Chapter two is here! Lucky I managed to complete it before I left it hanging…XP Not on purpose, mind you.

Disclaimer: The usual stuff. I do not own Gakuen Alice, blah, blah.

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Chapter 2

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"Let me out of here."

"I'm sorry, but we can't allow that, Hyuuga-san. You are in no state -"

"Let. Me. Out." Natsume glared angrily at the doctor, his ruby red eyes boring a hole through the man's head. That man was really testing his patience, and patience was something Hyuuga Natsume was not famous for.

The doctor quailed under the icy glare. Never had he encountered anything that looked so ferocious in his life.

Natsume growled under his breath. Sure, that stupid doctor was hesitating, but he did not seem to be anywhere near to relenting to his wish. And that made Natsume furious. When he says anything, he expects it to be obeyed right away, and not have it contradicted. And this bastard is very, very close to being barbequed alive.

His anger was burning with a passion deep in his chest, mingling along with a huge dose of some unknown feeling. The mighty force that was applied to his chest nearly suffocated him. Yet the force implied was not caused by any physical object. In fact, it seemed to come from inside of him. It throbbed incessantly, painfully, against his ribs, pushing hard and trying the strength of his bones.

What was this awkward feeling? Natsume did not like it in the least. Blood pounded in his eardrums. All he could see was a red blur. Only one thing made sense to the deranged boy at the moment: search for Mikan. Mikan had disappeared, and it was up to him, and him alone, to find her.

Those words repeated themselves again and again in his mind, sounding very much like a mantra monks often recited in prayers. One word echoed louder than the others each time the words repeated themselves, and that word was this:

Mikan.

',',

A semi-conscious boy stumbled aimlessly around the grounds of the Academy, his ruby red eyes half closed. His pale face was flushed with a slight fever. It was enough to cause a wave of dizziness and nausea to wash over him.

Natsume slammed a hand against the sturdy trunk of a tree, too tired to go on. He started to see double, and he cursed under his breath. He was at a great advantage, but he pressed on.

Mikan…he thought feverishly, searching anxiously for her as best as he could through his hazy vision. With a pain-filled grunt he pushed himself away from the tree. He stumbled and nearly fell before his tired body adjusted to the sudden shift in position.

His eyes darted left and right, taking in the students of Gakuen Alice and the crisp brown leaves that fell in abundance from the branches of trees. Natsume willed himself to take another step forward, and another, and another. He was now in a secluded spot, well hidden by countless green leaves and creeping vines.

It looked strangely familiar…

Then realization hit him with the force of a raging bull. Somehow, it made sense, even through his dulled mind.

This was the place he had lost the one most dear to him, the place he had seen her last. The greenery had hindered his classmates from finding him sooner, too…

Natsume used to love this place. It provided the perfect refuge from annoying noises and chattering. What with the creepers hanging down from boughs and huge leaves that shut out blinding sunlight, it was paradise to Natsume, even more so because his beloved had liked it too…but now that it held so many bitter memories, it was hard to imagine that he had once favoured this spot.

In fact, he downright hated it.

He could feel righteous anger boiling up within him. His arm trembled with exultation as his alice burned up within him, threatening to blow its top off.

Natsume snarled subconsciously. In a fleet moment his alice erupted and enveloped the area in flames. Natsume's fiery gaze watched healthy green leaves being burnt into a crisp by a tongue of flame, ruby red eyes burning with lives of their own.

He threw his head back and laughed hysterically. Seeing the leaves wilt under the intense heat gave him a satisfying feeling nothing else could give. Nothing besides teasing polka dots, that is.

His alice drained his strength from his rapidly weakening body. Natsume felt his remaining energy dwindle until he was barely able to stand. He didn't care. Perhaps he would be able to meet her on the other side…with that resolve in his fuzzy mind, he pushed his power to its limits even though it caused him extreme pain. He didn't care anymore. Nothing mattered in the world.

"Mikan," he whined. Oh, the world was spinning so fast…perhaps darkness would be kind and claim him as its own soon…

Natsume's body lurched forwards, his legs no longer able to support his weight. He closed his eyes and awaited the harsh impact of loamy ground against his weak body.

It never came. Natsume found himself dangling awkwardly, only one leg planted on the ground, as though something invisible was supporting him. He forced his head upwards and pried an eyelid open. The flames that engulfed Natsume's former hidey-hole dissipated into wisps of smoke, conserving the last of the boy's energy for him to remain conscious.

