Disclaimer- I do not own Gakuen Alice, or any of it's characters.

OK, SO ALL OF LAST CHAPTER WAS A DREAM/FLASHBACK NATSUME HAD. IT REALLY HAPPENED, IN THE PAST

sorry for the confusion O_O

NATSUME'S POV

I woke up with a jolt, out of breath, only to be greeted by darkness. The past hours seemed blurry, and I only half-remembered what happened. How it had started pouring, and we found a cave to hide in. But the only thing on my mind was that dream.

For some reason, it wasn't like the others. For nights, I have had nightmares, memories that have been haunting me. My past that I have tried so hard to forget has re-played over and over in my dreams, but this dream was different. It was a memory that wasn't as sour as the others. One that I wouldn't mind remembering.

And why hadn't I remembered sooner? No duh was the person snoring on the cave floor next to me the same one that had be-friend my sister the winter we lost Mom.

My sister. Aoi.

Suddenly, I didn't want to remember that memory, and I willed my thoughts in another direction. I thought of what had happened before we got into this cave.

It was pouring outside, and we fell. My arm hurts like hell, so I guess that we were probably both injured. Then we wandered around slowly for a few minutes until we found this cave. And then the rest i forgot.

With a searing pain in my left arm, I gave-up trying to stand, and instead looked around. The cave was pretty dark, but I could make out the out-lines of sharp rocks all around us. There were small puddles, and the dripping of water was heard every few seconds. Drip, drop, drip, drop, if you concentrated long enough on it, it would drive you insane.

I looked to my right and saw Mikan laying on her back. Her eyes were closed, making her look innocent, just like on the day we first met. Innocent and fragile, just like a porcelain doll. Drop her once, she'll be scarred. Drop her twice, she'll be broken.

Drip Drop Drip Drop

I looked up ahead, and saw a big stone wall To my left was a long corridor, and behind me was another wall, from which I propped myself up. No light came from either left or right. From which way did we come?

What time was it?

What was the date?

How long did we sleep for?

But I guess it didn't matter. It didn't matter that we were lost in a cave in the middle of a mountain located in the middle of the Bahamas.

What a great vacation this was turning out to be. Bonding? Yeah. We REALLY bonded. Now I know she was the mysterious little girl that brightened up my dead sisters life, and now she knows that I'm a jackass. Just great, isn't it? The perfect way to start off a vacation.

Suddenly, the chain that connected our handcuffs rattled, and Mikan sat upright, her eyes barely open.

"Mommy, can you open the lights for me?" she said in a tired voice looking around. Suddenly her wry eyes rested on me, and she raised an eyebrow, "Mommy, there's a creepy boy in my bed. He looks scary. I bet hes a rapist. Oh wait, Nastume, is that you? Oh, I was right! It is a rapist!" she let out a loud laugh, that echoed through the cave, and suddenly I felt dead-on scared. Her voice sounded tired, and her back was slumbed down. She looked around, a creepy/tired smile on her face. Was she sleep-talking? No... I don't think people sleep-talk with their eyes open.

Oh, shit. I'm hand-cuffed to a fricken maniac. What am I supposed to do. Why is she smiling like that? And did she call me a rapist? She is so gonna get it once she turns sane.

Suddenly, I got an idea.

With the hand that was cuffed to hers, I slapped her face, sending a loud smack through the cave.

Her eyes widened, and her free hand suddenly pressed against her rosy cheek. And then she started whining. Oh, god, that was not a good idea.

"Narsume, why did you slap me? Natsume, that hurt. Ugh, my cheek hurts. Owww, that was mean, Natsume! Oww!"

"Shut UP," I yelled, finally shutting her up. She looked up at me, her hand still pressed against her rosy cheek.

"We better get going," I say. I stood up, pulling her up as well. After another minute of useless whining, she finally decided to spare me hte useless jabbering.

We walked in silence. I was in front and she was sulking behind.

Finally, after a few minutes of walking, we arrived to the mouth of the cave, but neither of us liked what we saw.

The sky was just as dark, and rain pitter-pattered on the soft ground. In the distance, a slab of white light ripped across the sky, making the ground shake at the loud boom.

I looked down at Mikan, who was watching the falling rain, intently.

She wasn't smiling, but her eyes held the same childish happiness they did so long ago, when we first met. A childish innocence.

Suddenly, a picture popped into my mind. It was of Mikan on the day we first met. She was sitting on that bench, beaming a smile at Aoi, who was standing up next to her. Aoi was looking down, and also smiling. A smile not quite as care-free as Mikan's, but still full of childish happiness. I suddenly had the biggest urge to ask Mikan, to see if those days weren't just dreams.

I looked down and Mikan, who was looking at the falling rains. She wasn't beaming a smile, but her eyes held a similar happiness, just as they did then. It seems she hasn't changed one hit, and before I could stop myself, I asked the question that was on my mind since I woke up.

"Mikan, do you remember those days when you played in a park with a young girl? It was many many years ago, and the girl had black hair and red eyes, kinda like me? You probably don't so-" Suddenly, Mikan looked up at me from the rain, and a large smile spread across her face. Her eyes were wide, and at that moment a wave spread over me. I don't know what it was. Relief that it wasn't just a dream, loss that I no longer had Aoi, or maybe it was something else, but at that moment I felt different, almost happy, for some reason.

"Aoi!" Mikan shouted, and it surprised me how much that single name could bring such a flood of emotions. I hadnt heard that name in so long, and now that I finally hear it, it sounds so alive.

"I remember Aoi! She was this girl that I met, and she was sick, so I gave her a cough drop, and we became friends," Mikan said, still smiling, making me want to smile too. That actually made me want to laugh. Aoi had pretended to be sick so that she could fool Mikan, but in the end, she ended up with a friend that still remembered her so many years after. For some reason this made me... glad.

But suddenly, Mikan's smile faded. Making my happiness die down. I had forgotten how cold the world was without that smile.

"But...how did you know about Aoi?" Mikan asked, surprised.

It was surprising enough that Mikan remembered Aoi, I would never expect her to have remembered that Aoi had a brother. And then, she surprised me again.

"I remember that Aoi had a brother. He used to ignore me though, and so I don't remember him much. But I do remember that I thought he was amazingly handsome. I would say that you are her brother, but your not the least bit good-looking, and Aoi would probably be here if she was. So... how did you know? You were a stalker back then, too?" she asked

When hearing those words, my happiness faded. I wasn't sad, but I wasn't happy either. She had a point, and I didn't know whether I should tell her or not. If I told her and she asked Senri about it, I don't know what would happen, so I decided to tell her that Aoi and I weren't related.

"No. Its just that I met her also many years ago at a park while I was traveling with Senri. She...told me if I ever met a girl named Mikan, that I should tell her thank you from her part" that was absolutely the stupidest excuse I have ever heard in my life, and I knew that only an idiot would believe it, but that's the exact reason I told it to her. Because Mikan is an idiot.

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Sorry it took so long to update. I wrote a lot, and then my stupid computer...erased... it all. AND IT WAS SO WELL WRITTEN AND NEAT AND...

deep breaths...deep breaths

Well...im sorry if its kinda confusing. PLEASE COMMENT AND REVIEW

if you have any question or are confused...then...well... comment if you are, and Ill clear it all up next chapter.

HOPE YOU ENJOYED! AND THANK YOU FOR READING SO LONG.