Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice belongs to Tachibana Higuchi. This story and plot belongs to ME.

A/N: Thank you for everyone who reviewed and favorited the story. Please stay with me until the end. :) Anyway, here you go, one of the most light-hearted chapters of the story.^^ Oh...and some you-know-what alert for kids. :p

CHAPTER EIGHT: DATES AND PROMISES

Natsume woke up to the sound and smell of something being fried. The aroma of a mixture of garlic, onion, vegetables, eggs and what-not filled his nose—causing him to wake from his deep slumber with a hungry stomach. He let out a small yawn, faced sideward, and stretched his arms—only to find that the expected 'bulk' beside him was gone. He quickly opened his eyes and only saw a ruffle of blankets and a stack of pillows beside him.

He turned to the other side and saw faint smoke coming from the kitchen at the far corner of the room, shielded by a thin wooden wall. He inhaled the scent coming from there and stretched both his legs and arms. A soft hum filled the room—making Natsume smile. 'Mikan,' he thought, as he sat up the bed and threw the covers away from his body.

The humming stopped and footsteps were heard.

"Natsume?" a brunette clad in apron and was holding a frying spoon called out. Natsume looked up to see her as soon as he found his slippers. Mikan—he squinted—was in pigtails.

Before he could comment on her hair, the brunette stunned him with a bright smile. "Morning, Natsume! I'm about to finish cooking breakfast soon, so just wait okay!" she said, beaming, then hurriedly went back to the kitchen.

He ignored the brunette's hairstyle and slowly shuffled towards the fridge near the kitchen—still yawning. As he took out a bottle of iced coffee au lait from Mikan's fridge, he threw a quick glance at the seemingly cheerful brunette. He admitted that he felt relieved that there wasn't a trace of her depression like last night. That was why he slept over—he stayed by her side until she could calm down and go back to sleep.

"Polka," Natsume called out, walking over to the dining table and sat with his coffee. He peered at the wall clock—8 AM. One hour before classes start. "Are you going to class?" he asked.

Mikan approached him, holding two empty bowls. "Nope!" she said, smiling at him. "And you're not going too," she casually announced, putting down the bowls in front of him.

Natsume raised a brow. 'Who said I would go?' he thought to himself, but instead voiced out which actually caught his curiosity. "So…why are you up so early?"

It took long before she answered. She was busy putting her cooked dish into a plate and quickly tidied up the used cooking utensils. He watched her as she gently put the dish on the dining table—fried rice with pork tidbits and veggies. 'Looks delicious,' Natsume thought. He reached for the box of chopsticks on the table and took out one for each of them. Mikan sat at his opposite and poured coffee for herself.

"Itadakimasu!" she exclaimed with a smile. Natsume mumbled the same word, his attention half on his girlfriend and half on the food.

Both of them started to eat silently. Before the hush started to make them feel awkard, Mikan answered his question before.

"Well, we're going on a whole day date, that's why," the brunette stated, then chewed on her food.

'We are?' Natsume wordlessly asked, but changed the question. "Really," he sipped on his coffee. "So…where?"

Mikan stopped eating and pouted at him. "Hey!! Try to sound a little bit more enthusiastic, will you!" she hollered, her brows furrowing. Natsume rolled his eyes and muttered an apology. The brunette took it without any argument and resumed eating.

"Anyway, we're going outside the Academy for our date today," she said, excitement filling her words. Natsume replied with a surprised look. 'Outside?' he thought, considering Mikan's expression as if she was joking or what.

Mikan beamed at him as if she read his mind. "Yes, outside, Natsume." She put another mouthful of rice in her mouth and quickly chewed it. She resumed talking after. "I talked to Hii-sama yesterday before I went back here. I told her if we could be excused from classes today, and after shooting me with her 'I-know-what-you-mean' look—" she explained, paused and tried to imitate the Middle School principal's glare, then continued, "—she suddenly suggested that we go outside the Academy for a date, and she was willing to hold down the barrier for a little while for us to go out."

