Phewww ~ I am back! I know it's been soooo long – but now my motivation for this story is back on! I will try my very best to not abandon this story again T_T Please read x review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice

It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.
- Tony Robbins

Finally, she made it to the class, slamming the doors wide open. "Sorry I'm la—" and then she came face to face with a pair of crimson red eyes. Her eyes widened at the sight.

"Oh great." she thought sarcastically as she saw the smirk forming on Natsume's face.

Chapter 3: Reason to Return

Narumi looked at Mikan with a smile as he saw her look of disbelief form along her face. She wasn't sure if her stupidly happy teacher couldn't read the atmosphere, but the next words that came out of his mouth made her want to sink into a hole and hide for the rest of the day. "Mikan, great timing! Maybe you could introduce to everyone, who doesn't know, who this person is." he said as he nudged her to stand next to Natsume. She could already predict that this was going to be the worst day of her life, and the fact that /she/ had to introduce the smirking devil made her face cringe even more. A sigh came out of her mouth before she faced the class, who were all practically in awe of Natsume's presence.

"This is Natsume Hyuuga… my step brother." she stated in a cold tone, emphasizing on the word 'step brother', as a lot of the female students squealed at the introduction. Although, as she introduced her brother, she was utterly confused as to why he was in her classroom in the first place. Little did she know, the answer to that would hit her harder than a boulder could. "We have such a handsome math teacher this year!" most of the girls exclaimed as Mikan's mouth widened even more than it already has. Natsume's smirk widened, finding her reactions towards all this quite amusing.

"W-w-w-wait… please do NOT tell me you're going to be my math teacher!" Mikan exclaimed in stutters as she flew her hands up in the air, accidentally dropping the love letter she had picked up from her locker a few minutes ago. "Hm, what's this?" Natsume asked as he went over to pick up the letter faster than Mikan could hide it.

"Oh, I bet she's going to decline this letter too. That's the unloved rejecter for you." one of the girls said as a few of her friends started to giggle at her remark. Mikan rolled her eyes at their insult, completely unaffected by it. These snarky remarks that girls attempt to throw at her have happened way too many times in her school life, so by now she was probably used to it. However, a certain crimson-eyed figure was quite new to this new fact. Natsume's eyebrow arched up as he heard the nickname she was given. "Unloved rejecter?" he asked her, quite amused by the nickname, only to be flatly ignored, much to his dismay.

After giving a slight glare towards her brother she turned around and headed straight to her seat, ignoring the rude stares she's been getting. Not only has the appearance of her brother made things more difficult for her in school, the fact that he has now become her teacher, in her worst subject, has baffled her in so many ways. As she made her way towards her desk, she spotted Koko waving towards her. Quickly, she scrambled towards her desk and gave a weary smile to her friend. "Hey Koko." she greeted the jokester as she sat down. "Yes I overslept, No I'm not bothered by the insult, and Yes that's the 'oh-so-famous' step brother you've heard /so/ much about." she answered before Koko could even ask her the questions. "Wow Mikan, you could already predict what I was going to ask, I'm impressed." he replied with a grin as he went back to looking at the front of the classroom.

"Anyway class, please treat your new math teacher with respect." Narumi piped in as everyone, besides Hotaru and Mikan, said "yes" in union. A lot of the girls seemed to show great interest towards the new teacher, making Mikan roll her eyes at the sight. It was bad enough to have them swoon over idols, but now they're swooning over her brother? This has got to be a sight that Mikan would find very uncomfortable. "What's so great about Natsume anyway?" she retorted in thought as she watched how disgustingly attracted they were to her brother, and how closely they resembled her as a child.

Natsume ruffled his raven black hair slightly before walking towards the center of the classroom. "Please treat me well. I plan to get your utmost respect through the rest of the school year, even if I am a new teacher." he stated in a serious tone, while placing a smirk on his face. A lot of the girls giggled at the remark, while some of the guys looked at him like an idol. I mean, who wouldn't? He was practically the embodiment of 'perfect', and Mikan hated to admit that.

"I wouldn't mind getting scolded by you, Mr. Hyuuga." one of the girls cooed as she gave off a seductive look. Natsume rolled his eyes at the response, trying to keep up a professional look. "Miss Koizumi, please refrain from having these types of thoughts in your head." he stated as she continued to smile, winking at him in response.

Everyone seems oh-so-curious about the perfect prodigy of the town, asking him many different questions. Of course, the main question asked was –

"Mr. Hyuuga, do you have a girlfriend?" Luna, as well as many others, asked. A lot of them were blushing at their question, except for Luna of course. Her confidence seemed to be way too big for what she's got, but the fact that her family had power over the school allowed her to have this confidence without being interfered by other students. Mikan was probably the one, and only, person to go up against Luna – in which ended up in detention on the brunette's part. The power of social anarchy and family connections has made battles with the little queen bee far too unfair.

