Kasia: So, we've reached chapter six!!! Wow, I really didn't think it would last this long...

Natsume: Neither did I...

Kasia: Hey!!!

Natsume: Just being honest.

Hotaru: It was a scientific certainty that you would fail.

Kasia: ...You're calculating my odds for failure?

Hotaru + Natsume: Not much to calculate.

Kasia: …That's cold…

Ruka: Awful, aren't they?

Kasia: You know you two, you're in this story, do you want me to switch your coupling around or something?!

Mikan: wakes up Waaaait!

Natsume: unfazed Chill, she can't do anything to us...

Ruka: Mikan's up!

Takeru: dives at his sister

Natsume: lights Takeru's pant leg on fire

Takeru: looks down, yelps, runs in circles and generally freaks out

Hotaru: shoots Takeru with baka gun

long pause

Kasia: …Okay… Anyways, what makes you think I can't change it?

Hotaru: matter-of-factly It's quite obvious that without the Natsume and Mikan pairing you would lose many readers.

Natsume: …

Takeru: …

Ruka: …

Mikan: …

Kasia: ...Crap.

Hitoriaruki: Walking Alone

Chapter Six: Run to the Light

By: Kasia

Natsume and Takeru were quickly bringing the plane onto its steady course, their minds focused on their discussion. An abrupt ring erupted from Natsume's pocket, startling both of them. Takeru took over the controls as Natsume pulled out the mini-computer and Hotaru's face flashed in front of him, holographic beams shooting from the screen and making her three dimensional.

"Natsume." Funny how she made it into a statement, not a question. "I have new leads. She's with someone, I'm not sure who… I think it's a man. I have a very short visual feed from a satellite in the area." Neither of the men bothered asking how she had gotten control of the satellite, though Takeru did raise his eyebrows as he switched the jet into autopilot, turning to the image floating in the air of the cockpit.

"I'm sending it now," Hotaru added, her eyes looking down for a moment, the clicking of keys clearly audible as she opened and dispatched the file. A video instantly appeared in front of them with crystalline clarity.

Two figures, appearing to be man and woman, ran through the outskirts of a small village. The man left the woman, kissing her cheek before he ducked into the town and talked to a few different vendors, returning with food and drink. They proceeded to run into the woods behind them, both scaling the foliage with visible ease. The visual snapped off and Hotaru reappeared in front of them.

"That's all I have. Any ideas from either of y- … Takeru, your heart rate has suddenly escalated, and your vitals are showing you to have a fever…" She eyed him and Natsume turned to find his new partner with his eyes wide, face ashen and breaths heavy.

"What the heck is wrong with you?" Natsume asked, agitated. The last thing I need on this mission is dead weight. Takeru seemed to snap out of his reverie, eyes looking up.

"Replay that transmission," he commanded Hotaru, wiping the sweat that was lining his forehead with his shirt sleeve. It was pointless; beads of the salty liquid reappeared instantly. Either she didn't notice or she didn't care because she simply nodded, face as unrevealing as ever, and set the video running again through the silence.

"I knew it," he muttered, face turning frustrated, angry, hopeful and relieved all at once.

"Knew what?" Natsume asked with impatience, getting annoyed.

"It's…" Takeru paused, watching the video for a few more seconds before nodding, voice confident. "Yup, it's our dad."

Mikan bolted upright in her bed, choking on the millions of strangled emotions inside of her. She leaned forward, gasping for air, and felt a hand lightly rest on her shoulder. Turning, she saw Hotaru looking at her with a pained expression, the rest of the room empty and dark. She opened her mouth to speak, but no noise emitted. Trying desperately to catch her breath, she clutched her chest, pain screaming through her.

"H-Hotaru…!" She finally managed to gasp. "Hotaru! We have to go! We have to go now!"

The raven-haired woman looked at her oddly, shaking her head.

"Oh, no, you're not going anywhere. You need to rest." The command left no room for argument, yet Mikan still opened her mouth in protest. Then snapped it shut. An idea was forming in her mind.

"Y-You're right," she sighed weakly, sinking back down onto the bed. "I need to rest before I can go, anyways. I won't be much help if I'm too tired to do anything." Hotaru studied her suspiciously, then nodded.