Natsume stared at her disbelievingly. "Are you sure you didn't do anything…to make her say that?"

The brunette laughed, as if saying 'Yeah, I did,' but she didn't tell Natsume anything, seeing it wasn't that important. She changed the topic. "Well, she said we can go, so let's go, right? But we have to get back until around 8 in the evening."

The raven-haired guy finished the last of his food and drank his coffee. "Hmm, that's cool," he commented, trying hard to ignore his urge to press Mikan to tell what she did to the creepy, lesbo Middle School principal to give them this unusual chance to go out. And a date for that matter.

Seeing Mikan finish eating her meal, he asked again. "So, what do we do outside?" Noticing his question sounded stupid, he tried to rephrase. "You know… what do we do, where do we go."

Mikan drank her coffee and exclaimed, "Ah—I'm full." She then looked at Natsume with an amused smile. "Hey, you're the guy here, you should know," she said in a taunting voice.

Natsume scoffed at the remark. "You just told me now, and you expect me to know what to do."

She laughed, obviously just wanting to play with him. "Yeah, I know, I know, that's why I already arranged things." Natsume replied with a simple raise of brows. Mikan continued. "I got Demi to—" but Natsume suddenly cut her off and asked with disbelief. "Demi? You made the Dangerous Class adviser to arrange things for our da—uh, today?"

Mikan nodded, a mischievous smile on her face. "Hmm, I just made him return a favour, and since he's the one who prepares stuff for outside relations of the Academy, might as well ask him to do the job."

Natsume crossed his arms before his chest. "Tell me little girl, what did you do?" …to make him agree, he continued silently.

"Nothing, really. I just sweet-talked… and reminded him about something he owed me—y'know, I saved his life from a Poison Alice last week by stealing it from his body. Just that, and he gladly said he would take care of what we would need for today," she explained nonchalantly.

Natsume stared at her, as if the words she was speaking were from some language he didn't know. His girlfriend…his Mikan… sounded like that freak inventor best friend of hers. Where 'sweet-talk' was equal to blackmail, and 'gladly' would mean the exact opposite of the truth. Now he felt hesitant in leaving his sweet and innocent girlfriend to the hands of the inventor after the extraction. Imai was clearly rubbing off on Mikan now.

Mikan stood up from her chair and started to clean up the table while Natsume just stayed silent and watched her. A short while after she was done—cleaning the table and washing the dishes—she approached Natsume who was standing beside the window, looking outside. When he felt her near, he faced her; while she reached out to him for an embrace—which the former gladly accepted.

"I want to make this a happy and enjoyable day, something I… we could never forget," she whispered to him, their arms still locked with each other. "So let's forget about our worries for now, and let's have fun, Natsume."

The flame-caster gently pulled from her embrace and looked her in the eye. He softly nodded. She smiled in return. He slowly inched his face closer to hers for a kiss.

"I'll see you downstairs in an hour," he murmured as he pulled away and left for his room. Mikan watched him go with a satisfied smile.

***

"Polka," Natsume beckoned for the overly excited and cheerful brunette as they were walking around the peaceful streets of Odaiba. They had just finished eating their late lunch inside the Marine House of the seaside park, and now, they were treading their way to God-knows-where. Since morning, they strolled around the busy shopping streets of Akasaka and paid a short visit to the famous shrine there. His feet were already killing him and thank God—Mikan finally blurted out then that they would ride the car prepared by Demi for them to go to Odaiba where they would have lunch.

Mikan halted her merry skipping and turned to face Natsume with a pout. "Call me by my name..!"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Mikan."

The girl beamed and waited for him to catch up. "Haha, sorry for walking so fast, I got so excited, this place is so lovely and this is my first time getting to explore Tokyo!" she exclaimed as she made funny, animated gestures.

