Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. Enjoy!!
Taking a deep breath, she mentally kicked herself to full alert, reminding herself.
'Remember, Mikan. Act like he really did cheat on you. Act like you did before you even knew about what really happened and don't drop a single hint that you know. Don't overdo it either.'
The brunette gave one last sigh before pushing open the classroom door, putting her usual smile on her face, and greeting her fellow classmates.
"Ohayo, Hotaru." She greeted rather loudly.
baka baka baka
Dropping to the floor with a thud, the starlet got up and rubbed her head where she was hit. Apparently, the baka gun had hurt more than the floor, though that was expected.
"Hotaru, why did you do that?" She pouted as she walked up to her again.
The amethyst eyed inventor looked up at her and shrugged. "I have to make up for all those times I didn't hit you while you were filming. I'm behind on schedule."
"Y-You have a schedule?" Mikan asked, slightly shuddering in fear.
"Of course, who wouldn't?" Hotaru replied, as if stating the most obvious thing in the world.
"Eh . . ." Was all the brunette said as she sweat dropped at her best friend's retort.
"Please Koko. Just one sip." A pink haired girl begged her boyfriend as she caught the attention of the two friends.
The mind reader shook his head. "Hell, no. I love you and everything but I read your mind so I know what will happen if it goes wrong."
Anna pouted. "Oh, how many times do I have to tell you not to read my mind. But still, please. Plus, the success rate of the tea is 51 percent. You're still in the safe zone."
Koko took a step back as Anna held him back. "Safe zone my butt. It's only 2 percent away from failure. Since you already asked everyone, why don't you ask Mikan. I'm pretty sure she'll be willing."
"Are you crazy? If this potion does fail then what will Mikan-chan do? She has to work and everything and you know Hotaru will have my head if anything interferes with Mikan's career." The pink haired girl shuddered at the thought, allowing her boyfriend to break free.
"So, you're willing to sacrifice me?! Anna, how could you? I'm your boyfriend!!" He declared loudly.
Anna approached him, giving the most innocent smile she could muster yet surrounded by a very manipulative aura. "Yes, my dear Koko, that's why you should help out your girlfriend when she's in a dilemma."
"I'll help out anytime, except when I have to be your guinea pig. That will not happen." Koko stood strong as Anna continued to approach him until her lips were just at his ear.
Whatever Anna whispered, it seemed to have worked because moments later, Koko's face turned beat red.
"Fine. But if something happens, you're in big trouble." The mind reader gave in as he walked towards the teacup upon a table.
Picking it up, he gulped, looking at the harmless tea while Anna danced cheerfully in the background.
"Now, drink it up. Or else, you know what." The pink haired girl said rather cheerfully.
"Fine, here goes." Koko said before drinking his tea.
Anna watched with anticipation as her obedient boyfriend finished the cup of tea.
"So, how was it?" She asked eagerly.
"Actually, it was quite good." The mind reader admitted, swallowing the last sip of tea.
"Yes." She cheered.
"Hai, hai, Anna-chan. Calm down." Koko said, sweat dropping at the sudden burst of energy.
Suddenly, stomach rumbles were heard throughout the classroom as many students turned towards the noise.
Koko paled as his stomach rumbled louder.
"Koko, what's wrong?" Anna asked as she rushed to his side.
The mind reader clutched his stomach. "I don't feel so good."
"But, how can this be?! The expected failure was suppose to be fainting and not gaining consciousness for three days." The pink haired chef blurted out as her mind raced back and forth, trying to find an answer.
"Unless . . . ." She finished in her head as her face paled as well. "Oh, no, Koko, we better get you to a washroom."
People cleared a pathway as the couple headed quickly out the door.
Moments of silence passed as many people continued to watch the door, some with worried faces and some with amused faces, one of those amused faces including Mikan.
"Wow." She said as she giggled, turning to Hotaru. "I can't believe Anna made him drink that tea because she has pictures of him in footy pajamas."
The blackmailer's amethyst eyes shone brightly at this comment, bringing another giggle to the brunette's throat.