"Your fever is gone, so I'll leave you for now." She stood, crossing to the doorway before stopping and peering over her shoulder. "However, don't think that I'm not going to keep a good eye on you, so you better not try anything stupid!" Mikan nodded and scrunched up beneath the covers, enjoying the warmth. She knew one thing – in order for this to work, Hotaru would have to check on her exactly four times before she could leave. If she just laid there and counted the times the door opened, she could be out on her own in a few hours. If she didn't wait, she would only be gone a few minutes before they caught up with her.

Unless you take the car, a voice mumbled in her head. She instantly dismissed the idea. The car had a tracking device, and that wouldn't go over smoothly. Instead, she would have to wait. And wait. And wait. In fact, she had to wait nearly five hours before she was positive Hotaru would leave her alone long enough for her to escape. After the fourth time Hotaru peeked her head in the doorway, Mikan was finally ready. She silently counted to two hundred, then jumped out of bed, slipped into her normal clothes – which were conveniently placed on the nightstand next to her – and swung the door-size, crystalline window open.

Dang, it was bright out. She instantly cringed, squinting her eyes to adjust to the sudden change in lighting before hopping down to the ground below. It was about three stories. Good thing she knew what it meant to "tuck and roll", or she would have broken one too many bones. Children, Mikan warned no one in particular, don't try this at home. She glanced over her shoulder, checked that her communication earpiece – which also had a tracker – was out, and rushed into the foliage surrounding the driveway. She had a lot of ground to cover and no time, but she knew one thing was certain: If anyone stopped her, everything was over.

They quickly found their way into the city, making a path for the 'food block', as everyone here seemed to call it. He was alive. Alive. And standing right next to her. She didn't know whether to laugh, cry, pinch herself or pounce on him (again). So, with her cataclysm of emotions, she automatically decided to just stare. He found that amusing. It was cute that his wife was so pleased to see him. Of course, he was pleased to see her, too, but he had been able to keep tabs on her this entire time, whereas she had been stuck believing he was dead. He couldn't imagine what it would have been like if the roles were reversed. Just the thought shook him.

That's why, above all else, they needed to find a place to talk. Somewhere no one would look for them – somewhere inconspicuous. Thus, the food block. He led her to a jam-packed restaurant and they took their seats in the middle of the second floor, everyone around them as loud and boisterous as he had hoped. Sure, it might seem better to discuss private matters in a quiet, secretive place, but he knew the truth. A filled, roaring bar would serve to keep their secrets better than any other. This was mostly because everyone was so focused on what they were doing – and the louder, more urgent noises throughout the bar – than what some lone, reminiscing couple was talking about. It was also because most people were too drunk to remember anything, regardless.

As they took their seats, he reached out and grabbed her hand over the table, shooting her an encouraging smile and trying to act like they were just a normal couple rather than two superbly powerful and effective secret government agents. Like anyone would have ever guessed that, what with their everyday clothes and love struck grins. She propped her elbow on the table and sighed contentedly.

"Now, if only Mikan were here to see this," she whispered under her breath, tears springing unbidden to her eyes. "If only that child really knew either of us." They shared an empathetic gaze for just a moment before Edward took hold of her other hand, clasping them together tightly.

"I owe you some explanations, Maria."

She looked up, eyes searching his own as she nodded.

"Yes. Yes, you do." He sighed, eyes focusing on the smooth skin of her palms as he began.

"It all started about ten years ago…"

"Preparing for landing," Natsume said from the cockpit, his voice resonating to the back of the plane, where Takeru was checking his gear. From the simplest of items to the most complex, he needed them all if this mission were to succeed. Standing, he turned to look over his shoulder towards the front.

"Roger." He went back to his work as the radio rang out behind him.

"Rabbit to Black Cat, come in." Natsume tried not to grimace at his code name.

"Yeah, this is Black Cat, what is it?" He swished the juice in his hand before taking a swig.

"The sun has risen and is behind a cloud, over." He nearly choked, barely managing to swallow the liquid without shooting it across the room. He took a few breaths to steady himself, but his voice still shook when he spoke.

"R-repeat, over."

