Note: This story is cross-posted on FFNet, AO3, and Wattpad. For a more interactive storytelling experience, please read the version on Wattpad. The Wattpad version will include pictures, images, and eventually music videos :)

Wattpad/AO3 Tags: Alternate Universe, Reincarnation, Time-Travel, Demons, Magic, High School Life, Idols, KPOP, Best Friends to Lovers, Rom-Com, Shoujo Manga, Fencing, Heroes, Secret Identities, Vigilante etc

Also, please don't let the character's immaturity turn you away. They're 14- and 15-year-olds who just finished middle school at this point. They will grow up and be redeemed in later parts of the story.

Chapter 3

Natsume POV

For the past two week, Japan has been under a military lockdown. A curfew was imposed and families, for their own safety, were not allowed to leave their homes under any circumstances. Businesses, schools, the media, public transport, everything was closed down. The streets were patrolled by tanks and the Japanese army by the hour; however, since the first sighting of the monsters fourteen days ago, not a single monster has been seen since…in public, that is.

Because of his job, Ioran was gone most of the time, leaving Natsume alone to take care of Aoi. His father was extremely stressed. They managed to capture a single beast, it took an entire artillery to subdue the creature but they quickly found out the monster could not be killed by bullets and firearms. In fact, his father had concluded that modern weaponry was completely useless. This revelation was somehow leaked to the public and sparked panic everywhere; it extended the three day lockdown to fourteen.

Today was Natsume's first day returning to school. With all the panic and hysteria going around lately, he'd completely forgotten about Mikan. Now he'd have to face her. He found himself halted in front of his homeroom class. He tried listening in to see if he could pick her voice out from the masses, but no dice. As expected, everyone was talking about the monsters in Japan.

"Hyuuga-kun," His homeroom teacher called, appearing out of nowhere and causing Natsume to jump. His face was stern as usual but there was also something grim about Jinno-sensei today. "Class is in the classroom, not out in the hallway."

"Yes, sir." Natsume replied quickly, and let himself in. The chatter died down instantly and they all stared at Natsume. Natsume sighed mentally, he should have known that monsters being unleashed in Japan wasn't reason enough for Gakuen Alice students to forget how he had publicly humiliated and rejected Mikan in front of the entire school. The walk to his seat never seemed so long. Thankfully, Jinno-sensei followed behind Natsume immediately and started the class without a second to waste.

"Students, as you know, the world has drastically changed in the course of fourteen days; however, life must go on. In light of this terrible phenomenon, the school has imposed some new rules for your safety and protection. Firstly, there will be drills after school as precautionary measures in case of an attack. Secondly, if ever the government should signal a lockdown, regardless of whether school hours have ended or not, you are to remain on premise. Thirdly, your senseis' are all undergoing vigorous training for handling emergency situations such as an attack; therefore, in case of an emergency, you are not to act without permission and direction from your homeroom sensei. Is that understood?" Jinno reported to the class matter-of-factly. His response was various "Hai's."

"Sensei, Mikan-chan seems to be absent." Yuu pointed out, raising his hand. The murmurs began up again, and Natsume saw many eyes glancing in his direction. He grit his teeth and did his best to ignore it. At the front of the room, Jinno-sensei suddenly got very uncomfortable. He cleared his throat severely times before he began.

"Right, well this information has not yet been made public, but unfortunately, one of six casualties suffered during this invasion has struck the Sakura household." Natsume felt the color drain out of his face. "Nonno Sakura-san was killed in the attack, and Sakura-san is currently in the ICU being treated for injuries."

The silence that followed then was unbearable. Natsume felt something deep within him burning painfully. The hot flame spread through his body like wildfire and breathing suddenly became really hard. He had to get some air, some water, anything that would cool him down. He didn't think. He ran out of the classroom. He heard his name being shouted after him but he didn't care.

His feet lead him to the school's private courtyard. He collapsed under the shade of the sakura tree. Everything hurt. Like his own body was attacking— no punishing him. The last time his insides were on fire, he broke Mikan's heart...Mikan. Memories flashed behind his eyes.