"What are you doing?" An exasperated male said some distance away from the boy. Against his will, Natsume's spine bent and he crouched down on all fours, hands planted onto the loamy ground. Natsume loathed himself. He would have welcomed darkness with pleasure, but something always seemed to be in the way.

One pain-filled eye revealed itself from behind a protesting eyelid, taking in the charred greenery that surrounded him and…a man? Hm…loose clothing, built body, a star on his left cheek, and a wooly cap pulled down over his blue black hair…

Natsume groaned. Out of all people, it had to be him…could the heavens be kind to him? Perhaps not…he was impure, after all…he had lost counted of how many had perished in his hands after years of undertaking missions. So why could he not end his life now? It would have come as a blessing. Dying is bliss, especially to the subconscious boy at the moment. The very prospect of dying sounded pretty appealing to his ears.

"You nearly fried me, you know," Tsubasa continued purposefully, trying his best to look at Natsume's face. When he failed, he resorted to using his alice to force the latter to do his bidding. Natsume lifted his head very reluctantly indeed.

What Tsubasa saw was appalling. The younger boy seemed to be on the verge of going berserk. Either that, or he was simply very reckless and was throwing his life away needlessly.

"Snap out of it!"

Natsume remained silent, his ruby red eyes set in a defiant glare. Tsubasa folded his arms and returned it with equal defiance, knowing that Natsume was successfully under his control. There was no way Natsume could free himself from Tsubasa's control in his weakened state.

"Mikan," Natsume said icily. That one word caught Tsubasa off-guard, yet it explained everything to him.

"What's with Mikan-chan?" he asked casually. He felt a pang in his heart as he uttered her name. Mikan was very dear to him. She was like the sister he never had. Well, he had Misaki, but…

"Return her to me."

Tsubasa laughed mirthlessly. "I would if I could. But Mikan isn't with me, and you know that."

"She is, she is! You must be hiding her somewhere! Give her back!" Natsume cried, his voice rising several octaves as his anxiety mounted.

The senpai observed him grimly. He knew how much it hurt to lose a loved one, for Mikan's loss had affected him as well. Yet this boy…he was overreacting. Going crazy was not going to solve anything. Natsume drew a rattling gasp of air that caught Tsubasa's attention. True, he never liked the fire alice, but he did not loathe him. He could spare some concern for him if need be.

He observed Natsume closely and found him to be at the brink of exhaustion, teetering precariously on the plane between consciousness and darkness. Natsume was shivering on the ground though he refused to acknowledge it. His wish to search for Mikan was lodged firmly in his mind and became the only thought that drove him on.

Tsubasa sighed and made Natsume stand up. Using his shadow manipulation alice to support the boy, he led Natsume back to the hospital, ignoring the boy's indignant yells.

',',

"Natsume, calm down!" Ruka yelled as he wrestled Natsume together with several other students, trying to get the boy back into bed. Natsume seemed to have stumbled upon some untapped incredible strength within him, for he managed to fend off three boys at once. He snarled and elbowed Mochu roughly in the chest. The latter grunted and fell to the ground.

Ruka shivered when he chanced to glance once more at Natsume. His face…it was twisted beyond belief with his best friend's fury. Those ruby red gems flared with a life of their own, demanding one person for it to lavish upon:

Sakura Mikan.

The blonde shivered. Natsume was craving for her, and there was nothing he could do. He failed to provide Natsume with what he needed most during these crucial moments. And now, Natsume seemed to have turned into a raving lunatic because of it. It was no wonder Tsubasa had hurried away as soon as Natsume was forced into bed….

Ah, Natsume. He seemed infatuated with her, to the point that he would go mad if she were to be dragged out of his sight for too long a time. Ruka would not have believed it if someone had pointed this out to him before this incident, yet concrete evidence lay right before his own disbelieving eyes. Several times he rubbed them to be sure that he was not hallucinating.

Why? Why did Mikan have such an impact on the fire alice?

Either way, it was not healthy for Natsume if he kept this up. Something must be done to stop him. The boys' strength were not enough to subdue the infuriated male before them. Perhaps it was an effect of adrenaline?

WHAM.

Ow.

Ruka felt as though his head was spinning on his shoulders. Wow, Natsume sure packed a punch. Truth be told, Ruka had never seen him so livid. The closest glimpse he had got of that was when Persona summoned him for missions, and those were well masked with a look of ignorance. At least, they were most of the time. Natsume would let his mask slip once in a while whenever his emotions started to get the better of him, and Ruka had not liked that look at all.

