Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice belongs to Tachibana Higuchi. Not Stolen belongs to me. :p

A/N: Haha, sorry for taking too long to update this time. It was hard to write when I had to worry about what classes to enroll in, LOL. Anyway, here, enjoy. :) More fluff and drama. ^^

CHAPTER SEVEN: SEALING THE DEAL

It was just five in the afternoon, yet it was already getting dark for a late Spring day. Natsume peered at the clouds looming above and a flock of birds swiftly travelling through the sky. 'It's going to rain,' he thought to himself. He glanced at his best friend, Ruka, walking beside him—who seemed to be thinking of the same thing.

"Where did Sakura say she was going?" Ruka faced Natsume while walking and asked.

As soon as the dismissal bell rang after classes, Mikan told Natsume to go on ahead to the dormitories because she needed to do something important. She then went over to Ruka, who was left behind by Hotaru for an urgent interview with a new multi-millionaire sponsor, and asked the animal lover to spend some good time with Natsume—since, according to her, she would be keeping the flame-caster all to herself before the extraction. She gave both men a wink and left the classroom in a revved up mood…something that made Natsume feel quite relieved that she was back to her old self, not like this morning that she was so depressed and all crying.

"She didn't say," Natsume answered, staring ahead, walking slowly with his hands in his pockets. "Though Koko mentioned that he caught some of her thoughts for an instant," he shrugged, "—said she was going to the Alice Room."

The Alice Room was a special hidden room inside the elementary school division—specifically saying, inside the office of the Elementary School Principal. After the Alice War and Principal Kuonji's death, the room where his wide collection of Alice Stones was decided to be kept the way it was and was named the 'Alice Room'. Only the higher officials of the Academy have access to the room, and of course, the only Stealing Alice alive: Mikan Sakura.

Ruka looked at the usual detached expression on his best friend's face. Well, that would be the 'usual' to other people, though for him, he clearly could read the worry and anxiety that darkened Natsume's features. And there was no need to ask the reason why.

"You wondering why she looked so happy going to the Alice Room?" the Animal Pheromone asked in a quiet voice, anxious to further annoy his friend—who had obviously too many things in his mind right now.

Natsume shrugged. "It's her façade," he simply answered, still looking at nothing else but straight ahead. 'She's not happy at all, it's so obvious. Because there's no other reason she'd go there but to prepare for the Alice extraction,' he added to himself.

'Three days,' he thought bitterly. There's so much to do for such little time. A familiar burn suddenly shot through his system, which made him wince, but he did it so faintly so Ruka wouldn't notice. Everything was so unfair—he was left with nearly no other choice. Even if he cancels the extraction so he could just stay with Mikan and die happily—it was the hard truth that he didn't have so much to live… putting the thought in vain. 'Curse this body,' he silently swore, the feeling of helplessness returning.

A warm hand on his shoulder interrupted his wandering thoughts. He glanced to see Ruka, smiling timidly.

"You want to go to our place?" the blonde asked, trying hard to ignore the sadness overcoming him. It was a fact that this could be his last time together with Natsume—before his friend forgets everything.

Natsume raised a brow. "More likely, you and your animals' place, Ruka," he retorted, knowing that his friend was pertaining to the barn in the Eastern Woods. But regardless, it was true that it was their place, one of the good places full of their memories together as best friends.

***

Hotaru sighed as she gazed at the darkness outside. She was tired from the interview this afternoon—the sponsor had been too detailed with everything and anything regarding the project and it almost snatched the lights out of her…obsessive-compulsive guarantors are really the worst.

She turned to glance at her currently operating photo printer. 'Still a bit more,' she thought to herself, eyeing the piece of machine who had been her trusted 'teammate' in her photo-blackmailing and photo-sale business since elementary. A few minutes ago when she arrived from school, she should've already hit the bed for a nap, but she felt she had to do something—which is why the printing device was currently working on its full efficiency.

A loud beep from the machine was heard. A signal that it's done with printing, Hotaru slowly shuffled from the side of the window to her desk. She picked up the stack of photos laid in an organized manner on the tray of the printer. She looked at them one by one, as if scrutinizing each sheet. Photos of Natsume and Mikan—from the huge chunk of her collection saved in her laptop, she chose her best shots and printed them out.

She gave a fleeting look at the small red box on her desk. Hotaru knew it was kind of petty… or downright naïve—that these pictures might somehow help that Hyuuga to remember about Mikan and him when he loses his memories. The inventor stuffed the pictures inside the box, the topmost being a shot of Natsume and Mikan's first kiss as a couple after elementary graduation. She smirked at how the photo showed the truth about the couple—Natsume being the perverted and aggressive one, while Mikan being the naïve one and always the victim. The raven-haired lad was pinning the brunette into the Sakura tree, one of his legs in between Mikan's thighs, and as Natsume kissed her, her eyes were wide open with shock.

