I gave myself a week to edit this. Instead, I spent two weeks rewriting (eye roll). I'm the worst self-editor.

This is the last past-life flashback for now. There will be plenty more throughout the story. I'm not a fan of stories that set up characters like they are best friends, but when the story starts it's like they've had no history together whatsoever. I WON'T do that with Natsume and Mikan. You will see more of their childhood AND their past life.

Also, I wrote this chapter 5 years ago, in 2015. So any reference to lock downs and government shut downs is pure coincidence. Hell, when I started posting this story, Wuhan was the only place under quarantine.

Chapter 7

Seven Years Later.

Natsume took a deep breath, playing with the ring on his fourth finger. The silence was driving him mad. Then the moment he was waiting for finally came: Izumi Yukihara finally came out of the delivery room.

"Otou-sama, is Mikan…?"

"Congratulations Natsume. It's a boy." His father-in-law answered with a tired grin. Natsume felt a rush of emotions invade his system, nervousness, pride, happiness, fear; they were all good kinds of emotion.

"A boy…" The word father lingered in his mouth but his tongue felt swollen, making it harder to form words. Overwhelmed, Natsume addressed the issue that he could talk about, "A-and Mikan?"

"It was touch and go for a while," Izumi-san admitted. "In the end, we had to rely on her magic to get through the delivery."

"But she's okay?" Natsume asked urgently.

"Yes, son. She's okay." Izumi then clapped Natsume's back. "Thank you Natsume. You've made me a grandfather."

The Prince didn't know how to reply. Luckily, his father-in-law understood.

"You can go see her now."

"Arigatou, Otou-san." He whispered and ran as fast his legs would take him, to close the distance that separates them. He bolted into the delivery room where he found his wife of six years ensconced in a mountain of blankets with Karou and Yuka-san at her side.

She was pale; exhaustion clear on her face. Yuka-san supported Mikan so the new mom could hold her infant. Though tired, Mikan cooed softly at the small bundle in her arms. He froze by the bed; rooted in place by overflowing emotions.

"Natsume?" The queen asked, hooking her hand around his elbow. She brushed the hair out of his face, searching his eyes questioningly.

"S-she looks so fragile." Natsume whispered, as if saying it any louder would make it true. He was not yet ready to confront the circumstance that led to the emergency delivery.

"Your partner is the strongest woman I have ever met." Kaoru reminded gently.

"Stronger than you?"

"A hundred times stronger." Kaoru pressed a kiss into his temple. "Go Natsume. She's waiting for you."

"We'll leave you two alone." Yuka-san acknowledged and she and Kaoru both took their leave. Mikan looked up, as if seeing Natsume for the first time, a delicate flush spread across her face.

"His name is Youichi." She murmured when Natsume slid into the bed with her. Mikan passed the bundle that was his son and Natsume felt floored.

"Youichi…" Natsume breathed in awe. He pulled Mikan to his side and held his newborn son in his other arm. It was a close call. He almost lost them both. Words alone could not convey how grateful Natsume felt for Mikan's strength to survive the birth, her wit to avoid the ambush, and her courage to stay by his side all these years.

He held the two most important people in the world to him. So if Natsume was suddenly a bit misty eyed, he really couldn't be blamed. Mikan curled into his side and tenderly rubbed the moisture out his eyes.

"He has your face." He said.

"He has your grumpy eyes too." Mikan teased him back. Natsume chuckled in response and kissed her forehead.

"You love my grumpy eyes." He told her. Mikan sighed contently.

"Yes, and I'll love his as I do yours."

"I love you, Mikan."

"Yeah." She smiled. "I love you too."

FLASHBACK END

Mikan gasped when the memories finally released her. Her head throbbed worse than the time she and Natsume pulled an all-nighter watching anime before their school field trip. A lifetime worth of memories, knowledge, and experiences poured into her. She was once Princess Mikan Hyuuga and later Queen Mikan Hyuuga of Alice Kingdom. She was the High Sorceress of the Magic Realm, and the only heir to ever be selected even a thousand years after her original life time. Sakurano appeared beside her with a worried expression on his face.

"Mikan-sama?"

