A/N: Chapter 11! Yahoo! I had a hard time writing this… Anyway, hope you guys like this!

Special thanks to zombiecake11290, I really love reading your reviews! I always read your reviews when I have to get inspiration.

Enjoy and don't forget to review!

Chapter 11: Guilt

Koko was getting worried. Natsume said he was just going to talk to her but it's been 30 minutes and Mikan still hasn't arrived.

He couldn't take it anymore and left the library to look for her. He just closed the door when someone bumped into him.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking," the voice said, sounding like it was crying.

Koko looked down to see Mikan's tear-stricken face.

"Mikan? What happened?" Koko asked with concern.

Instead of answering, Mikan hugged him and sobbed into his chest. Koko was dumbfounded but he hugged her back and stroked her hair in a comforting manner. He thanked the heavens that there was no one to witness this.

After a few minutes, Mikan pulled away. She wiped her tears away and forced a smile.

"How do I look?" Mikan asked while fixing her hair.

"You look like you ran a marathon and lost," Koko answered, knowing that honesty is what Mikan needed right now.

"That bad?"

"Yup."

Mikan sighed and said, "I really need a mission right now."

Koko gave her a look.

"I want to get away for a while."

Koko wanted to know more but knew better than to press for more answers, "Let's go see Shiki-san."

Mikan was grateful that Koko understood that she wasn't in the mood to answer question even though she didn't say anything. Koko really did know her.

As it turns out, Shiki did have a mission and was about to call them when they arrived. Shiki wanted them to confirm something that's been bothering him, Hii-sama and Kazumi for a while now.

Mikan and Koko decided to do the mission the next day. They didn't attend their classes but they were sure that Shili has excused them from class. They arrived at the warehouse where Kuonji was supposedly meeting with one of his supporters.

To get inside, Mikan and Koko tied the guards. Incredibly, there were no were no other guards inside.

"They must be with Kuonji in the room," Mikan whispered.

Koko nodded. They walked closer to the room and listened carefully. It was dark inside the warehouse so they didn't have to hide in case somebody was there.

"It is so nice to see you again," Kuonji's voice could be heard saying.

"So nice, my ass. What do you want?" a woman's voice growled.

"The woman sounds familiar," Mikan thought.

"I want you to join me," Kuonji said.

"I told you many times, I am never joining you!" the woman said.

Mikan and Koko heard a thud and a groan.

"Stupid woman! How dare you speak that way to Kuonji-sama!" another woman said.

"Megumi-san, don't hurt her yet," Kuonji said. Mikan and Koko had the feeling that Kuonji was smiling creepily.

"Megumi, get some ice from the cooler in the car. You hurt her pretty bad," a man's voice said.

"Why don't you get it, Sasori? I am not your servant!" Megumi said.

Sasori sighed, "Fine."

Mikan and Koko quickly hid themselves before Sasori went outside. Mikan got a glimpse of what was inside the room. She really wanted Koko to use his X-ray vision Alice but it might trigger a barrier. It was dangerous especially since the woman who helped Kuonji escape was here as well.

She saw Kuonji and the woman she recognized as Megumi. She also saw a woman lying on the ground and she was shocked. She started thinking that maybe it was an illusion but it couldn't be because they heard a very real groan.

"Koko, we need to go now! I'll teleport us out of here and I don't care if it triggers the barrier. We have to go now," Mikan insisted.

"What's wrong Mikan? What did you see?" Koko asked, worried.

"I'll tell you later but right now, we have to go," Mikan said.

"You are not going anywhere," a voice behind them said. It was Sasori.

The door to the room opened to reveal Kuonji and Megumi.

"My, my, if it isn't Sakura Mikan. Or should I say, Yukihira Mikan? It's been a long time," Kuonji said with a smile.

"Kuonji," Mikan said calmly.

"You're probably wondering how we found out you're here. Well you see, I learned from a past mistake. I planted a small camera on one of the guards. I was quite surprised to see that it was you. I was actually expecting it to Ibaragi or Andou but I guess this is better."

Mikan looked around. Sasori and Megumi were the only ones with Kuonji. She looked at Koko and he nodded in understanding while Kuonji was still busy talking.

"In short, you won't be able to escape," Kuonji finished.

Suddenly, Sasori and Megumi's feet were encased in ice. Mikan made icicles and sent it to their direction. They weren't able to find out if it hit them because Mikan immediately held Koko's hand and teleported back to the academy. It took a lot of her willpower to ignore the pain that shot through her body when the barrier was triggered. She became a bit disoriented and the last thing she saw was her classroom before darkness took over.

Mikan was standing in an explosion. The smoke cleared and she saw the day her mother died. Azumi Yuka was lying on the ground and Mikan could see her 11 year old self crying.