Hotaru sighed and closed the box. She was doing this because she needed to ensure that Hyuuga would remember Mikan. She didn't want her to end up hurt in the end—and she knew that Mikan would not be happy without the arrogant jerk. It was the least thing she could do for her happiness.

She sat on her chair and faced her computer once more. She opened her video editing program—yawned—and clicked on some files.

'Just to make sure,' she said to herself, plunging once more into her world of technology.

***

"If you got something to say, Natsume, go ahead," Ruka commented when he noticed his best friend was throwing anxious glances at him for a few minutes already. He knew too well that the raven-haired lad have troubles expressing his thoughts, so he spoke for him.

Natsume's brows furrowed as he frowned. He stared blankly at the ground before him, as if the answers to his worries would come out from the heap of hay he was sitting on. He let out a frustrated sigh.

"How does it feel?" the flame-caster started. Ruka, who didn't know what he meant by that, chose to remain silent, his eyes still on his friend. Natsume groaned and clutched a fistful of his raven hair, then threw an awkward glance at Ruka. "Y'know… how does it feel—knowing that I would forget you?"

The blonde guy was taken aback by the question. As much as possible, he wanted to keep silent about it, because he didn't want to add to the burden that Natsume was carrying right now. However, he can't help but be honest to his friend.

"It's…difficult. We've been friends since we were 8, and being told one day that you're going to lose memories—it all seems like some cruel joke," Ruka, in a tiny voice, said. His cerulean eyes were distant. "But like Sakura…more than anything else, I don't want you to die just like this. So, even if it's difficult… I'll be strong, until you recover your memories. Whatever happens, I'm still your friend."

Natsume's eyes stayed firmly locked into the ground. His crimson eyes showed how deep and how large the things he had been pondering on were. Ruka stared at him, trying to analyze how he thought of his answer, and what more he was thinking. And the instant he saw the unusual hint of fear in Natsume's crimson pools, the truth hit him hard. It was that, of course.

"You're worried about Sakura…aren't you?" Ruka asked in a concerned voice. Worry—was an understatement. He could clearly see that his friend was afraid… of something—of what will happen to Mikan.

The raven-haired one shot him a how-did-you-know glare, but when he saw Ruka's sincere expression, his glare softened as he averted his eyes away. Saying he was worried was not enough. He couldn't explain this anxiety…it bugs him like hell.

"Why… do I always end up hurting her?" voiced out Natsume, his tone ranging between frustration and exasperation. He prodded his hand on his face and let out a heavy sigh. "I'm always being saved…by her. And she always gets hurt because of that…" he murmured, adding a curse at the end.

A huge swoosh of wind came between the two men, ruffling their unkept tresses, soothing them…even for just a bit. Natsume continued to stare at the ground as if it was something interesting like his manga volumes, while Ruka continued to ponder—of what he could tell his best friend.

The animal pheromone Alice user started to caress Usagi as soon as it hopped back into his lap. He stole a quick glance at Natsume.

"Then this time, make sure you don't hurt her," he said firmly, staring off into the clearing ahead.

Natsume, apparently caught by his words, sat up straight and stared at him…waiting for him to continue. Ruka faced his best friend, a kind smile on his face.

"Why don't you seal it, Natsume?" the blonde suggested, his words meaningful. It didn't take much of a second for Natsume to realize what his best friend meant.

'Of course,' he thought to himself. If he didn't want Mikan to get hurt, he must ensure he would remember…that he wouldn't leave her alone. And that assurance...must be felt by her. And there was only one way to do that.

A promise. Because Natsume Hyuuga never breaks a promise. Like the time he promised her mother he will take care of their family—he made sure he would fulfill it no matter how hard it takes. He will seal it this time with a promise. That he would remember, that he would be back, that he would be there to love her still.

Natsume looked at the darkening sky above and took in a deep breath. As he slowly let it out, he finished it with a satisfied smile.

Ruka watched as the raven-haired best friend of his stood up, pocketing his hands, holding a serene face. He can't help but smile at the scene. Natsume knew what he had to do. He watched as the flame-caster slowly walked away from where they sat together, clearly set out to do what he had to do.

After a few paces, Natsume stopped and looked back at Ruka.

"I will remember, Ruka," he started, filled with determination. "So I wouldn't treat this like it's our last time together. Whatever happens…you are my best friend." Natsume stated, ending it with a small wave as he started on his tracks once more.

Ruka looked at the retreating form of his best friend. He never had the wrong hunch about Natsume—and he knew he was coming back. He, too, was confident…that Natsume would remember. The blonde smiled and stood up, readying himself to pay a visit to his ever busy inventor girlfriend.