'You're always excited,' he thought, but didn't say it aloud, satisfied with the happy atmosphere between them. Truth be told, he was having fun. Getting to see nice places and attractions with Mikan—he couldn't help but think that he would never get tired of this…as long as she was with him. She made everything complete.

He was about to ask where they were going next when the usual burning pain raged through his chest. He skidded to sudden halt, winced and clutched his chest. Mikan saw this and shouted his name, then hurriedly ran over to support him. Natsume felt his knees buckle as he started coughing.

"N-Natsume, I'm sorry for…for wearing you out—" Mikan said as she helped him untangle his Healing Stone necklace for him to use it. She continued muttering words of apology, tears falling from her eyes.

He didn't want her to feel that way…he was just really too weak, and it wasn't her felt. He struggled to speak as the stone started to heal him. "I-idiot…" he mumbled. "This happens randomly… it's not your fault."

"I-I'm sorry…" she apologized once more, her tears not wanting to stop. "D-do you want to go back to the academy now?"

Natsume frowned but didn't answer right away…waiting for the stone to finish taking away the current burning pain in his chest. He coughed one last time, then faced Mikan. "No," he said firmly. "Let's go to where you want to go." He didn't want to ruin this perfect day for her. As much as possible, he wanted her to be happy—before the 'storm' of tomorrow comes.

Mikan furrowed her brows and argued, "B-but—"

"I'm fine now," he assured her. He stood up and helped her do so as well. "Just walk slower… and hold my hand."

She looked at him as he took her hand and intertwined it with his. He bent over and wiped her tears away with the back of his free hand.

"So, where to?" Natsume said, a small smile on his lips.

Mikan smiled and pointed to the huge Ferris wheel several meters away from where they were. Natsume nodded and started to walk with her beside him—their hands locked with each other's.

***

The warm sea breeze ruffled their locks as a flock of gulls flew over them. They were at standing behind the railings of the small yacht, watching the yellow-orange sky at the background of the sunset. Mikan stood with Natsume behind her—his one arm circled around her waist and the other one resting above her hand on the rails.

After riding the Ferris wheel and a couple of other rides, they headed back to the Odaiba Seaside Park for a special two-hour cruise along Tokyo Bay, complete with a romantic dinner inside the yacht. Mikan was so delighted because she didn't know that there was something like that, so they pulled some strings to get one of the yachts for themselves.

Natsume bent and brushed his lips against Mikan's cheek. He appreciated everything—the quiet, the refreshing breeze, the scenery, the ride…but none of those mattered if this girl in his arms wasn't present. In contrast to the serene atmosphere around them, his heart was screaming. He didn't want this to end. He didn't want tomorrow to come. He wanted so much to stay by her side…to continue to love her like this.

As the sky started to darken with the setting of the sun, Natsume felt Mikan tightening her grasp on his hand. He understood clearly how she felt. This wonderful day is nearly coming to an end. And then…the event that they both dreaded will come shortly after. She was afraid. He was too.

"Mikan…" Natsume whispered her name as the breeze carried her strawberry scent into his nostrils.

She slowly shifted from her position to face him. Her bright smile was gone—she had a calm and resolute look on her face that pained him just to see it. He knew she was trying hard to suppress all her emotions, so that she wouldn't break down. But her true feelings were as clear as tonight's moon for him.

Natsume brushed some of her auburn locks away from her face as he continued to look at her earnestly—to let her know how strongly he felt for her. She, too, met his crimson orbs…her gaze unwavering, conveying the same feelings she had for him. It was a love that no one could break… a love that would last, a love that would endure anything. Anything.

He slowly moved his hands and fished something from his pocket. Mikan followed his movements with her eyes. When he took it out, her eyes widened in shock, stunning her speechless.

"Mikan," Natsume firmly addressed her, a black box in his hand. He gently opened it, showing a pair of silver bands. "I know this isn't enough…" he started, his voice tense. "But, with this… I promise you." He gazed straight into Mikan's hazel orbs, and she felt like he was staring straight into her heart. He took her left hand and inserted one of the silver bands into her little finger. He did the same with his own hand, and intertwined their hands together after.

