Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice belongs to Tachibana Higuchi.

A/N: Thanks so much for everyone who reviewed, added/favorited me and the story. Enjoy more fluff and drama in this chapter. :)

CHAPTER SIX: BOUNDS AND HOPES

Mikan's head was propped up by her hand as support, her free hand gently playing through Natsume's hair—silently watching him sleep. After both of them talked and had calmed down, they wordlessly agreed to go out on a walk. Hand in hand, they marched out of the dormitory to enjoy the refreshing evening breeze outside.

The couple silently walked through the campus roads—feeling the wind flutter through their hair, quietly enjoying each other's company, heading towards the elementary division to where 'they' all started…the Sakura tree. It was already late May and the beautiful cherry blossoms were long gone, but still, the tree remained sacred to both of them.

Walking in a slow pace, Mikan was absent-mindedly staring at the direction ahead, while the flame-caster trailing behind her kept an eye on her. Natsume, feeling a bit uneasy with her silence, squeezed Mikan's hand intertwined with his—calling for her attention. The brunette halted and turned to look at her boyfriend.

"Natsume?" she asked, her head tilted to the side.

He was worried, he wanted to know what she was thinking, why was she so quiet…a ramble of questions were raging in his head, but he didn't want to voice it out. It took long for both of them to calm down, and he didn't want to ruin the now-peaceful mood.

The raven-haired guy shrugged. "Nothing." Then he continued to walk, gently dragging Mikan behind him.

She gaped for a while there, but when they resumed the stroll, she couldn't help but let out a soft giggle. When he heard her childish laughter, he stopped, and it was his turn to look back with questioning eyes.

"Have you gone crazy, baka?" Natsume asked, wondering what started the out-of-the-blue chuckle.

Mikan pouted, but soon continued giggling. "You know what, I seem to be getting better at this."

He shot her an perplexed look. "What?"

She unhooked her hand from Natsume's, stretched her arms, taking a deep breath. Feeling rejuvenated, she smiled at him. "Nothing," she replied, mimicking the flame-caster's tone. When his eyes furrowed and his lips curled into a frown, she laughed once more. "I mean, you know… reading your language."

Natsume didn't get her at all. When the brunette led out a hand, he mutely accepted it and intertwined it with his once again. Then they continued walking.

"Like for example, you just answer 'nothing', when the truth is you got a lot of things to say but you don't know or don't like to say any of them," she explained, the smile still on her face.

He glanced at her. 'Where did her density go?' he wondered. Seeing her satisfied smile, he ignored the thought and considered her words. Maybe she was really getting used to his 'unusual' remarks—well, at least for other people.

She poked him on the cheek. "Did you mean to ask before why was I silent and what was I thinking?" she asked, still smiling proudly.

His crimson eyes showed a tiny hint of surprise. "Are you sure you don't have any mind-reading stone stuck somewhere on your body?"

She chuckled and stuck out her tongue at him. "Of course not. Your eyes are just lovely," she remarked, meeting him in the eye. "I guess I could understand now when you said you could read me like an open book. The person's eyes are the key," she blabbered, still amused.

He felt a tiny amount of heat creeping up his cheeks. He was thankful it was dark and a bit cold—since the foreign heat gradually faded soon. Natsume just shrugged, and continued their sauntering. "Whatever, Polka," he mumbled, dropping the topic.

Mikan laughed again, and followed her boyfriend. "And by that you mean, 'I'm embarrassed, let's change topic'," she translated, giggling once more.

Natsume, convinced that she was really getting good at reading him, chose to ignore her and continued pulling her by the hand towards their Sakura tree. The brunette followed without complaint—satisfied to watch his gorgeous features from the back.

After spending half an hour at their 'special spot', both of them agreed to go back to the dormitory to rest up for the night.

As they reached the dormitory compound, Natsume tugged on her hand, making her turn around to face him. He looked hesitant, but she waited for him to voice out what he wanted to say.