"Shuuichi…I remember." She whispered breathlessly; her voice was thick with emotion. There were still several gaps in her memory, the time between her courtship with Natsume and her son's birth were missing. She couldn't remember anything after Youichi's birth either. "I-I don't understand. Why have we come back? Not just me or Natsume, all my classmates, we've all been reincarnated."

"I'm not too sure Mikan-sama, but I'm certain it's somehow connected to Luna-sama's return." Sakurano informed, helping Mikan to her feet. Mikan groaned at the mention of her name.

"God, Luna. She used the same seal I used to close the Demon Realm to open another portal…and she used my Jii-san." Mikan responded through gritted teeth. The memories of the years she spent studying in the Magic Realm were spotty at best. "Of course! When I sealed her, I must have unconsciously tethered her soul to this world. Kami-sama, Shuuichi, I think I might have inadvertently made Luna immortal!" Mikan gasped as her epiphany struck her. Then she felt very sick and very weak.

Sakurano quickly caught Mikan by the arm. "Are you alright, Princess?" He asked, his voice full of concern.

"Uhh, I think my spirit is being called back to my body." She muttered, clutching her throbbing head. "Nobara-chan only brought me here in spirit didn't she? Where did she leave my body?"

"I believe in a human hospital, Princess."

"I see…Shuuichi, how did Alice Kingdom—" fall. Mikan couldn't ask the rest. If her memories were blank, it most likely meant that her reign did not end peacefully. That the fallen kingdom was met with a tragic end. She was too afraid of the answer. Sakurano wisely didn't press. The brunette shook her head. It was a millennia ago. There were more pressing issues right now.

"I can't stay, Shuuichi. I'm too weak here without my body. Tell Nobara-chan, Anna, and Nonoko that I'll be back when my magic returns." Mikan instructed.

Her body started to glimmer and she felt her spirit slowly being returned to the Human Realm. Before disappearing completely, she caught sight of Sakurano kneeling on one leg with his right hand over his heart.

"Welcome back Mikan Joo-sama."

It was late afternoon, several days after the attack, that Mikan found a moment of freedom to escape her hospital room and hide out on the roof of a 7-story hospital building in central Tokyo. The city below was dead. A stark contrast to the hustle of doctors, police officers, and lawyers drifting in and out of her hospital room, asking questions to which she hoped she conjured believable answers.

The cool spring air was refreshing. It helped Mikan push her senses and get a taste for the magic that lingered in 21st century Japan. It wasn't as alive nor as thriving as it was a 1,000 years ago, but it was still there. A week ago, magic was just make-believe; the stuff of shonen manga and fantasy animes. Now magic is the only reality to hold onto.

"Leoht," the young sorceress whispered, willing light to form in her bandaged hand. There wasn't even a spark. Mikan curled her fingers into a fist and held it close to her chest. The warmth of magic still lingered under her skin, running through her veins, brimming with power that was just out of reach. It was her only comfort now that her Jii-chan was gone and her best friend was...

"Blostma," She tried again to ease the loneliness. In the past, it was a spell she used to conjure flowers for Yuka.

"Mikan Joo-sama…I can't believe my eyes." Years of instinctually hiding her magic taught her to be paranoid. Even though the voice caught her unaware, she realized she recognized the owner of it.

"Kaname? Is that you?" The blonde haired, golden-brown eyed boy was handsome even in the pale green hospital scrubs. His complexion was quite pale and he wore one of those purple surgical wristbands.

When Kaname didn't answer, Mikan wheeled closer to the teen and waved back and forth his frozen eyes. "Ano…Kaname-kun, hello, can you hear me?"

No answer.

"Ara, he's completely frozen." She tried poking his side, patting his cheek, and even ruffling his hair. Then, she moved in closer to inspect the teen's face, trying to reconcile it with the Kaname she knew in the past. Still standing an entire head taller than her, he was a less bulky version of the knight she knew.

"Wow, you have beautiful eyes, Kaname-kun!" They were swirling with liquid gold. It was mesmerizing to look at. As if a spell had broken, Kaname snapped out of his trance and the golds in his eyes faded to brown.

"M-mikan-sama what are you doing here?!" The teen jumped to put two feet of space between them, his face and ears flushed red.

"Demon attack, what about you?" She replied, matter-of-factly, trying to check if the boy was feverish. She noticed his eyes weren't glowing gold anymore.

