Disclaimer: Don't own FMA or GA. If I ever do you guys would be the first to know.

A/N: This has been a long way coming I know. I sincerely apologise for my hiatus. I'm not completely off-hiatus, but I will try to update sooner in the long-run.

Chapter 11

She was all right. She was perfectly fine. Really she was. It was a pity that Misaki didn't believe her. Because it would've saved her from being mothered around after the mission. And classes hadn't even begun for the day yet. And as much as Mikan wanted to hate Tsubasa for it, she couldn't since the boy was doing his best to get the pink haired girl to stop.

"Really Misaki I don't think she needs it. She'd tell you she doesn't need it if it didn't strain her throat." Tsubasa said trying to pry Misaki off the brunette.

"Misaki-senpai, please, I'm really fine." Mikan rasped before massaging her throat, to ease the pain.

"No you're not. You just had a mission last night and, you've been doing missions continuously for the past three weeks, and………… mmph!" She was cut off by Tsubasa placing his hand over her mouth. She began to struggle in his grip.

"If Mikan says she's fine, then she's fine. You aren't helping by forcing her to talk and injure her throat more." Tsubasa said with a note of finality that ceased Misaki's struggles. This of course caused Mikan to heave a rather audible sigh of relief, and shoot an extremely grateful look to Tsubasa, who smiled back. The Shadow Manipulator had really taken his task of caring for her to hand inexplicably well. And Mikan knew it was out of his own heart rather than just being requested to do so by Ed. That had just acted as a catalyst. Tsubasa was always her caring older brother in this academy.

It didn't matter that she never had any blood ties to the boy. After all not all bonds needed blood.

"Misaki you go on ahead. I'll drop Mikan to her class." He informed the pink haired girl. "You can probably finish the homework Jinno gave us if you make it in time." He added.

Misaki nodded, said her goodbyes, promised to meet Mikan for lunch, and ran off. Both Tsubasa and Mikan heaved sighs of relief as they saw their friend disappear.

"I'm glad we managed to avoid that." Tsubasa said.

"Misaki-senpai isn't that stupid. She'll figure it out eventually. She probably already knows. I don't know why you insist on keeping these things from her. I'm no angel, or saint, Tsubasa-sempai. I'm a solider, a tool, and a cold hearted killer when I have to be." Mikan grumbled, activating her homunculus abilities. She was tired of rasping and the strain speaking had on her throat.

"Yeah I understand." The boy replied tiredly. His lack of sleep from the previous nights was showing. He'd given up on trying to convince Mikan that she wasn't completely all of the things she said she was. Especially after the state, he saw the girl in a few nights back. The girl was completely broken over first mission for the school. And in her distant grieving, she'd spilled her guts on the mission and what happened.

I just erased someone's existence. Erased him from the face of the planet. And he seemed like a nice person too. Maybe if we'd met under different circumstance I would've probably liked him. He seemed like the type who loved children. Ne I think he probably had a family too. Seemed like a family man. Probably had a few kids too from the looks of it. One recently too. He looked liked he was used to changing diapers, and smelt of baby powder. Wonder what'll happen to his family? After all, it was such a clean Erasing too. No blood, no stains, no remains, no evidence. Nothing left at all. A perfect Erasure. Did I erase him from their memories too? Will they think he abandoned them? Will they sit hoping that he'll come back to them someday? Even if it's in the form of a dead corpse?

He shook the memory away. It was so heartbreakingly sad seeing Mikan in that state. "But there's a small part of her that hopes that the other Mikan exists in there too. I don't want her to lose that hope. Especially when I believe it too."

The brunette shrugged, slipping a cigarette between her lips and lighting it. "To each his own." She merely said, getting up from her seat to head for class, while Tsubasa did the same. The entire walk was a silent one, but not an uncomfortable one. Tsubasa had a whole calming air around him that always made Mikan feel comfortable. They reached her class rather quickly.