"Can you…" he said, almost in a whisper. Mikan was sure she saw him blush. "—uh, spend the night with me?"

A smile crept through the brunette's lovely face. "Sure."

And thus, the current situation—where she's enjoying watching the Natsume Hyuuga deep in his slumber. She was softly playing with his hair as she kept her eye on him, and thanks to that, she was getting neither bored nor sleepy.

A moan filled the silent room. Mikan's hand froze. Oh no, did I wake him up? she nervously thought. She waited in anticipation for him to open his eyes…but he didn't. She sighed in relief. Maybe she should just stop and try to get some sleep.

When she changed her position on the bed from facing the side to staring at the ceiling, another moan came out from Natsume's lips. Her eyes quickly landed on his face, panic arising. He let out another moan, and then his eyes shot open and his body jerked to a sitting position—then he started coughing violently.

Mikan hurriedly got up, sat on her legs and leaned forward to Natsume, who was still in a coughing fit. "N-Natsume, are you—" she was answered by more coughing, with that, her face turned pale. The final stage, she thought. Dread filled her system. He can't be—

"I-I'm going to call the infirmary—" Mikan told him, getting off the bed in panic…when a hand stopped her, and at the same time, the coughing slowly dying down.

Natsume, his free hand stopping her, and the other covering his mouth, whispered. "D-don't. I'm…fine now."

Seeing he had stopped coughing and there wasn't the usual blood on his hands or mouth after the fit, Mikan gradually calmed down. She sat back on the bed and inclined herself near Natsume, taking a good look at him if he was really alright.

"Are you sure?" she asked in a tiny voice.

He softly nodded and grabbed several sheets of wet tissue from the box beside his bed to wipe his mouth and hands. After throwing them away, he faced sideways to meet Mikan's hazel orbs—which were following his every move. "I'm alright, don't worry," he murmured. The brunette nodded, though still weary about his condition.

Natsume grabbed her in the arm and pulled her onto the bed. She sofly gasped as she landed on top of him, his face directly in front of hers. He looked at her as if searching for something in her hazel pools, and then lifted his head to plant a tender but lingering kiss on her lips.

After, he gently situated her on the other side of the bed and locked her in his arms. "Let's go back to sleep, Polka," he said, burying his face into her neck, his breath softly fanning her collarbone.

His breath sent a thousand of sparks in her tummy, but she quickly ignored it and cleared her throat instead. "O-okay. Good night, Natsume," she said, then planted a soft kiss on his hair.

He whispered 'Hn,' then she felt his breathing go even—he was back to sleep. Mikan smiled and planted another kiss on his dazzling unruly raven locks, then she finally closed her eyes to join Natsume in his slumber.

***

"So, have you two talked about it?" Principal Kazu asked, eyes intent on the couple before him. Natsume and Mikan came to his office first thing in the morning, and out of his expectations, the two looked serene and calm to him.

Mikan held Natsume's hand and squeezed it tight—sending him a touch full of assurance. The raven-haired lad glanced at her, and when he saw her resolute expression, he knew this decision wouldn't go wrong.

"Yes. And…" he started, taking a deep breath, continued in a sombre tone, "—I will undergo the Alice extraction." Finally saying it out loud, he, in return, gripped his girlfriend's hand with sincere determination. With this decision, he had put his life, his everything… in Mikan's hands.

The brunette, after a few heartbeats, spoke. "Uncle, this may be selfish of me to ask, but we—" she paused, cast an awkward glance at Natsume--who was puzzled, but then she reverted her glance back at the principal, "—I want some more time… to spend with him. I-if you could understand what I mean…" she said, blushing ten shades of red. She knew it was bold of her to say such things, but she needed time to prepare herself before the extraction, and she wanted more time with Natsume.