Natsume watched the class for a second, smirking oh-so-slightly before responding. "I wonder." was all he said, making the girls squeal even more than they did before. Just watching her brother made Mikan scorn internally, sighing in exhaustion as she continued to listen to the constant squeals that the girls made, surrounding the room.

"So noisy." Mikan said in a loud grunt as she shifted her hazel eyes towards her best friend, who glared at her in response. Looks like she was still mad at her.

A small chuckle rolled out of her mouth as she paced her way towards Hotaru, still being ignored. Brushing off her best friend's cold shoulder, she simply sat by her and continued to sigh. "I can't believe he's my math teacher now too." she exclaimed in agitation as Hotaru continued to glare at her, not wavered by her plead of help.

"If you had answered your phone I could have warned you about this." she stated, making Mikan feel quite guilty for ignoring her calls. Her hands clasped together as she showed guilt in her eyes. "Sorry Hotaru." she mouthed back, only to make her roll her eyes in response.

The big news about the new teacher shocked most people, especially Mikan. Of course, she didn't' want to deal with all this right now, since her morning had been bad enough already. So instead she decided to give herself a small nap, laying her head on one of her available arms. A smile formed on her face as she slept comfortably.

Koko looked towards Hotaru, and then back at Mikan, forming his signature smile. "Maybe we should let her sleep this one – it has been quite the day for her." he exclaimed, watching the inventor shrug in response before focusing back on what she had been originally doing.

Who knows how much time has passed, but her two friends thought it would be oh-so-hilarious to let her sleep through a class. Mikan, however, wasn't sure how much time has passed, but she did know for sure that the nudge that kept trying to wake her up was bugging her. "Hnnggg… Koko, just let me relax." she whined, half asleep, though the nudging didn't stop. Out of annoyance, Mikan took her arm and attempted to hit the person, only to get her wrist caught in a grasp. With that she jolted awake while catching her breath, revealing an annoyed big brother as giggles formed throughout the classroom. "Mikan, if you don't pay attention in my class I'll have to give you detention. This is my final warning." Natsume stated in a serious tone as he let go of her wrist, resulting in her hazel eyes sending him a glare in response.

"I believe you understand that you're the last person who's able to talk to me that way." she stated as she crossed her arms. Though the reaction she got from him caught her off guard. His composure stiffened slightly, going unnoticed by the students but not by Mikan.

Rather than a scolding or a remark, she just saw sadness and guilt in his eyes. He looked hurt, and Mikan felt a pang in her heart. "Why would he give me such a look? That's not like him…" she stammered in her head, feeling uneasy about what she had just said. But before she could make any response towards his sudden action, he turned back to the front of the class and continued on with his lesson. Natsume wasn't usually like this, and it worried her to an extent. He was still her brother, even if not blood-related, so the concern is inevitable.

But rather than continuing to ponder through the idea during class, she decided to possibly ask about it later tonight. For some reason her heart ached at his pained expression, but she couldn't quite pinpoint exactly why – rather it confused her and made her head hurt.

Once the class was over, Narumi closed his book and ended the lesson at that. "Remember to review all the notes we discussed in class, and have a wonderful rest of the day my lovely students!" he exclaimed with joy as he skipped out of the room. The day seemed to pass a lot more slowly than it usually did, making Mikan grunt in annoyance. She hated how long it had taken before the chime of the bell surrounded the school, allowing many joyful students to jolt up and run towards the doors for freedom. As usual, she took her time packing her stuff up, but the constant stares that students have now been giving her, at an extensive amount, has been bothering her more than she had anticipated. Her head jolted up and glared at all the students staring, causing them to cower away, but there was one person she wouldn't be able to push away regardless of if her life depended on it. And, thanks to her /lovely/ luck, that one person managed to find a way to ruin her day even after it ended.

That's right; it was none other than Luna Koizumi. Basically she was a grade-A bitch in Mikan's eyes, and controlled most of the student population. Her father, being the principal of the school, gave her the power to get anything she wanted, anything she needed, and manipulation of students, teachers, and grades. The idea of whom Luna was always made Mikan gag at the thought, but lately she's been under a little too much stress to have to deal with one of her tedious queen bee statements.

A sigh of agitation formed out of her mouth as she faced the, currently pissed off, Luna. "What is it now Koizumi? I don't recall doing anything to piss you off –" mimicking a small bow "—your majesty." she stated sarcastically with a scoff, making the blond-haired girl even more agitated than she originally was.