"My appendix burst…" Kaname squirmed away from her ministration, which was pretty impressive since Mikan had him cornered with her wheelchair.

"Oh, that sounds painful…" She tried to poke him again but Kaname neatly jumped out of the way.

"Yeah it was…Wait, did you say demon attack?"

"Na, Kaname, how much do you remember?" The girl neatly changed the topic.

"Not everything, the memories are still flooding into my mind. Honestly, I can not believe what I'm seeing right now." Kaname repeated in disbelief. He was clearly still disoriented; slipping in and out of using keigo with Mikan. "Mikan-sama, are those injuries from the demon attack?"

Mikan looked down at herself and grimaced. The doctors said her injuries were consistent with a car crash victim's. Her back was littered with cuts, arms bruised with defensive wounds, her right hand punctured through and through, and her legs weakened from taking a blow to the spine when the komodo demon tail-whipped her at the giant oak. Mikan guessed the residual magic in her system that kept her spine from breaking and getting paralyzed all-together. The rest of the injuries have to heal naturally, and some physical therapy so she can walk normally.

"How much do you know?"

Kaname thought for a moment. "A week ago, Japan entered a military lock down. There was this strange pillar of light and the demons came out of it...there were three of them, but each one disappeared when the light vanished. No one has seen them since."

"A lock down huh?" Mikan replied weakly, she turned to face the silent Tokyo cityscape. "People must be pretty scared."

Kaname softened. "At first, we were. There were tanks and soldiers in full riot gear marching down the streets. I think we're all relieved they didn't find anything. Aside from the hospitals and police stations, everything else is closed. Kind of spooky, huh?"

Mikan smiled sadly, grateful for the small talk.

"If you'd like to talk about it, I'm here to listen, Princess." The sweet way he called her princess brought down all of Mikan's walls. When she talked to the police, she left out Luna's appearance and let the police believe she was just a victim of circumstance. With Kaname she couldn't avoid the truth.

So she told him everything. Rambled it really, half out of relief and half with guilt.

"I know this is a lot to take in. But Luna is my responsibility, Kaname-kun. Thank you for listening to me, but I have no intention of dragging you into this mess. Things are only going to get more dangerous—" She was cut off by Kaname suddenly placing his hand over her mouth.

"Mikan-sama, the moment my memories returned was the moment that I became a part of your destiny once more. It would be an honor to serve you, princess." The softness in his earth brown eyes when he looked at her was almost enough to make Mikan cry. Instead, she squeezed his hand.

The next day, Mikan had another blonde-haired visitor she wasn't expecting. He was fashionably dressed in black slacks with a white button down and a thin black tie around his neck. He had eyes the color of ice but a smile that was bright like a bonfire. She recognized him as Alice Kingdom's Record Keeper and Prince Natsume's private tutor— Narumi Anjou. What she didn't expect was for Narumi-sensei to keel over like Kaname did when his memories came back.

"Uso…Mikan-sama?" Narumi whispered when he came to. Mikan also pulled back in shock.

"Eh? Narumi-sensei remembers as well?"

"As well?" Narumi blinked, disoriented; molten gold swimming in his irises.

"Sensei, are you alright?" Narumi sank into the extra bed meant for overnight guests, holding his head.

"Chotomatte Mikan-sama. I'm getting confused between two life times here." The way he said it made Mikan chuckle. She liked Narumi a lot. He was a great help in her transition from a servant to a princess. When Narumi-sensei finally cleared his mind, he turned to Mikan with an expression of compassion.

"I think I have an idea of what might have happened. It was hard, wasn't it Mikan-sama?" Narumi tenderly karded his fingers through her hair, tucking a stray lock behind her ear. Her defenses were no match for the comforting gesture.

"Yeah." She whispered. "It's been hard."

Later, once they both had a chance to collect themselves, Mikan asked Narumi what he was doing here.

"It's kind of a long story. Will you hear me out, Mikan-chan?" When the teen nodded in response, Narumi took a deep breath and began.

"The school wanted to send a teacher to check on you since you're without a guardian right now. I volunteered because I was a friend of your Mom's."

"You knew my mom?"