His eyes were hard and cold…the eyes of a killer. It did not suit his young face in the least. It hardened his features and made him look more mature…too mature.

Ruka glanced fearfully into the eyes of his friend once more. Yep, that cold, hard look was there, along with a mad glint amid the burning flames. Only this time, it was ten times worse, because Natsume was not taking any trouble to mask it.

His back connected with something hard. Ruka grunted in pain. Great. Just great. Now he had a throbbing jaw and a hurt back. He could only hope that his spine was not injured. Probably not, but then again, this was Natsume he was talking about.

"Stand aside," Hotaru's cool voice came floating from behind him. Her arm seemed to be the hard 'something' that was supporting his back, and for that he was grateful. Ruka was not sure whether he would remain conscious if he had hit the floor earlier.

Kokoroyomi and several other boys immediately loosened their hold on the furious Natsume and backed away in relief. There was a gray blur to Ruka's right.

There was a loud bang. Then lots and lots of smoke.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ruka saw Natsume double over and fall to the floor, a hand pressed to his temple. Hotaru did not hesitate to turn the tables and sprayed something over his nose and mouth, rendering him unconscious. Natsume groaned a little before slumping into her arms.

Sumire screamed in protest. "How dare you touch my Natsume?!" Behind her, the Natsume and Ruka Fan Club members echoed her indignant words. Hotaru ignored the racket and placed the unconscious Natsume on the bed.

Feeling satisfied, she took several steps back, unmindful of the fangirls' rant. Her violet eyes mirrored regret and sorrow for both Natsume and another lost friend. She knew how he felt, for she felt it too. The atmosphere seemed a lot gloomier without Mikan's cheerful - though annoying - chatter. Just because she hardly showed any emotions physically does not mean she was cold inside, after all. She felt happiness and sadness, anger and regret, just like any other student could.

"Going berserk won't help her, Hyuuga," she murmured sadly although she knew that Natsume could not hear her. She pitied him. True, she felt sad over the loss of Mikan, but it had a far harder impact on the boy since he had very few friends. Ruka was very dear to him, but even more so was Mikan who had earned a rightful place in his heart.

Hotaru sighed. Natsume should not have been shouldering such a burden at such a young age. Other children would play happily in the sunshine, but he would be isolated from them all, far away from the rest of the world. When night falls, he would go on life-threatening missions whereas the others slept peacefully without a care in the world. It was heart wrenching, to say the least.

Even now, when the fire alice was asleep, his eyebrows were knitted into a frown, his mouth turned down as he grimaced. He was probably feeling the side effects of over-exertion.

Ruka watched him sorrowfully as well. Despite harbouring some feelings for Mikan, his affection was nowhere close enough to compete against Natsume's. Why, she only met him for a year, and here she was, a close friend of Hyuuga Natsume, the only girl allowed to come near him. He understood why that was so. Mikan was special. Unique.

"I read his mind," Koko muttered, shaking his head as though to clear it of something. "I read it. He was repeating one word over and over and over, non-stop."

"What is it?" Ruka interjected.

The latter looked around the room, taking in Ruka's bruised jaw, Mochu who was massaging his sore chest, and all the other students, all in one sweep. Finally his gaze dropped to the floor, eyes hidden by his messy fringe.

"Mikan. He was thinking of Mikan."

Everyone was silent after that.

One could have heard a pin drop. It was that quiet.

Suddenly Ruka laughed weakly. "Mikan, huh?" He shook his head, disbelieving. His gaze rested on the unconscious boy on the hospital bed, looking fragile and brittle. But Ruka knew better. Natsume was made out of tougher material.

Yet the boy is tearing apart at the seams, and all this was caused by a single girl, a mere one-star.

Sakura Mikan.

',',

Natsume tossed and turned fretfully under the blankets. No, he was not feeling hot. He was simply restless, pressured by the fact that Mikan was nowhere in sight and that he could do nothing to help her.

Mikan…she could be unconscious right now, perhaps broken and beaten by the Anti-Alice Organization. Would she be able to fend for herself? Her nullification alice could only do so much to protect her against other alices. She was not immune to solid objects. Nor could she last long in a battle, not when she was battered and weary as she was right after she pushed herself to her limits during the assault in the Gakuen Alice grounds.

Or maybe…just maybe, she was alive and well. Perhaps she would greet him with her oh-so-reassuring smile when he woke up from this living nightmare. Perhaps…perhaps she would hold his hand, tell him that it is all right, everything is fine…that she is fine.