He saw Mikan as a defenseless five-year-old, too naive to even think about running from the bullies— she just sat there and cried. He remembered how he felt back then; an overwhelming desire that screamed PROTECT that brat. He remembered how when his mom died, Mikan slept beside him the whole night so he wouldn't have to feel alone. She did it every year on his mom's death anniversary.

He remembered the sleepless nights after Aoi's birth, she used to cry all night, and he and Mikan would sit beside her and tell her stories and make funny faces until Aoi fell asleep. When Aoi finally fell asleep, Mikan would blink dreamily and curl up in his lap with a goofy smile on her face.

He remembered how he pushed her away in middle school because he was afraid that he wouldn't be as perfect as she imagined him to be. He remembered how even though Mikan was slow sometimes, she would stay up all night working on the same problem sets and insisting that she would get into Gakuen Alice with or without his help.

The sound of approaching footsteps pulled Natsume out of his memories. He saw Ruka standing behind him, offering him a water bottle. He took it without a word and Ruka sank down next to him. He didn't say anything, for which Natsume was grateful for.

"She's my best friend." Natsume finally admitted. "I hurt her and now I don't even if she's alive." Something akin to tears formed in Natsume's eyes. He refused to cry though. He didn't have the right after what he did to her.

"Why did you do it, Natsume?" Ruka asked. Natsume ran his fingers through his locks of raven-colored hair. He stared at his hands with disgust.

"It was her or my reputation. And I chose my reputation." He answered through gritted teeth. Then he felt angry, at himself, at Mikan, at his friends, everyone. "I mean what was I supposed to do? If I lose face with these kids here, I could never face my dad again. She knows how crucial this is for me. Why would she give me that damn letter?" He growled, slamming his fist into the ground.

"Aren't you forgetting something important?" Ruka frowned in disapproval. Natsume gave him a blank stare. Ruka sighed and pulled a folded note from his pocket. "You're forgetting the fact that Sakura told you she loved you."

Damn, Natsume thought, those words hit him like a ton of bricks. The anger drained out of him, he slowly opened Mikan's letter.

Natsume,

There's something I have to tell you. I've thought about this a thousand times before writing this, and I've rewritten this letter at least a hundred times just to make sure it was perfect. What I'm about to tell you might seem completely random, but I believe life is meant to be filled with spontaneous moments. These are the moments we'll carry with us in our memories and in our hearts. So here it is. I'm going to be spontaneous with you and I hope you forgive me for my suddenness.

I love you Natsume Hyuuga.

I know what you're thinking. I'm just a spoiled brat. A little girl who still wears polka dotted panties (call me that again and I will kill you Hyuuga!), but I'm not so dumb and naive that I don't know my own feelings for you. I know my love is not so insignificant as those petty crushes those girls who are falling at your feet claim they have. I know the real you Natsume Hyuuga and the real you is the one I chose to love.

I love the you that makes fun of my cooking but eats every last bite anyway because you hate take out food and even though my cooking is nowhere near as good as Kaoru Obasan's, you still tell me it reminds you of her. I love the you that won't let Aoi share her ice cream with boys she just met at the park because you think she's too young to be around boys. I love the you that likes to sit beside Ioran Ojisan by the fireplace and listen to him read stories about samurais and the Meiji Period even though you don't share his love for historical fiction. I love the you that despises all nicknames because you treasure the name your mom gave you.

Above all, I love the you that treasures his family more than anything else in this world. And now I'm trusting you to treasure my heart as well Natsume, because if you will have me, it is yours.

Mikan.

The letter fell from his hands.

"God...what have I done?" Natsume moaned, burying his face in his arms. How could he have forgotten something so crucial? How could he have spent all this time furious with Mikan for inconveniently giving him a letter and completely forget that she was in love with him?