"Why am I here?" Mikan asked, tears running down her face.

The scene changed and she saw her dad, being affected by Persona's alice.

"Otou-san!" Mikan screamed.

"Mikan, Mikan!" a woman's voice was heard.

"It's alright, Mikan," a man said.

Mikan stood in the middle of the forest. She was wearing a white sundress and sandals. She heard footsteps behind her. She quickly turned around and was surprised at who she saw.

"Okaa-san, Otou-san?" Mikan quietly said.

"What's with the face Mikan?" Izumi asked with a smile.

Yuka quickly hugged Mikan and said, "I really missed you, my daughter."

Mikan was starting to cry and hugged her mother back. Her father joined them and put his arms around the two of them.

When they pulled away, they all sat down on the blanket and started to eat. Mikan suddenly remembered something.

"Wait! Why am I here? Am I dead?" Mikan nervously asked.

"Hmmm? Of course not! Aren't you happy to see us?" Izumi asked.

"Of course I'm happy but if I'm not dead, what am I doing here?"

Izumi and Yuka suddenly looked serious.

"Mikan, what do you remember?" Yuka asked.

"I remember that I was on a mission with Koko. We saw Kuonji and the woman who helped him escape. They were making another woman join them but she refused. Why do you asked?" Mikan was confused.

Yuka ignored the question and asked, "Did you see who the woman was?"

"It was…" Mikan trailed off. Realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Igarashi Kaoru."

"Yes, Kaoru-senpai never died. Kuonji made it look like she died in an accident but they took her when she got hit by the bus and replaced her with someone that looks just like her. They used an alice similar to Goshima Hijiri's," Yuka explained.

"Why would they do that?"

"Kaoru-chan was one of Aniki's most trusted spies. She knows details of the plans. Kuonji wanted to dispose of Aniki because Aniki was against him," Izumi explained.

Yuka knelt in front of Mikan, "Mikan, please save Kaoru-senpai. It's a miracle that her alice hasn't killed her yet. She needs medical attention. I know that you've been looking for a way to save Hyuuga Natsume. Save her, too."

Mikan nodded, "I promise."

"It's time to wake up, Mikan," Yuka said.

"But I don't want to leave you," Mikan said.

"We are very proud of you, Mikan. Very, very proud," Yuka said with affection.

Izumi and Yuka hugged Mikan again.

"We are always with you in here," Izumi pointed to Mikan's heart.

Yuka and Izumi disappeared.

"Mikan! Mikan!" a voice was heard.

"Who's there?" Mikan said.

"Mikan! Wake up!"

"Hotaru?" Mikan said.

"Mikan! It's just a dream! Mikan, wake up!"

Mikan slowly opened her eyes. Hotaru was looking at her with a worried look. She helped Mikan sit up.

"What happened?" Mikan asked.

"You were trashing around and you were crying," Hotaru answered while wiping away Mikan's tears.

Mikan looked around the room. She saw Tsubasa, Misaki, Nobara, Sakurano, Natsume, Subaru, Ruka, Sumire, Iinchou, Yoichi, Anna, Nonoko, Kitsu and Hotaru. They were all looking at her with worry and concern.

"Where's Koko?" Mikan asked.

"He's talking to the principals," Nobara answered.

"How long have I been unconscious?" Mikan asked.

"You've been out for 2 days. We were expecting you to wake up next week," Tsubasa answered.

"What do you remember?" Natsume asked.

"I remembered seeing Kuonji and trying to teleport Koko and myself back to the academy," Mikan answered, "Is he hurt?"

"He only has small injuries. According to him, you tried to use an alice while there was a powerful barrier. It's a good thing you only fainted," Misaki said.

Mikan was staring at the wall.

"Mikan?" Ruka started.

Mikan tried to get out of bed.

"What are you doing?" Natsume asked.

"I have something important to tell Shiki-san. It's an emergency," Mikan said.

"You're hurt! You have to rest!" Hotaru argued.

"I've been unconscious for 2 days. I think I've rested enough," Mikan argued back.

The door opened.

"Mikan, lie down," Kazumi said.

"Uncle! I have something to tell you!" Mikan said.

"I believe this is classified information. The others who are not a part of this, please leave," Shiki said.

"We're not going anywhere!" Natsume said.

"Shut up Hyuuga!" Mikan loudly said.

"Everyone, please leave. This is very important," Hii-sama pleaded.

"Koko!" Mikan said, "Are you okay?"

Koko just nodded.

Iinchou, Anna, Nonoko, Kitsu, Sumire and Ruka turned to leave but Natsume and Hotaru stared at Mikan. Mikan just looked at Hotaru with determination.