"Oh, Hotaru." She said before taking her seat, a smile still plastered on her face.
Her smile quickly disappeared as a certain raven-haired boy stepped into the room, casually walking to his seat while peering at her.
Glaring, Mikan rolled her eyes and looked out the window, watching and counting the birds in the sky.
"Oi, Polka dots." His called, forcing her turn around.
"What do you want, Hyuuga?" She asked coldly.
" I just wanted to say that what the hag said yesterday was a complete l-" He stared intently into her chocolate brown eyes until a figure jumped at him.
"Natsume." The blonde squealed as Natsume tried to force her off.
"Why didn't you come last night?" Luna asked innocently. Yet, she was loud enough to capture the attentions of all the students in the vicinity.
Unconsciously, Mikan's eyebrow twitched at this question, though thankfully this went unnoticed by all except the blonde haired girl, who gave a silent and triumphant smirk at the reaction.
But before Natsume could retort back, the classroom door flew open as a blonde haired teacher came bouncing in.
"Okay, class has started." Narumi-sensei san happily as students from all around took their seats.
"Tch." Natsume growled, an unsatisfied look upon his face as he also turned towards his seat.
As class started, Natsume looked out, thinking of a plan.
He needed to talk to Mikan alone and without any interruptions especially from that Luna girl. Damn, she was troublesome.
Ripping a scrap piece of paper, he quickly scribbled something on top before stuffing it into his pocket. For the rest of the class, he stared out the window, reminiscing about the past.
The bell rang as the students stood up and stretched. Classes before lunch always seemed to be so much longer.
"Neh, Anna, where is Koko?" The brunette asked as all of their friends made their way to the cafeteria.
The pink haired girl gave her friend a concern look. "I think he's still in the washroom. I can't believe those ingredients ended up forming a laxative."
Giggling at the remembrance of the scene, Mikan looked away before replying. "Are you sure you didn't just put a laxative in there?"
Anna thought for a moment before a frustrated look appeared on her face. "I'm not sure. There were too many ingredients."
Giggling once more, Mikan patted Anna's shoulder in comfort. "Come on, he'll be alright. Let's go get some food."
Anna nodded as they all hurried to the cafeteria.
The mind reader sighed in relief as he exited the washroom. Finally, he was feeling like himself again.
"I hope Anna never makes this kind of mistake again." He said to himself as he stalked off to the cafeteria, now hungry.
"Well, well. What do we have here?" A voice said as Koko turned the corner.
Recognizing the voice, the mid reader jumped back.
"Luna." He said as the blonde haired girl came into view.
Reading her mind, he gasped once again. "I know what you're planning and I won't do it."
The girl smirked as she approached him. "My, my. The Mind Reading Alice is handy indeed. Now, why don't you go fulfill my wish."
Her eyes gave off a weird glint as his face became blank.
"Koko, are you all right, honey?" Anna jumped up to hug the mind reader.
Gasping for air from the tight hug, the mind reader did his best to reply. "Anna, you're choking me."
"Oh, sorry." She said as a pink tint decorated her face.
The mind reader smiled his familiar smile. "it's alright. Anyways, I'm going to go get some food now. Hey, Mikan, you want a refill on that drink, it's empty and only half your lunch is done."
The brunette smiled brightly at his kindness as she handed him her cup. "Sure."
"Okay, I'll be right back." he said as he picked up the cup and left.
"Seems like all the laxative is out of his system." The brunette said once Koko was out of earshot.
"Yep, seems like it." She confirmed cheerfully.
Mikan smiled once more as she returned to her lunch, happy with the atmosphere at the moment.
Humming, the brunette made her way back to her room after class, a content smile on her face. Things were finally looking up.
Turning her keys, she stepped inside her quarters, nearly stepping on the piece of paper that was slid through her door.
She picked it up, looking at it curiously before reading it.
Polka dots,
Meet me where we fought Persona. We need to talk and don't tell anyone.
Landing on her bed, Mikan stared gratefully at the piece of paper. Finally, everything will be back to normal.