She parted ways with him with his usual kiss on the forehead, and the promise of meeting during break time. Or at least that was what she expected since it had become their normal custom. So she was surprised when he still stood there waiting for her to go inside, one encouraging hand on the small of her back. She moved to protest, but the look he gave her silenced her. "Things have changed since you last studied here, I'm sure you've noticed. Nothing can be kept a secret for more then an hour or so. I haven't forgotten you partnered up with Natsume last night. And most likely, everyone here already knows that. They'll pounce on you the moment you enter, like they have been doing so for the past three weeks. We both know that. I'll wait till you get settled down. I'll sit with you if it's what's needed. And no, I won't get into trouble for it. I worked out some things with your uncle to make sure I'm allowed to take care of you freely. I'm not going to allow you to get bullied or disturbed anymore, and take it lying down. I should've started doing this earlier when you first schooled here."

If Mikan had remembered how to cry at that very moment, she probably would've burst into grateful tears. She really would've. Instead, she settled for leaning against Tsubasa and forcing herself to rasp a painful, but heartfelt sincere 'thank you'.

Tsubasa merely wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her gently, rubbing her arm comfortingly. "Shall we go in?" he asked and she breathed deeply before nodding affirmative.

The class was in its usual state of early morning chaos when they entered. Though everything seemed to stop the moment she set foot inside class, and everyone turned to her expecting her to say something. They quickly went back to whatever they were doing, the moment Tsubasa stepped in behind her. Tsubasa was right about news spreading really quickly in the Academy. She sighed, suddenly very glad that Tsubasa had decided to stay with her. It seemed that she'd probably have a very peaceful day thanks to him.

Tsubasa was right in his unspoken assumption of Natsume wanting answers. He'd probably wanted them since the first day she came back. But fortunately, for her, he couldn't ask because of Persona's interruptions calling her out of class to discuss another mission. Or Narumi, or Misaki, or some other teacher would call her out for her sessions with the doctors. (She was genuinely surprised on knowing that she had real well-wishers amongst the staff.)

Mikan had noticed him sending curious glances her way during all the lectures leading up to break. She steadily ignored him, and instead struck up a warm conversation about their Alices with Yuu, Anna, and Nonoko, who'd all taken the chance of getting her free for once to talk to her, via Koko. Well it was more like she was dragged into the conversation but seeing everyone's faces she didn't have the heart to protest. They were so genuinely concerned about how her recovery was progressing, and her 'New Alice' that Mikan had to stifle the urge to simply hug them all. For some weird reason they seemed to think that Mikan's Alchemic Alice was the type that drained life energy, when it really wasn't. Well it was if someone used their own soul as energy in a transmutation, as each soul was a mini-philosophers stone, but Mikan really wasn't about to tell them that.

For some reason they also thought it was Mikan's 'Alice' of Alchemy that restricted her ability to talk.

"Not really. It isn't that at all." Mikan forced herself to rasp monotonously. "My best friend, and somewhat surrogate cousin Ralph went into coma, around a year ago. So he's more of a living vegetable now. And it followed Grandpa's, and my Godmother's deaths. So I went into depression. Side effects occurred. End of story." She shrugged.

Yuu hugged her so tightly right then and there, that Mikan found herself unable to breathe. He was followed by Anna and Nonoko. And it was a good five minutes before Mikan could settle back down in her bench leaning comfortably against Tsubasa. "Oh Mikan we're so sorry."

"Nah it's all right." Mikan rasped out a reply, while attempting to give them a convincing smile. But being unable to bring herself to actually do more than smirk, she settled instead on showing them some of her Alchemy. (Some which thankfully didn't involve any use of Homunculi abilities, or talking for that matter.) That quickly turned into a "Make a mini crystal figurine city from paper" with requests coming from her friends gathered around her table, an awestruck Tsubasa included.

Of course, when bell signalling the end of recess came, no one had the heart to see the mini crystal city (which interestingly enough seemed like a futuristic fantasy version of Asmetris) destroyed or reconverted. Even if it meant facing the wrath of Jinno who was taking them for this period. But unfortunately, they had absolutely no place to keep said city. Or it's population of figurines.