Finally, Hotaru sighed, "Fine. Just stay on the bed. Come on, Hyuuga."

Natsume grudgingly left.

When the door closed, Mikan took a deep breath and said, "Igarashi Kaoru is alive."

Everyone in the room gasped.

"Are you sure?" Nobara asked.

Mikan nodded, "I saw her. She was the one that Kuonji was trying to convince."

"I see. This confirms things," Kazumi said.

Everyone looked at him, confused.

"Last year, we received a report that someone spotted Kaoru in a warehouse. She was heavily injured but before the man could help her, a group of guard apprehended her. He didn't know where she was brought," Shiki replied.

"Last year?" Mikan had a disbelieving look on her face.

"Yes, that was why I went to see Hyuuga Ioran. He said that he her body before it was cremated. That's why I thought that the man must have hallucinated." Kazumi said.

"Well, I wasn't! I saw her!" Mikan was yelling.

"We believe you. We didn't give up even after talking to Hyuuga Ioran. We already put spies all around Japan. We tried tracking her but we didn't find her. Then I received another report on Saturday night that she was spotted again. That was why I sent you," Shiki explained.

"But if she's alive, whose body was cremated?" Misaki asked.

"They replaced her with a body that had her features and face. They used an alice similar to Goshima Hijiri's," Mikan calmly replied.

"How do you know this, Mikan no kimi?" Hii-sama asked.

"Okaa-san and Otou-san visited me in my dreams. They were the ones who told me," Mikan said with a small smile.

"I see. Yes, that is a possibility," Hii-sama said.

"Wait, somebody told you in your dream?" Tsubasa asked with disbelief.

Mikan nodded but she could tell that Tsubasa didn't believe her.

"Sometimes, late loved ones visit us in our dreams. It is more like a vision than a dream. They must have been very worried about you," Hii-sama explained.

"We will have to plan carefully. Please excuse us. I am very sure your friends are still very worried," Shiki said.

The three principals left her room and the ones who left came back inside.

"Mikan-chan, are you okay?" Anna asked.

Mikan suddenly felt very thirsty. She just nodded. Koko handed her a glass of water. She quickly emptied the glass and gave it back to him, "Thank you."

Koko gave her a sad smile.

"Koko, is there something wrong?" Mikan asked. She was getting worried. Koko hasn't said anything since she woke up.

Koko shook his head, "I'm going to take a walk."

"Koko," Mikan whispered. Koko left the room.

"Don't worry Mikan. We'll go talk to him," Tsubasa said. He and Misaki followed Koko.

"What wrong with him?" Natsume asked, "He doesn't talk and when he does, he says that he's going to take a walk and left."

"You don't understand, Natsume-kun. Koko-kun blames himself for what happened to Mikan-chan," Nobara defended Koko.

"But it wasn't his fault. It was mine! I was the one who used the Teleportation Alice while there was a barrier!" Mikan said. She can't believe that Koko was blaming himself.

"Yes, but he still blames himself. He says that it was his job to protect you but you still ended up getting hurt," Sakurano said.

"I want to talk to him. I have to explain to him that it wasn't his fault," Mikan said with sadness.

"We'll help them look for him. Come on, Ibaragi-san," Sakurano said.

Sakurano and Nobara left Mikan's room to look for Koko. Nobara was blushing hard.

"I can't believe Yome-san blames himself for what happened to Mikan. It really wasn't his fault," Sakurano said, breaking the silence.

"He said that he was the one who was supposed to be protecting Mikan-chan but instead, she was the one who got hurt. He really takes Mikan-chan's safety seriously," Nobara replied without stuttering.

Sakurano sighed, "Well, what would you do if you were in Koko's place?"

"I-I g-guess," Nobara took a deep breath, "I'd feel the same way. Koko-kun has feelings for Mikan-chan so he's seeing this as a failure not only in his 'duty' to protect her but as someone who loves her. He thinks that he isn't worthy to be with her. I'd feel the same way if it involves the one I love."

Nobara was looking at him when she said the last sentence. There was a blush across her cheeks but she didn't look away. Sakurano had a shocked look on his face. Somehow, he was able to hear her true feelings.

"I'd feel the same way if it involves you."

Sakurano coughed nervously, "Um… we should go and look for Yome-san."

"Alright," Nobara replied with slight disappointment.

When they found Koko, he was talking to Tsubasa and Misaki.

"Koko-kun, Mikan-chan's looking for you," Nobara said.

"I don't want to see her. Every time I see her in that hospital bed, I feel guilty. I should have stopped the barrier or something," Koko sighed.

"She doesn't believe that it's your fault. She really wants to talk to you. She's getting worried," Sakurano said.