The silence of the woods seemed to haunt him as his foot landed on a twig, breaking the silence.
He looked around the place, noticing that the grass had grown back to the way it was and the trees were straightened. Though char marks were still visible, everything looked peaceful and quiet, just like it should be.
Suddenly, he stiffened as he felt a familiar presence.
"Come out." He commanded, not a shred of emotion in his voice.
Stepping out of the shadows, the blonde smirked, revealing her true colours.
"Aren't we a sharp one." She said sarcastically.
"What are you ding here? If you're here to control me again then it won't work." The raven-haired boy growled while backing away from the witch.
Smirking even more, the blonde ran towards him, appearing as if she was going to attack.
Skillfully dodging it, he jumped away from her, giving her an odd look. "You call that an attack?"
Holding out her fist, she retort. "No, actually, I call it borrowing."
She opened her hand, revealing the pendant necklace that Mikan dropped on that fateful day.
His eyes grew wide as his growl deepened.
"Now, Natsume, you'll have to listen now." She said in a hypnotizing tone as the raven-haired boy's face lost all trace of anger.
"Natsume." Mikan called out as she arrived at the place.
Sunlight peeked through as the distant whistling of birds were heard. Everything seemed so comforting. From the swaying of the leaves to the rustling in the bush over there.
Wait, what? The brunette turned towards the bush, expecting to see a rabbit leap out or something. What she got was much worse.
As if on instinct, she jumped back, landing on her feet.
She looked at where she once stood, now cratered by the foot in the center.
Her eyes widened with shock as she saw who it was.
"Natsume." She gasped as he peered at her with emotionless, crimson eyes.
But before the brunette could even get over her shock, he charged at her once more, attempting a punch.
Skillfully catching his fist in one hand, a tear rolled down her cheek as she caught his second fist.
"Natsume, why are you doing this? What's wrong with you?" She asked as she continued to grip his fists.
Not answering, the raven-haired boy jumped back, landing on a knee.
"Natsume, answer me." The brunette ordered, desperate for an answer as the lad tried to attack her again, though this time it was a kick directed at her side.
Catching it, Mikan jumped into the air, taking Natsume with her. She threw him up, forcing him into a vulnerable position as she kicked him down, landing on the ground with a soft thud as he stayed still.
Landing on the ground as well, Mikan rushed towards him, worried that she had went too hard on him.
"Natsume, are you okay?" She asked when she noticed he was still conscious.
She gasped aloud when she noticed the missing glint in his eyes.
Piecing together the evidence in her head, her eyes grew wide with realization.
"It can't be." Mikan concluded in her head. That was when she felt another presence near by.
"Oh, yes it can." The voice confirmed as she stepped out of the shadows, revealing her midnight blue eyes.
"Luna." The brunette gave a small glare as she ducked from Natsume's kick.
Turning her attention back to the boy, she looked at him with pleading eyes.
"Natsume, you have to snap out of it." She reasoned as she blocked another punch.
Obviously failing, Mikan flipped back, landing a safe distance that separated the two.
She concentrated, trying to activate her Alice as the raven haired boy charged at her.
She expected him to stop but instead he knocked her to the ground.
She breathed hard, having landed on her back with a giant thud. Struggling to stand up, her mind raced back and forth. Why didn't Natsume stop?
She tried to activate her Alice, only now discovering that it didn't work. What was going on?
Suddenly, her eyes flashed in alarm as she realized. She turned her head towards the blonde, who was leaning against a tree as she enjoyed the show.
"What did you do to my Alice?" The brunette asked interrogatively.
In reply, the blonde laughed triumphantly. "Did you just notice, you pathetic wannabe? I don't understand why you're even a special star when you're so slow. I got that mind reader to put a chemical in your drink that disables your Nullification Alice for 24 hours."
"You hypnotized Koko?!" The brunette exclaimed, shocked at how low the blonde would go.