He met her eyes once more. "I promise… I will love you no matter what happens. Memories…they are not enough to erase how much I feel for you. So trust me… and don't be afraid. Because I'm sure our love…can withstand anything," he uttered, each word firm and emphasized—a promise. A promise that Natsume Hyuuga wouldn't break.

Mikan felt her eyes started to brim with tears. She threw herself into his arms and sobbed. No words could explain how she felt. Love, pain, relief, fear—all of those overwhelmed in her chest, causing her unstoppable tears. But this…hearing this from Natsume…she felt whole again. All her worries, all her fears…one by one, Natsume's words and assurance of his feelings took them away. She could never find the right words to say—she was happy, she felt strong, like she could take on any obstacle from now on. Because she knew he would be there…no matter what happens.

Natsume tightened his arms around her and let her cry. He silently hoped that Mikan believed him. He knew that whatever pain and troubles she would have after this, the only thing he could give her is the strength behind his words…and his love for her behind this promise. He took in a deep breath and kissed the top of her head. He would be lying if he said that he himself wasn't overwhelmed with a cascade of feelings. But one particular emotion screamed inside him, screamed so loud—love. Love for this woman. He doubted he could ever put into words how much he did love her.

"T-thank you Natsume…" Mikan muttered in between her sobs. "I…I will trust you. I'll try not to be afraid…" she continued, clutching his shirt. She started to shed more tears, while Natsume continued to comfort her by softly caressing her back.

Mikan pulled back and looked him in the eye. "I love you, Natsume…"

'I do too,' he wordlessly replied, expressing it through a lingering kiss. 'God knows, how much I do…'

As if someone divine heard his thoughts, a shooting star grazed the moonlit sky.

***

No one spoke.

After their cruise, they quietly rode the car back to the academy, and no one spoke a single word. After reaching the gates of the academy, Mikan wordlessly slipped with Natsume through the weakened barrier at exactly 8 in the evening using her Nullification, granting an electrocute-free return for them.

On their way to the dormitories, still, no words between them. Natsume wordlessly decided to send Mikan off to her room and stay with her until she falls asleep. He was anxious to leave her alone since she might get depressed and lonely like the night before. Mikan, on the other hand, was preoccupied with something…but remained silent as she continued to grasp tight onto Natsume's hand.

When they reached Mikan's three-star room, the flame-caster went ahead inside while the brunette trailed behind him, closing the door. Natsume was about to switch on the light when Mikan suddenly hugged him tight from behind, freezing his hand which was just a couple of centimetres away from the light switch.

"Mikan…?" he whispered, wondering why she embraced him out-of-the-blue like that. He felt Mikan shudder despite the warm temperature of the room. The first thing that entered his mind was, 'Is she ill or something?'

"N-Natsume, I—" she started in a tiny voice. Before Natsume could ask what was wrong with her, Mikan spun him to face her and met his lips with hers.

Surprise was, of course, an understatement. There was definitely something strange with Mikan…she wasn't like this—this aggressive. But as Mikan's soft sweet lips continued to dominate his, he found it harder and harder to think. Throwing whatever what was inside his head, he gathered Mikan into his arms and met her passionate kiss with a more fervent manner. He caressed her back as he continued to taste the sweetness of her lips, and when she moaned—creating an opening for him to explore the depths of her mouth—he eagerly entered, his tongue meeting hers, ardent with heat and passion.

In the midst of a smothering lip-lock, both of them felt it when they hit the bed. Natsume, not pulling away from Mikan's lips, hoisted her carefully on the bed and situated himself on top of her. Her hands started to caress his back, while he lifted his mouth away from hers and started to trace soft kisses on the crook of her neck, down to her shoulder blades. Mikan let out a soft moan, firing up Natsume more. He hastened to unzip Mikan's dress and slide it down to uncover her petite frame, his eyes meeting her almost naked body—only clad with a pair of soft pink laced undergarments.

