This will probably be the longest chapter in the whole story, so embrace it. Savor it. And don't make me repeat myself.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

"You'll never love yourself half as much as I love you.

You'll never treat yourself right, darling, but I want you to. If I let you know I'm here for you,

Maybe you'll love yourself like

I Love You."

You hold her close, running your fingers absentmindedly through her hair.

She is clinging to you as if her life depends on it.

She is sobbing, her tears drenching your shirt.

She pounds her fists against on your chest, pouting.

You just hug her closer.

"Oi Polka dots, when will you stop being so lachrymose?"

She wails against your chest, "I'm not a mouse!"

You blink, amused. "Mouse?"

"Not a mouse!" She repeats stubbornly, hiccuping.

"Lachrymose, you mean?"

If possible, her sobs augmented. "I'm not a mouse!"

"Stupid, I meant crying."

She buries her head into your chest, shaking her head. "Still not a mouse," She mumbles.

You smirk, patting her back. "They were just muffins."

"Cupcakes. They were supposed to be your s-surprise!" She's punching at you again.

"And I suppose that was the whole point of the blueberry patch."

She nods against your chest faintly before vigorously shaking her head. "No! It supposed to be a d-date!" She is spluttering now.

You raise an eyebrow and pull her away from your chest, "A date?"

She turns beet red. Whacking your elbow half-heartedly, she diverts your gaze.

Burrowing into your chest again, she mumbles, "I wanted blueberries. Badly."

After a moment, she added, "And pie.

"And muffins.

"And cake."

You stifle a laugh and stroke her head, inhaling her scent.

Sensing your snort, her bawls return. "But I just had to burn those stupid, stubborn, poopy muffins! And now you can't have any! Because they're all b-black!"

You rub your thumb against her back, soothing her.

"And you didn't even help me!" She accused.

"Hey, you said it was a surprise."

"But it's not a surprise. It's all burnt! Which means you were supposed to help me because it was no longer a surprise!"

"Stupid, you didn't even know you were going to burn them. You have a twisted common sense." You shrug, "I wouldn't doubt you could burn things superbly."

Her gaze flits to the plate of blackened muffins.

Face heating up, she tackles you against the couch. "Meanie, meanie, meanie!"

As she continuously attempts to throttle you, you just lay there, enjoying her honeycomb voice raising several octaves.

"Don't just lay there," She says, annoyed.

You smirk, "What do you expect me to do?"

"Say something! Say I'm stupid! Or something!"

You quirk an eyebrow. "You're stupid."

Without giving her time to protest, you pull her down towards you and catch her lips in yours. "Very stupid," You repeat, murmuring into her mouth.

As she pulls away, you smirk up at her. "How about now?"

She pouts again, "That's not fair! You're stupid too. And just for that, you'll have to eat a burnt cupcake."

Pushing off the couch, she prances to the countertop. Grabbing a burnt blueberry muffin, she turns back to you.

Without giving her time to react, you're gone.

You cover your ears expectantly.

"NATSUME HYUUGA!"

And the chase is on.

As your long legs carry you up a flight of stairs, you hear her pattering behind you, waving a burnt muffin in the air. "Hey! Come back here!"

You dart into a room and sit on the covers, still as stone.

When she bursts into the room panting, you whirl past her and dash into another room.

"Naaaatsume you meanie!"

Finally, she tackles you from behind, sending you face-first into the carpeted floor.

Grinning triumphantly on top of you, she doesn't seem to notice the position you two are in.

In a wild attempt, she stuffs the cold, burnt cupcake into your mouth.

As you swallow half of it, you keep your eyes trained on her. Scrunching your face into an odd expression, you provoke her childishness.

"You hate it, don't you?

"Yay!"

"Idiotic Cinderella."

She pouts for a mere second before bursting into another fit of giggles. "You s-saw my underwear?" Hiccups convulse her body as she perches atop you.

You snatch the second half of the cupcake away.

She quirks an eyebrow, laughter diminishing.

"And just what are you going to do with that?"

A playful glint in your eyes, you smirk.

As she narrows her eyes in suspicion, you stuff the second half of the burnt cupcake into her mouth.

Her eyes widen in surprise as your face breaks into a grin.

Still smiling, you declare proudly, "Priceless."

She sits there, stunned. One-fourth of a cupcake is hanging lopsided from her mouth, blackened crumbs dropping onto your stomach. Her hazel eyes are frozen, as if she is watching a mortifying horror movie.

You poke her.

She screams, swallowing some cupcake before spitting it back out.

You cross your arms across your chest. "Took you long enough, little girl."

She pouts. Banging her fists against your chest, she screams bloody murder. "You moron! You poobrain! You stupid piece of meanieness!

"That's not the correct way if you wanted to scream bloody murder."

She only glares at you for a split second before resuming her screaming. "Dolt! Donkey! Dumbo! Wait… Dumbo is cute… With his big ears and all." One finger under her chin, she is daydreaming about an elephant. An elephant.

You take this opportunity to cage her to the ground.

Flipping her off your body effectively, you encircle your arms around her body.

She lays on the floor, once again, speechless.