"Well, I couldn't get close to you for obvious reasons and Natsume-kun was wearing that annoying necklace you dropped for him so I got that brat to do it. Plus, I had him read Natsume-kun's mind to see where and when you were meeting. He was pretty handy, I have to admit that fact. Maybe after, I'll use him to break up with that pink haired girl. She's a pretty big fan of yours, isn't she?" Luna examined her nails as she explained this as casually as possible before revealing the pendant in her hand.
Mikan's expression darkened at the mention of Anna. "What are you aiming for, Koizumi?"
The blonde turned towards her, her features now replaced by an angry look. "Don't say my name with that filthy tongue of yours! And what do I want? How can you ask that? It should be, what do I deserve. Look at you, you're not even pretty compared to me and you're only known for that idiotic smile you always carry on your face. I, on the other hand, am actually beautiful and can do everything you do ten times better and yet, you're more popular than me in the celebrity world as well as here. Why do you have all of this while I obviously deserve more it than you. It's just not fair!!"
Mikan's face pulled up into a wise look. "I admit you are pretty but I don't compare looks and looks are everything in a celebrity. You may also be able to do everything better than me in this area but I am someone who has the evidence to prove it while you just started on your journey. I may only be known for my idiotic smile but with that attitude, you definitely cannot make it big, especially if you always expect to turn out on top. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is fame."
The blonde turned ugly at the advice. Oh, how she hated being corrected by such a wannabe. "You may have more experience than me but that doesn't mean you're right."
Mikan replied with a strange look at Luna's comment. It made no sense at all.
Noticing this, the blonde growled before turning her attention towards Natsume who had stopped due to no command. "Natsume-kun, finish that girl off."
The emotionless crimson eyed boy jumped into the air, blinding Mikan momentarily before aiming a hard kick towards her, which left another crater in the ground.
"What are you going to do now, Sakura? You don't have your Alice anymore. I'd love to see you fight your way out of this." The blonde laughed as she watched the brunette dodge more attacks.
Suddenly, Mikan smirked, catching the attention of Luna as her face formed a curious look.
"What are you smirking about? You're about to lose so whatever you come up with, it won't work." Luna warned as she straightened firmly.
Natsume directed a kick to her side as she caught it, leaving her open on the other side. Fortunately, Mikan caught that leg too before it hit her.
Holding his legs tightly, Mikan started to spin on the spot, accelerating before flinging him away, slamming him to the ground because he couldn't catch himself in time.
The brunette started for the blonde as she screamed for her puppet to get up.
"It's no use. Natsume can't move because my Alice has bound him." She said as she continued to step closer.
"What are you talking about? I disabled your Alice and Nullification can't form a bind." The blonde screamed as she took a step back.
Her chocolate brown eyes darkening dangerously, she gave a knowing smirk. "Yes, you disabled my Nullification but I have more than one Alice, which not many people know about. Right now, my copied Barrier Alice is binding him."
"Copied?" She squeaked as she backed away further, only to connect her back to the trunk of the tree.
"Yes, actually my Alice gives me the ability to copy or steals one's Alice. And one of those Alices include Teleportation." The starlet exclaimed until she was a meter from the blonde.
But before Luna could even ask, Mikan snapped her fingers, activating her Alice and dropping the stolen pendant back into the hands of its rightful owner.
"What the?" She nearly screamed in shock as the object left her hand.
Clutching the necklace firmly, the brunette headed towards Natsume who was still struggling from his bonds.
Her eyes now filled with concern, she placed the necklace around his neck, loosening his bonds as she watched the stone take affect.
The glint returned to his eyes as he quickly sat up, breathing hard but fully aware of the situation they were in.
"Mikan." He gasped quietly as his breath returned to normal.
"Natsume, you're back." Mikan whispered with relief as a tear fell from her eyes.
"Missed me, polka dots?" He smirked as he wiped the tear away.
Playfully glaring at him in response, she helped him get up.
Both of them turned their attention towards Luna, who, at this moment was cowering in fear.
"Now, what to do with you?" Natsume's expression darkened as he lit a fire ball.
Throwing it, he aimed the flame at the tree, nearly missing the blonde who did her best to dodge.