The flame-caster looked at his embarrassed girlfriend, and honestly speaking, he was touched with what she said. He had the same thing in mind, but despite the bitter fact that he would forget about it anyway—he still wanted to stay with Mikan for even a short while more. He had realized that this predicament they were facing would hurt Mikan more than it would hurt himself…because he will be the one leaving and forgetting her. Damn this, he cursed, not happy at all at the thought of making her suffer.

Principal Kazu kept a small knowing smile in his face. Of course, he understood their silent wish to be together for just a bit more. He looked at his niece—she resembled her father so much, honest and true to his feelings, while she had the unwavering courage that her mother had.

"Of course, Mikan," the man who had lived long enough because of his Alice answered with deep understanding.

Mikan let out a small smile. "Thanks, Uncle," she mumbled, then snatched a glance at Natsume once more. Her smile faded when a specific memory crossed her mind. She flashed her eyes back at Principal Kazu. "But before that… I need to know how much time left before Natsume enters the final stage," she stated grimly. The coughing fit that Natsume had last night still made her uneasy.

Crimson eyes widened. He didn't think that Mikan was aware of his coughing fits being related to the threat of the final stage. He shot her an incredulous look, but she was looking straight ahead at the principal. The latter seemed to have put on a stoic expression.

"Yes, about that," Kazu started, "—the doctors at the infirmary haven't told us about any specific number of days left, but just to be careful, we need to do the extraction within the week." He saw Mikan look disheartened, so he regarded Natsume instead. "How is your physical condition lately?"

Natsume didn't know what to say. He had been experiencing casual burning pains in his chest since yesterday, despite the lack of exertion in his activities. And the coughing fits were getting more violent than before, and they've become more frequent even if he wasn't doing anything tiring. After the fit last night when Mikan was there, he had another two since this morning. But if he told them the truth, the principal would surely cut the week down to days—and he didn't want that. He wanted more time to be with Mikan. It was one of the little things he can still do for her—be strong and stay with her for a couple days more.

The brunette silently watched the dilemma in Natsume's crimson pools. She clearly understood what kept him speechless, and she didn't want to be the cause of his further suffering. Sure she still wanted to be with him, but she didn't want to endanger his life by being selfish. She clutched on his hand tight.

"Natsume, please tell us the truth," Mikan pleaded, sadness evident in her voice. Natsume flicked his eyes towards her, dread creeping up on him. Of course, she knew what he was thinking. She could read him anytime like last night, despite whatever face he put on.

He closed his eyes and sighed in resignation. "It's…getting worse."

Principal Kazu watched the pained expressions of the couple. He knew everything was going difficult for both of them, but it would be unwise to tolerate the emotions that would get in the way, for the better. It had been decided… and they had to take precautions. He sighed inwardly.

"We'll do it in three days," Kazu said with finality. "I hope that would be enough time for both of you," he added, though he knew even a week or a month wouldn't be enough for them.

The responses he received were a distant look from Natsume, and tears from Mikan.

***

The doors of the middle school's Class B slid open. The class was still composed of the same people from elementary division's Class 2B, minus three who lost their childhood-shape Alices. It was still thirty minutes before classes start, but almost half of the class were already there, chatting about various things, while some of the boys continued to banter with each other. As the door opened, everyone fell silent when the infamous couple of the middle school division and even in the academy itself, entered together. Natsume and Mikan entering together wasn't a new thing to them anymore—what made them shut up was the unusual tension between the two…and the rare gloomy atmosphere surrounding the usually hyper brunette. Everyone in the class quietly followed the two with curious glances, as the couple silently sat at their desk at the back of the room. Mikan—who would normally greet everyone a cheerful 'good morning!'—wordlessly sat down and rested her head on the desk, using her arms as support. While Natsume—who would normally start reading his manga as soon as he sat—was absent-mindedly staring at the depressed brunette beside him, his face clearly scrunched up with worry…not minding if everyone saw that rare expression.