She assumed that her and her 'possy' wanted answers about her 'step- brother' and would try to threaten her for answers if she didn't want to give them any in the first place. With a hand against her hip, the blond pursed her lips into a pretentious smile as she glared straight towards Mikan. Koko seemed to have wanted to run to her rescue, but Mikan simply placed her hand up to signal to her friend that she'd be alright on her own.

"I know what you're thinking, and no I don't need your help trying to get with your brother, I can do that without any help really. I'm here for a different matter." she stated in annoyance as she pulled out the letter that Mikan had found in her locker this morning. Glaring at her straight in the eye, Mikan knew for a fact she managed to steal that somehow. Although, continuing to keep a composed expression, she just shrugged off her gesture. "And, this affects you how..?" Mikan asked as she watched Luna twirl the letter between her finger tips. Her eyes narrowed in before she stopped the letter in between her palms and threw it straight into her face. "You're the reason my first love never happened, and you /dare/ ask how this affects me?! The fact that I have to walk through these halls every day just to watch you gain more and more admirers through these petty little letters agitates me to the core!" she exclaimed in anger as her fists clenched until they turned white.

The posy behind her tried to calm her nerves, explaining how she wasn't worth her answer and time, but Luna was just too stubborn to admit any defeat. Her stance became solid again as she send her pointer finger straight towards Mikan's direction. "Mark my words Sakura, I will make sure the rest of your school year here will be complete hell for you. Maybe then you'll realize how much of a bitch you were in the past." she exclaimed with determination before heading straight towards the door.

Once the storm had cooled off, Koko made his way towards Mikan, asking if she was okay. On the other hand, Hotaru was used to the queen bee's outbursts, and simply watched from the sidelines. A small smile formed on Mikan's face as she faced the jokester, not wanting to worry him any further. "I'm fine Koko, thanks for worrying about me." she said in a light-hearted tone, making the boy sigh in relief. Hotoru, surprisingly, made her way towards where Mikan was standing, and gave a look of slight surprise. "I'm surprised Koizumi hasn't gotten over /that/ yet." she said in an un-amused tone, making the brunette shrug in response. Her eyes looked slightly guilty as she continued to remember her past with Luna. "Well, she has a right to.. /that/ wasn't just any betrayal on my part." she said weakly as Koko continued to look at them in confusion. Before he could ask Mikan let out an "I'll tell you eventually" response, making him slightly frown but nod in response. He respected that they had things that were tough to talk about, but he wished they would confide in him sometimes.

As the three made it out of the classroom, they spotted Ruka, who came running towards them with a huge smile on his face. "Hey guys, I hope you don't mind if I steal Imai for a bit." he said in a kind tone, forming that sheepish grin on his face. The Koko and Mikan duo giggled at his request, while Hotaru simply shook her head in response. "I can't. I promised to help those two idiots –" as she pointed at her two best friends, who gave off jokingly hurt expressions, before continuing "—with their homework so they could catch up in class." she stated, surprised at Ruka's sudden burst of glee form on his face as Mikan stared at her friend in disbelief. "Since when did you ever help us with anything on your own accord?" she thought in shock, but decided to shrug it off and accept the wonderful offer.

Ruka clasped his hands together as his smile widened. "That's perfect; I actually needed you to help out with one of my homework assignments. Your friends can join as well." he exclaimed as a grunt was heard from Hotaru's mouth. It seemed her excuse has backfired her in so many ways, making Koko chuckle at her expression.

Before she could protest against it, Ruka gestured them towards the library, allowing the brunette to gleefully accept the offer that her emotionless friend said on a whim, and happily make her way into the library.

In the library

As the four sat down at a table beside a large window, Hotaru glared at the blond-haired boy as a huff, yet again, came out of her mouth. "Nogi, is this some kind of joke? Why would you need help, being the you're the only person that's fighting with me for the top grade? I'm pretty sure your knowledge is good enough to be able to solve anything." she stated in suspicion as the boy blushed at her sudden question. Mikan and Koko noticed the sudden embarrassment that Ruka had felt, and giggled at his expressions. "I think he really might like our expressionless friend." the brunette whispered to the little jokester, as he nodded in agreement, a grin forming on his face.