"I was her junior in University. For the record, I know Natsume's father the same way."

"What? How are they connected?"

"Your mom had two close friends in college, Ioran Hyuuga and Shiki Masachika. She met your father through Shiki-san in her fourth year, but I heard all three of them lost touch shortly after graduating."

Her mind reeled from the information. Ioran Oji-san never mentioned he knew her parents. Did he even know? Narumi-sensei patted her head sympathetically, his eyes were downcast, like that wasn't the end of the revelations for tonight.

"There's one more reason why I am here. Mikan-chan, how much do you know about your parent's marriage?"

"Umm...I know Papa left his family to be with Mom. When they got married, he took Mom's last name and moved outside of Tokyo for a few years until I was born. Then they moved back to be with Jii-san." She answered to the best of her recollection.

"That's right. Well, that's the other reason I'm here. I was able to get in touch with your paternal uncle, and he's expressed his interest in getting to know you."

"I have an uncle?!" Mikan sprang upright, causing the IV and saline bag to shift. The sudden spike in her blood pressure caused the heart monitor by her bed to beep loudly.

"Your uncle reacted the same way when he found out." Narumi chuckled, adjusting her saline bag and encouraging the overwhelmed teen to lie back down.

"I can't believe this," Mikan whispered faintly. This probably wasn't good for her heart.

"I haven't even got to the best part yet!" Sensei exclaimed brightly. Mikan sent him a deadpan expression, doing her best to convey it can't get any better than that. She mildly wondered if this was Sensei's revenge for suddenly springing memories of his past life."You already know who he is!"

"I do?"

"Yes, both in your past life and in your present." Narumi-sensei continued teasing. Yup, sensei was definitely getting revenge.

"Sensei, please stop teasing me and tell me who he is already." The suspense was killing her.

"Gomen, gomen, I couldn't resist Mikan-chan. Your Uncle's name is Kazumi Yukihara…" The heart monitor suddenly crescendoed.

Beep. Beep. BeepBeepBeepBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP—

"THE PRIME MINISTER?!" Mikan screeched. The Prime Minister of Japan was her uncle? She's the niece of the most powerful man in Japan? Her Dad was a Yukihara? No wonder he left his family to be with Yuka...

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Oh, good timing. That must be him now." Narumi went to answer the door.

"WHAT?" Something inside her short-circuited. Narumi-sensei greeted whoever was on the other side of that door and welcomed them inside. Two men dressed in black suits, one with a red tie and surgical mask covering his face and the other with a sleek black tie and sunglasses, entered. The sunglasses fellow was clearly a bodyguard. That meant the smartly dressed man with the surgical mask was her uncle.

Kazumi Oji-san removed his face mask and for a moment, Mikan thought she was seeing Izumi Yukihara in the flesh.

"Mikan-sama…" Kazumi Oji-san breathed in awe. That's when Mikan saw the gold swirling in Oji-san's eyes. She noticed the same gold when Kaname and Narumi-sensei remembered their pasts. Mikan had to wrack her mind to place who he was in Igarashi's court.

The bodyguard lowered his shades, revealing the molten gold swirling is his irises as well. Did he remember too? Did they both regain their memories?

The memories hit Mikan like a second freight train. The bodyguard was none-other-than Shiki Masachika— the man who trained and honed Prince Natsume's swordsmanship. Mikan put two and two together. Shiki Masachika, the Sword Master, was the Prime Minister's personal bodyguard and most likely the third friend of her Mom's who shared the same name.

Prime Minister Kazumi Yukihara sank into the chair by her bed. He was silent for several seconds before he finally said, "You have your mother's face but Izumi's eyes."

"My uncle is the Prime Minister…" Mikan whispered back. Kazumi Oji-san's eyes, her dad's eyes, crinkled with mirth.

"Surely finding out your uncle is the Prime Minister isn't as enlightening as learning that you are the reincarnation of a Princess from a long fallen kingdom." The Prime Minister chuckled, ironically.

"So you remember…"

"Yes, you gave me quite the shock. I came here expecting to meet my niece. I didn't plan on reacquainting with my sovereign." He then turned to his bodyguard. "Did you expect this Shiki?"