"I don't think Sakura's feelings for you were frivolous, Natsume. You just rejected the girl who could love you the most in this entire school— no, in the entire world." Ruka told him bluntly, each word a punch to Natsume's gut. Natsume stared at his hands with open disgust. He broke Mikan's heart with these hands and destroyed her trust, and the worst part was— "And you know what the worst part is? You love her too, Natsume," —that Natsume was wholly and entirely in love with Mikan Sakura.

Mikan POV

When she regained consciousness, something felt off. Was her body supposed to feel airy and feather-like? Her presence felt faint; like she was there but not fully. It wasn't an uncomfortable feeling but it was enough to startle her out of her deep slumber.

"Mikan-sama, are you awake?" Nobara asked, leaning over her. Mikan gasped in surprise and sprung upright.

"Nobara-chan?" She was confused when the girl's name instantly clicked in her head. She took notice of her surroundings for the first time. She was laying in the grandest bed she had ever seen. It was bigger than a king-sized bed and elegant in its simplicity. There was a beautiful screen painting of falling petals from a sakura tree behind the bed. The sides of the room were decorated with a wooden sitting table, potted bonsai trees, hanging paper lanterns with candles, and even a stone garden. White light poured in from the windows and Mikan could have sworn she was looking at Mount Fuji.

"Ch-chan? I am Nobara-chan?" Nobara blushed brightly, holding her flushed cheeks and doing a strange dance. Mikan sweatdropped at the sight and chuckled awkwardly.

"Ano, Nobara-chan, where are we?" She asked when she had the girl's attention.

"We are in the Igarashi Palace in Alice Kingdom, Mikan-sama."

"Alice Kingdom? Are we still in Japan?" Mikan asked, alarmed. She had never heard of an Alice Kingdom before.

"We are and are not in Japan, Mikan-sama." Nobara giggled knowingly. Mikan was dumbfounded. Nobara-chan smiled kindly and explained, "Alice Kingdom is a dynasty that fell over a thousand years ago in Feudal Japan; however, the palace and all its furnishings have been preserved in the Magic Realm."

"Huh?" Mikan asked, blankly once more.

"The Magic Realm, Princess. The source of yours and Koizumi-sama's powers stem from this realm." Nobara-chan responded patiently. That caught Mikan's attention. Memories began flooding back into her mind. Jii-chan was killed by Luna. Luna used some strange power to throw Mikan around like a rag doll. She even summoned a monster to hunt the teen down. Mikan then stared down at her hands; she was sure that that golden light had emerged from her hands.

Suddenly, Nobara-chan's words took on a whole new meaning. Apparently, she had magic, and so did Luna Koizumi. Luna Koizumi wanted revenge. Killing Mikan was too easy, so she kept her alive for some reason. Mikan felt the blood drain from her face. Oh my gosh, she tried to kill me, the realization hit her suddenly. She wanted Mikan dead. Why?

"Nobara-chan, I need you to tell me everything. Who are you? Why are you calling me Princess and why does Luna want revenge from me?" Mikan asked in tone uncharacteristic of her normal bubbliness.

Nobara hesitated for a second. "I call you Princess because in your previous life, you were the Princess, and later Queen, of Alice Kingdom; as well as the high sorceress of the Magic Realm. Luna-sama, like yourself, is a sorceress. While Mikan-sama's magic is as natural as breathing air, Luna-sama spent her life training with priests in the mountains to become high sorceress of the Magic Realm. However, the Magic Realm rejected her and chose Mikan-sama instead.

"Luna-sama was enraged. She formed an alliance with the lord of the Demon Realm, Kunoji-sama, and he allowed Luna-sama to control the demons living in Japan. Demo-ne, I heard that your feud ended in that dynasty when Mikan-sama sealed away the monsters plaguing Japan. But it would seem that was not so." Nobara frowned.

Mikan's head spun with the influx of information. Her first instinct was to reject everything and write it off as some fictional tale. Yet, there was the undeniable evidence that Luna wanted her dead and she also managed to summon a demon to kill Mikan. Even now, here she was in Igarashi Palace sitting in a bed fit for a king.