"Repeat, the sun has risen and is behind a cloud, over." He called Takeru to the front, worry mounting within him. The 'sun' was Mikan and, while 'risen' meant she was awake and well, 'behind a cloud' meant something he hadn't thought possible.

She was missing.

It was pouring. The rain was falling in giant waves that didn't seem to ever want to stop. Mikan shivered involuntarily, rubbing her arms for warmth as she stepped into the phone booth. Hitting zero for the operator, she quickly told them that she worked for Gakuen Arisu and needed a taxi right away, making them promise not to tell a soul who she was. They didn't argue. No one argued with the top agents of Gakuen Arisu, especially the few that reached Sakura Mikan's level of popularity.

The taxi arrived in less than five minutes and Mikan all but leapt from the icy temperatures of the phone booth to the warmth of the car, giving the driver direct orders to take her to the nearest airport, fast. She had no more time to waste, especially now that she finally knew exactly where to go. Her 'dreams' had explained everything so clearly, so vividly, and she knew better than to believe that it had been by mistake. There was someone she needed to see, someone who would give her the information she needed and answer her questions completely. And she knew that until she had the facts down, she would never be able to rest.

So what was the glitch in this little plan of hers? She wasn't exactly thrilled about the person she had to go meet up with. In fact, she was almost positive that he wouldn't be too thrilled to see her, either. Of course, that was to be expected, knowing what this man had put Natsume through during his earlier school years. Starting to catch on? That's right, the man that would provide the truth…?

None other than Persona.

"So then, all this time…" Her emotions becoming too great, Maria choked up. She was an agent, yes, and she certainly knew how to control her emotions, even under the greatest adversity, but that didn't mean she was impenetrable. Something like this… She couldn't help but get upset. If she didn't get upset about this, of all things, she would be nothing short of inhuman.

"Yes." Edward watched her crumble, his insides going cold with remorse and sorrow. How could he explain it to her? How could he possibly explain that it was the only choice, the only scenario, the only possibility that led to his family's very survival? And what would she possibly do, now that she knew everything that had happened in the past few years?

"I don't get it," she stated plainly, though he could tell that she was just getting started. "You leave without any notice except a body, work for a man that was controlling that boy like an artist controls a paint brush, then – as if that's not enough – you dare to come back and act like everything is okay, like everything had a reason?" Her voice was on edge, laced with pain and anger, her well-honed self control the only thing keeping it at its even tone.

"Mari-"

"What's more," she cut him off, "You and I stroll around for a day, just remembering old times and acting like we're going to live together, happily ever after, but really you're just going to turn around and leave again!"

"Maria, plea-"

"I thought you were dead, baka!" She slapped her hands onto the table on the last word, pushing herself up and racing out of the café. No, she thought to herself, There is no way I'm going through that again. Tears choking her, she tried hastily to wipe her eyes, not noticing the men that came from behind, far too emotional to focus on their vicious thoughts when her own were in such turmoil. I would rather you had just never come back at all!

After a bit of arguing – mostly one-sided, due to Natsume's stubbornness – Takeru was on the ground tracking Maria, while Natsume went back after Mikan. Like he would ever let someone else go after her, family or not! Honestly, that would mean someone else saving her, protecting her, comforting her. Let some other guy do that? Like hell. Who was to say any other guy could take care of her the right way, anyways? Even if it was her brother, she didn't know him at all – how could he possibly make her feel any better? No, this was something only Natsume could do, and he was quite determined to keep it that way, no matter what methods he used. This is one of those, "insert picture of fire-threatening Natsume" moments, hehe… -Kasia

Still, with Hotaru working on finding Mikan and nothing for him to do, Natsume was starting to get impatient. It was all good and well to refuel, but did it have to take so long? And Hotaru was the best tracker he had ever met – especially when grouped with Ruka and Sumire – so she should be done soon, right? He stretched with a yawn, leaning back in his pilot's seat to take a quick nap before everything was set for him to leave.