'Beautiful,' his mind shouted, as Mikan met his crimson pools with a pleading look—sending a tempting rage of fire to his member. He bent down once more to kiss her hungrily, cupping one of her breasts and giving it a gentle squeeze. Mikan moaned once more, reaching out to Natsume to take his shirt off. Free from his top, he then trailed butterfly kisses from her neck down to her brassiere-covered chests and unclasped the garment with ease. The sight caught his breath—but he didn't waste time, he bent down to cover her pink nipples with his mouth, nibbling it, tasting and inhaling its strawberry scent—while his hand cupped the other exposed breast. Mikan arched her back and moaned, clutching a fistful of his dishevelled raven-hair as she drowned in ecstasy.

As Natsume continued to work wonders on Mikan's body, he couldn't help but think he was already in heaven. All this time, ever since he hit the cursed stage of puberty, he imagined countless times how it would be like to make love with his girlfriend—his Mikan. Seeing her childish physique turn into a stunning combination of womanly curves and her once-flat chest growing into a pair of fuller and gorgeous breasts—he always knew it would be 'heaven' to have her like this. But still, that was an understatement. He could never put into words how he felt right now, and he knew—this was something he would definitely remember—

The final word felt like he was bathed with ice-cold water, making him stop. Natsume pulled away from Mikan, staring at her blankly.

Surprised with the sudden pause, Mikan slowly opened her eyes, only to meet a disturbed look from Natsume. All of a sudden, she felt cold.

She wrapped her arms around her body and met his eyes. "N-Natsume..?"

Natsume shifted himself from his position on top of her and sat down on the small space on the side of the bed. Without looking, he handed Mikan the end of the blanket—beckoning her to wrap her nakedness with the cloth. She silently followed him, her heart still beating fast from the sudden turn of events—from a heated encounter to…this. She felt like crying. 'Why is he so…cold? Is he angry that I… I seduced him, or what?' she thought, feeling extremely sad and guilty.

He clutched a fistful of his raven hair and let out an exasperated sigh. He mouthed a silent profanity. "Mikan, I—"

A sob filled the quiet room. Natsume quickly spun his head to Mikan's direction, only to see her eyes staring distantly at him, tears flowing from her hazel orbs. He swiftly leaned close to her and took her into his arms. "W-wait, Mikan, I—"

"I-I'm sorry, Natsume…" Mikan whispered in between her sobs. "D-don't be angry, I was just—"

Natsume cut her off with a kiss. He swiftly pulled away and locked her with his crimson orbs.

"Baka," he said. "I'm not angry…" he gently muttered, caressing her right cheek. "I just… thought that—this wouldn't be right. So I stopped."

Mikan looked at him with questioning eyes. He sighed. "I don't want to do this to you… then just forget about it," he explained, his eyes averting a bit from hers. "I…I want to make love to you…but I want it to be etched in my memory forever—I want to remember every single detail of it, every single detail of you," he continued, his face flushing red.

She too, felt heat creeping up her cheeks. "Natsume…"

He embraced her tight. "After this trial between us… when we see each other again, I will make love to you…make you happy…" he murmured. He planted a kiss on her hair. "And when you graduate from the academy, I will marry you…create a family with you…" he continued, chanting the words as if they were some mantra. But he was serious. He will only have her—no one but her, in the future.

Mikan felt helplessly overwhelmed with happiness at his words. She hugged him back tight, never wanting to let go. She wanted him…loved him… only him.

"If that's a proposal… Then I'd have to say yes, Natsume Hyuuga," she said, from the bottom of her heart.

She heard Natsume chuckle softly and kiss her hair once more.

"It's an order, Mikan Sakura."

She couldn't help but smile.

A/N: There's an order from Natsume :p He said... Leave some reviews. Who could resist the handsome flame-caster?? So, reviews please! :)