"And you said I was also the Queen of Alice Kingdom?" This part confused her the most. Her, Mikan Sakura, a queen? It was unthinkable.

"Ie, ie." Nobara-chan giggled. "At the time, Mikan-sama was a servant. Your duty was to protect the Hyuuga heir from the demons. You fell in love and married once the threat of demons was removed from the kingdom." She finished with a dreamy look in her eyes. Mikan's heart skipped a beat.

"N-natsume Hyuuga?" She whispered, hopefully.

"Hai." The silver-blue haired girl giggled. If she thought her head was spinning before, now there was a cyclone in her mind. Nobara, seeming to sense Mikan's distress, placed a comforting hand over Mikan's. "I know it's a lot to take in Mikan-sama. Please rest, and when you are feeling better, I will bring Anna-chan and Nonoko-chan to fill in the details." With that, Nobara left Mikan to rest. Mikan didn't even think to ask who Anna and Nonoko were. Everything just seemed so unbelievable.

Seeing as she wasn't going to get any answers laying around, Mikan decided to explore the castle. She vaguely noticed the traditional Japanese style lanterns, flower displays, and candles that seemed to dominate the interior of the palace. The color ruby red was omnipresent. It reminded Mikan of Natsume's eyes.

Mikan cringed when her heart clenched painfully in her chest. The beauty of the castle blurred to her eyes. She felt alone. So alone. Mikan wrapped her arms around her torso. Hold yourself together Sakura, she mentally berated. Strangely, she couldn't feel any physical pain. Her wounds seemed to magically vanish. They were the least of her concern at the moment. Though she wanted to believe Nobara-chan, it all seemed like a fairy tale.

"Mikan-sama? Are you alright, hime?" A man's voice invaded her solitude. Mikan looked up with a gasp, there was a beautiful man with emerald green eyes and corn-silk yellow hair that swept back into a ponytail. He was dressed in a traditional navy blue kimono with a katana strapped to his waist. "Forgive me for startling you, I am Shuuichi Sakurano. I was Mikan-sama's war councilor during her reign." He introduced with a deep, respectful bow. Mikan flushed.

"S-sakurano-san, you don't have to bow to me." She replied out of habit and bowed in response. Sakurano smiled politely.

"I am aware the times have changed your highness, but it has been and always will be, my greatest honor to serve you, Princess." This time his bow was more marginal, but he placed his right hand over his chest in salutation. Mikan smiled weakly. Sakurano-san then handed her a handkerchief, which Mikan took gratefully. "Might I inquire what troubles the princess's heart?"

Mikan hesitated a moment. "It's Natsume."

"Natsume Hyuuga-sama? You are already acquainted in the human world?" Sakurano-san asked in surprise.

"Hai, we grew up together. We were best friends." She whispered.

"Were?" The blonde man asked her gently. Mikan chewed on her lower lip.

"I told him I loved him and he said I was confusing idolization for f-feelings." She choked and covered her face in her hands. "He threw my love away." A sob bubbled up her throat and she didn't have the strength to hold back any more.

She allowed herself to really cry for the first time. For Natsume throwing her aside. For Luna torturing Jii-chan and killing him. For the fear that she would be hunted by those demons and monsters for as long as she lived. But mostly, she cried because she had never felt so alone in her life.

Sakurano-san politely let her cry in his arms. He soothingly patted her head and kept one arm around her waist. She felt like a child in his large embrace, but there was something comforting and brotherly about Sakurano-san. She didn't feel the need to hold back in front of him.

"Come with me, Princess." Sakurano-san said some few minutes later. Mikan followed shakily, letting Sakurano-san guide her by the hand. He took her through several halls until they reached a wide door spanning almost 6ft in width and 12ft in height. It was ornately decorated in white quartz and jade stones, spiraling and intervening in archaic patterns. They entered a great ball room lined with a wall of windows. The ceiling was high with large hanging chandeliers and the floor was made of beautiful stone marble.