Mikan's side gushed blood, her opponent's last words echoing through her thoughts. They had underestimated her by sending only amateurs, but somehow her weakened state had allowed them to score a few wounds. Her movements had been far too slow, too sluggish, and they had rightly used that to their advantage. In fact, only her strong determination had let her win at all, and the blood was proof. What she hated the most was that she hadn't even reached the most dangerous part of the mission, yet she was already wounded so deeply.

Shrugging off the urge to cry, she forced herself back into independent mode, standing up to her full stature and hastily tearing the bottom piece of her shirt and tying it tight around the gash along her waist. The blood soaked through instantly, but she knew it would slow eventually; the problem was in the fact that she was still traveling, still moving to her destination. She didn't have the luxury of pausing for a medical check – she needed to get there as fast as possible, and that required constant motion.

Of course, she didn't know that she was already being watched. Thankfully, it wasn't by an enemy this time.

Ruka stepped quietly into the bedroom his from had been feverish in hours before. His silence was multi-purposed – for one, Sumire was working on her computer at a round table in the lounging area. For another, Hotaru had fallen into slumber in one of the lounge chairs facing the window. That in itself meant that Mikan was located, but he crept over to Sumire anyways, whispering in an effort to not alert Hotaru.

"Status report?"

Sumire didn't even glance up from the computer, probably because she had caught his scent or heard his footsteps when he came in.

"Natsume will reach her in about four hours," she murmured back, volume matching his own. "Oh," she added, "And Hotaru's been out for about half an hour." He nodded, making his way to his girlfriend's side. Carefully, gently, he lifted her bridal style, relishing in the feel of her warmth. She stirred and tensed, but instantly relaxed at the recognition of his touch as he brushed his lips over her cheek. Snuggling in closer to him, she leaned her head against his shoulder and let a content sigh escape her lips. He grinned, nodding his good-bye to a smirking Sumire as he carried Hotaru from the room.

Finding her own bedroom, he hesitantly laid her down on the luxurious mattress, pulling the covers up to her chin and tucking her loose hair behind her ears. As a last gesture of affection, he pressed a kiss to her forehead before turning to leave.

She caught his sleeve.

Startled, he let her tug him back toward her, barely hearing her almost inaudible whisper.

"Stay."

A smile tickled the ends of Ruka's lips and he nodded, voicing an equally quiet "okay". He took her hand from his sleeve, holding it between his own and settling into the chair beside the bed, waiting for her to either give a signal that she wanted more or fall asleep. After a few seconds she tugged at his hand again, muttering something under her breath. He leaned forward, straining to catch what she was saying.

"…Cold," he finally made out, "…I'm cold…" He pressed his hand against her forehead, checking for a fever but finding nothing out of the ordinary. Her eyes abruptly opened, meeting his gaze. His heart broke when he saw the pain in them – the remorse; the things that only he was ever allowed to see. Without thinking he leaned forward and tilted her face upward, cupping her cheeks with his hands and catching her lips with his own. She blushed, but her anxiety instantly faded. After a few seconds they separated, neither moving more than a centimeter or so away from the other.

Again, ever so slightly, she tugged on his hand, face flushing even more. He wrapped his arms around her, his hands finding their way inside the blanket as he lay down beside her. He felt heat on his cheeks and had to fight the urge to look away from her, instead pulling her closer. Her head snuggled firmly against his chest, both peacefully drifting off to sleep. Yup, Sumire would tease them terribly for this…

Speaking of the devil, Sumire was thinking just that.

"Alrighty," she said to the empty room around her, "They'll be out of commission for awhile…" A sly grin spread across her face as she continued studying the screen in front of her. Mikan's status… Still traveling, but moving slow and leaving a trail of hot splashes on the ground behind her. Blood, obviously. Well, I suppose it will make Natsume find her faster, if nothing else… Maria and her long-lost husband… Separated – she quietly mused to herself that mothers and daughters really were a lot alike – though not by much, and a gang of men were following Maria like she was fresh meat. With Edward also trailing Maria, Sumire almost felt bad for the men. Almost.

Takeru… About an hour from Maria, moving at approximately sixty-five miles per hour. Must be driving. Natsume… Her eyes went wide, filled with shock and disbelief. How the heck did he manage to get so close so quickly? She pondered, trying not to panic, as there was only one explanation. Mikan must be bleeding bad He was not only already on the ground, but only five minutes away! Good thing, too, because something appeared to be happening with Mikan.

