happened…

It was all a lie. The-they tricked me…

~(Flashback)~

I sighed. Finally, my last mission, then I can get away from this place forever.

It was only spying on some suspected Z workers. It couldn't be very difficult. At least, that's what I thought.

Finally spotting them, I snuck up stealthily. They didn't hear me, until I stepped into a hole hidden under a few fallen leaves and clumsly tripped.

Damn it, now they know I'm here…

My only choice was to flee. I was outnumbered five to one, and using my alice in such a dry forest would be deadly. But they were much quicker than I thought. Thinking I had lost them after hiding behind a tree, I dashed the opposite way. What idiot-

But luck wasn't with me that day. They were suddenly surrounding me. I twisted around to see a baseball bat flying at my face.

The next thing I knew, I was sitting tightly tied to a chair in a plain white room. Ropes? They think ropes will hold me? I tried using my alice, but it didn't work. Damn it, they must have a barrier up…

Suddenly, I heard voices from the next room.

"What should we do with him? He is that kid with the fire alice; we can't just let him go."

"Hmm, true…his alice is too valuable to waste…"

The voices trailed off, and suddenly two people in white coats slammed opened the door and entered my room.

"Hello, little black cat. Think you could spy on us and get away, eh?" The taller person struck me across the face and smirked, then suddenly whispered in my ear, "How'd you like to work for us? You're always trying to get away from that stupid Academy; here's your chance."

I glared at him. "How about you just let me burn this place down?"

He chuckled. "Don't be so difficult, now. I guess we'll just have to do this the hard way."

The second person walked up, carrying a needle. He stuck it my arm. I cried out from the sharp pain.

And, as quickly as the pain disappeared, all my memories of the Academy were gone, and my four years of lies began. Four years of kidnapping kids with alices to work for that terrible organization. Four years of watching their happy lives abruptly end. Four years of their memories being erased. Four years of believing horrible lies that all those children were better off at Z.

I gasped for air as the flashback ended. I slowly stood up and turned around. Mikan and Hotaru were still there.

And, for probably only the second time in my life, I cried. Cried for all the tears, the pain, for me, Mikan, the four years I'd wasted…

"Mikan…I…"

She was suddenly wrapped around me. Tears poured down her face. I don't know how long we stood there, just crying.

Rain started to come pouring down, almost like the sky was crying with us.

~(Mikan's POV)~

I didn't care that it was raining. I didn't care about the passing drivers staring at us. All I cared about was Natsume. He remembered me. That fact made my heart soar.

When we finally separated, we were both soaking wet. I took his hand and started walking to my house, Hotaru and Aya following closely behind us.

Inside the warmth of my house, I instantly started to dry off, and suddenly realized something. Leading Aya over to where Natsume was sitting, I grinned. "Natsume, meet your daughter, Aya."

~(Natsume's POV)~

It didn't make sense at first. Then I remembered that night. My eyes widened.

"O-our daughter…"

She looks just like me…but I've missed three years of her life…

Tears formed in my eyes. I reached out and hugged her tightly. She looked at Mikan curiously. Mikan nodded, and Aya smiled. Exclaiming, "Daddy!!" she hugged me again.

I looked up, and Mikan was hugging Hotaru, a few tears still running down her cheeks.

"Daddy, watch this!!" I turned to look at Aya, and she suddenly disappeared. I just stared. What the he-

I heard giggling behind me, and I twisted around. Aya was sitting behind the couch, laughing.

Staring at her in complete confusion, Mikan sat beside me "I know. I panicked the first time she did that, too. She has my mom's teleportation alice, and…" He voice trailed off.

Grasping her hand, I whispered in her ear, "She has the fire alice too, doesn't she?"

Mikan simply nodded. "I'm trying to teach her to control it, but it still comes out by itself sometimes."

"I'll help her learn to completely control it."

Mikan smiled. "No one could do that better than you."

Aya suddenly teleported into Mikan's lap. "Mommy, can I stay up all night?" She asked excitedly. Mikan glanced at me.

"No honey, were about to have grown up talk."

"But Mommy…!!!"

"I'll put her to bed." Hotaru came over and picked her up. Walking up the stairs, she told Aya "If you stay up all night, you'll be too tired to play tomorrow." Aya, suddenly exhausted, simply nodded.

I sat silently until Hotaru came back. When she sat down, they both looked at me. Instantly knowing they wanted to hear what had happened to me, I sighed and started telling them my long story.

~(One long story time later…) ~

Mikan was bawling by the time I was finished, and even Hotaru's face had a few tears stains.

"Z is just…they're the most…I can't even explain how evil they are!!!" Mikan exclaimed.

"I know. I can't believe I got tricked by them…" My hands tightened into fists. I shook my head. "They'll pay one day, I swear…" My voice was full of hatred and fury.

Hotaru wiped her eyes, and then looked at the clock. "I should probably go; it's really late."

Mikan leapt up and hugged her, and she left. When Mikan sat back down, she sighed contentedly and leaned back in the chair.

"Yeah, very long day…"

She forced herself to get up "If I sit there too long, I'll fall asleep in the chair! I'm going to bed." She suppressed a yawn.

A thought struck me, "I guess I live here now!" Smirking, I jumped off the couch, grabbed Mikan's hand and drug her into the other room, receiving little protest.

~(Aya's POV)~

I wasn't ready to go to bed, so I snuck out of my room and sat on the top of the stairs, listening to Daddy's story. I didn't understand everything that had happened to Daddy, only that someone called "Z" had made his life sad.

I know! I should find Z and tell him how sad he made Daddy, then he'll tell Daddy he's sorry!

I waited until I was sure Mommy and Daddy had gone to bed, then crept down the stairs as quietly as I could. They didn't come hear me, and I went into the kitchen to get my box of animal crackers.

It might be a long way to Z. This box should last until I get there.

Clutching the box, I opened the back door as quietly as I could and stepped outside. No one tried to bring me back in, so I ran down the sidewalk.

Where would Z be? Oh, maybe he lives in the apartments downtown!

Heading in that direction, it didn't take long for me to get tired. I sat down on a bench along the sidewalk. Suddenly, bright lights shined in my face. A van parked by the curb. Painted on its side was a Z. This must be Z's van!

I stood up just as a man stepped out of the passenger side of the car. "Do you work for Z?" I asked him.

He looked surprised by the question, but answered "Um, yes."

"Can you take me to him?"

Shock, "Sure, sure. Do you have an alice?"

I gasped "Are you psychic?"

He smirked. He moved so fast I didn't even see him rush towards me. There wasn't even time to scream before he had a blindfold over my mouth, and I was thrown into the back of the van.

A/N~ My favorite chapter so far!! What do you guys think? Best one yet? Or one before this? Review!!!