"We have made upgrades to the palace to keep up with the times but certain parts of Igarashi Palace remain unchanged." Sakurano-san said, pointing to the front of the hall where a pastel painting covered most of the wall.

There were five figures in the painting. Standing in the back was a couple wearing matching dark navy-blue kimonos with golden embroidery. The woman had purple-blue orchids painted on her kimono that matched the color of her eyes. The man with his hair piled in a bun smiled a gentle closed-eyed smile toward the woman. Mikan recognized the couple as Ioran Hyuuga and Kaoru Hyuuga.

Next, was her and Natsume. The Mikan in the painting wore a pale pink kimono with a dark red obi and sakura pattern embroidery. Her hair was left long with pink-red flowers pins. Painting Natsume wore a dashing deep-red, almost maroon kimono with a black obi and a sword strapped at his waist. His eyes glimmered crimson-red, deep and endlessly, like a pair of rubies. And he was smiling. Not smirking, but actually smiling.

Lastly, there was a small boy with silver-blue eyes and light brown hair. She knew, without a doubt in her mind, that was their son. Mikan's fingers brushed over the boy's face.

FLASHBACK

"Mikan, sweetheart, you must wake up! You'll be late for your first day working in the Palace!" Yuka Yukihara shouted through thin paper doors. Mikan Yukihara, peacefully asleep on her futon groaned and rolled over, clearly ignoring her mother. The door then slid open with a bang and Yuka hung over her daughter threateningly. "NOW MIKAN!" The woman cried.

Mikan pouted but dutifully rose. Her mom grinned, pleased with herself and kissed her daughter's forehead. "There, now go get ready. I expect you to be on your best behavior." Yuka warns sternly, though the effect is dulled by her mother's soft, delicate voice, then she left in a whirlwind of hurry. Mikan blinked after her mother. Then she saw her father, Izumi Yukihara poke in with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry sweetheart, just try to cut your mother some slack today, okay?" Izumi patted Mikan's head. Mikan giggled and threw her arms around her father.

"Hai, tousan!" She said sweetly and let her father crush her in a hug. She loved both her parents to death, but she was definitely her father's daughter. "Good, now get ready, and remember Mikan, you must NEVER let anyone see you doing magic." Then Izumi left her too. Mikan sighed and fell back into her bed tiredly.

The year was 1006 A.D, and Japan was infested with demons from the Demon Realm. The gate to the Demon Realm was the weakest in Alice Kingdom so the city was always under the constant threat of an attack. But Alice Kingdom was known throughout Japan for its exceptionally strong knights who were born and bred to hunt demons and protect the kingdom. The Royal Family, the Hyuuga men, were especially known for their mastery of swordsmanship and for owning many thousands of named swords. Swords that were bestowed with a name were usually swords that carried a great history of victory and chivalrous feats. These swords were blessed and the wielder had a special affinity for slaying demons.

Because of the supernatural qualities of these demons, the people of Alice Kingdom nursed a strong fear of magic. Magic wasn't necessarily evil, but sorcerers and sorceresses of this time were forced to practice in secret. For Mikan, practicing was never really an option. She had magic for as long as she could remember. Her mother told her that as a baby, Mikan used to make objects come flying to her. She was exceptionally powerful as a child and even now she didn't have full control of her accidental magic. Eventually, their neighbors started to get suspicious and the entire Yukihara family was forced to relocate. They had settled into a small house next to the Igarashi Palace just a few days ago. Her parents were eager for a fresh start but still constantly cautioned Mikan from using her magic.

Although she didn't like suppressing her magic, as it often felt like she was severing her own limbs, she wanted her parents to live a peaceful and happy life. She felt she owed them at least that much after all they had sacrificed to keep her hidden from wrongdoers. From the moment she set foot in Alice Kingdom, Mikan had resolved to never use her magic again. Today was day seven of her self-inflicted moratorium.

"Today's not going to end any faster if you don't get up, Mikan." Mikan said to herself, trying to get hyped for work. She shook her head at the silliness and finally got out of bed.