"Not at all Kazumi-sama. What a small world." Shiki answered. Mikan's eyes flickered back and forth between the two. It jogged her memory. Kazumi Yamamoto was King Ioran Hyuuga's First Adviser on the Royal Council. Prime Minister Kazumi Yukihara is her dad's brother and now her uncle. What a small world indeed.

Kazumi grabbed Mikan's bandaged hand. "When I heard my niece was in the ICU being treated for injuries from the demon attack, I requested a full police report on the incident. I hoped the attack was random; that my dear brother's daughter was an unfortunate victim in the wrong place at the wrong time. I assume that that is not the case."

"No. It's not." And for the second time today, Mikan recounted the events of Luna's revival. Kazumi Oji-san, Shiki-san, and Narumi-sensei patiently let her. When she finished, the three men exchanged uneasy looks. Her uncle looked dejected.

"I see. I hoped we'd live together like family, but well...this changes things."

"Arigatou Oji-san. The thought alone makes me happy, but I agree. It won't be good if Luna realizes the connection between us."

"How do you plan to encounter her Mikan-sama?" Narumi-sensei asked, speaking up for the first time in a while.

Kaname asked her the same thing yesterday and she's been thinking about it since waking up from the coma. But there were still too many unanswered questions to make a plan yet.

"Only the Demon Lord or the High Sorceress can open stable gateways between realms. What Luna opened was a portal, a tiny window into the Demon Realm. Still, it takes a massive amount of energy to forcibly open a portal, more than any human can possess.

"When I sealed the Demon Realm, I used my powers as High Sorceress to channel the Earth's magic and it still knocked me out for several days. But Luna was using her own magic. If my guess is right, she spent all the energy she collected while she tethered to the Demon Seal. A thousand year's worth of stored energy spent all at once... I think it's safe to say it will be months before Luna can open another portal." Mikan speculated, unaware of the growing looks of awe (and slight fear) from the three men. The three men didn't see an injured teen in that instance; they saw High Sorceress Mikan Yukihara— the most powerful sorceress that ever was and will be.

"I don't know yet what I'm going to do about Luna Koizumi, but I do know I need to be able to move freely and face her on my own terms, Kazumi Oji-san." Mikan answered apologetically. Though it's all speculation at this point, she knows she can't get involved in Japan's political sphere. Protecting Natsume when she was just a servant was easy. As a Princess, she had obligations and responsibilities to the crown that prevented her from moving around so freely. Thankfully, Kazumi Oji-san seemed to realize this as well.

"As a public servant, I am limited in my ability to assist you, but do remember this ally of yours, my niece."

Three weeks ago, Mikan thought she experienced the worst possible pain when Natsume told her she was infatuated with him. But Jii-chan's funeral is so much worse.

She sat in the back amidst all the flowers with her legs curled to her body. The guests threw sympathetic looks her way, whispering about how the Sakura Family was full of unusual deaths. Mikan wondered how they'd react if they knew her grandfather was murdered.

Narumi-sensei sat dogeza next to her, handsome even in the somber mourning clothes with his hair swept back in a low ponytail. She felt their arrival even before sensei warned her. Her heart and the magic within it was singing— Natsume is here. She knew.

"Mikan-chan, Ioran Hyuuga-san and Natsume-kun are here." Sensei murmured in a concerned, velvety voice. Her body stiffened. Every nerve in her mind begged her not to look, to keep her face hidden away and her eyes away from the sight she craved.

"Mikan-chan," Ioran Oji-san whispered closely. The familiar scent of his cologne surrounded her, reminding her of the many afternoons spent curled by his reading chair, listening as he told stories in that gentle velvet-smooth voice of his, her heart moving with the rise and fall of the cadence in his narration. Ioran Oji-san wrapped his arms around her protectively. "I'm sorry sweetheart."

She nearly crumbled then and there. Thankfully, Ioran-san didn't say anything else, giving Mikan a chance to prepare herself for the other Hyuuga. Oji-san pulled away and went to pay his respects to Jii-san, leaving Mikan alone with Natsume. Their eyes met once and then he quickly looked away, finding the flowers interesting or something. Mikan's heart sank.