A look of defeat formed on his face as his head shifted back towards Hotaru. "I-I kind of needed a reason to get to know you a little. I should have known you'd probably be suspicious about this." he said in a shy tone, rubbing his neck slightly as he tried to cover his embarrassment. Hotaru simply looked at him as if he were an idiot, got up from the table, and left. No word, no response – just left the room. Her two best friends were quite surprised at her sudden action, and apologized to Ruka on her behalf. "I'm so sorry about that Nogi… she can be a little… difficult sometimes." Mikan exclaimed to him in an apologetic tone, making him blush slightly. "I-It's fine, really." he said with a smile, trying not to have them worry. "How about I help you two in Imai's place?" he offered in a sincere manner, making the two jump up in joy. "LUCKY!" they both exclaimed, but quickly hushed up as the librarian gave them a serious glare. "Thanks Nogi, I'll put in a good word for you to Hotaru." Koko said, winking at him in the process.

In midst of chuckles and conversation, they went on to the Ruka 101 tutoring. But, where did the purple-haired genius run off to?

In the back of the school

It was no surprise that Hotaru would run off after figuring out something like that, especially since she found it utterly stupid. She was the type of girl who only thought logically about things, and never considered meaningless things like love. But, there was something else that made her annoyed of that Ruka guy – something that she was still trying to figure out herself.

Sitting by a bench with her hands clutched along her bag, she heard a sudden rustle in the bushes beside the huge Sakura tree, making her jolt up in alert mode. "Stop hiding and come out." she demanded, still staying as alert as she could. The bushes continued to rustle, and to her surprise a handsome man with raven-black hair emerged into sight. A glare formed at the process as she came face to face with her best friend's brother. "Natsume." she stated calmly, acknowledging his presence. He walked over towards Hotaru, making her step back a bit. "What do you want?" she stated in a demanding tone, remembering how hurt he had made Mikan when he went to study abroad in America. Ever since then, she swore to not trust him unless proven otherwise.

Natsume simply stared at her with his deep, crimson eyes, sitting beside the spot that Hotaru was originally seated at. His expression, still nonchalant, simply made a small smirk appear. "I'm not planning to do anything Hotaru, relax." he stated, expecting this response from her. After all, she was his step-sister's best friend, and he's hurt Mikan quite a bit so it's to no surprise that she'd come to hate him – or distrust him – both sounding pretty unappealing. A sigh came out of his mouth as the emotionless girl continued to stand there, unmoving from her position. "I understand that you're upset with what I did to Mikan, but just know I had a reason for it." he stated in a serious tone, looking straight back at her, who seemed to be unraveled by his statement. Curiosity eventually hit the little inventor as she sat beside him, wanting to know the full story. "Why did you leave Mikan then? You do know she was really hurt by your sudden leave – and with the fact that you didn't contact her at all throughout your trip." she stated in anger, remembering how distraught her friend was. "She really admired you as a child, looked up to you, and loved you a lot. The years she spent without you had been terrible for her, and for every moment you contacted her parents and not her broke her slowly." she continued, anger rising in her tone.

His crimson eyes saddened at the statements that Hotaru made, definitely hitting him in the heart. The guilt wavered through his expressions as he looked at her in an apologetic way. His mouth shut close as he tried to figure out how to explain his reasoning, but stopped before doing so. He couldn't tell her, not before he told Mikan. Shaking his head, he simply got up and headed back towards the school with no response. "Natsume! Wait!" she exclaimed in suspicion as she tried to follow him. "Why did you leave Mikan?! Why did you have to put her through so much?!" she yelled out, watching him fade into the darkness of the school. Her eyes stared to the ground, angered by how he had ignored her.

Looking back at the Sakura tree, she recalled the memories of when it was Mikan's 15th Birthday.

Flashback 3 years ago

"Happy Birthday Mikan!" Yuka exclaimed as she happily allowed her daughter to blow out the candles on the cake. However, the little brunette girl seemed to be displeased and unhappy on this particular birthday. The one thing missing on her birthday compared to the others she had was her brother.

Hotaru watched as her best friend kept on a sad expression, knowing that she was thinking of Natsume. Yuka seemed worried about her daughter, but before she could comfront her about it Hotaru ran towards Mikan and grabbed her arm. "H-Hotaru?" she shouted in surprise as she watched her emotionless friend drag her away from the mass of people celebrating her birthday. The constant callings of the parents didn't stop the two from escaping for the day, and the little adrenaline it brought really put Mikan in a more joyful mood.

"Where are we going Hotaru?" she yelled out in midst of chuckles as her friend said nothing in response. Mikan shrugged off her friend's mysterious attitude, and continued to follow her until they made it towards a huge Sakura Tree behind her brother's old High School. A shot of pain reached her heart as another memory of her brother appeared in her head. Every time she was in a bad mood, or something sad has happened to her, Natsume would always take her to this tree to help her feel better. He would reminisce about what he was like when he was her age. They would talk about the hardships he faced, and how this tree was the one place he could run off to and allow himself to forget about all his troubles.