"Well Yuu could create an illusion to hide it from Jinno." Anna offered.

"But then the illusion won't necessarily be a hologram now, would it? Jinno wouldn't be able to see it, but he could crash into it." Tsubasa mentioned.

"Mikan says we could just leave it here like this next to her. Jinno probably won't confiscate it, if it's next to Mikan." Koko suggested. Mikan smirked, but ruined it completely by letting out a wide yawn.

"All right, come on." Tsubasa said getting up. "Off to bed with you. You haven't slept a wink last night. And I'm willing to bet you haven't slept much before that."

"I can manage." Mikan rasped.

"Well even if you can, you're going to bed. And no more talking either. You're not supposed to strain yourself." Tsubasa said ruffling Mikan's hair gently.

"Mother hen." Mikan grumbled under her breath, before getting up and following Tsubasa out of the classroom waving goodbye to Yuu, Anna, Nonoko, Koko, and Ruka, feeling like a five year old clinging to her father. Arguing with Tsubasa never yielded any results, so it was just pointless trying to convince to let her stay for class. Besides, she wasn't really all that interested in classes today anyway.

"Hyuuga has been looking at you the whole morning." Tsubasa said conversationally a bit later as they walked towards the dorms. "Not to mention glaring daggers at me. So was Hotaru for that matter."

Mikan shrugged. She wasn't interested in how the Flame-caster's mind worked. And she'd cut all her ties with the inventor when she left the Academy to go to Asmetris. What they did didn't concern her.

"I think Imai is genuinely worried about you Mikan. People do change over time. And besides I'm sure she didn't mean what she said."

"Meaning it or not, it doesn't make a difference. Some things simply can't be forgiven Senpai." Mikan rasped, as she clutched onto Tsubasa's hand to steady herself, a wave of sudden dizziness hitting her.

"Mikan you okay?"

"Dizzy." She rasped trying to activate her homunculi abilities. Unfortunately, she couldn't concentrate enough, and another wave of dizziness hit her.

"That's it! I knew I was wrong when I stuck up for you in front of Misaki. She was right. You aren't fine!" the shadow manipulator said as he leant down to carry the brunette. "I'm going to tuck you in, and you're going to stay in bed till you're better, got that? No excuses." He continued as he walked towards Mikan's room in the dorms.

"I'm fine senpai. You don't have to do this."

"No you're not fine. And you aren't straining yourself anymore."

"But-"

"No buts. Just shut up and stop making yourself worse, kay? You're going to stay in bed, and be fussed about. You deserve it."

"I have a mission tonight Tsubasa." She confessed suddenly.

"Well then too bad for the Academy. They're just going to have to send someone else. They shouldn't be overworking you anyway, since it's only your third week back."

"We both know that it isn't how it works."

"Well they'll have to change it. You need rest and you're going to get it."

"You won't be able to deal with Persona you know."

"Want to bet? I mean he may be able to make me disintegrate, but I'm sure Gluttony or Sloth would have a say in that before it happened."

"Gluttony? Sloth?"

"Or whichever Homunculi is doing 'watchdog' at the moment. I hope it's Envy."

"They've been doing 'Watchdog'?"

"Yeah since the first mission disaster they've been trying to stop stuff like that from happening. You were sent here to recover. Not to reopen wounds to smear salt on them. Anyway no more talking. I can hear your throat cursing you for over-killing it. We're going to get you to bed. And you'll get some much needed and deserved R&R."

Mikan simply nodded, relaxing herself in Tsubasa's arms. It was really useless protesting. Besides, she wasn't really feeling all that great anyway. She lazily rested her head against Tsubasa's chest, before drifting off to sleep a few minutes later. Her last coherent thought before drifting off was: Tsubasa should really become a paediatrician. He'd make a great one.

A/N: Wow I hope it was good. Anywho I'm off to bed, so leave me a note telling me what worked for you and what didn't eh?