Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice. Tachibana Higuchi does.
A/N: Many have been questioning me on how things came out like this, so I'll probably answer those.
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Tsubasa was up the tree branch, his head rested on the trunk and his bonnet pulled down to hide his eyes.
The sun was starting to dip itself in the horizon, coloring the sky with different shades of red and orange.
He pulled his bonnet up, revealing a pair of azure orbs. Traces of different emotions welled up in them, as he stared to the orange sky.
And it reminded him of a certain brunette.
"Mikan…" He uttered her name in a low voice.
-Flashback-
"Well?"
"No, I haven't seen her either." Otonashi answered.
"Why don't you use your divination alice?" the senior hovered above her, making her feel like she was just a mere drat.
She eyed him with those eerie eyes.
Then, he realized.
Oh no. That was a stupid question.
"No way you're gonna make me." Tsubasa shook his head fiercely.
"Fine, have it your way."
"You don't even have any clue as to where she is?" he was getting a little impatient.
"No. She didn't attend class this morning."
"Ok. Thanks anyway." He ran his way back to the High school building, trying to catch up before the bell rang. It was a Friday, and later on that afternoon they will have their alice-based class.
He wanted to spend lunch time with her, away from the senior fan-girls.
Yes, Tsubasa Andou, being the delinquent he is, caught the attention not only of the administration but the whole school. During his junior high years, he became notorious for his pranks and rebellious attitude.
But when he stepped to his senior years, he grew hotter and utterly gorgeous, earning him his fan girls and a new name in the school as the Hot Senior Delinquent.
Well, back to the topic at hand.
As he ran, he looked everywhere he knew she could be, but she was nowhere in sight.
Then, his eyes caught sight of a familiar Sakura Tree.
He was quite ecstatic when he ran towards it, but as the view steered clear, his steps slowed its pace as his earlier smile escaped his lips.
True she was there, sleeping with her usual angelic face.
But so was he, the little brat he always envied.
They were sleeping together, her head rested in his chest while they were enveloped in a sweet embrace.
"No…" was all he could utter. His face dimmed as his eyes disappeared beneath his bangs.
He turned around, and walked away from the scene as he felt his heart stop beating.
-End of Flashback-
He felt down. So down that he wanted his breath to snap, his life escaping with it.
He tried to recall the times when Mikan would always hug him and let him carry her in his arms. But that was all he was to her.
A sempai. A big brother. Nothing else.
He thought of her as a sister too. Because she was still small at that time. But the years came by like days and she had grown into a fine woman.
Her innocent angelic face still looked young among girls her age, which looked even more astonishing when she smiled.
Her auburn curls that lost the pigtails, flowing behind her as they danced in the wind.
Her body that developed perfect curves in all the right places,
Her pink cheeks and luscious lips that curved into that pretty smile.
And her jolly disposition that never fails to cheer everyone around her.
Tsubasa released a deep sigh to ease his heavy chest.
Just then, he felt a presence beside him. He cocked his head sideways.
He was greeted by a fist, landing a punch on his cheek and made him plummet down with his face flat on the ground.
"Itai…!" Tsubasa roared in pain. "Harada!!!"
The clone disappeared with a puff of smoke.
"Gee, you don't have to be up there when you're so down, ne? It just doesn't go in the same sentence." She answered, ignoring the anger in his voice.
He looked up to see his pink-haired best friend towering above him with her hands on her hips and a frown outlining her pretty face.
"You didn't have to do that if you just wanted to cheer me up!" He yelled at her as he stood up and brushed his uniform.
"Well at least I got your attention. If I hadn't done that, you wouldn't even pay me the least bit attention even if I screamed my lungs out from down here while you were up there drowning yourself in misery!" She retorted with a-matter-of-factly voice.
Well, she was right. He was so lost in his misery that he wasn't minding people that passed by. Heck, he didn't even notice that it was past 6, meaning, he missed his alice-based class.
"So, have you wasted enough time here already? I left you alone so you can spend time with your sorry self. I even had to convince the others that you had something better to do than show yourself in Tokuryoku-kei!" She was obviously pissed. "Although that is highly unlikely" She placed her index finger on her lower lip.
Tsubasa's expression went back from angry to serious. He stared back at the sky, then whispered.
"I don't think she's ever gonna notice, Misaki."
"Well what would you expect? That kid's as dense as a rock. She'll never figure things out on her own even if you shove it in her face." Misaki shook her head.
"…"
Misaki added," I can't believe someone could get as dense as that. Sheesh!"
"But I can't tell her. I wouldn't be able to take it if our friendship was put to jeopardy because of my feelings."
Misaki gave him a whack on the head.
"ITAII!!!!!!!" Tsubasa held his growing lump.
"What the heck are you thinking!!! You don't want to put your relationship on the rocks for something better?! I can't believe you!" Misaki gave out a deep sigh.