She had stopped.

Mikan stared, Persona standing before her with a smirk spread across his face.

"So… You came," he stated, instantly putting her on edge.

"Of course I came! What the heck is going on?! What did you do to me?!" Persona's smirk widened, his dark eyes remaining as emotionless as ever. Natsume watched from the shadows, precariously perched in his typical spot in the trees, the foliage blocking him from view, though he was just above Mikan. He had nearly fainted upon seeing Mikan and Persona together, anger instantly replacing the shock as he gazed at his own personal Hitler.

"You've done well, Sakura," Persona cooed to her, sending shivers down both Natsume and Mikan's spine. Her eyes widened and his narrowed, both glaring at their nemesis with all their might.

"Meaning?" Mikan demanded, furious.

"Meaning that you did exactly what I knew you would," he paused and looked above her, meeting Natsume's gaze. She glanced around, confused, as she couldn't see anything in her field of vision. She opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to it. "As did you, Natsume."

Mikan gasped as Natsume landed beside her, face so emotionless that he might as well have been wearing his cat mask. He grabbed her arm, tugging her away. She shot him a questioning gaze, but he wasn't looking at her, and good thing – she could see the anger glinting off her eyes and knew it wouldn't be too great if he was using them on her.

"Good bye, then," Persona called out to them, voice oddly calm. Mikan glanced behind her – no way would he let them go that easily – but Natsume didn't even pause. If anything, he increased his pace, pulling her so hard her shorter legs were forced into a light jog. After a few silence-filled minutes she fell forward, catching onto Natsume's arm as he pulled her up straight for about the millionth time – she had lost count of exactly how many – and she finally lost her patience.

"Alright, alright, wait!" He wouldn't look at her, but kept his eyes focused on the path in front of them, stubbornly holding her arm but not pulling anymore for the time being. "Natsume, I want an explanation. He obviously didn't stop us for a reason, so don't we need to consider the possibility of traps? Talk to me, will you?" The last sentence almost cracked him, but he bit his tongue. Seeing that he was keeping his silence, she sighed. He allowed himself to glance her wound out of the corner of his eye and instantly cringed. It was deep and untreated. Wonderful.

"Natsu-" Mikan began again, stopping when Natsume hastily turned back to face her, pulling a bandage and some antiseptic out of his pouch. "Oh, hey, Natsume, I-"

"Sit." She looked up at him, surprised.

"What?"

"The cut is above your waist, I'll be able to clean it better if you sit down." His tone was bored, eyes impatiently awaiting her reaction.

"Oh," she managed, "Right." She looked around them, eyes settling on a semi-smooth (if angled) rock a few feet away. She hesitantly took her seat, eyes watering with the pain of jostling the cut in an unusual way. Natsume kneeled next to her, setting the bandages down and reaching forward. He tried to be as gentle as possible, but it was obvious that the blood had dried (and scabbed) to her shirt, and thus he had no choice but to keep pulling as she choked back sobs.

"So why did you go find him on your own?" He asked, mostly in an effort to remove her mind from the pain, gently wiping the antiseptic against her sensitive skin and leaning forward to blow on the cut when he saw that she was suffering.

"…I'm not sure," she mumbled after a moment. "This entire time I've been struggling, trying to find answers to my questions, but then, at that moment, after I had those dreams, I realized that I already knew." He continued working, hiding his anxiety with confident, even strokes.

"I'm expendable."

He instantly stopped, eyes darting up to hers, fury rising within him. He made to speak, but she beat him to it.

"But only if my friends are in danger. I'm not saying that I'm worthless, I'm just saying that they are worth more." He swallowed, trying to bite back his anger but failing miserably.

"…'Expendable'… 'They are worth more'…?" Her eyes weren't meeting his but looking at her hands, clenched together in her lap. "Mikan, what the heck are you talking about?" He was using every ounce of willpower to keep his tone from escalating out of control. "Everything you've been doing has made absolutely no sense! Go running off, get saved, go running off, get saved… When are you going to stop being so freakin' selfish and think about what you're putting everyone else through? What you're putting me through?" She looked up at him, eyes wide in surprise.