"Mikan, this will be our little secret, okay? From now on, treat this as your getaway as well." he had told her on the day she first found out about this spot. She remembered the immense happiness she felt at that moment, hugging her brother.

Now, staring at that tree, slight tears formed on her face. They were tears she refused to show to anyone but her best friend. They were tears that admitted to others that she really did miss her brother. They were tears that begged him to come back, to ask him why he hasn't contacted her, to ask him why he left her. They were tears to get his brother back.

Hotaru watched as the brunette cried her heart out, hugging her as the weak girl clenched the back of her shirt. She could tell Mikan was in pain, and to hold it in for that long made her slightly impressed, yet worried. As she slowly calmed down from all the pain, she gently released her grip from Hotaru and wiped of the excess tears that were lingering on her cheek. A slight chuckle formed from her breath as she breathed in a little. "Thanks Hotaru, I feel a little better now that I let it all out." she said, not wanting to worry the friend any further. Hotaru, showing that she was unconvinced, gave a small sigh of agitation. "I know you're hurt, and I understand that a day won't solve it all, but I want you to know that I will always be here for you Mikan." she stated in a nonchalant, yet sincere tone. With a huge smile, she went over and gave the emotionless friend a huge hug. "Thanks Hotaru, you're the best." she said in a whisper.

Looking back up at the Sakura tree, Mikan went up to it and gave off a sad smile. "Hold on." she told Hotaru as she quickly climbed up the tree, making her best friend shoot a huge expression of worry. Knowing how clumsy her friend could be, she was bound to fall off. "Mikan, get down!" she yelled out, but her stubborn friend refused to listen. Mikan took a rock with her in the process of climbing, and then a minute later was back on the ground. Clapping her hands together she made a huge grin of success. "Okay, lets head back to the party." she said in determination as she walked away, watching her friend scold her with disbelief in her eyes.

She had written something on that tree, something that she hoped only Natsume would find out.

End of Flashback

Hotaru made a small, sad smile at the memory before walking back towards the school. As she grabbed the last of her books in her locker, she looked over to her phone only to reveal thousands of texts from her worried friends. With a slight chuckle, barely noticeable, she thought of how grateful she was to have such good friends. Even if she always acted so cold towards them, she loved them dearly with all her heart.

And with that, she made her way back to her house.

At Mikan's House

Mikan had arrived home a little later than she expected. The tutoring took longer than she had thought, but it was definitely worth it. Ruka was really good with the way he taught others, allowing the two of them to fully understand the material – unlike Hotaru who assumed that everyone was a genius like her. Slowly opening the door, she squinted her eyes expecting to hear a scolding from her parents, but instead heard nothing but silence. Blinking her eyes slightly, she tried to comprehend that nobody was getting angry at her for how late she was, or giving her a mouthful of the definition of a curfew.

"Phew." she said under a mutter as she made her way inside the house, slipping into her home slippers before heading towards the kitchen. As she walked in she came face to face with a worried and annoyed brother. "Where have you been?" he demanded to her, giving a cold attitude to make his statement. A shudder came over her body as she tried to figure out what to respond, before anger waved through her body. "What's with you? You leave for 4 years and expect to come back and become a brother all of a sudden?" she yelled out, giving off a hurt expression. Her fists clenched as she watched Natsume's eyes narrow slightly, trying to respond back in the situation. Before he could, she continued with her argument. "It was YOU who left this house. YOU who never contacted me for FOUR years. YOU who disregarded my feelings like that." she exclaimed, anger ensuing her voice as it trembled slightly. The hurt expression, similar to what he had showed earlier before, plastered on his expression once more. Her body jolted slightly at the emotion he was showing, but tried her best not to waver her anger.

"I didn't mean to hurt you this much." he said in slight guilt, looking at her with slightly saddened eyes. Mikan couldn't believe the words she was hearing. A glare formed on her face as tried to comprehend what he had just told her.

"Then why did you leave to go to America?" she asked in a serious tone, looking straight towards him with determination.

"I can't answer that now." he stated apologetically, angering her even more.

"Then tell me this, why did you choose, now, to come back?" she yelled out, a louder tone than before.

He simply looked at her with an unreadable expression as his deep crimson eyes sucked her in slowly. "Because I realized I didn't want to get married."

And with that, Mikan's eyes widened in shock, unsure of how to react in the situation.

Thank you so much for reading! I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can! I also plan to NOT abandon this story, as it is one of my favorite types of story lines haha. I've just been so busy with college to update in the past.