She expected this, really; that Natsume wouldn't remember. She knew there was a possibility of it. Some instinct told her, it wasn't time for the Hyuuga Prince to remember the past. A tiny part of her still hoped that when Natsume saw her again, his eyes would fill with liquid gold and it would restore the love they shared in their previous lifetime.

"Mikan. I'm sorry." He finally said with great difficulty, standing distantly, devastatingly handsome in a midnight-blue suit. He was rubbing his neck, a nervous tick he never fully shed. She knew all his ticks and mannerism. A best friend in one life and a husband in another— she knew Natsume so well it hurt. It's also how she knew his sorry meant so much more than just sorry. It meant 'I'm sorry you're hurting and I don't know how to take it away from you.'

Something about his tender expression softened her on the inside.

He still loves her. Still thinks of her as his best friend. And still grieves for her pain.

How she wished she could take her letter back. Not that her feelings for Natsume weren't genuine but it wasn't the right time and she didn't exactly confess with the best intentions. It was a petty, selfish confession to keep Natsume to herself.

Mikan was relying on that pettiness now for what she was about to do next.

"Just tell me one thing," she began with icy dispassion, forcing herself to remain expressionless. "Did you mean it?"

His blood red eyes widened in surprise. Then, Natsume hung his head, his raven-colored bangs shielding his expression.

"Yeah. I did." Natsume finally conceded with the resignation of a victim coerced into a confession for a crime he did not commit. Mikan bit her inner cheek. Even though it was the reaction she wanted, forced out of him even, it hurt.

She closed her eyes to stop the tears from spilling and saw two versions of Natsume; the high schooler with his self-assuring smirk and teasing eyes, clad in his pristine school uniform and boyishly trying to get a rise out of her. Then she saw the confident young prince immaculate with his crown and family seal emblazoned on his suit of armor, ready for a banter and possessively capturing her attention.

"Y-yeah…fangirls. What can you do?"

"Magic, no magic, man, woman, it doesn't make a difference to me. I want you, you idiot, all of you."

"...you're just a confused little girl mistaking idolization for feelings."

"...when the truth came out, it changed very little. I would have married you anyway Yukihara."

"Mikan. I'm sorry."

"I love you, Mikan."

"But we can still be—"

"No."

Neither of them breathed. A turbulent silence stilled all chatter, leaving only the sound of their heartbeats, stuttering from the weight. Her eyes looked straight ahead, but saw nothing at all. A filmy substance shielded her vision.

Inhale.

"We can't. I can't be your friend while I still..." The words rolled off her lips effortlessly, with a detached monotone voice to accompany. "At least, not immediately. I need time."

Exhale.

"How long?" Natsume swallowed thickly. The faintly disguised depth of emotion in those two words shattered the grey-tinted lenses obstructing her vision; and she saw for the first time how his face had paled, downcast eyes turned blood-shot, fists curled helplessly to his side, and shoulders trembling faintly. This was hurting them both.

"Two years." She whispered before she lost the will to say it at all.

"Okay," he nodded.

"Okay." She replied abruptly, rising to her feet and making a quick escape from the funeral hall. She didn't look back. She didn't.

When Kaname found her in the hallway, she wanted to keep walking, to endure like she did in a battle— with adrenaline and pure will. But he gripped her shoulder firmly, golden-brown eyes questioning, "Are you sure about this?"

She covered his hand and answered in a strangled voice, "If we're going to make our plan work, I can't keep seeing Natsume. It'll break my will entirely." She wondered if she looked as weak as she sounded. Would Kaname think he placed his bet on the wrong horse? Would he regret the decision to follow her?

"I'm with you, Mikan-sama." The ex-knight whispered in promise, and finally held her against his chest as all the walls crumbled and she sobbed the loss of the best thing that ever happened to her.

Woah. I did not realize how many things I simultaneously revealed and did not reveal in this chapter. Foreshadowing is fun when you get to control it, hahaha. Also, this chapter was such a wild emotional ride. I spent 5 solid hours editing the last scene alone (*wiped-out*) and my good friend was kind of enough to chat with me about paragraph breaks :) Thanks for sticking with me!

Magic Spells

Lehot: translates to light. Used in S01 E9 Excalibur.

Blostma: translates to flower. Used in S02 E9 The Lady of the Lake.

Review, review, review please! I love reading all of your comments and feedback!