***

Mikan clutched the Recollection Alice stone she had retrieved from the Alice Room this afternoon down the Elementary School Division. During the day, after the emotional encounter between her, Natsume and their classmates, her mind was preoccupied by the limited amount of time she had left with Natsume. As the teacher continued to babble geometric equations, Mikan's head whirled with ideas—things she wanted to do with her boyfriend…before the extraction.

And then something hit her. There was something more important than thinking of stuff she would do with Natsume…it actually really didn't matter what they did, since as long as they are together, she would be happy. But this one—of course, it was essential... that she ensured herself of being capable to conduct the Alice extraction properly. Because one wrong move could kill Natsume in an instant.

She shuddered at the thought. Even if the extraction was the only way out of death's grip due to Natsume's fourth type alice, the method itself was still risky—especially for her who hasn't yet done an actual extraction with someone who only had one Alice.

As she held the Recollection Alice stone tight, her mother's words during one of her Alice trainings flowed clearly into her head.

"It's actually easier to extract someone with two or more Alices, since there would be always another Alice left inside their bodies to keep the Alice essence that maintains their lives as Alices," Yuka explained as Mikan concentrated on trying to extract her mother's Teleportation Alice.

Mikan paused and looked up at her mother. "So…how about the people with only one Alice? Not all people have multiple Alices such as us, so…how would that be?"

Yuka softly patted her daughter's head. "You always ask good questions, dear." She smiled timidly. "Well, the risk is very high when permanently extracting the Alice of someone who only has one. It's like…how neurological surgeons feel—that one mistake will instantly end the life of the patient. It's the same with us…we're tampering into the most vital part of us, being an Alice."

Mikan sat straight, completely sucked into the conversation. "You mean…the Alice essence?"

Yuka nodded. "Yes. The Alice essence is like our soul, as someone born with Alice. That's why during extraction, if by mistake you take all of the Alice away including the essence—the person dies." The older brunette's facial expression turned remorseful. "I wasn't aware with all of this before…during the time I did those disgusting evil work for Kuonji."

Mikan understood what her mother meant—she saw it all during the time travel with Nodacchi before. Kuonji forced Yuka to take away the Alices of those who are on their deathbed—because according to him, they are already useless junks and their Alices will be a waste if it died along with them. Those missions tortured her mother both physically and mentally—that's why even now, she could understand Yuka's grim feelings. Because if only she had known before how to keep the people's Alice essence, she could've not killed them by her own hands, and she could've saved a lot, especially those suffering from the fourth type of Alice.

Mikan suddenly jerked up from her concentration as the final spark of the stone in her hands extinguished. She stared at the used up Alice stone and sighed. She fished out another one from her pocket—the last Recollection stone she got. With this, she needed to remember the actual feeling, not just memories, of how the extraction worked. She did it a couple of times with her mother, and she did it quite well…but she needed to remember everything clearly. Especially how to detect the Alice essence. She wouldn't dare risk Natsume's life by making a mistake and end up stealing his life as well.

The brunette took out another stone, purplish in color—the Amplification Alice stone. She smiled as she remembered one of her senpai, Akira Tonouchi…one of the few people who had the greatest Alice compability with her. She took two from the Alice Room: one for today—so she could amplify the Recollection Alice to remember the 'feeling' clearly as well during her extraction training; and another one for the actual extraction with Natsume. She had to make this right.

As she held the two Alice stones close to her chest, she concentrated hard to remember—the most vital training she had two years ago.

***

Natsume opened his desk's drawer as soon as he came back to his dorm room from Central Town. He fished out a small black lacquered box from his pocket and stared at it for a while.

Promise rings.

After his conversation with Ruka, he headed for Central Town to buy a pair of silver bands, then he had those engraved with a promise—his promise. A promise he would certainly fulfill. He closed his eyes as the image of a smiling Mikan crossed his mind. He clutched the ring box close to his chest as he thought how much he loved the girl—the one he would give the promise ring to. Tomorrow, he said to himself.

Letting out a sigh, Natsume put the box inside his drawer and closed it tight. He shuffled towards the bathroom to take a quick shower before going to visit Mikan. He was eager to see her after she left him with Ruka this afternoon to go to the Alice Room—to prepare for the extraction. He grunted at the thought. He knew it would be torture for Mikan to be the one who would actually, though quite indirectly, take his memories away. He cursed as he quickly stepped into the bathroom, so as to finish early and pay a visit to his girlfriend. To at least stay by her side as long as he can.

After wearing his pajamas and having dried his hair, Natsume took the huge Teleportation Alice stone that hung in his necklace—together with the Healing Alice Stone he had received from his mother when he was but a child. The Teleportation stone was given to him by Mikan's mother, a day before the Alice War erupted.

He could still clearly remember Azumi Yuka's words.

"Take this," she said, handing over a huge aquamarine stone. "This might prove to be useful during the war tomorrow. If the situation calls for it, protect Mikan with this stone."