"Natsume, I… I hadn't meant… I didn't want anyone to have to go through so much trouble…"

"That's not what I mean. We don't mind helping you out! We don't mind saving you, even if it means getting injured in the process, because you're important to us, Mikan!" She looked a bit confused and he rushed on, standing to his feet and pacing as he spoke. "It's not the tracking or the helping or even the fighting that we mind – it's the fact that you leave us with no idea where you are, making Hotaru worry to the edge of her mind and me to… to…" He paused, clenching a fist at his side.

"…To what?" she asked quickly. "Spit it out." He gave her an annoyed look and she grinned. "To stress and pace, and worry like mad?" He huffed a bit at the joy she seemed to be experiencing as she asked him this.

"Yeah, and think that I must not be as close to you as I thought." She cocked her head to the side, confused.

"…Why?" His anger flared up again.

"Why? Well gee, let's think here, maybe because you don't TRUST ME AT ALL! You don't even say a word about it! There are no hints, no silent tips as to what's going on or notes that only I get to see. There's nothing for me to go by at all, you just up and disappear, like the most important things in your life are totally hidden, totally blocked away from me. I'm so used to you telling me everything, but lately you haven't said a word. Dang it, Mikan, do you know what you do to me?" He finished the final sentence with a loud sigh, running a hand through his hair and kneeling back down again. "You just need to be more careful, alright?" His head was buried in his hands, so she couldn't really see his face. "Let me help you out every once in awhile; when you don't I feel like I'm just useless to you."

Climbing down from her spot – her side had long been bandaged – she carefully kneeled down next to him.

"Um…" she murmured nervously, "You know… It's not…" She leaned in, her mouth close to his ear as she whispered. "It's not that I don't trust you, or that you're useless to me, and especially not that you're not close to me. It's nothing like that. It's like… It's like..." She paused again, pushing his hair up enough for her to lean forward and kiss his cheek. "It's like I'm afraid that if I allow myself to love you anymore, I'll never be able to leave. And if I let you know everything, you'll never let me." She went to stand but he grabbed her wrist, meeting her eyes.

"Even if I don't know everything, I'll never let you. Trying to protect your friends is nice, but it's just your excuse for running away. Even without knowing exactly what happened to make you think that we even needed protection, I can still tell you that it's just an excuse. You're afraid, definitely afraid, but it's not because you think you'll never leave. It's not even because you know I'll never let you." He stood, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her toward him, her hands holding herself away, pushing against his chest.

"It's because you're scared that I will leave." Her eyes widened, a single tear starting its path down her cheek. He released her arm and cupped her face, wiping the liquid away with his thumb. "But I won't. And you're right – I won't let you. You're afraid of you loving me too much? Ha. Even if you didn't love me – which you do, I might add…" A sly grin played across his face. "But even if you didn't, I still wouldn't let you leave. Even if you went off and married… Married… Married Ruka or something (not that Hotaru or I would let you, but that's not the point), I still wouldn't let you go. I would protect you and bring you back, even if I had to bop your head a few times and carry you a million miles. I'll say it one more time, Mikan: You're important to us. Especially me." He leaned forward and kissed her gently, pushing her hair behind her ears. "Because I love you." She lifted her hands and cried into them, sobs shaking her shoulders as she leaned forward, his arms instantly encircling her.

Yes, it was true that she had needed to hear that. She had needed to hear that more than anything in the world. And yes, she was terrified that he would leave. Beyond terrified. Traumatized.

But that just strengthened her resolve. Because now, above all else, she knew the dream was going to become reality. And now, she had the answer. What would she give if it meant saving her beloved?

Her life.

Alright, that was chapter six… Soooo mushy x.x I think I got all corny for a second! Well, let me know if you liked or hated and I'll change it if I need to, hehe. ALSO, as this fanfic is kinda nearing the end (just a few chapters left!), send me ideas for new ones!!! I'm debating on doing a Kiba x Hinata fanfic (Naruto), and I've got a bit of a plot already prepared, but let me know if that's what you want or not… Okay, hope you liked and GO REVIEW!!! Cya!

-Kasia