The class exchanged perplexed and curious glances, their thoughts on the lines of 'Did they fight?', 'Is Mikan-chan sick?', 'Do they both have mood swings?', 'Did they break up?', 'Is Mikan-chan pregnant?', 'Was Natsume-kun caught cheating on Mikan?'—and a dozen more of outrageous suppositions as to why the usually loud and bantering couple was that ominous today.

Among everyone, only two people knew the real reason behind Natsume and Mikan's odd behavior—the other couple in the class: Hotaru Imai and Ruka Nogi. The two exchanged worried glances, they knew the situation was difficult and they couldn't do anything about it…except to support their friends and comfort them. But they knew better than approaching them right now.

A childish male voice filled the silent room. "Is it…true?"

All heads turned towards the owner of the voice—Koko. He was staring blankly at the couple, apparently too shocked to even remember to blink.

"W-what is it, Koko?" nudged Permy, panic in her tone. Seeing his long-time partner being surprised like that, she knew he wasn't bluffing—and the news would certainly be bad.

Koko, still gawking at Natsume and Mikan, muttered…but good enough for everyone to hear.

"Natsume-kun is dying… and to prevent that, Mikan-chan needs to take all of his Alice away," Koko paused when a sob broke out from the back of the room—from no one else, but Mikan. Natsume leaned forward and gathered her in his arms. Koko continued, his voice grim, "—but the effect of taking his Alice is…the loss of his memories related to having his Alice."

Noise broke out and filled the whole room. Everyone started asking Koko, Natsume and Mikan questions if it's true, if Koko was just kidding, if there was no other way…and a million of other questions. Mikan continued to cry on Natsume's chest, while the latter kept her in his arms, silently comforting her. Natsume clenched his jaws as more questions were thrown at them—he didn't want to talk about it and he didn't want Mikan feeling guilty or anything about it. He cursed himself for not being able to do anything to stop her from crying, and was instead the cause of it.

"Stop bugging them," a stern voice made everyone shut their mouths. The stoic inventor stood up, holding her Baka Gun in her hand. She glowered at everyone inside the room. "What Koko said was true, and there's no other way to save Hyuuga. So don't ask any more questions, just accept it…and support both of them."

Ruka, cast a worried glance on the infamous couple, and looked at everyone. "I understand this is difficult for everyone to accept, but just think of how much those two… how much they have to go through. So please understand."

"I-I'm sorry, everyone…" apologized Mikan, who had calmed down after Hotaru spoke up. She wiped her tears away, and said sorry to the class once more.

Natsume clenched his jaws. "Don't apologize, Polka. It's not your fault," he whispered to her and held her close to him once more. He faced the majority of the class with a grim expression. He thought this might be the last time he could speak to them, so he chose to do so.

"I'm leaving in three days, and I might end up forgetting every one of you. But Mikan and I… we'll do our best to do something about my memories. So until I do so… I order every one of you to stay by her and protect her."

Mikan looked up to see the determination in Natsume's features, and it somehow relieved her of her worries about the matter, even for just a bit. We could do this…we could surpass this, she chanted to herself, taking strength from her boyfriend's resolve.

Everyone, both surprised and touched by Natsume's unlikely expression of his thoughts, understood the sincerity of his words. He was entrusting the welfare of the most special person in his life to them. Natsume Hyuuga trusted them. And that means a lot.

Natsume faced Mikan and planted a soft kiss on her hair. He looked earnestly at her and whispered, "I'm not giving up, Mikan. Even if hell freezes over, I won't give up on us." He held her hands tight, his crimson orbs tinted with absolute resolution. "So don't you cry anymore. As you said, this won't be the end of us."

Mikan nodded in agreement. She closed her eyes and prayed for more strength. She didn't want to give up either. Because as long as Natsume holds on, I will, she told herself, hope filling her disturbed mind.

A/N: Let's REVIEW to show our support for Natsume and Mikan! LOL :p But seriously, REVIEWS PLEASE! ^_^