Natsume stretched out his arm to receive the Alice stone. He stared at its lustrous color, and enveloped it with his hand. He took out the Healing Alice stone necklace he had inside his shirt and attached the Teleportation Alice stone beside it.

Yuka, aware of the Healing Alice stone she gave years ago to her Kaoru-senpai, and in turn was given to her son—smiled meaningfully. She patted the raven-haired lad's shoulder and looked at him meaningfully.

"Take it as a sign—that I am entrusting my daughter to you, Kaoru-senpai's son."

Those were Yuka's last words. Natsume wondered until now if the woman knew she was going to die during the war, therefore entrusting Mikan to him. He looked sadly at the aquamarine stone—thinking he would, in some degree, fail Yuka, fail to stay by Mikan's side all along.

Mikan had no one else other than her friends and him. And now, he would be leaving her. Of course he was determined to remember and get back close to Mikan as soon as possible, but the glaring truth is there: he could have remembered but he was not an Alice anymore. He wouldn't be able to stay with her until she graduates from the Academy.

'There will be a way,' he thought to himself, brushing off the distressing thoughts. For now, he just wanted to see Mikan.

He closed his eyes as he activated the Teleportation stone, instantly disappearing from his room.

***

As Natsume slowly materialized inside Mikan's room, his sight caught the brunette…sleeping soundly while sitting—her back against the bedside wall. His brows furrowed a bit, imagining how the girl ended up sleeping at the floor while sitting, and how uncomfortable it must be. As the last spark of the Teleportation ended, he quickly stalked over to his girlfriend.

He kneeled in front of her, earnestly looking at her slumbering face. A small smile crept into his face. 'She looks so tired, but she still looks cute when sleeping,' he thought as always whenever he could gaze at the sleeping Mikan like this.

Natsume, not yet wanting to wake her up, looked around the floor and saw shards of used Alice stones. One even still hang from Mikan's hand—a stone still with tints of purple on it. He picked up the empty stones and put them above the side table. He threw another glance at Mikan and decided to wake her up so she could transfer to the bed.

"Mikan," he softly called her name, touching her shoulder and shook her gently. "Wake up."

The brunette stirred and let out a soft moan…but continued to sleep. Natsume sighed and shook her once more, a bit stronger this time. "Mikan, wake up. You have to sleep on your bed or else your body will hurt tomorrow if you sleep while sitting."

Mikan answered with another moan. The flame-caster sighed once more. 'The sleepyhead,' he said, shaking his head. He crouched and stretched out his arms to hold the brunette and carry her over to the bed. It wasn't much of a job since Mikan was as light as a feather, despite his body's condition. He tenderly placed her on the bed, arranged her head on the pillow and tucked her in with her blankets. Confident that she would be able to sleep comfortably now, he brushed off the strands of her auburn locks from her face and planted a soft kiss on her lips.

He stood up and prepared to leave the girl's room so he could get some sleep for himself too. But an instant before he could activate the Teleportation stone, a muffled voice came from behind him.

"Natsume…?" Mikan said in a slurry manner, sleepiness still evident in her half-opened eyes.

Natsume turned to face her and approached her. He touched her face and whispered. "Go back to sleep, Polka. I'll be leaving soon."

The two final words that Natsume uttered caused Mikan to sit up on the bed, fully awake now. She clutched his shirt tight, her eyes filled with fear.

"D-don't leave," she said, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Don't say those words, Natsume… Don't leave…yet," she continued, the last word almost a whisper.

Seeing the fear from her tear-stricken eyes, Natsume felt a tug in his heart. He could clearly see how Mikan is distressed about all of this—and how helpless he was. His heart enveloped with guilt, he gathered the brunette into his arms and held her tight.

"I…I'm sorry, Mikan. I won't…I won't leave you, I'll stay here," he said, hoping that it was possible to also mean that he would stay with her, never leave her—to hell with extraction, losing memories, and death. He just wanted to be with her, to make her happy. But he knew it was impossible—there was no time left, and no other choice but to take the extraction. So he could stay alive and live for her. Just like he said he would.

Mikan continued to sob as Natsume held onto her tight. Fate is certainly cruel sometimes. But Natsume didn't care about fate or destiny or whatever. He will fight it, he will turn the tides—just to be able to continue to love this girl in his arms. He wouldn't have it any other way.

"Mikan, I love you…" he whispered, all of his true feelings enveloped into those three special words. He embraced the brunette tighter, as if she would disappear if he let go.

He could never love anyone else as much as he loves this girl. He wouldn't want to. It would just be plain wrong. He knew, the moment he decided to protect her…that she was the one whom he wanted to spend his lifetime with.

That's why he would remember…whatever happens. He will remember her.

A/N: .....Reviews?? ^_^