"Yuka-san, we are always grateful to new servants entering our service. I know you'll make a wonderful personal maidservant to me," Kaoru Hyuuga the Queen of Alice Kingdom explained in her smooth diplomatic voice. She had a powerful presence even as she sat relaxed in the grand throne room. The throne beside her was empty; the King was currently attending a council meeting. Mikan and her mother were presently in an audience with the Queen and she was personally assigning them their roles in the royal household. Mikan couldn't help but fidget under Kaoru Hyuuga's gaze. It was piercing, like she could see the truth through the thickest of facades. The Queen's eyes were now turned to Mikan.

Mikan gulped; her mother nudged her to step forward and she did so with great trepidation.

"Mikan-chan, I am sure you are a strong and energetic young woman; therefore, I am deeply regretful that presently, the only position we have available is in the stables." Kaoru Joo-sama informed, sounding genuinely upset. The idea of working in the stables made Mikan cringe as well. "I am sorry child, I hope that you can adjust for now until we find you another position."

Although stable work really sounded, well, disgusting, Mikan felt humbled that the queen would be so considerate. She instantly took a liking to Kaoru Joo-sama and decided that she would do anything for such a kind queen.

"Thank you for your consideration, Joo-sama, but I am happily ready to serve the royal family as needed." Mikan responded with a bright grin on her face, feeling her heart warming even as she spoke. Her mom coughed beside her, and Mikan realized that she was looking directly at the queen in the eyes. She flushed and quickly bowed. Yuka was NOT going to be happy with her later. Thankfully, Kaoru Joo-sama laughed it off.

"Oh, it certainly is refreshing to meet such a spunky young woman. I wish you luck in your work Mikan-chan." And then as a side note, the queen added, "I would suggest you borrow trousers for the job."

Mikan left the throne room feeling rather pleased with herself and delighted to be working under Kaoru Joo-sama.

Luckily, her father had an extra set of trousers and tunic for her to wear. He also gave her a hat to put her long, waist length hair into while she worked. She walked towards the stables with a pleased smile. The idea of mucking horse crap would not stop Mikan Yukihara from enjoying her day. Unfortunately for her, Fate had other plans. She ran head first into a stranger.

"Itae!" Mikan whined, holding her head. It was still ringing from walking into the man's armor. She quickly bowed in apology. "I'm sor-"

"Watch where you're going!" The man snarled at her. Mikan felt taken aback. Rude much? She was trying to apologize here! Mikan noticed the man's face for the first time. He had raven locks of hair and the reddest eyes that Mikan had ever seen in her life. And he was tall, he towered an entire head above her. He looked kind of familiar. Right now, her irritation was trumping her curiosity.

"Why don't you watch where you're going?" She snapped back at him hotly. The man raised an eyebrow.

"Do you even know who you're talking to?" He scoffed. This made Mikan really tick.

"Yeah, an arrogant, perverted fox!" She snapped heatedly. Just then, another blond haired man, similarly dressed in chainmail, with sea blue eyes appeared beside her raven-haired stranger.

"Natsume, is something wrong?" The blond stranger asked the man, now identified as Natsume. Natsume glared at her.

"Just an idiotic peasant. Let's go, Ruka." Natsume said to the blond man. Mikan flushed angrily and stepped between Natsume and Ruka.

"You don't even know me!" She hissed. Natsume's eyes narrowed at her.

"And apparently, neither do you."

"It's not like you're the king." It was Mikan's turn to scoff. Her short victory was quickly crushed by the smirk that formed on Natsume's face.

"No, but I am his son."

Wohoo! Flashbacks! The next few chapters will reveal how Natsume and Mikan's past lives. Just a warning, their story will go by really fast. TBH, I could have written an entire story on their past life alone (or their childhood growing up). Why is there SO MUCH backstory?

If their past life sounds a lot like BBC Merlin, that's because it is! Merlin was the inspiration for a lot of the magical elements of this story. More on that later. This is NOT a crossover btw.

Review please!

Kiki1770