Forgetting about her little elephant, she grins up at you. "Why hello, Dumb Natsume!

"Natsume darling! Where are–

What on earth are you doing, Natsume!"

You cringe. That isn't your Polka-dot's voice.

You look up. Standing there with a face mixed with disgust, surprise, and confusion, is a tall, beautiful woman with ruby eyes. Your mom.

The brunette beneath you squirms. Seeing your mom, she immediately pushes you off her and scrambles to her feet, face a dark shade of red. Studying her feet intently, she remains silent.

You get to your feet slowly. Folding you arms across your chest, you meet your mother's eyes.

Anger.

You see anger.

"What do you want?" You drawl.

Your mom's eyes narrow. "What are you doing with Mikan?"

"We were playing tag." The brunette interjects, "And fighting over a burnt batch of cupcakes… And Dumbo."

As expected, your mother raises a delicate eyebrow, her eyes amused.

Raising her head the slightest bit, the girl several feet away from you looks up. Seeing the woman's features soften the slightest bit, she relaxes. "Hi Kaoru." She squeaks.

Suddenly, the woman in front of you laughs.

She laughs.

Smiling, she nods a greeting at Mikan. "Mikan dear, I need you to run to the store and get me a pack of Advil. I feel a headache coming."

Before you could protest, Mikan opened her mouth then closed it. Seeing the glare you are sending her way, she nods vigorously and makes a beeline for the door. "See you an hour, Natsume, Kaoru!"

With that, she is gone.

You glare at the door she has disappeared through.

She misunderstood you.

You didn't want her to leave.

You don't want her to leave.

Your mom clears her throat.

You glare at her, annoyed. "I am not a kid, you know."

The woman mirrors your scowl. "You are still my son, you know."

You glower at her. "No shit, Sherlock."

"Language, Natsume. Language." That irritating sing-song voice is grating against your nerves.

You clench and unclench your fists. "What are you doing here."

"To check on you." Kaoru shrugs.

You remain silent, waiting for the woman to continue.

"And to talk to you," She adds nonchalantly as she gazes at her fingernails.

The smile has been wiped off her face, replaced by a frown. "What are you doing with Mikan Sakura?"

You knew this was coming. "Is there anything I should not do with her?"

The woman snorts. Even such a gesture seemed elegant, coming from the woman. "You should not spend so much time with her. It is unhealthy."

You stare at the woman. "I can spend time with whomever I wish, thank you."

She shakes her head. "You need Luna. Not Mikan."

You narrow your eyes and grind out, "You like Mikan."

She shook her head, "Of course I do, sweetheart. But you do realize that she could be a hinder to our family's reputation."

Your eyes have now been narrowed into slits. "A hinder."

"Why of course.

"She has no status. She has no money. She doesn't have Luna's sex appeal. She has nothing."

"And how do you know that, mother?" You grind out the last word, contemplating whether or not to reveal the brunette's alleged "secret."

You decide against it.

"What else?

"What else does she not have?" Your voice is cold, distant, and foreign.

Your mother notices this. "Now, now Natsume. Let us not get into details. I want you to leave that naïve girl and give Luna a chance."

"I already have."

"No you haven't."

"Yes I have."

"No. You. Haven't."

You sigh irritably. "All she wants is to get into my pants."

"She is much more than that, Natsume."

You quirk an eyebrow. "Prove it."

"Sorry?"

"I said prove it. Prove that she isn't just a bitch."

"Let's strike a deal. How about that?"

You narrow your eyes.

"Alright, Natsume?" Your mom's voice is dangerously low.

You shrug. "Fine."

"Good. You will–"

You raise a hand, "But first, you are not allowed to trash Polka dots."

"Polka dots?"

"Mikan."

Your mom snorts. "And why not."

"It's obvious why."

"She's your little toy. She's great company. She's not half too bad when it comes to looks. Of course it's 'obvious', as you say."

You gaze at your mom coolly. "No."

"No?"

"I don't treat her like a toy. Mikan isn't a toy. You understand?"

When your mom doesn't respond, you feel your blood begin to boil. You lunge forward, voice rasping. "Do. You. Understand?"

Your mom is watching you, wide-eyed. Regaining composure, she nods ever so slightly.

You're fuming now. Straining your last bit of patience, you snap, "The deal. What was it."

"Simple."

You wait irately for her to continue.

"You kiss Luna once. Just once. Passionately. And she shall never bother you again."

She scrutinizes you as you debate with yourself.

The thought of having Luna out of your mind, it is a delicious thought.

The thought of having to plant an unwilling kiss on the bitch, not as much.

"It has to be an acted kiss. You have to enjoy it. You have to pretend that you love her. You have to pretend that she is your one and only love."

You grimace. Why must this woman meddle in your life, unwanted?

You run a hand through your hair, annoyed. Growling, you demand, "What time is it?"

Your mom glances at her heavily adorned wristwatch. "2:30. Why?"

Mikan will be back in about twenty minutes. "Luna is on the car, isn't she?"

"So my son does have a brain."

You glare at her. "No one has a fucking brain these days."

Your mom ignores your language. "I'm still waiting for an answer."

