Disclaimer: All Characters from Gakuen Alice belong to Tachibana Higuchi.

7 - I'll Protect You

Mikan ran up to the Sakura tree, her cheeks flushed and her breath coming out in shallow puffs.

"Natsu-" Her eyes landed on his sleeping form at the base of the tree, and she instantly cut off her words

She stopped running, choosing to instead inch quietly towards the sleeping boy, her eyes staying trained on his face, as she tried to avoid waking him. Halting her steps a few feet away, she lowered herself to the ground and sat down beside him, peering closely at his face. She frowned at how peaceful he looked, his expression was calm as his eyes fluttered every so often, and his lips opened slightly each time he let out a steady breath. Mikan leaned back against the trunk of the tree, not wanting to wake him up and ruin the quiet moment, and decided to wait until he woke up.

"NO!"

Mikan's eyes flew open and she was on her feet and looking around in seconds, her mind still slightly foggy as she asked herself when had she fallen asleep, and how much time had passed.

"No, no, no!"

Looking down to her right, she saw Natsume still lying on his back, asleep just as he had been before, but now his hands were balled into fists, he was shifting around and his eyes scrunched up while he gasped for breath.

"Natsume? Natsume wake up!" Mikan knelt next to him, gripping his shoulders and shaking him carefully, her expression a mix of panic and worry

"Mikan!" At the shout of her name, she released her hold on him and stared at his face, but his eyes were still screwed shut and his arms began thrashing around aimlessly

"It's just a nightmare, Natsume! Wake up!" Mikan grabbed his face in her hands, the gesture somehow calming him down, and his eyes began to flicker open

When his eyes were fully open, he stared up at her, before he sat up quickly, knocking her back onto the grass. She opened her mouth to protest against his sudden movement, but strong arms wrapping around her shoulders and lifting her slightly made her words die in her throat as her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. Natsume buried his face in her shoulder, his arms tightening around Mikan's torso and pulling her closer towards him as her own arms cautiously went around him and her hands gripped the back of his shirt.

"Natsume? Natsume, are you okay?" She asked softly, attempting to pull back and look at his face but he refused to loosen his hold on her and she frown at his odd behaviour

"I thought you were dead," Mikan could have sworn she heard him sob quietly as he spoke, and that her right shoulder was getting strangely damp, "I thought I'd lost you."

"No, I'm right here… You didn't lose me," She brought up a hand and gently patted the top of his raven locks, her cheeks flushing again, "I'm not going anywhere."

She felt him nod, and she placed a swift kiss where her hand had just been as he spoke again, "I won't let you go anywhere, I won't let anyone hurt you. I'll protect you from now on, I promise."

"I know you will, Natsume" Mikan smiled down at the boy, who still had a death grip on her, and she began to hug him back, "I know you will."

A/N: If you see any mistakes or have a problem with any parts of my writing, please leave a review and tell me... It would be really helpful! :3 Thank you!

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