Natsume fervently wished it was the milder option of the two that had befallen his little angel. Seeing her by his side again would be his ultimate joy. Nothing, nothing, would be able to tear her away again. Nothing at all…

"Mikan," he moaned audibly. There was no one in the room to hear him. That was fine by him. But oh, how he wished to hear her sweet voice answering to his call…

There was a sudden flash of bright light just outside the floor. It illuminated the nearly dark hospital room Natsume was in, successfully catching his eye. He blinked once, twice. Still the light never wavered.

He had thought that it was merely one of the many doctors or nurses who were on night duty, but that did not seem to be the case since his door never opened. At the same time, the light source did not leave either.

Natsume was torn between curiosity and exhaustion. Damn that Imai for spraying something onto his face. Whatever it was, it knocked him unconscious and left him with a splitting headache to boot. He would have to have a word with her regarding her inventions having side effects as soon as this rigmarole was sorted out.

The light receded, catching his eye once again. He squinted to get a better look in the dimly lit room. He cursed lightly under his breath when he could not see anything suspicious. If only he were in a good enough condition to use his alice, but he was not. Using his alice now even to summon a small flame would cause him excruciating pain.

A shadow fell across the white tiled floor as the door swung slowly open. Slowly, very slowly, it stretched and elongated until the fringe touched the bed railings. Natsume stared at it, warily watching the opening door.

He could see a pair of skinny legs standing immobile just outside the oak door. Yet the person did not show any inclination to move forwards to come in. Curiosity got the better of him and he lifted his ruby red eyes to get a better view of the person's face. The person was of his height, so he deduced him or her to be of his age. Natsume strained to look behind the fringe that covered the person's face.

He could almost feel the small smile that crept up the person's lips. If only he could see the face…. Suddenly the person looked up, giving Natsume a full view of her face.

His eyes grew to the size of saucers as his mind sluggishly registered the huge shock he received. No…that was not possible…impossible…how could it be…?

The soothing light still surrounded her, as if the person was radiating with pureness. She gradually came closer to the boy in the bed, her glowing feet barely touching the marble floor.

Natsume was speechless. He yearned to reply to her inviting gesture, but his body seemed to have shut down, refusing to obey his mind. His crimson eyes followed her desperately as she approached.

Closer and closer she came, until she was directly by his bed. He could feel her warm breath rushing down his neck and see the warm smile that graced her luscious lips. One tentative finger reached out to touch her arm which she had laid on the bed. The soft glow that rested peacefully round the hand made it look all the more surreal.

He could have cried with happiness and joy when he felt it contact with solid flesh. No, he was not hallucinating. This was real.

His wildest dream had been answered. The gods have decided to be kind to him after all, by giving back what was most precious to him. He felt as though he were the happiest boy on earth.

She was back.

Or not…

"Natsume?" someone called. Natsume frowned. This was not her voice…

The figure beside him froze, her brown eyes becoming emotionless. She abruptly jerked her hand away, the soft glow surrounding her flaring brightly. Natsume watched her beseechingly.

"Don't go," he said softly. She shook her head and placed a finger on her lips, signaling for him to be silent. She then smiled and formed a single word with her mouth. Natsume strained to understand what she said. Lip sync was something foreign to him, that was for sure.

Footsteps were audible, striding hastily up the otherwise silent corridor. A shadow fell across the room, preceding the owner. Natsume ignored it and continued staring at Mikan.

"Sa – ra – e," Mikan's words came floating lightly out of nowhere. She then blew a sad kiss to the shocked boy and disappeared in a flash of blinding white light.

Natsume howled loudly. Of course, it brought doctors and nurses to his side in a moment. They fussed over him and checked his temperature and all sorts of annoying stuff, but they could not get Mikan out of his mind. The nurse that had barged in quickly lent a helping hand, oblivious to what had happened in the room.

Once again, Mikan had slipped from his fingers…just when he had vowed never to let her go.

Well, he was not one to break a vow. Especially when it concerns Mikan. If she had slipped from his grasp…

Then he would have to find her.

Instead of listening to the doctors' annoying lecture, he concentrated instead on the wordless message Mikan had sent him moments before she vanished. Her lips had formed an 'o' before opening slightly, as though forming an 'a'. Lastly, she brought her lips close together to form an 'i'…

O…a…i…

Oo..a..eye…

Goodbye.

She had said 'goodbye'.

….

Was it okay? Review, please! Don't be invisible! -grins-