Unfortunately, her reaction was too slow, her hair catching on fire as a result.
Running around and screaming for someone to save her, Natsume watched with a smirk while Mikan watched with pity.
"Natsume, I think that's a little too mean." She said as she noticed Natsume breathing a little harder.
"You're going to have to put the fire out yourself since I'm wearing your Alice stone right now. it took a lot of strength for me to even start that fire. It's out of control now." He confirmed with a shrug as his crimson eyes followed the screeching figure.
With another snap of her finger, water poured out of nowhere onto Luna's head putting out the fire as well as doing something unexpected.
The couple watched in amazement and shock as the blonde started to melt on the spot.
"Oh, no! It's happening! I'm melting! I'm melting!" She screeched in panic until she was a complete puddle on the ground.
"Um, what just happened?" Mikan asked, dumbfounded by this turn of events.
That was when they both sensed the presence rustling in the bushes, turning towards the sound as they both prepared themselves.
They both relaxed again when it turned out to be their friends who ran towards them, their eyes filled with concern.
"Oh my goodness, are you alright?" The pink haired girl squealed in concern.
"Yes, Anna, we're alright. By the way, what are you all doing here?" She asked curiously.
"Actually, we haven't seen you, Natsume or Luna in a while so we figured something must have happened. Hotaru tracked you down immediately and also we have an interesting bit of info about Koizumi-san, though I think you already found out." The blonde haired boy answered as he gestured towards the puddle.
"Yeah, actually, what's up with that?" Mikan questioned as her eyes fell on the puddle as well.
The amethyst eyed blackmailer started to scoop the puddle into the bucket as she explained. "According to Academy records, Luna's Alice doesn't affect her lifespan. Instead, it affects her vulnerability to water. In other words, when she comes into contact with water, she melts depending on how much she has used her Alice as well as how much water. In comparison, she's like another Wicked Witch of the West."
Mikan snickered at the comparison as well as a few of her other friends.
"Wait a moment." The mind reader interrupted, a confused look etched upon his features. "If she melts because of water then why didn't she melt when that kid dunked that bucket of water on her head?"
Everyone faced the amethyst eyed blackmailer as they all waited for an answer.
"Actually, that wasn't just makeup." The inventor clarified as everyone shuddered in disgust.
"Come on, it's almost dinner time and we still need to drop Koizumi-san off at the hospital. We should get going." The class president said as he looked upon his watch.
The rest of their friends nodded, leaving the forest with the bucket of Luna. All that remained was Mikan and Natsume.
Moments of awkward silence passed as Mikan waited for Natsume to say something. When he didn't, she broke the silence herself.
"Well, I should get going now. I'm pretty hungry myself." She said nonchalantly as she turned on her heel.
"Wait. Isn't there some you like to say? Now, that you know the truth that I really didn't cheat on you, you should at least apologize." The raven haired boy said as he stared at her back intently.
The brunette turned around, not knowing whether to continue walking or just kick his butt right there. "Fine, I apologize for not knowing the truth and for not letting you explain."
She started to walk away once more, shocking the raven haired boy.
"Wait a moment. You apologized and you're just going to walk away. I thought . . .I thought . . . " He said as his voice diminished little by little.
Sighing Mikan turned around once more.
"Natsume, I forgive you about the whole cheating thing but that doesn't mean I'll return just like that. Forgive me for making this complicated but just because none of this is your fault, it doesn't mean that I'm not hurt. I'm sorry, Natsume." She said before walking away.
This time he let her as he just watched her retreating figure.
Silence filled the air as the rustling of the leaves could be heard.
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Arigato for reading minna-san. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. I don't have much to say but I would like to thank MikanXNatsumefan101 for the PM about the OC thing, which mean original character. Now, I feel smarter. :)
comicworm: That makes me feel a whole lot better. (I happen to be typing this with a lot of sarcasm)
Anyways, thanks for reading. Comments, questions, advise, and concerns are more than welcome. Now, its bedtime for me. Good night.