"You're brave enough to disregard the Academy rules yet you can't even tell the girl you like how you feel!?!"
"…"
"What a coward." Misaki rolled her eyes.
Tsubasa lowered his head. "Yeah. I am a coward."
"It's good that you realized that. Now take a risk and go tell her how you feel."
"But what if she rejects me?"
"Then there's nothing you can do. If you really do love her, then you'll be happy whenever she is, even if it's not by your side."
Tsubasa pondered on those words. Then, he heaved a sigh and gave a small smile.
"Thanks Misaki. Even though you have the tendency to torture me and kill me, you're still the best."
"No need to say it. I already know I'm the best." She winked. "Besides being the prettiest that is."
"Yeah. Says the stupid pink-haired monkey named Misaki Harada." He taunted her.
A bold cross mark popped out of Misaki's head.
"TSUBASA!!!" They began chasing each other around, with Misaki shaking her fist while Tsubasa tried to escape from her lethal punches.
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The cold wind blew against her cheek as the leaves slowly fell from the trees. The sky was dark and gloomy, signaling autumn's departure and winter's approach.
Mikan unconsciously hugged herself and blew hard on her hands to keep them warm.
She was on her way to the library when someone called her name rather harshly, making her snap.
"Oi! Sakura-teme!" Shouted a rather pissed Sumire Shouda, walking towards her. She was followed by a horde of girlies, which she recognized as Ruka and Natsume's fan girls.
Mikan resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She knew what this is about.
Natsume and Ruka.
"What now, Permy?"
"Haven't you learned yet, Sakura? Never… EVER… go involve yourself with Natsume and Ruka?" Sumire screeched with her fists clenched.
Her Barbie doll friends nodded in agreement.
"It's not my fault that I get involved with them. For one, they're my friends, not to mention my classmates. Another, it's not my fault that things turn out like this. It's circumstances, you know." She explained calmly.
"Oh stop giving excuses." It was Sumire's turn to roll her eyes.
"Yeah!" a random girl said. The others nodded in agreement.
"And besides, for all we know, you're just being a slut." A smirk appeared in Sumire's irritated face.
Mikan felt a pang of anger in her heart.
"Even though Natsume pushes you away over and over again, you still continue to follow him everywhere he goes, throwing yourself at him everytime.
"…"
"And not only that, you're even seducing Ruka-kun, we saw you in his room! How dare you!" A random girl butt in.
"Yeah! And you even won't let go of that senior, Andou Tsubasa! How low can you get!" Another fan girl mocked.
Mikan wasn't answering anymore. The fan girls eyed her with disgust.
"What happened, can't even say something for yourself? Cause everything's true?"
"You…." Mikan raised her head. Her eyes began to darken, which made the fan girls cringe.
"Have no right… at all…" She said in a low voice.
"To make judgements about me." she stressed all the words she gave.
"Because I'm not the slut here. YOU ARE." Her eyes were glinted with anger.
She turned her back at their shocked faces. They never expected Mikan Sakura to retaliate that way. She wasn't screaming and all.
Her voice was full of seriousness, and that meant one thing.
They have offended her, much more than they intended to.
They went quiet. They were all too stunned to say anything.
Mikan forgot about her errand at the library, and decided to go back to her room.
As soon as she got to her room, she let go of the tears that she has been holding back.
As fate would have it, Ruka passed by her dorm room. He was there to thank her for helping him when he was sick.
To his surprise, he heard her sobbing in her room.
"Mikan…" The blonde started to knock softly on her door.
She brushed away her tears rather harshly as she tried to fix her face and her disheveled hair.
She opened the door.
"Yes?"
Mikan tried to force a smile, to avoid making her friend worried.
Ruka eyed her with concern. The cheerful aura that always surrounded her seemed to have faded, not to mention he was sure he heard her sobbing a while ago.
"Something wrong?" He asked straightforwardly.
"E-eh? No, nothing's wrong." She pinched her cheeks. "See?"
"I don't think that someone who cries is alright."
"I'm not crying. Really." She protested
"Don't try to convince me you're alright. Because you won't be able to. You're the worst liar in the world, you know that?"
She felt Ruka brush his finger on her cheek to wipe away a tear. That gave her away.
Mikan couldn't contain herself anymore. She threw her arms around him and cried in his chest.
"There… there." Ruka comforted her as he ran his fingers through her auburn locks.
Two figures stood in her room, trying to comfort each other's confusion as they let themselves get lost in a sweet embrace.
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A/N:
Sorry for the late late update. I was having trouble at home… AGAIN
Well, thanks for all those who reviewed! I did introduce Yuki before, but he and Mikan haven't seen each other. So, watch out for that, ok?
So, I hope I answered the questions of those who asked before, why Mikan suddenly became famous and how Tsubasa developed feelings for her, ne? (Well, since they are so close and it's quite evident that they may develop that relationship, its not far from happening.)
I'll try to update sooner, ok?