"Koko, just talk to her," Tsubasa said.

"Fine, I'll go talk to her," Koko said, defeated.

Meanwhile

After Sakurano closed the door, Mikan turned to Hotaru.

"You were worried about me," Mikan smirked.

"No, I wasn't. I just didn't want to lose my servant," Hotaru teased.

Mikan stuck her tongue out while everybody else laughed.

"Mikan-chan, I have a question. Why did you call Natsume-kun by his surname?" Anna asked.

Everybody looked at Mikan expectantly.

"Because his name is Hyuuga Natsume. I mean, it's still his name, right?" Mikan said seriously.

"I mean you used to call him 'Natsume'. What happened? I thought you guys were getting back together?" Sumire asked.

Mikan glared at Natsume, "No, we weren't and aren't getting back together."

Everyone's jaws dropped.

"Why?" Sumire asked.

"I thought you'd be happy about this, Permy."

Sumire was about to say something when someone knocked on the door. Ruka opened it and Koko came in.

"They said you wanted to see me," Koko said while looking at the floor.

"Yeah, I did. Everyone, please leave the room," Mikan said.

This time, nobody hesitated. They went outside and closed the door.

"I was sure that you were going to hesitate again, Imai," Ruka said.

Hotaru held up a small screen and said, "I put an electronic bug in the room. I also put a camera that resembles the flowers in her room. I want to know what they're talking about. Are you guys in?"

Everyone was impressed, "As expected of the Blackmailing Queen!"

Inside the room

"Come here, Koko," Mikan said.

Koko reluctantly went to stand beside her.

"Koko, look at me."

Koko looked at her with guilt written on his face.

"It's not your fault. None of this is," Mikan calmly said while looking him in the eyes.

"It is my fault. I shouldn't have asked you questions. I should have just gone along with your plan. I'm so sorry," Koko said while bowing his head.

Mikan cupped his face and brought it up so that he was looking at her.

"It's-not-your-fault," Mikan emphasized, "I should have told you why. I shouldn't have teleported without telling you the reason."

Koko looked unconvinced.

Mikan sighed, "If it makes you feel better, I'll accept your apology. So stop blaming yourself, okay?"

Koko finally nodded and smiled. Mikan hugged him tightly.

"So, would you mind telling me why you were crying last Sunday?" Koko asked.

"I was hoping you'd forget that."

"Well, that was quite impossible. I even had half a mind to interrogate Natsume-kun. He was the last one you were with."

Outside the room, Hotaru glared at Natsume, "What did you do?" Natsume shrugged.

"He was pestering me to think about our relationship," Mikan explained.

"And?"

"I told him I haven't thought about it yet. Then he asked me if I still loved him."

"What did you say?" Koko nervously asked.

"I told him that I don't know," Mikan said.

"What?" Koko asked again, not sure if he heard her right.

"I told him that I don't know," Mikan repeated.

Koko looked at her with his eyebrows raised.

"It's just that I love him at the same time I don't. Do you get it?"

Koko just stared at her.

Mikan sighed frustratingly, "It's kind of complicated."

"I figured that. So why did you cry?"

"He tried to kiss me," Mikan said with a blush, not an embarrassed blush but an angry blush.

"He did what?"

"He pushed me against a tree and tried to kiss me," Mikan said with an angry tone, "I slapped him. Hard."

Mikan's eyes were brimming with unshed tears.

"I don't know what he would have done if I didn't slap him. I saw this strange glint in his eyes and I got scared."

"Mikan," Koko said quietly.

"He had a picnic ready and everything but I just didn't feel happy. Plus, we were in a place where there was no one else. I also called him an ass."

"Well, good for you," Koko said without sarcasm.

Mikan chuckled then she said with a serious voice, "I didn't really expect him to do that."

Koko hugged her tightly, "Do you want me to kick his ass?"

"Nah. But you can kick his ass if he tries something again," Mikan said with a smile.

Outside the room, Natsume was against a wall with Hotaru's Baka gun pointed at his face.

"How dare you?" Hotaru growled.

"Imai, calm down," Ruka tried to say.

"Calm down? Calm down?" Hotaru was raising her voice now, "He tried to kiss her even when she said that she hasn't decided yet! He tried make her decide on the spot and you want me to calm down!"

"What I did was wrong and I know that now. I wasn't thinking back then," Natsume answered guiltily.

"Yes, you weren't! You were too desperate, Hyuuga! Now, you really don't have any chance with her. Don't come near her if you don't want to die!" Hotaru threatened.

"I'm sorry!" Natsume said.

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to Mikan but I think that you'll have a hard time doing that considering that Koko might not leave her side anymore," Hotaru said.

Natsume sighed. He really messed this up.

End of chapter.