"Bring her in and let's get this over with."

Delighted, your mom giggles. Fawning over you, she gives you a hug and a quick peck on the cheek. "Oh Natsume! You do have a soft spot. Mother is so proud," She gushes.

Patience wearing thin, you shrug her off. "Hurry up."

As if right on cue, the said strawberry blonde stepped lithely through the door.

She is beautiful. Pink tank top and blue shorts accentuating her curves perfectly. Her strawberry hair is tied into a neat pony tail, running down her neck and back.

Your mom claps, feigning surprise. "Luna! You're here! Natsume was telling me how much he loves you. However, he is unable to be with you due to unseen circumstances. Therefore, he promises that he will somehow make it up to you."

You growl inaudibly. Trust this power hungry woman to have a few tricks up her sleeve.

Luna blinks. She shyly glances at you. Seeing your scowl, she giggles.

"Come here." You mutter.

She catches your voice and timidly walks over to your standing place.

"See you later, love birds!" With that, your mom is out the door and gone.

You ignore the woman.

Luna is standing in front of you, bashfully chewing on her bottom lip.

You have to admit, she's decent-looking, but nothing compared to fresh, bubbly innocence of the brunette occupying your mind.

You lean forward, brushing your lips against her ear. She shivers. "I promised you that I would be leaving you wanting for more, didn't I, Luna?"

As if your spell has been cast, she nods meekly and tilts her head to stare up at you.

Those eyes. Damn those eyes.

"Then I'll show you what you have been missing out on."

You lunge forward and ensnare her lips in yours. Catching her off guard, you hear an agitated moan escape her lips.

Working your way into her mouth, you nibble on her bottom lip. She greedily complies, allowing your entrance.

Your tongue roams her mouth as she continuously moans in pleasure.

Runing your tongue near the roof of her mouth, your lips curve into a smirk as she is begging for more.

You push the girl up against the wall, hand flying to her neck, pushing her mouth closer to you. Running a hand through her hair, you pull the rubber band out of her hair, not once breaking the kiss.

One hand on her neck, the other roaming her tank top, you debate on whether or not to stop.

Your mind registers a faint rustle of clothes and the soft opening of the door. You decide that is must be your mom, sneaking a look at you.

You press your body closer to Luna, lips continuing their work. The burst of moans escaping from the latter would be enough to please your mom.

You are about to pull away from Luna when you freeze.

"N-Natsume?" Your name is being said in a faint whisper, nearly inaudible. But you catch it.

A sudden stone drops in your stomach as you turn around slowly, Luna forgotten.

Eyes widening in horror, you see your Polka dots standing there, her expression mirroring yours, but for an entirely different reason.

"Natsume…" She whispers, her voice wavering. "How long?" She exhales shakily, "H-How long?"

You stand there, numb. Mind frantic, you search for something to say.

You open your mouth to defend yourself, but no words come.

Mikan backs away slowly, her hand on the handle. She drops the orange packet of Advil in her left hand.

She never, for a second, takes her eyes off you. Her eyes are full of unspoken dejection, pain, and silent love. But most of all, it's the shade of betrayal that sends a pang to your heart.

Finally, your throat works. "M-Mikan. This is a mistake. This is all a mistake." You gesture towards the wide-eyed, confused Luna beside you.

Her hand pressing down on the handle, Mikan's hand is shaking.

You walk towards her slowly.

Painstakingly slowly.

When you are two feet away from her, you whisper, "I would never hurt you this way. Mikan, I love you. And no one else."

Eyes glittering, she whispers, "Coming from you, that should mean something. Coming from you t-that should be everything…"

You heart soars. "This was never meant to happen, Mikan."

She laughs bitterly, "But it did, right? It happened."

You don't argue with her.

"You never loved me, did you? I was just a toy, a keepsake, wasn't I? I'm your cute little Mikan, right?"

Your voice gets caught in your throat. "That… That's not true."

Her voice is a low whisper now, barely audible. "And it's not true that I did not love you, Natsume…"

"I loved you too, Mikan. I still do."

Raising her head, she gives you a long look. You feel yourself shivering under her gaze for the first time.

"That's a load of bullshit, Natsume Hyuuga." Her eyes are glued to her feet. Quiet tears are collecting at the edge of her nose.

Your eyes widen at her selection of words. They... Her words – they send a dagger to your heart.

Leaving you frozen in place, she turns quickly as a sob escapes her throat. It sounds upset. It sounds strained. And it sounds heartbroken broken.

She really does love you.

You want to do something, anything.

You would kill anyone who dare make your little Polka dots upset.

But you, you were the one who wounded her.

As she slams the door shut behind her, realization slaps you in the face.

Mikan, the one person you vowed to never hurt, was gone.

She is gone, all because of you. She is gone, because you hurt her.

She trusted you. She trusted your love.

But you betrayed her. You are the one who betrayed her.

You know this is not all true. But she doesn't know.

Head snapping, you kick the door open, teeth seething, heart aching.

You sprint after the fleeing brunette. "Mikan wait!

"Mikan!"

She is gone.

She is gone.

You'll never know, dear...

Alex